from the U.S. Harness Writers Association

Freehold, NJ — Dave Briggs, writing for Harness Racing Weekend Preview, and Kimberly French, writing for Hoof Beats magazine, were named the winners in the 2015 John Hervey Awards for excellence in harness writing journalism, the U.S. Harness Writers Association announced Monday.

Winners in the Smallsreed Award photography contest and Hervey broadcasting division were announced last week.

French won in the feature writing category for her story titled “Heart of a Lion: Champion trotter King Mufasa walks away from gruesome trailering accident,” which appeared in the November 2015 issue of Hoof Beats. It is French’s first Hervey honor. Click here to read the story.

Bill Finley and Melissa Keith received honorable mention in the feature category.

Finley was recognized for his story about Breana Carsey and her Ohio Sire Stakes champion MJB Got Faith “Just 10, Owner has big horse, big dreams, big heart,” which appeared in the Sept. 17, 2015 issue of Harness Racing Update. Keith was recognized for her story “Been there, bought the T-shirt: The relevance of trademark race calls,” which appeared in the February 2015 issue of Trot magazine.

Briggs won in the news and commentary category for his “Stretch Call” column titled “Suspension of Sears points to systemic flaw,” which appeared on Nov. 20, 2015 in Harness Racing Weekend Preview. Briggs has been awarded a record eight Hervey honors in the writing categories. Click here to read the story.

Kathy Parker and Perry Lefko received honorable mention in the news and commentary category.

Parker was recognized for her story, “Battle to the Wire: Wiggle It Jiggleit astounds crowd with victory in 70th Little Brown Jug,” which appeared in the Sept. 30, 2015 issue of The Horseman and Fair World magazine. Lefko was recognized for his story, “Four Michigan drivers seeking huge sums in damage suit after race fixing case went nowhere,” which appeared in the Sept. 11, 2015 issue of Harness Racing Update.

The writing categories were judged by a panel consisting of past Hervey winners Brad Schmaltz and Maryjean Wall, horse racing publicist and writer Lynne Snierson, and Daily Racing Form Programming Manager Lou Monaco.

Award winners will be recognized during the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Dan Patch Awards banquet at Hyatt Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on March 6. Information on tickets and accommodations for the event can be found at www.ushwa.org.

Meadowlands Chairman Jeffrey Gural is continuing his longstanding sponsorship of the Hervey and Smallsreed awards by providing banquet tickets for the Hervey and Smallsreed winners.