Eclipse Awards

Every few years the Eclipse Award goes to a horse (always a turf horse) who ships in from overseas--usually fresh--and wins a Breeders' Cup race and our designated voters make the horse an American champion. I remember going down to New Orleans 25 years ago to watch the 9-year-old gelding John's Call (Lord At War {Arg})--a people's horse if there ever was--be named champion turf horse after watching him win the Sword Dancer (by nine lengths) and the Man o' War. Unfortunately in the GI Breeder's Cup Turf he got...

In many respects, especially on the racetrack, it was a good year for the sport of horse racing. Controversies weren't the thorny issue they normally are and on the racetrack there were dozens of races that were memorable, some of the best we've seen in some time. That was the theme Thursday night at the 54th Eclipse Awards ceremony. The winners, the losers, and those who were there just to take in the show, made sure this would be a feel-good night about people who loved the sport and their...

Only a courageous runner-up effort behind 'TDN Rising Star' and 3-year-old male Eclipse finalist Fierceness (City of Light) in the GI Travers Stakes this past August stood between Brookdale Racing Inc, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) and a perfect season in 2024. But the enormously talented dark bay filly was utterly dominant against her own sex in 2024 and became the first female since Havre de Grace (Saint Liam) in 2011 to take home the coveted Horse of the Year statuette...

With victories in 2024 in two of the most prestigious races run in this country, National Treasure (Quality Road) proved a handy winner of the Eclipse Award for champion older dirt male, easily outpointing GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile upseter Full Serrano (Arg) (Full Mast) and Straight No Chaser (Speightster), who caused a bit of a surprise in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. National Treasure is just the second Bob Baffert trainee to take home the statuette in this particular division (Improbable, 2020). After giving future Horse of the Year...

The Breeders' Cup had a tremendous impact on the evening's Sprint champions, as each caused upsets of varying degrees on championship Saturday to highlight their campaigns. Straight No Chaser (Speightster) made the most of just three trips to the races in 2024, returning from a May layoff to bolt up in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship in late September before outfinishing his rivals in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. He easily outdistanced turf sprint sensation Cogburn (Not This Time) to lock up season-ending honors. Early Impressions..."He's just a really talented...

After threatening a breakthrough for the past several seasons, jockey Flavien Prat finally reached the summit of his profession Thursday when he was recognized with the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey for the first time in his career. The Frenchman, who relocated to New York from California a few seasons ago to improve his chances of achieving this type of accolade, rode the winners of a record 82 black-type races in 2024, some 56 of those at the graded level, also a record. Overall he rode the winners of 230...

Chad Brown fought off a spirited challenge from Kentucky Oaks/Kentucky Derby-winning conditioner Ken McPeek to win the Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer for the fifth time overall and for the first time in five years. Brown's 2024 campaign was punctuated by an impressive array of Grade I winners, both on the turf and dirt, and was highlighted by 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), who gave Brown his first victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic before earning an Eclipse Award as the leading 3-year-old colt of the season....

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Godolphin was honored with the Eclipse Award as the outstanding owner in North America for the fifth consecutive year and seventh overall, and for the fourth time in a row was also crowned North America's outstanding breeder during Thursday's ceremonies.  Godolphin-owned runners posted 104 victories from 460 starts (22.6%) during the year and their runners finished in the top three in 52% of their appearances while earning better than $20 million. Horses bred by Godolphin bankrolled $23.2 million and no fewer than 10 Grade...

A perfect six-for-six against her own sex in 2024, 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) was a slam-dunk choice for top 3-year-old filly honors. Both 3-year-old divisional winners sold at Fasig-Tipton. Sierra Leone topped the 2022 Saratoga Sale on a bid of $2.3 million while it required just $40,000 to purchase Thorpedo Anna out of the Fasig-Tipton October Sale a few months later. Thorpedo Anna, a leading candidate for Horse of the Year honors, is the first American champion for her sadly departed stallion, also a son of Darley...

Godolphin homebred Immersive (Nyquist) ran the table in her four appearances at two, with three wins at Grade I level capped by a dominating 4 1/2-length victory on Breeders' Cup Friday. Immersive is the second Eclipse Award winner and third champion for Nyquist, himself the champion of his generation in 2015. Nyquist is also represented by Sovereign Award winner Gretzky the Great. One of 16 graded stakes winners for Nyquist, who was himself a champion juvenile, Immersive was also one of four Grade I winners for her sire in 2024--joining...

Riding professionally since late 2023, Erik Asmussen took home the Eclipse as the nation's leading apprentice in 2024. The young rider collected his first jockey's title at the Grand Prairie, Texas track where he topped the standings with 48 wins. In his early twenties, Erik is the younger brother of fellow Oaklawn-based rider Keith J. Asmussen, but lest we forget that their father Steve rode and so did their grandfather Keith. Cash Asmussen had a celebrated career himself during the 1980s and 1990s, which included being named a five-time champion...

Soul of an Angel (Atreides) came from the clouds to light up the Del Mar tote to the tune of 19-1 beneath Drayden Van Dyke, an effort good enough to take home the Eclipse Award for the nation's top female sprinter. Sixth for co-owner/trainer Gerald James and co-owner Hall Performance in the GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Mar. 9, Soul of an Angel was purchased privately by C2 Racing Stable LLC, Agave Racing Stable and Ken Reimer and turned over to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. The dark bay 5-year-old, who...