"The U.S. Harness Writers vote on the most important human and equine honors in our sport and the Integrity Committee took their mandate very seriously," said Integrity Committee chairperson Moira Fanning.  "We also hope that to help us decide in the future on winners who reflect positively on the sport that the regulatory bodies in charge of racing develop uniform classifications, withdrawal times and penalties to clarify the parameters for horsemen and women and make a clear distinction between illegal drugs and therapeutic medications for the public."

In addition, a horse may be denied a Dan Patch Award if a positive test occurs after voting has been completed and before the presentation of any award.  If enough time is available to conduct a second ballot, then a re-vote would be held; if not, the award would be deferred until a later time.  If the matter is later resolved in favor of the award winner, the historical archive would be amended to included his or her name.

Source: The Horseman & Fair World (March 7, 2007 issue)