Maryland Million is THIS weekend! And the man behind the day that celebrates Maryland racing is being honored next month with the Robert and Anne Heighe Award for Excellence in Equestrian Journalism. For details on the award, see below. For details on this year’s Maryland Million, click here: https://www.marylandmillion.com/

first published in the October 2017 Equiery

The late sports broadcaster Jim McKay will be awarded posthumously the 2017 Robert and Anne Heighe Award for Excellence in Equestrian Journalism on November 10. The Hays-Heighe House, at the Harford Community College in Bel Air, presents the award. The Hays-Heighe House is a public historic site that was the centerpiece of the Heighe’s 225-acre Prospect Hill Farm, where they bred and trained Thoroughbred racehorses from 1921 until 1953.

“The Wider World of Jim McKay: Celebrating His Life and His Work” is an exhibit on McKay’s life that will be open before the reception and awards presentation. McKay’s family will be accepting the award while Bill Boniface, a friend of McKay, will share remarks.

McKay began covering racing here in Maryland in November of 1947 with live reporting from Pimlico Racecourse. From there, McKay’s love affair with racing began and he covered several Triple Crown races for ABC as well as heading to England to cover bigger races such as the Royal Ascot.