The inaugural Ron Rippey Handicapping Media Award is open to any article, blog post, or video pertaining to a handicapping topic published (in print or online) this year. Eligible topics include how to handicap/bet a race, post-race trip notes, or general essays on money management or use of speed ratings. The award is open to anyone with published content related to handicapping and offers a $1,000 cash prize plus reasonable accommodation to attend the NTWAB dinner to receive the award.
“Handicapping horse races is both an art and a science, and the ability to produce compelling content about the topic is a specialty that deserves recognition,” said Brisnet.com Director of Marketing Ed DeRosa. “We not only want to acknowledge the good work done in this regard but also encourage people to continue to produce this type of content, and who better to honor than successful handicapper and newspaper columnist Ron Rippey.”
Rippey won the 2006 National Handicapping Championship, was a 10-time qualifier for the prestigious annual event, and a beloved regular on the contest circuit. He also wrote about racing and made picks for the Newark Star-Ledger and contributed Spotlight Selections to Brisnet.com for major race days. Rippey died August 26.
“Ron’s enthusiasm for both playing the game and writing about it was infectious,” DeRosa said. “He wanted to beat you, but he wanted you to have fun while he did it, which is the essence of good handicapping content.”
Steve Byk, Jessica Chapel, and Paul Rolfes will serve as judges for the inaugural award, and the trio brings together a mix of media experiences:
*Byk is host of the long-running ‘At The Races’ on SiriusXM, publisher of DerbyTrail.com, & managing partner of Dee Tee Stables;
*Chapel founded her eponymous JessicaChapel.com—one of the longest-running blogs in racing—in 2004, helped launch Daily Racing Form blogs in 2007, and currently works on BreedersCup.com digital media initiatives; and
*Rolfes is an editor with the Louisville Courier-Journal who writes about horse racing and previously covered & handicapped both breeds for the Columbus Dispatch.
For more information or to submit an entry, e-mail RippeyAward@Brisnet.com by Tuesday, September 30.
