The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) on Saturday announced the finalists for the 2022 Eclipse Awards, recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing.
Winners in 17 horse and human categories will be announced on FanDuel TV, and other outlets, during the 52nd annual Eclipse Awards, presented by John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The evening will culminate with the announcement of the 2022 Horse of the Year.
Flightline, the presumptive Horse of the Year, is among the three finalists for champion in the older dirt male division. The Tapit colt scored a trio of Grade 1 wins from as many 2022 starts – the Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap, TVG Pacific Classic, and Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. The other finalists in the category are Life Is Good, a son of Into Mischief who also is a three-time Grade 1 winner, and five-time graded stakes winner Olympiad, a son of Speightstown who was runner-up in the Classic.
Of the 258 eligible voters represented by the NTRA, consisting of member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, the NTWAB, and Daily Racing Form, 246 (95.3%) took part in the voting. Finalists were determined in each category by voters' top three selections, using a 10-5-1 point basis. Eclipse Award winners are determined solely by first-place votes.
The 2022 Eclipse Awards Finalists, with the exception of Horse of the Year, (in alphabetical order) are:
Two-Year-Old Male: Cave Rock, Forte, Victoria Road (IRE)
Two-Year-Old Filly: Leave No Trace, Meditate (IRE), Wonder Wheel
Three-Year-Old Male: Epicenter, Modern Games (IRE), Taiba
Three-Year-Old Filly: Nest, Secret Oath, Tuesday (IRE)
Older Dirt Male: Flightline, Life Is Good, Olympiad
Older Dirt Female: Clairiere, Goodnight Olive, Malathaat
Male Sprinter: Cody's Wish, Elite Power, Jackie's Warrior
Female Sprinter: Caravel, Echo Zulu, Goodnight Olive
Male Turf Horse: Modern Games (IRE), Nations Pride (IRE), Rebel's Romance (IRE)
Female Turf Horse: In Italian (GB), Regal Glory, War Like Goddess
Steeplechase Horse: Down Royal, Hewick (IRE), Snap Decision
Owner: Peter Brant, Godolphin LLC, Klaravich Stables Inc.
Breeder: Godolphin, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, Summer Wind Equine
Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr., Flavien Prat, Joel Rosario
Apprentice Jockey: Jeiron Barbosa, Vicente Del-Cid, Jose Antonio Gomez
In addition to honoring the 17 winners in the horse and people categories, David Harrison will receive the Eclipse Award as the 2022 Horseplayer of the Year. Members of the media will be honored for outstanding coverage in six categories.
Eclipse Awards voting is conducted by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), and Daily Racing Form. The Eclipse Awards ceremony is produced by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire, Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.
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