“Journalists, I think, more than other people, seem to crystallize moments in time, to etch those memories deep into our souls. We never know what experiences we might want to draw upon… and so we internalize, and everything, the good and the bad, becomes a part of who we are.” – Claire Novak

Claire Novak is one of Thoroughbred racing’s most recognizable writers. Winner of the 2011 Media Eclipse Award for Feature/Commentary and recipient of the 2008 Louisville Metro Journalism Award for Sports Writing, she has covered racing for some of the nation’s best-known outlets including The New York Times, ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, the Associated Press, NBC Sports, and Athlon Sports. Currently the head racing writer for The Blood-Horse Magazine, she has also served as a guest correspondent for Lady Luck, the seasonal television show produced by horse racing’s leading television network, TVG. In 2009 she was recruited to become the youngest member of that year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships‘ notes team, a position she maintains to this day. She is the youngest female member in the history of the team.

As a human-interest reporter with a personal passion for “new journalism,” Ms. Novak writes in the style of legends such as Red Smith, Joe Palmer, and Grantland Rice. Her heroes include Gay Talese and Tom Wolfe. She also writes literary fiction, and her short story “Cry” was nominated for a 2011 Pushcart Prize by the publishers of Stymie Magazine. She is a lifelong equestrian and is therefore intimately acquainted with the sport she covers. She a member of the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM), the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association (NTWAB), and the Lexington Young Professionals Association.

Ms. Novak contributed to racing coverage for Hearst Publications’ Albany Times Union every summer at Saratoga Race Course from 2007-2011. Her work has been published in Louisville Magazine, Keeneland Magazine, Kentucky Derby Magazine, and Breeders’ Cup Magazine, among others. She is a contributor to the websites Hello Race Fans! and Kentucky Confidential, penned a regular column for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s NTRA.com., and has been published in multiple books – Second Chance Horses from Eclipse Press and Horsenameographies from Caballo Press of Ann Arbor. 

Founder of  The Hopeful Farm Foundation, Ms. Novak is also a registered therapeutic riding instructor with the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl). She is a Chicago native who now lives just outside Lexington with her family, a horse called Bob, and her extremely energetic and semi-trained dogs – an Australian Shepherd/Collie rescue named Vesper and a Great Pyrenees mix (much less original but not less-loved) named Puppy.

What People Are Saying:
“Novak is a breath of fresh air in an industry where most of us writers are too old, too cynical and too male. She truly loves the sport and it shows in her writing and ever-present enthusiasm.” – Bill Finley, ESPN.com

“Novak has emerged as one of the best turf writers working, with a particular flair for features and profiles. She’s a storyteller, attentive to detail and dialogue… On fire? She certainly is, to the good fortune of readers, racing fans, and turf journalism.” – Jessica Chapel, Railbird v2

“There’s no denying Novak’s hustle, effort, diligence, and ability; in a world in which Turf writers are finding fewer and fewer opportunities, her work appears regularly in a variety of publications.” – Teresa Genaro, Brooklyn Backstretch

“The top feature writer on racing right now in the country.” – Joe Bunzol

“Some of the better racing writing you will read anywhere, in my opinion.” – Dean Towers

“Consistently great content. Always interesting, never boring – with a dash of wit!” – Martin McDonough

Ms. Novak’s photo was taken at the 2011 Eclipse Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., by Scott Serio of Eclipse Sportswire