Edward L. Bowen. (NTRA Photo)
54th Annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards Ceremony Dedicated to Ed Bowen
NTRA Release/Edited
PALM BEACH, Fla.– The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters announced today that the 54th Annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards on Thursday, Jan. 23 will honor the memory of Edward L. Bowen, longtime author, racing journalist, and script writer for the Eclipse Awards since the event’s inception in 1971.
“For more than half a century, Ed Bowen’s words described the most memorable moments of the sport as captured each year during the Eclipse Awards. His list of accomplishments includes an Eclipse Award for magazine writing in 1972, thousands of articles and nearly two dozen books on Thoroughbred breeding and racing. Before the Internet, Wikipedia and Artificial Intelligence (AI), there was Ed Bowen,” said Tom Rooney, President and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA).
Bowen was a historian and author, who grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he was influenced by a father who liked horses. He rode ponies as a boy and became a fan of Thoroughbred racing from watching races on television.
After attending the University of Florida in 1960 to study journalism Bownen transferred to the University of Kentucky 1963, a move that began his career writing for The Blood-Horse magazine.
After accepting a job in Canada as editor of The Canadian Horse, in 1968 Bowen returned to work for The Blood-Horse in 1970 as its managing editor. He remained with magazine for another twenty-three years rising to editor-in-chief.
Bowen penned the story of Man o’ War, the first book in the Thoroughbred Legends series published by Eclipse Press. For the series, he also authored books on War Admiral, Nashua, and Bold Ruler. His body of work also included a two-volume set entitled Legacies of the Turf.
The author of eighteen books, Bowen’s most recent published work was Matriarchs, Volume 2: More Great Mares of Modern Times, released in October 2008.
Bowen was also the president of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, an institution involved in funding equine research.
In 1972 Bowen received the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Magazine Writing and in addition he received a number of other industry awards.
