Wittstruck Wins Bergstein Award

The United States Trotting Association’s Chris Wittstruck was presented with Team Valor’s Stan Bergstein Award Thursday night at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavillion in Lexington, K.Y. His piece “Watching the Cheaters Cheat,” which argued that catching drug cheaters in the act could be racing’s most effective means of deterrence, was selected for the $25,000 award by a panel of five judges.

“Catching a drug perpetrator in the act red handed is more significant than finding a bad substance in a sample,” wrote Wittstruck, who is also an attorney and director of the Standardbred Owners Association of New York. “We don’t convict test tubes; we convict people. A positive sample occasions a rule violation. Tying administration to the affirmative act of a specific person via eyewitness observation could lead to a criminal conviction. Soliciting tips, developing leads, conducting professional surveillance, obtaining warrants–hard, old fashioned legwork–is what’s needed.”

Team Valor’s Barry Irwin said, “What I liked about the winning story was that the writer cited a problem, suggested a solution and wrote it in an entertaining and thought-provoking manner. I thought it was just brilliant.”

There were a total of eight award finalists, including Ray Paulick with a total of three stories, Frank Angst of the Blood-Horse with two stories and pieces from Doug McCoy and Frank Vespe of the Racing Biz and Natalie Voss of the Paulick Report.

Wittstruck was presented with a bronze trophy from equine sculptor Nina Kaiser as part of a program that featured speeches from harness track operator Jeff Gural and Ben Nichols, an official from the World Anti-Doping Agency.

“After getting our land legs for the first three years of this award and testing out venues, we felt confident enough this year to expand the entire program and invite different college groups, including equine studies students, journalism majors and racing clubs,” Irwin said. “We also had a big representation from many of the major racing groups in U.S. racing. We wanted to make the event more of a platform to address the state of journalism in racing. For that, we brought in Mr. Nichols from the internationally respected sporting group WADA, and also Mr. Gural, who is a trend-setting racing entrepreneur who has taken matters into his own hands to change racing for the better. They presented important perspectives.”

Wittstruck donated his prize money to the Harness Horse Youth Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity that provides educational clinics, materials and scholarships with the stated goal of “fostering the next generation of participants and fans.” The late Stan Bergstein, a figure in harness racing as well as a regular columnist for Daily Racing Form, was the recipient of the Harness Horse Youth Foundation’s inaugural Service to Youth Award in 1979.

“I am especially happy to win an award named in honor of Stan Bergstein,” said Wittstruck.

The nominees were judged by Steve Haskin of the Blood-Horse, Randy Moss of NBC Sports, racing publicist and turf writer Lynne Snierson, esteemed owner-breeder George Strawbridge and Jon White of Santa Anita.