Hightstown, NJ – Derick Giwner and Wes Mayberry were named the winners of the 2025 John Hervey Awards for excellence in harness racing journalism while Clive Cohen swept the George Smallsreed Awards for photography and Horse Racing Alberta and Shine Light Entertainment was selected the winner of the Sam McKee Award for broadcasting, the U.S. Harness Writers Association announced Saturday (Jan. 17).
The winners will be recognized at the Dan Patch Awards banquet, presented by Caesars Entertainment, on Feb. 22 at Rosen Shingle Creek resort in Orlando, Fla. Meadowlands Racetrack Chairman Jeffrey Gural is continuing his longstanding sponsorship of the awards by providing banquet tickets for the winners.
Giwner won in the news/commentary category for his column, “Picking up the pieces: Horsemen discuss the closure of Freehold and what’s next,” which appeared in the Jan. 9, 2025, edition of DRF Harness Digest. To read the story, click here. This is Giwner’s third Hervey Award, all in the news/commentary category.
Mayberry won in the feature division for his story “Something Special,” which appeared in the September issue of The Buckeye Harness Horseman. Click here to read the feature, which details how 2-year-old filly Rhodena Blue’s friendship with a Shetland pony helped her win a Buckeye Stallion Series race and continued the healing process of a grieving Canadian family. This is Mayberry’s first Hervey Award.
Honorable mentions in the news/commentary category went to Andrew Cohen for “Keeping Pace: The Lessons of the Delaware Seven,” which appeared Nov. 25 on the Paulick Report, and Nicole Kraft for “Harness Racing Summarily Ended in California,” which appeared May 2 in Harness Racing Update.
In feature writing, honorable mentions went to Jessica Hallett for “Hennessey weighs the potential end to a legendary career,” which appeared Nov. 20 in DRF Harness Digest, and James Platz for “Lights! Camera! Action! Coach Stefanos wraps up his 4-year-old season in stunning style,” which appeared in the January 2025 issue of Hoof Beats.
The writing categories were judged by Trentonian (N.J.) Sports Editor Kyle Franko, former Lexington Herald-Leader Sports Editor Mat Graf, former Philadelphia Inquirer Sports Editor John Quinn, and Maryjean Wall, a retired multiple Eclipse Award and Hervey Award-winning journalist and author.
In the Smallsreed competitions, Clive Cohen won in the feature category for his photograph “Harvest Moon Racing,” which was taken Sept. 8 at Woodbine Mohawk Park and appeared that day on the Woodbine Mohawk Park Instagram and X feeds.
Clive Cohen also won the action category for “Second-Place Shock,” which captured driver Braxten Boyd’s expression as driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr., with Louprint, beat Madden Oaks in the final strides of the North America Cup on June 14 at Mohawk. It also appeared on the Woodbine Mohawk Park Instagram and X channels. Cohen has now won seven Smallsreed Awards.
Honorable mention in both categories went to Mark Hall; in the feature division for “Morning Routine,” which appeared in the November issue of Hoof Beats, and in the action division for “Eye on the Gate,” in the February issue of Hoof Beats.
The Smallsreed categories were judged by racetrack and newspaper photographer Bill Denver, Eclipse Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston, and former harness racing groom and longtime newspaper/magazine photographer Phil McAuliffe.
In the McKee competition, Horse Racing Alberta and Shine Light Entertainment was honored for their video, “The Underdog,” which tells the story of Crackers Hot Shot, a mare who defied the odds to become one of Alberta’s most influential producers. The feature, which can be watched here, appeared on the HRA website and social media channels on Oct. 27 and was picked up by Todayville, the Central Alberta News source. The piece was produced by Jeff Robillard of Horse Racing Alberta and Mike Little of Shine Light Entertainment. This is Horse Racing Alberta’s fourth award in the broadcast division and Shine Light Entertainment’s second.
Honorable mention went to Cujo Entertainment’s coverage of the 100th Hambletonian, which aired live nationally in Canada on the Game+ network, streamed on multiple YouTube and Facebook platforms, and aired on tape delay on CBS Sports Network on Aug. 3. Also receiving honorable mention was the U.S. Trotting Association’s “Louprint and Ronnie Wrenn Jr.: In the Bike for the 80th Little Brown Jug,” which appeared on the USTA website and social media channels on Sept. 19.
Entries for the Sam McKee Award were judged by 10-time Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy Award-winning producer/director Ben Payavis, Chief Content Officer at WVIA (Pa.) Public Media, and Alex Hayden, a 28-year veteran broadcaster for Motor Racing Network (“The Voice of NASCAR”), in addition to spending multiple seasons as on-air talent for NASCAR on NBC Sports. He also is the play-by-play voice for University of Mount Olive NCAA sports broadcasts.
Sponsorship information for the Dan Patch Awards banquet can be obtained from Shawn Wiles at swiles@rwcatskills.com. Advertising in the souvenir Journal can be arranged through Kim Rinker at trotrink@aol.com. Dinner tickets can be order until Feb. 16 by contacting Judy Davis-Wilson at zoe8874@aol.com or 302-359-3630 or Liz Cheesman at Elizabeth.lewis-house@winbakfarm.com. For a dinner ticket form please click here.
For room reservations at Rosen Shingle Creek, click on this hotel link.