Five Stewards Honored With Pedersen Award

The Racing Officials Accreditation Program has announced five winners of the 2015 Pete Pedersen Award, presented annually to stewards who have made important contributions to the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing industries.



The award is named in honor of the longtime outstanding steward and noted journalist Pete Pedersen, who died in August 2012. The recipients were recognized at the Awards Luncheon at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program's Global Symposium on Racing and Gaming in Tucson, Ariz.



"This is our second year of recognizing horse racing stewards for their dedication and contributions to our great sport," said ROAP chairman Hugh Gallagher. "This lady and these four gentlemen have excelled as career racing officials by bringing integrity, consistency and a commitment to a level playing field for all horsemen and women. Their passion and professional performance are great examples for stewards throughout the country."



The five winners are:



Walter Blum

Blum, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., retired as a jockey in 1975 and then worked as a racing official  in New Jersey. In 1978, he relocated to Florida, where he served as state steward in the south Florida racing circuit until his retirement in 2004. Blum was named to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame after a 22-year career as a jockey riding mainly on the east coast from New England to Florida, with seasonal stints in Southern California. His biggest wins came in the 1966 Santa Anita Derby and the 1971 Belmont Stakes. Blum was elected president of The Jockeys' Guild in 1969, a position he held until 1974. In 1986, Blum was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.



Barbara Borden

First licensed as a steward in 1993, Barb Borden currently serves as an ROAP-accredited steward in Kentucky, where she has been a steward at all of the state's Thoroughbred tracks. Borden has held numerous racing official positions including licensing administrator, detention barn assistant, horse identifier and Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund administrator. An accomplished horsewoman and staunch advocate for Thoroughbred aftercare, Borden is on the board of the horse rescue group Second Stride.



Dave Hicks

Dave Hicks, who retired in 2013, served as a steward at the New York Racing Association tracks, Gulfstream Park, Rockingham Park, and Suffolk Downs, among others. During his years at NYRA, Hicks was active in the rule review/development process, with "house rules" and with the New York Racing and Wagering Board rules. He also organized and personally conducted a weekly program for apprentice jockeys in New York and Florida. Before becoming a racing official, Hicks was a Thoroughbred horse trainer in New England.



Leo O'Donnell

Leo O'Donnell began serving as a steward in the Northeast at Rockingham Park, Suffolk Downs, Lincoln Downs, Narragansett Park, Green Mountain in Vermont and various New England fair meets. Later in his 35-year career, he worked the tracks in Florida, West Virginia, Ohio, Oregon and Kentucky. A racehorse trainer and steeplechase jockey, O'Donnell championed the rights of the horsemen and women. O'Donnell was a founding member of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and served as the National HBPA president in 1946. He was also involved with the start of uniform rule-making. In 1980, he received the Joe Palmer Award from the National Turf Writers Association.



George Slender

George Slender is a ROAP-accredited steward with the California Horse Racing Board and over the last 43 years has officiated at every track in California, working Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse and all-breeds fair race meets. From 1959 to 1972, Slender, a former horse trainer, held positions as placing judge, paddock judge, horse identifier and starter. He was recently inducted into the Santa Rosa Junior College Sports Hall of Fame.



Pedersen, for whom the award is named, worked as a steward in California for 50 years before retiring at the age of 85 in 2005. The Seattle native became the second steward to receive the Eclipse Award of Merit in 2002. He was also the recipient of the Laffit Pincay Jr. Award in 2008, given to an individual who serves the racing industry with integrity, dedication, determination and distinction.



The Pete Pedersen Award special selection committee is composed of five members from ROAP-affiliated organizations: Rick Baedeker (ARCI / California Horse Racing Board), Tim Capps (University of Louisville), Dan Metzger (Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association), Terry Meyocks (Jockeys' Guild) and Scott Wells (Thoroughbred Racing Associations).