Akron, NY – The United States Harness Writers Association is proud to announce that Joseph “Jo Jo” Tosies has been named the 2025 Fair Island Farm Caretaker of the Year.
Tosies will receive the award, sponsored annually by Art Zubrod and Leah Cheverie’s Fair Island Farm in partnership with USHWA, at the Dan Patch Awards Banquet, presented by Caesars Entertainment, to be held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida on Sunday, February 22.
In addition to transportation costs to Orlando, Tosies will also receive two free dinner tickets, a two-night stay at Rosen Shingle Creek, as well as a $2,500 cash prize.
When Tosies heard he had been selected as this year’s recipient of this award, he said: “I can’t believe I have won this award, it is so special and the highest honor a groomer could ever receive. I am so proud of my horses and to be honored for doing what I love is beyond anything I could imagine.”
After working for John McDermott for more than a decade, Tosies moved to the Ron Burke Stable, where he now cares for the daily routines of horses including Lexus Kody and Kobe’s Gigi.
From the nominations USHWA has received, the people who know him best describe how hardworking and dedicated Tosies is.
On many of his ‘days off’ he is in the stable making sure his horses are okay. He does the “little things” that keep his horses in the right state of mind and body so they can achieve the best results. He is friendly in his communication and that translates into great results. And no one is happier than he when they win or lose, praising their efforts equally.
Tosies shows compassion and great care and is always willing to lend a helping hand and share his experience and knowledge with other caregivers. He is a gentle giant of a man, but with a calm, calming demeanor that carries over to the horses he cares for.
This year, Joe has been dealing with personal health issues. A week before the Yonkers International Trot, he had to be hospitalized with a serious foot infection that required surgery. He insisted that the surgery be postponed so that he could start racing his “Kody”. But the doctors were convinced that he had to undergo the operation immediately, which took place the week of the event.
After the operation, Tosies was able to be released a few days before the big event and he visited it with walking boots. And with the help of some of his great fellow staff members who helped, Kody got the job done by wiring the field. The photo of the winner’s circle shows Lexus Kody with his head in Tosies’ chest, as if to say, “We couldn’t have done this without each other.”
Burke gave Tosies the ultimate praise after winning the Fan Duel at the Meadowlands, saying he was crucial to Kody’s success.
With a long and excellent resume and full support for him from all his connections, Tosies checked all the boxes for the eight-person USHWA panel that selected him as the winner of the Fair Island Caretaker of the Year Award.
Room reservations at Rosen Shingle Creek for the star-studded Dan Patch Awards weekend can be made through a portal in the USHWA website (usharnesswriters.com). The organization has arranged a special room rate for that entire week for anyone who makes a reservation via this link.
The United States Harness Writers Association is the leading group of communicators about the Standardbred horse. USHWA conducts the official annual voting for the sport’s most prestigious honors, including induction into the Hall of Fame and Communicators Hall of Fame, along with the selection of the Horse of the Year, Trotter and Pacer of the Year, and each season’s leading division horses.
by Tim Bojarski for the Harness Writers Association of the United States
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