Dogwood Accepting Dominion Award Nominations

Dogwood Stable is now accepting nominations for its annual Dogwood Dominion Award. Jerry Bailey, Penny Chenery, and Dogwood's Anne Campbell will choose from all nominations to determine the deserving "unsung hero" within the Thoroughbred industry. The winner will receive a $5,000 check and a bronze statue of Dominion at a luncheon at the Saratoga Reading Room on Aug. 4.

This year marks the 12th year for the Dogwood Dominion Award, which was inspired by the multiple stakes winner Dominion, who was campaigned by Dogwood Stable in the 1970s and then went on to become five-time champion sire in England.

Nominees should be individuals who have had a positive effect on the racing/breeding environment in which they are involved. Previous winners are H.W. "Salty" Roberts, Howard "Gelo" Hall, Peggy Sprinkles, Grace Belcuore, Nick Caras, Donald "Peanut Butter" Brown, Danny Perlsweig, Katherine Todd Smith, Julian "Buck" Wheat, Jim Greene and Shirley Edwards, and Neftali Gutierrez.

"It is amazing how much publicity we have received since that wonderful day at Saratoga," said Jim Greene of the Eighth Pole, winner of the 2002 Dominion Award. "Dogwood literally put us on the map. People and organizations want to become part of what we do, both as volunteers and/or financial contributors." The Eighth Pole is a non-profit organization that serves the health and substance abuse needs of backstretch workers in New England.

Salty Roberts was the inaugural winner of the Dogwood Award in 1993. A race tracker through and through, Salty was a parking attendant at Monmouth and Gulfstream Park, but had a vision of starting a chaplaincy in England.

"The prize money made it possible for me to go to England and meet the parties that enabled a chaplaincy program to begin at Newmarket," Roberts said recently. "It took many trips in a five-year period, but the first chaplaincy in English racing was established. God does have a sense of humor. Who would imagine that an English horse could end up in the hands of a Southern gentleman who creates an award and the prize money used to spread God's love back to the English racing community?"

Nominations should be received no later than June 28 and be mailed or faxed to: Mary Jane Howell, Dogwood Stable, P.O. Box 1549, Aiken, SC 29802. Fax: 803-642-2747. We also have an electronic nominating form on our website: www.dogwoodstable.com.