The finalists for Eclipse Awards both equine and human were announced Sunday, and while many categories appear to be tossups, a few are sure to be runaways, beginning with Flavien Prat being voted champion jockey.
While three finalists in 16 categories are now known, finalists for Horse of the Year will be revealed at the awards dinner on Jan. 23.
Raging Sea and Flavien Prat. NYRA/Coglianese Photo.
Flavien Prat is on course to win his first Eclipse Award; Thorpedo Anna favored for Horse of the Year
Of course, Thorpedo Anna, who capped a brilliant campaign with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), is a sure bet to be voted Horse of the Year as well as champion 3-year-old filly.
Prat, meanwhile, set records for most stakes and most graded stakes wins in a year, and is joined as a finalist by Irad Ortiz, Jr., and Tyler Gaffalione.
Godolphin should win the Eclipse Award as leading owner for the fifth year in a row. Among its Eclipse finalists are Rebel’s Romance (male turf horse), Immersive and Good Cheer (2-year-old filly), and Cinderella’s Dream (female turf horse).
Among categories where the vote is expected to be close are for champion 3-year-old male — Breeder’s Cup Classic (G1) winner Sierra Leone, Travers Stakes (G1) winner Fierceness, Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Dornoch – and champion older male and older female.
The older male finalists are Full Serrano, National Treasure, and Straight No Chaser; for older female the final three are Adare Manor, Idiomatic, and Raging Sea.
As for the 2-year-old champions, trainer Bob Baffert has two of the three finalists in Breeder’s Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Citizen Bull and Gaming; Chad Brown has the other in Chancer McPatrick. In the 2-year-old filly category, Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Immersive is the favorite over fellow unbeaten fillies Good Cheer and Lake Victoria.
Of the 240 eligible voters represented by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), rack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, the National Thoroughbred Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), and the Daily Racing Form, 208 (87%) took part in the voting. Finalists were determined by voters’ top three selections, using a 10-5-1 point basis. Eclipse winners are determined by first-place votes only.
Eclipse Award finalists
2-Year-Old Male: Chancer McPatrick, Citizen Bull, Gaming
2-Year-Old Filly: Good Cheer, Immersive, Lake Victoria (IRE)
3-Year-Old Male:Dornoch, Fierceness, Sierra Leone
3-Year-Old Filly: Cinderella’s Dream (GB), She Feels Pretty, Thorpedo Anna
Older Dirt Male: Full Serrano (ARG), National Treasure, Straight No Chaser
Older Dirt Female: Adare Manor, Idiomatic, Raging Sea
Male Sprinter: Cogburn, Straight No Chaser, The Chosen Vron
Female Sprinter: Society, Soul of an Angel, Ways and Means
Male Turf Horse: Carl Spackler (IRE), Johannes, Rebel’s Romance (IRE)
Female Turf Horse: Cinderella’s Dream (GB), Moira, She Feels Pretty
Steeplechase Horse: Carloun (IRE), L’Imperator (FR), Snap Decision
Owner: Godolphin LLC, Juddmonte, Klaravich Stables, Inc.
Breeder: Calumet Farm, Godolphin, Judy Hicks
Trainer: Chad Brown, Brad Cox, Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione, Irad Ortiz, Jr., Flavien Prat
Apprentice Jockey: Erik Asmussen, Gabriel Maldonado, J.G. Torrealba