Month: January 2023

Eclipse Awards: Epicenter, Nest Receive Three-Year-Old Honors; Ortiz, Pletcher, Godolphin Collect Titles

The 52nd annual Eclipse Awards were presented on Jan. 26, with the coveted champion 3-year-old male trophy going to Epicenter. Until his final race, the Steve Asmussen trainee didn't finish worse than second for Winchell Thoroughbreds in 2022, collecting victories in the Grade 1 Travers, G2 Jim Dandy, G2 Louisiana Derby and G2 Risen Star.

The evening was a big one for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who picked up his eighth Eclipse Award for leading trainer, and also trained champion 3-year-old female Nest, champion 2-year-old male Forte, and older dirt female Malathaat.

Irad Ortiz Jr. collected his fourth career Eclipse Award as champion jockey while the top apprentice title went to Jose Antonio Gomez. For Ortiz, the honor ties him with Pat Day and Javier Castellano for the third-most jockey Eclipse titles. His mounts earned $37,075,772 from performances that included wins in the Belmont Stakes, Breeders' Cup Sprint, Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Godolphin cleaned up in both the Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder categories. As owner, Godolphin colors were carried by Breeders' Cup winners Cody's Wish, Rebel's Romance, Modern Games, and Mischief Magic. The stable was represented by 14 homebred graded stakes winners in 2022, who put the spotlight on stallions Street Sense and Dubawi.

The complete list of 2022 Eclipse Award winners, with the exception of the Horse of the Year, along with win vote totals by category, appear below:

(Horse ages in parentheses where applicable; Country codes indicate a foreign breeding designation)

—Two-Year-Old Male: Forte
—Two-Year-Old Filly:  Wonder Wheel
—Three-Year-Old Male:  Epicenter
—Three-Year-Old Filly:  Nest
—Older Dirt Male:  Flightline (4)
—Older Dirt Female:  Malathaat (4)
—Male Sprinter:  Elite Power (4)
—Female Sprinter: Goodnight Olive (4)
—Male Turf Horse:  Modern Games (IRE) (3)
—Female Turf Horse:  Regal Glory (6)
—Steeplechase Horse: Hewick (IRE) (7)
—Owner: Godolphin LLC
—Breeder: Godolphin LLC
—Jockey:  Irad Ortiz Jr.
—Apprentice Jockey: Jose Antonio Gomez
—Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Voting Overview
In voting that concluded on Jan. 3, 2023, Eclipse Awards voters cast their ballots to rank the top three horses and individuals in each Championship division on a 10-5-1 point system.

This voting established the top three finalists in each division, whose names were released on Jan. 7, 2023.

The tallies below represent only first-place votes from members of the consolidated voting entities, NTRA, Daily Racing Form, and National Turf Writers And Broadcasters.

Voter participation rate: 246/258= 95.3%

Two-Year-Old Male
Forte, 243; Cave Rock, 2; Victoria Road (IRE), 1.

Two-Year-Old Filly 

Wonder Wheel, 240; Hoosier Philly, 3; Meditate (IRE), 2; Julia Shining, 1.

Three-Year-Old Male 

Epicenter, 155; Taiba, 66; Modern Games (IRE), 18; Cyberknife, 4; Rich Strike, 1; Voter Abstentions, 2.

Three-Year-Old Filly 

Nest, 238; Tuesday (IRE), 4; Echo Zulu, 2; Secret Oath, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.

Older Dirt Male

Flightline, 240; Country Grammer, 1; Jackie's Warrior, 1; Life Is Good, 1; Olympiad, 1; Voter Abstentions, 2.

Older Dirt Female 

Malathaat, 241; Clairiere, 2; Goodnight Olive, 2; Letruska, 1.

Male Sprinter

Elite Power, 108; Cody's Wish, 70; Jackie's Warrior, 62; Jack Christopher, 4; Flightline, 1; Golden Pal, 1.

Female Sprinter

Goodnight Olive, 228; Caravel, 12; Echo Zulu, 2;  Matareya, 2; Kimari, 1; Wicked Halo, 1.

Male Turf Horse

Modern Games (IRE), 189; Rebel's Romance (IRE), 50; Nations Pride (IRE), 2; Casa Creed, 1; Classic Causeway, 1; Golden Pal, 1; Gufo, 1; Shirl's Speight, 1.

Female Turf Horse
Regal Glory, 96; In Italian (GB), 51; War Like Goddess, 47; Tuesday (IRE), 40; Caravel, 6; Bleecker Street, 3; Gina Romantica, 1;  Spendarella, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.

Steeplechase Horse

Hewick (IRE), 113; Snap Decision, 88; Down Royal, 15; Howyabud (IRE), 1. Voter Abstentions, 29.

Owner
Godolphin LLC, 195; Peter Brant, 20; Hronis Racing LLC, Sienna Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing LLC, 11; Klaravich Stables Inc., 6; Repole Stable, 5; End Zone Athletics, 2; Charles Fipke, 1; Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, 1; Winchell Thoroughbreds, 1; Voter Abstentions, 4.

Breeder
Godolphin LLC, 182; Summer Wind Equine LLC, 30; Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, 16; Calumet Farm, 11; Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables, 4; Voter Abstentions, 3.

Trainer
Todd Pletcher, 108, Chad Brown, 95; John Sadler, 16;  Steve Asmussen, 12;  William Mott, 6; Brad Cox, 4; Mark Casse, 1; Phil D'Amato, 1; Voter Abstentions, 3.

Jockey
Irad Ortiz Jr., 218; Flavien Prat, 24; Jose Ortiz, 1; Joel Rosario, 1, Luis Saez, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.

Apprentice Jockey
Jose Antonio Gomez, 112; Vicente Del-Cid, 91; Jeiron Barbosa, 18; Kylee Jordan, 4; Marshall Mendez, 1; Madeline Rowland, 1; Voter Abstentions, 19.

The post Eclipse Awards: Epicenter, Nest Receive Three-Year-Old Honors; Ortiz, Pletcher, Godolphin Collect Titles appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Dirt Sprinters Goodnight Olive, Elite Power Take Home Eclipse Hardware

Breeders' Cup Sprint champions in their races, both Goodnight Olive and Elite Power turned heads, as they rattled off a string of quality victories.

GOODNIGHT OLIVE
Goodnight Olive brought a salty four-race win streak into her stakes debut and then promptly reeled off two of the biggest Grade I prizes for female sprinters, making her a no-brainer choice for Eclipse champion female sprinter.

She debuted in 2021 with a runner-up finish in a Gulfstream maiden, then went to the sidelines for seven months, never to lose again. The dark bay reappeared at Keeneland's 2021 fall meet with an 8 1/2-length maiden score, followed it up with a nine-length allowance win at Aqueduct, and then took another seven-month break. She hadn't lost a step upon return this past June, smartly taking back-to-back allowances at Belmont and Saratoga by open lengths. Up against three Grade I winners, including reigning champion female sprinter Ce Ce (Elusive Quality), for her coming-out party in the GI Ballerina, Goodnight Olive was sent off at 5-1 but surged clear in the stretch to win with aplomb. Although lightly raced coming into the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, she again overpowered her foes, sizzled to a 101 Beyer Speed Figure, and kept her 2022 season flawless. In addition to her Eclipse as female sprinter, she was also a finalist for older dirt female.

Trainer Chad Brown has said Goodnight Olive is much like her Horse of the Year sire, not necessarily touted for soundness, but certainly for brilliance. Steve Laymon, founder of co-owner First Row Partners, won his second Eclipse as he also co-owned Dayatthespa (City Zip), champion grass mare of 2014.

Goodnight Olive got some time off following the Breeders' Cup and is gearing up for a 5-year-old campaign.

Early Impressions…
“A nice filly and a later-maturing type. We thought she would stand out in October and benefit from the additional time.” –John Moynihan, Stonestreet's bloodstock advisor

“Goodnight Olive really stood out to me at Fasig October. She was on the final day of the four-day sale, but once we saw her early on we knew we had to wait patiently to try and get her purchased. She was a bit offset but had so much athleticism in the way she moved and a lot of class with some edginess. She was on the smaller side (not anymore), but being almost a May foal and by Ghostzapper she was big enough. She had just enormous potential and she has certainly lived up to all of our expectations and then some.” –Liz Crow, agent for First Row Partners

–Jill Williams

ELITE POWER
A winner of five of his last six starts in 2022, Elite Power topped off his season with a defeat of both MGSW & MGISP C Z Rocket (City Zip) and last year's Eclipse champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) in the GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Though he didn't break his maiden until June, Elite Power went on a hot streak through the summer, working his way up the ranks with two wins against allowance company before stepping up in dominating fashion to take the GII Vosburgh S. at Belmont's Aqueduct meeting by 5 1/4 lengths Oct. 8.

Drawn mid pack as a 5-1 shot behind heavily favored Jackie's Warrior in the Sprint, Elite Power took his time early on under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., racing seventh as Super Ocho (Chi) (Dubai Sky) paced the field through tiring fractions of :22.12 and :44.99. Steadily advancing while three wide around the turn, Elite Power came running from the middle of the track to overtake the leaders with a sixteenth to run, hitting the wire 1 1/4 lengths ahead of his rivals.

“I had the perfect trip,” Ortiz, Jr. said of his Breeders' Cup ride aboard Elite Power. “He broke real sharp and I let him settle. I let the speed go. I was able to cut the corner around the turn. When I tipped him out, he was there for me. He kept going forward. He gave me a really good kick from the quarter-pole to the wire. He's a nice horse. I rode him with a lot of confidence.”

A $900,000 yearling for Juddmonte out of the Lane's End consignment, Elite Power beat out another son of Curlin and Mott trainee in Cody's Wish (Curlin) for the award. He remains in training for the 2023 season and most recently worked four furlongs in :48.80 (1/17) Jan. 25.

–Stefanie Grimm

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Regal Glory and Modern Games Take Top Turf Prizes

Both Regal Glory and Modern Games (Ire) won Grade I races to close out 2022, as the former heads to the breeding shed, while the latter looks to return this year.

REGAL GLORY
In discussing the rationale for keeping 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) in training for a 6-year-old campaign following her victory in Keeneland's GI Jenny Wiley S., trainer Chad Brown recalled a conversation with owner Peter Brant.

Said Brown, “I probably would have bred her and he said, 'No, she's in good form and I want to see her run another year. I have a feeling this is her year.”

It turned out to be the most prescient of comments when the chestnut mare outpointed her commonly owned stablemate and fellow 'Rising Star' In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and War Like Goddess (English Channel) to take home the statuette. Regal Glory is a seventh female turf champ–the fifth in the last six years–conditioned by Chad Brown and a third for Brant, joining Just A Game (1980) and Sistercharlie (Ire) (2018).

Acquired by Brant for joint-best $925,000 out of the Paul Pompa dispersal at Keeneland January in 2021, Regal Glory closed the season with a win in the GI Matriarch S., but the best was yet to come. Having kicked off the year with a decisive victory in the GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf, the chestnut made best work of her superior turn of foot to beat stablemate Shantisara (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) in the Jenny Wiley. Making her third straight appearance in the GI Just A Game S., Regal Glory powered home as much the best but was beaten into second when heavily favored in her next two–in the GI Fourstardave H. against the boys and to In Italian in the GI First Lady S. Fractionally disappointing when 10th to champion Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile, she turned in arguably the best performance of any turf distaffer when whooshing home by better than five lengths in the Matriarch, becoming the first since Flawlessly to repeat in the event.

Regal Glory has joined Brant's high-class broodmare band and is set to visit Into Mischief this season.

–Alan Carasso

MODERN GAMES (IRE)
One of the marks of an Eclipse Award winner is the ability to successfully take on older, more experienced company, and that is certainly what Modern Games did during his 3-year-old trans-Atlantic 2022 campaign when he was guided every step of the way by regular rider William Buick. Off his Del Mar Breeders' Cup victory in the GI Juvenile Turf, in which he ran only for purse money for trainer Charlie Appleby, the chestnut tuned up in mid-May at ParisLongchamp against his own age group in the G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

In late July, after finishing second to the now-retired powerhouse Baaeed (GB) (See The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. at Goodwood, the colt shipped to the U.S. for the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile in September. Taking on a well-matched field, Modern Games rallied for an impressive 5 1/4-length victory. Returning to the Breeders' Cup for the GI FanDuel Mile, this time at Keeneland, the Godolphin homebred angled out at the top of the lane and mounted a furious charge to secure a 3/4-length win in what was his final race of the year.

Modern Games is expected to return to racing as a 4-year-old.

“Next year, the Queen Anne [at Royal Ascot] is the obvious target,” said Appleby after the Breeders' Cup win. “He's getting fanfare around the world and it was great to see him applauded this year, not like last year, which was no fault of his own. We'll look to bring him back here [Breeders' Cup] next year.”

–J.N Campbell

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3-Year-Olds Nest and Epicenter Voted Eclipse Best

A pair of battle-tested performers in their 3-year-old categories, Nest and Epicenter showed grit and determination versus some stiff competition along the Derby and Oaks Trails.

NEST
When all the votes were tallied, the title for the 2022 champion 3-year-old filly division went for the second consecutive year to another uber-talented daughter of Curlin out of an A.P. Indy mare. Also trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Nest follows in the footsteps of 2021 3-year-old filly champion Malathaat, who employed a similar route to Eclipse success, including wins in the GI Central Bank Ashland S. and GI Alabama S.

Finishing in the top three in seven of eight starts in 2022, Nest kicked off the season with a rousing score in Tampa's Suncoast S. in February before making it look just as easy when stepping up to take Keeneland's Ashland. Favored over the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Secret Oath (Arrogate) in the GI Kentucky Oaks, Nest crossed the wire second to that rival in the run for the lilies and returned to occupy the same spot while facing colts in the GI Belmont S. in June. Facing her Oaks nemesis in the CCA Oaks at the Spa last summer, Nest powered home a 12 1/4-length winner and bested that rival again next time out in the Alabama. Back in the winner's circle following a 9 3/4-length tour-de-force victory in the GII Beldame S. during the Belmont at Aqueduct meet in October, she tired late to finish fourth behind her stablemate, this year's champion older mare Malathaat, in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 5.

By two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Nest is out of stakes-winning Marion Ravenwood, already responsible for GI Santa Anita H. victor Idol (Curlin), in addition to stakes winner Lost Ark (Violence). Her second dam is GSW and GISP Andujar (Quiet American), hailing from the family of GI Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet (Quiet American).

Early Impressions…
“Nest, who was foaled in the evening on Apr. 8 with a normal delivery, arrived without complication and was fortunate enough to have a very caring mother. She was medium sized, but always perfectly balanced, dead correct and her athleticism was strong while remaining feminine. To assume we knew she was going to be a star would be a vast overstatement, but we always loved her.

“During her early yearling days, she was always smart and never nervous. She was a leader in the pack and never got pushed around. When we sold her at Keeneland, frankly speaking, we were very disappointed with her sale price. We sold two other fillies that brought more than double her price and we couldn't understand why. We thought maybe it was because she wasn't a towering monster of a filly, but that is what we loved about her. While we were a bit disappointed at the sale, we were thrilled she was going to Todd Pletcher.

“Nest has flattered our family and everyone associated with Ashview Farm. We are grateful to all her connections and most especially to Nest because it's been a privilege to be associated with her.”
–Ashview Farm's Gray Lyster

-Christina Bossinakis

EPICENTER
Epicenter earned his Eclipse statue the hard way, dancing every dance from the start of the year straight through to a gut-wrenching conclusion at the Breeders' Cup. The Winchell Thoroughbreds colorbearer announced himself as a Kentucky Derby contender with a romping victory in the Gun Runner S. as he approached his third birthday in late 2021 and headed to Louisville off victories in the GII Risen Star S. and GII Louisiana Derby.

Sent off the 4-1 favorite on the First Saturday in May, Epicenter took the lead with authority at the quarter-pole, only to be run down, improbably, by 80-1 longshot Rich Strike (Keen Ice).

Favored again at Pimlico two weeks later, Epicenter was jostled in traffic and well back early before making a gallant run up the rail to miss catching Early Voting (Gun Runner) while finishing second in the GI Preakness S.

Epicenter returned for the second half the season with a win in the GII Jim Dandy S. in July before a decisive 5 1/4-length victory in the Aug. 27 GI Runhappy Travers S., a triumph which would ultimately clinch his championship title.

The year ended on a somber note when Epicenter suffered a career-ending injury during the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. He has already taken up residence at Ashford Stud, where he will begin his stud career in the coming weeks.

Early Impressions…
“Epicenter was a medium-sized foal that was really smart. He grew into an extremely well-balanced yearling with a great walk, very cat like. Very proud of Epicenter and thankful for the hands he got in. Winchell and Asmussen, can't do any better.”
–Mike Harris, whose family's Westwind Farms bred Epicenter

–Jessica Martini

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