Stan Bergstein Writing Award to Ransom
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Photo: Team Valor photo
Jeff Lowe, of Team Valor, Margaret Ransom, and Team Valor chief executive officer Barry Irwin.
Margaret Ransom has won the Stan Bergstein Writing Award for a story that revealed dire conditions for more than 40 horses at a Kentucky farm that led to animal cruelty charges against Chuck and Maria Borell.
Ransom's story on USRacing.com prompted aid from outside horsemen and equine retirement groups and an investigation from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, which charged Chuck Borell and his daughter, Maria, for abandoning the horses in their care at a Mercer County Farm.
Chuck Borell would enter an Alford guilty plea to nine charges in September. His daughter, Maria, who trained last year's champion sprinter Runhappy, also was charged with 43 counts of animal cruelty. State and local officials seized the horses and volunteers and retirement farms stepped in for their care.
Team Valor nominates stories throughout the year and assigns a panel of judges to select an award winner. This year's judges for nine nominations were racetrack announcer Trevor Denman, Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron and veteran turf writers Neil Milbert, Maryjean Wall and Michael Veitch.
Team Valor CEO Barry Irwin said, "Margaret exposed a problem and led to action, which is what this award is all about, so she deserves credit and recognition for her work even though the website that published the story is for an offshore wagering company that contributes nothing to the racing industry."