Jensen, Christine and Dupay win Media Eclipse Awards

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced the winners of three

Media Eclipse Awards on Monday. In the Feature/Enterprise category, Mike Jensen

won for his series of articles in the Philadelphia Enquirer on Smarty Jones'

campaign through the Triple Crown; Bill Christine won the News/Commentary

category for his article "Kayak II" in the Los Angeles Times that explored the

circumstances of Kayak's runner-up finish to stablemate Seabiscuit in the 1940

Santa Anita Handicap; and Cindy Pierson Dulay captured the honor for Photography

for her shot of Stephan's Angel (Crypto Star) acting up on the track before a

race at Pimlico.

Jensen, a staff writer for the Inquirer since 1988, traced the story of

Smarty Jones, trainer John Servis, owners Roy and Pat Chapman, jockey Stewart

Elliott and an assortment of other characters working behind the scenes with the

Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) winner.

"This was easily the most fun and the most intense six weeks I've had in the

sports writing business," Jensen said after winning his first Media Eclipse

Award. "The people involved with Smarty Jones were real life stories, and this

was a great sports story, even if he had lost the Kentucky Derby. There was a

news story developing every day and it wasn't hard getting out of bed in the

morning to cover this."

Christine, a Los Angeles Times writer since 1982, won his second Media

Eclipse Award after being recognized for Outstanding Newspaper writing in 1984.

"With all the attention Seabiscuit garnered in 2003, I thought it was the

forgotten horse, Kayak, got lost in the shuffle," Christine explained. "As I

researched it a little more, I learned what a great horse he was. Had he beaten

Seabiscuit that day, his career may have changed. He was a terrific horse with

Hall of Fame credentials."

Piersen Dulay's photograph, which was snapped prior to Stephan's Angel's

runner-up finish in the Miss Preakness (G3) on May 14, appeared in the July 2004

issue of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred. The award is the first for her.

"I'm thrilled to win this award in a business I love very much," siad Pierson

Dulay, who is a resident of Ontario. "The connections decided not to saddle

Stephan's Angel in the enclosed paddock at Pimlico and instead brought her

outside in front of the stands (for saddling). I do look for horses acting up

from time to time, but this was a lucky shot."

The 2004 Eclipse Awards will be held on January 24 at the Regent Beverly

Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California.