The stage is set for an emotional Eclipse Awards ceremony with Team Cody’s Wish in position to dominate when the winners are announced.
Cody’s Wish ridden by Junior Alvarado, wins the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Breeders’ Cup Championship
Three finalists in 16 of the 17 human and equine Eclipse Award categories were revealed on Saturday, with Cody’s Wish up for Older Dirt Male and Male Sprinter; Bill Mott up for top trainer; and Godolphin, LLC, up for top owner and breeder.
Finalists for Horse of the Year will be announced on Jan. 25, the night of the Eclipse Awards gala at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida.
Cody’s Wish is a favorite to be voted Horse of the Year following four wins in five starts in 2023, capped with a dramatic victory over Preakness (G1) winner National Treasure in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1). White Abarrio, winner of the BC Classic, also is a top contender.
The son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin was named by Godolphin for Cody Dorman and trained by Mott. Dorman, born with a rare genetic disorder, bonded with the horse a few years ago, attended the Breeders’ Cup with his parents, and sadly died the next day on the trip home to Kentucky.
Race to Glory: Eclipse Awards Contenders & Standout Performers
Finalists for champion 3-Year-Old Male are Arcangelo, winner of the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Travers (G1), Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mage, and Ireland-bred Auguste Rodin, winner of the BC Turf (G1) in his only race in North America.
Brad Cox – Courtesy of Churchill Downs
Joining Cody’s Wish as Older Dirt Male finalists are Elite Power, the BC Sprint (G1) winner, and White Abarrio; the other Sprint Male finalists are Elite Power and Gunite, Forego (G1) winner and runner-up in the BC Sprint.
Mott is a finalist along with two-time Eclipse winner Brad Cox, the nation’s leading trainer, and Chad Brown, a four-time Eclipse winner. Mott not only trained Cody’s Wish he also trained Elite Power and Just FYI, winner of the BC Juvenile Fillies (G1). Mott, a Hall of Famer who last won an Eclipse in 2011, had the best year of his 51-year training career in earnings ($17.4 million).
Godolphin is an owner finalist along with Juddmonte and Klaravich Stables. The Dubi-based operation has won the owner Eclipse for the past three years and the breeder Eclipse for the past two y, s.
Voting for the Eclipse Awards is done by members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), the Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB). Of the 250 eligible voters, 219 (88%) took part in the balloting.
2023 Eclipse Award finalists (other than Horse of the Year)
2-Year-Old Male: Fierceness, Locked, Muth
2-Year-Old Filly: Candied, Hard to Justify, Just FYI
3-Year-Old Male: Arcangelo, Auguste Rodin (IRE), Mage
3-Year-Old Filly: Mawj (IRE), Pretty Mischievous, Randomized
Older Dirt Male: Cody’s Wish, Elite Power, White Abarrio
Older Dirt Female: Clairiere, Goodnight Olive, Idiomatic
Male Sprinter: Cody’s Wish, Elite Power, Gunite
Female Sprinter: Echo Zulu, Goodnight Olive, Maple Leaf Mel
Male Turf Horse: Auguste Rodin (IRE), Master of the Seas (IRE), Up to the Mark
Female Turf Horse: In Italian (GB), Inspiral, (GB), Mawj (IRE)
Steeplechase Horse: Awakened, Merry Maker (IRE), Snap Decision
Owner: Godolphin, LLC, Juddmonte, Klaravich Stables, Inc.
Breeder: Calumet Farm, Godolphin, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, LLC
Trainer: Chad Brown, Brad Cox, Bill Mott
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione, Irad Ortiz, Jr., Flavien Prat
Apprentice Jockey: Axel Concepcion, Jaime A. Torres, Sofia Vives