National Honor for Toby's BloodHorse Story on Shergar

The American Society of Journalists and Authors determined the best article published in any trade magazine in 2016 appeared at BloodHorse.com.

Award-winning author Milton Toby was named recipient of a national writing award presented annually by the ASJA for "Taking Shergar: Horse Racing's Most Famous Cold Case." The long form story that ran on the BloodHorse website, "Taking Shergar" was judged the best article published in a trade magazine in 2016. 

The annual awards honor outstanding nonfiction work produced on a freelance basis by independent writers during the previous year.

Based in Central Kentucky and vice president of ASJA, Toby has been writing about Thoroughbred racing since Secretariat won the Triple Crown. His previous books include Dancer's Image: The Forgotten Story of the 1968 Kentucky Derby (winner of the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award for the best book about Thoroughbred racing and an American Horse Publications award for the best equine book of the year) and Noor: A Champion Thoroughbred's Unlikely Journey from California to Kentucky (selected as the best book about horse racing at the 2016 EQUUS Film Festival and the author's second AHP award winner).

"Taking Shergar" tells the true story of an Epsom Derby winner stolen and held for ransom at the height of "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland. The ransom never was paid and Shergar never was recovered. A book about the theft, its aftermath, and the people whose lives were changed forever is scheduled for publication by the University Press of Kentucky in 2018. 

"Every year I'm amazed by the quality of writing produced by my ASJA peers," said awards co-chair Janine Latus. "It makes me proud to be a member." Co-chair Salley Shannon agreed, adding that there were a lot of "can't put it down" reads on this winners' list.

The ASJA awards will be presented at a reception May 5 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.