Monmouth Honors ABR's Tordjman With Handleman Award

Dan Tordjman, president of The Jockey Club's Media Ventures and America's Best Racing, has been named the 2026 Bill Handleman Award winner for outstanding coverage of last year's Haskell Stakes (G1), Monmouth Park announced today. First presented in 2012, the Handleman Award honors distinguished media coverage of the $1 million Haskell, Monmouth Park's showcase race. It is presented annually prior to the Haskell, which will be contested for the 59th time July 18. The award honors the late Bill Handleman, one of New Jersey's top sportswriters for nearly three decades for the Asbury Park Press. Handleman, a fixture at Monmouth and a passionate chronicler of the sport, died in June 2010 at the age of 62. Tordjman, a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, was named president of TJC Media Ventures in 2025, overseeing the rapid expansion in viewership and engagement with America's Best Racing Content. Along with Jessica Paquette, he has co-hosted ABR's livestreaming from Monmouth Park during the Haskell Stakes and Haskell Preview Day. Tordjman also founded danonymousracing.com and co-founded the fan-oriented racing convention Equestricon. "Much of what Dan has done and is now doing is helping usher Thoroughbred racing into the future with fan engagement and fan-oriented initiatives," said Monmouth general manager John Heims. "His experience in media and marketing have amplified Thoroughbred racing's presence through inventive and original content across social media and digital platforms." Among Tordjman's ventures was launching ABR's digital livestreams during the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup. "This award means a lot," Tordjman said. "I actually started out flipping burgers at Monmouth Park as a college kid. That job gave me my first up-close look at the racing industry and all the incredible people who make it go. This is a full-circle moment for me. "Monmouth Park's media and marketing teams have always welcomed the work we do at ABR. They know how focused we are on reaching younger audiences in ways that don't always look like traditional racing coverage. Thank you to Monmouth Park for that support, and to The Jockey Club for backing and funding our work over the years, enabling us to tell the amazing stories that unfold on Haskell day, or any day, at this track." The first recipient of the Handleman Award was Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger, followed by Steve Edelson of The Asbury Park Press in 2013, Dave Johnson of Sirius XM in 2014, Ed McNamara of Newsday in 2015, Bob Ehalt of ESPN.com and BloodHorse in 2016, Tom Cassidy of TVG.com in 2017, Jim Dunleavy of Daily Racing Form in 2018, Mike Farrell of The Associated Press in 2019, Steve Byk of At the Races With Steve Byk in 2020, Matt Shifman of Horse Racing Nation in 2021, John Brennan of usbets.com in 2022, announcer/TV racing analyst Larry Collmus in 2023, videographer Carlos Morales of Agentes 305 in 2024, and Christina Bossinakis, senior editor for the Thoroughbred Daily News and a prominent TV racing personality, last year.