The United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), harness racing’s leading group of industry communicators, held its annual Directors and Membership meetings on Feb. 20 and 21 virtually using the Zoom technology, as the group’s annual “weekend” including these meetings and culminating in the Dan Patch Awards banquet had to be cancelled due to the health pandemic.
Dan Patch award winners were honoured through a virtual “Dan Patch Awards” program before a Saturday night card at The Meadowlands in January. That effort was chaired by Gordon Waterstone, and was brought to fruition largely through the efforts of Jason Settlemoir, Jeff Gural, and many members of The Meadowlands’ communications office. The show was watched through The Meadowlands’ signal, and through a number of USHWA and other social media platforms, which generated much viewing and engagement.
Ontario-sired pacing colt Tall Dark Stranger was named the 2020 U.S. Horse of the Year as part of the Dan Patch Annual Awards Banquet held virtually on Saturday (Jan. 16).
The United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), the leading media organization in North American harness racing, has announced the winners of its Dan Patch Awards balloting for excellence exhibited among both equines and humans. The “best of the best” are normally honoured at the writers’ Dan Patch Annual Awards Banquet, but that event was cancelled this year due to the ongoing health crisis, so a special Virtual Awards show was broadcast Saturday.
Before the start of Saturday night’s card at The Meadowlands, driver Dexter Dunn was named the United States Harness Writers Association’s Driver of the Year for a second-consecutive season in a virtual Dan Patch Awards ceremony that the entire sport could view on the internet or at any simulcast venue.
Then Dunn went out and showed why that considerable amount of hardware sits on his mantle.
The 31-year-old New Zealand product, whose 131 wins during 2020 led all Big M drivers, registered four scores on the 15-race program–after winning three on Friday–to seize control of the top of the Meadowlands’ standings with 15 victories in the early stages of the Winter-Spring-Championship Meeting.
The United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), the group of the industry’s communicators who are the primary voters on Hall of Fame and year-end honours, is announcing a special Dan Patch Virtual Awards Show, to be held on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, from 5 to 6 p.m.
The Dan Patch Awards Show can be watched live on USHWA’s Facebook page, as well as through the Meadowlands simulcast signal, on the track’s website and through the RTN broadcast network. The next day, it will be archived and available on the USTA’s YouTube channel.
The Dan Patch Awards would normally be given at the writers’ annual Dan Patch Banquet in association with their national meetings, but there will be no banquet this year due to health/travel concerns and the USHWA meetings will be held electronically.