As one might imagine, being honored with an Eclipse Award means a lot to Rees.
“What I’m really proud of is the newspaper for devoting the time and the space to stories like this and to horse racing coverage,” Rees said. “When Jim Gluckson [with NTRA] called me and told me that I had won, I told him that I felt like when you interview these trainers after a stakes race they’ve won and they always want to say, ‘I got to thank the owners,’ and you think, ‘come on, say something else,’ but I understand why they do it, because it’s true. The trainers without the horses wouldn’t be able to do that, and if I didn’t work for a newspaper that supports this and if I didn’t have a sports editor who supports it.”
Rees credits Courier-Journal sports editor Harry Bryan, photographer Bill Luster, and videographer Scott Utterback for their contributions to the piece.
Rees has covered horse racing for the Courier-Journal since 1983. This is the third Eclipse Award for Rees. She won her first Eclipse in 1988 for a profile of trainer D. Wayne Lukas, which appeared in the Sunday Magazine of the Courier-Journal. She earned her second Eclipse in 1993 for her story on horse injuries. Additionally, Rees collaborated with other members of courierjournal.com for the 2008 Eclipse Award in the Audio and Multi Media Internet category.
“There’s a lot of very, very gifted turf writers, very great writers and reporters that have not won the Eclipse Award,” said Rees. “So you put it in perspective and to win is sure an awful big honor.”
HRTV and DRF.com will air the Eclipse Awards presentation live on Monday, January 16, beginning at 8 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy Courier-Journal
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