Jason Bartlett, the two-time leading driver at Yonkers Raceway and the U.S. representative to the World Driving Championship in 2009, will be honoured at the Thurman Munson Awards dinner
, acknowledging excellence in competition and philanthropic work within the community.
Bartlett was announced as an honouree on January 7, along with New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain, Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, former big league outfielder Darryl Strawberry and New York Knicks point guard Chris Duhon. The dinner will be held on February 2 at the Grand Hyatt hotel in New York, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the event.
The AHRC New York City Foundation benefits from the gala, which remembers Munson, the late, great Yankees catcher and captain who died in a 1979 plane crash. Diana Munson, Thurman’s widow, has been involved in the benefit since its inception, raising nearly $10 million to assist children and adults who have cogitative disabilities.
Len Berman, formerly of NBC Sports, will serve as the master of ceremonies for the 16th consecutive year. The honourees will be cited for their accomplishments on the field of play and philanthropic efforts. Bartlett is the only harness trainer or driver to win the award in the 30 year history of the event; jockey Richard Migliore is a past recipient.
“Jason Bartlett is being recognized with a Thurman Munson Award because he is a great sportsman and a great harness driver,” said Bob Galterio, general manager at Empire City at Yonkers Raceway. “He represented the U.S. in the World Driving Championship, and epitomizes the rebirth of harness racing at Yonkers Raceway. He has always been available for all of our charitable missions, like the Christmas Coat and Toy Drives. The AHRC-New York City Foundation’s theme for this year’s dinner is ‘champions’ and Jason is a champion both on and off the track.”
Bartlett’s achievements, most of them only a few miles from Yankee Stadium, made him an easy selection for the award, says event organizer John Cirillo.
“Our company, Cirillo World, handles athlete recruitment for the AHRC-New York City Foundation for the Thurman Munson Awards Dinner,” Cirillo said. “We are asked to make recommendations, and Jason was one of them for 2010. His success on the track at such a young age, 3,000 wins at age 28, as well as back-to-back championships at Yonkers, and being an outstanding individual qualified him on all fronts.
“Quite ironic that there is a baseball player of the same name, the Tampa Bay Rays all-star shortstop. To our knowledge, he’s not a sultan of the sulky, but we don’t think our Jason can hit the curveball as well as the curves of Yonkers’ half-mile oval.”
In 2009, Bartlett had 720 wins (second in North America) and his horses earned $10.8 million (fourth overall in North America).
“It all has to do with this place," Bartlett said at the raceway where he won more than $9.1 million of his purse money and 578 of his races while setting four different track records. “This place put me on the map. It got me to do a lot of things in life that I never would otherwise.”
The Munson Awards dinner has previously honoured such notables as Alex Rodriguez, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Willie Randolph, Mariano Rivera, Muhammad Ali, Yogi Berra, Goose Gossage, Don Mattingly, Jorge Posada, Joe Torre, Joe Girardi, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Mark Jackson, Charles Oakley, Bernie Williams, Arthur Ashe, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Willie Mays, Mark Messier, Mike Richter, Adam Graves, Tom Seaver, Harry Carson and John Franco.
The AHRC New York City Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports programs for 11,000 children and adults with cognitive disabilities to lead richer, more productive lives, including programs of AHRC New York City. For tickets and information on the Munson Awards Dinner, call 212-249-6188.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S.
Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.