Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor

During a career that encompassed the eras of Citation and Native Dancer to the beginning of the 21st century, Joe Hirsch received every conceivable honor that could have been bestowed upon someone who considered himself merely lucky to be able to write about the sport he loved.

A native New Yorker and a graduate of New York University, Hirsch made his mark in thoroughbred racing as both a tireless reporter for Daily Racing Form and a peerless ambassador of the game. His signature work occurred each spring when he followed the quest for the American classics in his “Derby Doings” for the Form, but beyond that the entire racing world was his oyster. He was instrumental in the creation of the Arlington Million in 1981, a midsummer classic for older runners that reached out to the best stables of Europe. Likewise, Hirsch was there at the dawn of the Japan Cup, the Breeders’ Cup, and the Dubai World Cup, stamping each event with the imprimatur of his formidable reputation.

A grateful racing industry gave Hirsch both an Eclipse Award for Outstanding Newspaper Writing (1978) and the Award of Merit (1992) for a lifetime of service. His British colleagues recognized Hirsch’s international reach with the Lord Derby Award (1981). Hirsch won the Big Sport of Turfdom Award (1983), The Jockey Club Medal (1989), and was the 1994 Honor Guest at the Thoroughbred Club of America’s testimonial dinner. The National Turf Writers Association, which was founded by Hirsch in 1959, honored him with the Walter Haight Award for excellence in turf writing (1984), the Joe Palmer Award for meritorious service to racing (1994), and the Mr. Fitz Award for typifying the spirit of horse racing (1998). The Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is not the only institution that bears the imprint of Hirsch’s name. Press boxes at Saratoga Race Course and Churchill Downs have been named for him, along with the Joe Hirsch Breeders’ Cup Writing Award, the Joe Hirsch Scholarship of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, and a major grass race run each fall at Belmont Park. Hirsch retired from Daily Racing Form in 2003 and died in 2009 in New York, at the age of 80.

The National Museum of Racing’s Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor was established in 2010 to recognize individuals whose careers have been dedicated to, or substantially involved in, writing about thoroughbred racing (non-fiction), and who distinguished themselves as journalists. The criteria has since been expanded to allow the inclusion of individuals who have contributed to racing through other forms of media.

THE JOE HIRSCH MEDIA ROLL OF HONOR

Steven Crist (2010) Charles Hatton (2010) William Nack (2010) Walter “Red” Smith (2010) Dr. Russ Harris (2011) Joe Palmer (2011) Jay Hovdey (2012) Whitney Tower (2012) Andrew Beyer (2013) Kent Hollingsworth (2013) George F. T. Ryall (2013) Jennie Rees (2014) Jim Murray (2014) Steve Haskin (2015) Raleigh Burroughs (2015) Maryjean Wall (2016) Jim McKay (2016) Michael Veitch (2017) Jack Whittaker (2017) Barney Nagler (2017)

Joe Burnham (2018) Tom Hammond (2018) Charlsie Cantey (2019) Billy Reed (2019) Pierre “Peb” Bellocq (2020) William Leggett (2020) Walter Haight (2021) Jack Mann (2021) Jay Priivman (2021)