Nicole Kraft named 2025 Tom White media award winner

The Little Brown Jug and the Delaware County Fair have named veteran journalist Nicole Kraft as the recipient of the 2025 Tom White Media Award.

Kraft’s roots in harness racing run deep. Beginning her involvement at a young age in California, she worked on both sides of the sport, grooming horses for top trainers such as Ross Croghan and Brett Pelling during the day, and producing media coverage at night. Her early commitment to the industry paved the way for a trailblazing career in harness racing journalism.

In 1996, Kraft broke new ground when she became the first female editor of Hoof Beats magazine and took on the role of Director of Communication for the United States Trotting Association (USTA). During her tenure, she helped launch several key initiatives, including Youth Beats, STARS, and the Little Brown Jug speaker series and autograph sessions, all of which have helped grow the sport’s audience and community.

Over her career, Kraft has covered nearly 30 Little Brown Jug races for outlets such as Hoof Beats, Harness Racing Update, the Associated Press, and The Columbus Dispatch.

A former Vice President of the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), Kraft was named the organization’s Member of the Year in 2003, a testament to her significant contributions to the sport’s media landscape.

In 2010, Kraft transitioned from industry media to academia, becoming a media and journalism professor at The Ohio State University, where she continues to influence the next generation of reporters.

Kraft will be formally honored with the Tom White Media Award during a ceremony on Tuesday, September 16, at the Delaware County Fair Log Cabin.

The award commemorates the legacy of Tom White, a celebrated Hall of Fame publicist and long-time Little Brown Jug media representative, who passed away in 2019.

Past Tom White Media Award winners include Paul Ramlow (2019), Brad Schmaltz (2021) and Dean Hoffman (2022), Dave Briggs (2023) and Brad Conrad (2024).

by Jay Wolf