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Breeders’ Cup Runner-Up Dayoutoftheoffice ‘Way Ahead Of Schedule’ For Sophomore Debut

Like the majority of Thoroughbred trainers, Tampa Bay Downs conditioner Tim Hamm is a realist. And he knows it is unlikely his filly Dayoutoftheoffice will be announced as the Eclipse Award Champion 2-Year-Old Filly on Thursday after her second-place finish to Vequist in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

After her dazzling 5-furlong breeze in 1:01 on Sunday at Tampa Bay Downs, Hamm expects Dayoutoftheoffice to earn another shot against Vequist in the near future. Dayoutoftheoffice had breezed 4 furlongs a week earlier in 49 3/5 seconds in her first workout of 2021.

“She's coming back incredibly well. Her work today (with exercise rider Alfredo Clemente aboard) was awesome,” Hamm said Sunday. “She just did it real easy and she galloped out super strong. She is way ahead of schedule, and it's a good feeling that we can handle her how we want and have her plenty fit for whatever race we choose (as her 3-year-old debut).”

Hamm said Dayoutoftheoffice will likely make her first 3-year-old start on either Feb. 27 in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream or on March 6 in the G3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park. “We nominated her to the Suncoast (on Feb. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs), but that is probably a little too quick,” he said. Hamm added that the Grade 1, $1.25-million Longines Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs is in his plans for the Kentucky-bred daughter of Into Mischief.

Although Dayoutoftheoffice is 1-1 against Vequist, having beaten her in the G1 Frizette Stakes on Oct. 10 at Belmont, and had a better record last year – three victories from four starts, with the lone second in the Juvenile Fillies, compared to Vequist's two victories and two seconds – Eclipse voters have traditionally given extra weight to winning a Breeders' Cup race.

“Just being nominated is great. It says you had one of the best 2-year-old fillies in the country,” said Hamm, who also co-owns Dayoutoftheoffice under his Blazing Meadows Farm banner in partnership with Siena Farm. “I'd love to say we have a chance, but if you're voting, you're going to see who won on championship day (at the Breeders' Cup).”

The third nominee in the 2-Year-Old Filly category is Aunt Pearl, whose 3-for-3 record includes a victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (voters have been known to lean toward dirt horses when push comes to shove, but you never know).

The 50th Eclipse Awards Ceremony honoring the sport's 2020 champions will be held Thursday as a virtual event, with portions hosted from Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky. Winners in 17 equine and human categories will be announced in a program streamed live on multiple outlets, including TVG and Racetrack Television Network, beginning at 7:30 p.m. (see below for the finalists).

Hamm had a previous brush with Eclipse Award glory, having sold Wait a While as an unraced 2-year-old in 2005 after purchasing her the previous year as a yearling. She was part of his pinhooking program and reaped a $210,000 profit. In 2006, Wait a While earned the Eclipse as Champion 3-Year-Old Filly for owner Arindel and trainer Todd Pletcher.

“We breed them, raise them, sell them and race them. It is all part of our plan,” Hamm said.

Here are the Eclipse Award finalists (in alphabetical order) in each category:

Horse of the Year: Authentic, Improbable, Monomoy Girl

2-Year-Old Male: Essential Quality, Fire At Will, Jackie's Warrior

2-Year-Old Filly: Aunt Pearl, Dayoutoftheoffice, Vequist

3-Year-Old Male: Authentic, Nadal, Tiz the Law

3-Year-Old Filly: Gamine, Shedaresthedevil, Swiss Skydiver

Older Dirt Male: Improbable, Maximum Security, Vekoma

Older Dirt Female: Midnight Bisou, Monomoy Girl, Serengeti Empress

Male Sprinter: Vekoma, Volatile, Whitmore

Female Sprinter: Gamine, Glass Slippers, Serengeti Empress

Male Turf Horse: Channel Maker, Order of Australia, Zulu Alpha

Female Turf horse: Audarya, Rushing Fall, Tarnawa

Steeplechase Horse: Moscato, Rashaan, Snap Decision

Owner: Godolphin, Klaravich Stables, and the partnership of Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing

Breeder: Calumet Farm, Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, WinStar Farm

Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, Brad Cox

Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr., Joel Rosario, John Velazquez

Apprentice Jockey: Luis Cardenas, Yarmarie Correa, Alexander Crispin

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Eclipse Finalist Apprentice Alexander Crispin ‘Gives The Horses A Lot Of Confidence’

Alexander Crispin began 2020 fresh out of jockey school and looking to make a name for himself. The 22-year-old native of Puerto Rico begins 2021 with his name on a short list for one of Thoroughbred racing's ultimate individual honors.

Crispin, the leading rider at Laurel Park's ongoing winter meet, is among three finalists for the Eclipse Award as champion apprentice of 2020. The winners in 17 equine and human categories will be announced during a virtual ceremony starting at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28.

New York-based Luis Cardenas and Yarmarie Correa, who rode last year in Ohio, are the other finalists. Maryland-based riders have captured 11 of the 46 Eclipse Awards as champion apprentice, the most recent being Weston Hamilton in 2018.

Other winners are Chris McCarron (1974), Ronnie Franklin (1978), Alberto Delgado (1982), Allen Stacy (1986), Kent Desormeaux (1987), Mike Luzzi (1989), Mark Johnston (1990), Jeremy Rose (2001), Ryan Fogelsonger (2002) and Victor Carrasco (2013). Hamilton and Carrasco continue to be based in Maryland.

“That would be super special. That's something that every apprentice and every jockey would like to win,” Crispin said. “That would be super fascinating for me, super exciting. It would be an accomplishment for me. It would be something big for my first year. I would be happy to know that I did my best and worked hard and I would be satisfied. I would be really happy with it.”

Maintaining his five-pound weight allowance, Crispin went winless with one second and one third from seven mounts on Monday's special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program at Laurel. His 16 wins top the standings at the winter meet that began Jan. 1.

Already, Crispin has registered five multi-win days through nine live programs, including back-to-back four-win efforts Jan. 3 and 8 and a six-mount win streak Jan. 8-9. His victories have come for 12 different trainers, winning multiple times for Mike Trombetta, Dale Capuano and four-time defending Maryland champion Claudio Gonzalez.

Crispin has won more often for Trombetta – a multiple Grade 1 winner of more than 1,900 career races and two-time Laurel meet leader who has ranked second to Gonzalez in overall Maryland wins the past three years and not typically prone to using bug riders – than another other trainer this year.

“I feel really satisfied because every day I the mornings I always go to the barn and check if he needs help. Even if he says they're OK, every time I go in in makes me feel good and very happy,” Crispin said. “I'm starting to get the opportunities because he likes what he sees and that makes me happy. It's very exciting.”

Crispin graduated from Puerto Rico's famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica in December 2019 and made his pro debut last Jan. 1 at Hipodromo Camarero. After coming to the U.S. late last winter, Cripsin was fifth in his mainland debut aboard Time Marches On March 7, 2020 at Turfway Park.

He continued to ride in the Midwest, picking up his first win March 12, 2020 on Thorpe d'Oro at Turfway, until moving his tack to Delaware Park for the summer. Crispin finished the Delaware meet as its leading apprentice, ranking second overall with 58 wins and fourth with more than $1.3 million in purse earnings.

Crispin arrived in Maryland in late October, two weeks into Laurel Park's fall meet, and wound up leading all apprentice riders and ranking third overall with 29 wins while banking $725,920 in purses earned.

According to Equibase statistics, Crispin ranked second among the three Eclipse finalists in wins (103) and purse earnings ($2.194 million). Correa had 118 wins and a $1.755 million bankroll in 2020, while Cardenas had 41 wins and $2.23 million in purses earned.

“He's very confident with any horse that he gets on,” Laurel-based trainer Lacey Gaudet said. In six mounts for Gaudet in 2021, Crispin has finished third three times and won aboard 4-year-old gelding Candygramformongo Jan. 8.

“The first time that we won with Alex it was a large field and it was the first horse that he had ever rode for us,” she said. “Every time he rides a horse he just comes back and he's extremely exuberant and very confident in the horses. Even if a horse isn't on the board, 1-2-3, he's always looking for the next race and ways to improve the horse. I think he gives the horses a lot of confidence and he's done really well for us.”

In addition to his hard work and confidence, Crispin can trace his path to becoming an Eclipse Award finalist all the way back to his days in Puerto Rico when he saw his first Thoroughbred race and took the advice of a high school teacher to become a professional rider.

“Everything started in middle school where I first saw a horse race. For some reason I had that connection and that desire to find out more information about what horse racing is,” Crispin said. “As soon as I found out and saw horse racing with my own eyes, I had that feeling that this is what I want. This is what I want for my future.”

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NTRA Eclipse 50 Contest: Fan Vote To Decide Best Champions Of Past 50 Years

The NTRA today announced that voting is underway at www.NTRA.com in the NTRA Eclipse 50 Contest which asks fans to select their top 10 favorite Eclipse Awards champions, along with their favorite champion jockey and trainer, from the past 50 years.

One contest participant will be selected to win a trip for two to Lexington, Ky., and spend a day at the races at Keeneland Race Course, tour the Four Roses Bourbon Distillery and visit historic Spendthrift Farm, one of the world's most prestigious Thoroughbred stallion farms.

The Eclipse 50 ballot consists of 10 horses, one jockey and one trainer from each of the past five decades selected by a panel consisting of media, racing historians and others. The complete list of the Eclipse 50 champion horses and individuals can be accessed at the following link: https://www.ntra.com/wp-content/uploads/NTRA-Eclipse-50-Horses_Individuals.pdf.

Fans may enter the Eclipse 50 Contest one time per valid name, e-mail address and phone number at https://www.ntra.com/fanvote/. Eclipse 50 voting will conclude on Monday, Jan. 25. The winning entry along with the all-time top 10 equine champions, jockey and trainer will be announced on Jan. 28 on the Eclipse Awards virtual broadcast on TVG, Racetrack Television Network and other outlets.

Each day throughout the promotional period the NTRA will release video vignettes of different Champions selected to be among the Eclipse 50 greats. Click on the following links to view the first two vignettes in the series to be released: https://www.ntra.com/eclipse50-horse1/ and https://www.ntra.com/eclipse50-horse2/.

Individuals participating on the panel that selected the Eclipse 50 and Champion trainers and jockeys were: Edward L. Bowen, Charlsie Cantey, Adam Coglianese, Irwin Cohen, Steven Crist, Dora Delgado, Tom Durkin, Bob Ehalt, Bill Finley, Tracy Gantz, Jim Gluckson, Amy Gregory, Tom Hammond, Evan Hammonds, Gregory Harbut, Steve Haskin, Charles Hayward, Jay Hovdey, Alicia Hughes, Dave Johnson, Jonathon Kinchen, Cate Masterson, Tom Law, Tim Layden, Amy Owens, Ray Paulick, Tom Pedulla, Mike Penna, Jay Privman, William (Billy) Reed, Jennie Rees, Ramiro Restrepo, Tom Robbins, Peter Rotondo, Andy Serling, Ellis Starr, Todd Schrupp, Mary Simon, Lynne Snierson, Denise Steffanus, Sonny Taylor, and Jon White.

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Keeneland’s Eclipse Award-Winning Director Of Broadcast Services G.D. Hieronymus Retires

G.D. Hieronymus, who has served as Keeneland's Eclipse Award-winning Director of Broadcast Services since 2000, has announced his retirement effective Feb. 1, 2021. Hieronymus will continue to work during Keeneland's Spring and Fall race meets and on special projects for the track and its industry and philanthropic partners.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve this institution for the past 20 years,” Hieronymus said. “Keeneland's Broadcast Services is synonymous with excellence. We have raised the bar for our industry and I am proud of this legacy. I'm grateful to my amazing crew and the countless relationships I have made throughout my career and I'm excited to continue my work with the Keeneland team while also expanding my work in the industry.”

“On behalf of the entire Keeneland family, we extend our heartfelt appreciation to G.D. for his leadership, passion and commitment to Keeneland and the Thoroughbred industry,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “While G.D. has always celebrated the rich history of our sport, he continues to pave the way for innovations that strengthen racing. We wish G.D. all the best in his retirement and look forward to his continued collaborations with Keeneland.”

Hieronymus began his career in the Thoroughbred industry in Lexington in 1981 at Hammond Communications, where he served for 19 years and was instrumental in the company's growth and success. After leaving his position as Vice President of Production at Hammond, Hieronymus joined the Keeneland team in July 2000 as the Director of Broadcast Services.

During his time at Keeneland, Hieronymus celebrated many groundbreaking achievements and award-winning productions, including:

o Development of the first high definition control room at a Thoroughbred race track in North America;

o Seven-time recipient of the International Simulcast Award;

o 2004 Eclipse Award recipient for Local Television Achievement;

o Directing award-winning commercials and features for Keeneland, Thoroughbred farms and other industry partners;

o Serving as director of photography for the Kentucky Derby Museum film “The Greatest Race,” which continues to be featured today; and

o Winner of the 2012 Charles W. Engelhard Award from the Board of Directors of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association for outstanding service and coverage in media for the Thoroughbred industry.

“While G.D. has and always will be a member of the Keeneland family, his talents have benefited the entire Thoroughbred industry,” Keeneland President-Elect Shannon Arvin said. “Keeneland is committed to continuing our support of these events and programs that mean so much to our sport.”

True to Keeneland's mission, Hieronymus has devoted his time and talents to benefit the Central Kentucky community and the broader Thoroughbred industry. He is currently a Trustee of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. Under his leadership, Keeneland Broadcast Services annually provides direction and production support for such events as the NTRA Eclipse Awards, KTA-KTOB Kentucky Derby Trainers Dinner, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation's Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit at Keeneland, Thoroughbred Club of America's Honored Guest Dinner, the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony many more.

Hieronymus' community engagement includes work with the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association, where he was named Volunteer of the Year in 2013, as well as previous involvement with the Transylvania University Parent Council, LexArts, SummerFest at Woodland Park and the Kentucky Film Commission.

In addition to his continued collaboration with Keeneland, G.D. looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Laura, and daughters, Kelly and Lindsay.

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