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2024 Eclipse Award Winners

Date: 01/23/2024

The 54th annual Eclipse Awards were presented Thursday night at The Breakers Palm Beach honoring the champions of North American racing in 2024. Of the 240 eligible voters represented by the NTRA, consisting of member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, the NTWAB, and Daily Racing Form, 208 (87%) 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.

horse racing
Thorpedo Anna winner of the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1)
Thorpedo Anna was unanimously voted Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and then took home Horse of the Year honours at the end of the night, with 193 votes. She won 6 of her 7 starts in 2024, including the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), with her only defeat being a close second against males in the Travers Stakes (G1). Trainer Ken McPeek said, "She's a bit of a high-strung type. When you take her to the paddock, she gets on the muscle, and she'll even get a bit nervous. But then once you put the saddle on her, she settles. That's kind of a unique trait she has. But she gets keyed up when the race is on the line. But otherwise, she's been one of the easier horses that I've ever handled. She's practically never met a veterinarian, so in some ways, it's very easy to handle a filly like her. There's every intention to race her this year. If she has a good season again, I'd love to think that the (ownership) group would want to race her the next year. That's how horses like Zenyatta ended up iconic because they continued to race, and that's what fans need and want."

horse racing
Sierra Leone winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)
Chad Brown picked up his fifth Eclipse as Champion Trainer, his first since winning 4 in a row from 2016-2019. He led all trainers in North America in purse earnings with over $30.8 million, and also led in graded stakes wins with 47, and also led each grade in wins, 15 in Grade 1 stakes, 15 Grade 2's, and 17 Grade 3's. His 15 Grade 1 wins were spread among 12 different runners, and his 47 graded stakes were spread among 30 runners. Brown said, "I feel that from top to bottom, this was our best year since I started training," Brown said. "Overall, there have been seasons when I have won more graded stakes and a few more grade 1s and made more in earnings, but there was a balance in the stable."

There were two other horses who picked up votes for Horse of the Year. Sierra Leone was second in Horse of the Year voting, and was voted Champion Three-Year-Old Male. He gave Chad Brown his first Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) trophy, along with wins in the Blue Grass (G1) and Risen Star (G2) to go with second place finishes in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Jim Dandy (G2) and third place finishes in the Belmont (G1) and Travers (G1). Brown said, "He had a very consistent season from start to finish. In the most challenging race of the year, in the richest race in North America against older horses in the Classic, he was able to defeat them. I think that solidified the championship for him. I am very proud of his season. I was disappointed by the outcome of the Kentucky Derby, but I have never been disappointed in any of his efforts." A distant third in Horse of the Year voting was Fierceness, who was a distant second in Three-Year-Old Male voting behind Sierra Leone.
horse racing
Moira winner of the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1)

The closest voting came in the Male Turf Horse category, with Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) winner Rebel's Romance taking the prize with 89 votes over second place Johannes with 81. Rebel's Romance also won the 2022 Turf, but was second in Eclipse voting, but came back as the only Breeders' Cup winner in nonconsecutive years. Trainer Charlie Appleby said, "For the mileage he's done and to be campaigned at that level for so long, it takes a special horse." Godolphin COO Hugh Anderson added, "We've got huge faith in him and he is now one of Godolphin's greats. He's won on numerous continents and has been a superstar." Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) winner Moira was named Champion Turf Female, after also winning the Beverly D Stakes (G2) to go with runner-up finishes in the Diana (G1) and E.P. Taylor (G1). Winning co-owner Tom Ryan said, "Everything came together at the right time. Kevin (Attard, trainer) peaked her at the right time. Donato (Lanni) wanted to keep this filly in training, bought her. ... I couldn't be more proud to be part of this ownership team." Attard added, "She's a very special horse, it was the highest of highs, a lot of firsts for me in my career."

horse racing
Citizen Bull winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1)
Thorpedo Anna was the only unanimous selection this year, but the Two-Year-Old Male voting was near-unanimous, with Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Citizen Bull getting 202 votes over Chancer McPatrick's 2 votes. The Jockey award was the next closest, with Flavien Prat's 202 votes over Irad Ortiz Jr.'s 5. Prat's 56 graded stakes wins beat the old record of 55 set by Jerry Bailey in 2003. He also led all jockeys in earnings with $37.2 million, and set a new record for stakes wins in a year with 82 (Irad Ortiz Jr. held the previous record of 79 set in 2022). Prat rode Sierra Leone to victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and Moira in the Filly and Mare Turf (G1), as well as National Treasure in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) and Metropolitan Handicap (G1).

Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin once again took home the most trophies on the night, getting trophies for Outstanding Owner, Outstanding Breeder, Male Turf Horse for Rebel's Romance, and Two-Year-Old Filly for Immersive. This is the fourth year in a row Godolphin took home both Owner and Breeder awards, and set a record for 13 titles, beating the previous record of 12 set by Frank Stronach/Adena Springs. Michael Banahan, bloodstock director for Godolphin USA said, "We're in the golden age at the moment. It's unbelievable the run of luck we have had the last several years. You wait for the wave to break and send you scrambling again, but you have another impressive year in a different area. We're so fortunate. The 2-year-olds were the captains of the team and led through this phenomenal golden patch in the fall. But Sheikh Mohammed put the tools in place for us stallion-wise and mare-wise and we're reaping the rewards from what he's sown. And when you work hard, you make your own luck. We have a great team in Kentucky getting the babies safely on the ground, rearing them, and getting them to our pre-trainers who do a great job. Then with our excellent trainers, if you give them the ammunition, they give you results on the racetrack."

Frank Taylor and the Stable Recovery Program were honoured with the Special Eclipse Award for service to the Thoroughbred industry. "This program has changed so many people's lives," said Tom Rooney, NTRA president and CEO. "Not only does Stable Recovery give recovering addicts a second chance, but the racing industry is fortunate to find very capable and talented horsemen as a result. Dependency is an issue that affects everyone, one way or another." Taylor said, "I feel like this program has been like a spiritual journey and that God has had his hands on it every step of the way. This program is solving a lot of problems – the addiction problem, the imprisonment problem, the homelessness problem, the labor problem in the sport, and on top of everything, it's reuniting families. It's just so good on so many levels, and I'm very proud of that."

All the winners for 2024 are listed below with the actual vote totals. A link to a full profile is given for each winner. You can look up past year's winners here. You can see how the awards are decided here.

horse racing
Horse of the Year: Thorpedo Anna

Voting: Thorpedo Anna, 193; Sierra Leone, 10; Fierceness, 5.

horse racing
Two-Year-Old Male: Citizen Bull

Voting: Citizen Bull, 204; Chancer McPatrick, 2; Henri Matisse (IRE), 1; Voter Abstention, 1.

horse racing
Two-Year-Old Filly: Immersive

Voting: Immersive, 202; Lake Victoria (IRE), 6.

horse racing
Champion Three-Year-Old Male: Sierra Leone

Voting: Sierra Leone, 169; Fierceness, 34; Dornoch, 2; Seize the Grey, 1; Voter Abstentions, 2.

horse racing
Champion Three-Year-Old Filly: Thorpedo Anna

Voting: Thorpedo Anna, 208.

horse racing
Older Male: National Treasure

Voting: National Treasure, 148; Full Serrano (ARG), 19; Kingsbarns, 7; Senor Buscador, 6; Mullikin, 5; Next, 5; Subsanador (ARG), 4; Straight No Chaser, 4; Post Time, 3; Newgate, 2; Voter Abstentions, 5.

horse racing
Older Female: Idiomatic

Voting: Idiomatic, 144; Raging Sea, 38; Adare Manor, 23; Soul of an Angel, 1; Sweet Azteca, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.

horse racing
Male Sprinter: Straight No Chaser

Voting: Straight No Chaser, 125; Cogburn, 38; The Chosen Vron, 23; Mullikin, 11; Raging Torrent, 2; Starlust (GB), 2; Gun Pilot, 1; Locked, 1; Post Time, 1; Voter Abstentions, 4.

horse racing
Female Sprinter: Soul of an Angel

Voting: Soul of an Angel, 168; Sweet Azteca, 11; Ways and Means, 10; Society, 8; Ag Bullet, 6, Emery, 2; Kopion, 1; Vahva, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.

horse racing
Male Turf Horse: Rebel's Romance

Voting: Rebel's Romance, 89; Johannes, 81; Carl Spackler (IRE), 15; More Than Looks, 14; Cogburn, 6; Far Bridge, 2; Trikari, 1.

horse racing
Female Turf Horse: Moira

Voting: Moira, 176; She Feels Pretty, 21; Cinderella's Dream (GB), 8; Didia (ARG) 1; Gina Romantica, 1; Sacred Wish, 1.

Steeplechase: Snap Decision

Voting: Snap Decision, 182; Carloun (IRE), 7; Freddy Flintstone, 3; Too Friendly (GB), 1; Voter Abstentions, 15.

horse racing
Owner: Godolphin LLC

Voting: Godolphin, LLC, 193; Brookdale Racing, Inc., Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Magdalena Racing, 5; Klaravich Stables, Inc., 4; Coolmore and Partners, 1; SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, LLC, and Catherine Donovan, 1. Voter Abstentions, 4.

horse racing
Breeder: Godolphin

Voting: Godolphin, 176; Judy Hicks, 21; Calumet Farm, 3; Brereton Jones, 2; Coleswood Farm, Inc., 1; Voter Abstentions, 5.

horse racing
Trainer: Chad Brown

Voting: Chad Brown, 101; Kenny McPeek, 88; Brad Cox, 9; Steve Asmussen, 8; Bob Baffert, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.  

horse racing
Jockey: Flavien Prat

Voting: Flavien Prat, 202; Irad Ortiz Jr., 5; Brian Hernandez Jr., 1.  

horse racing
Apprentice Jockey: Erik Asmussen

Voting: Erik Asmussen, 168; J.G. Torrealba, 15; Gabriel Moldonado, 8; Sofia Vives, 8; Manuel Americano, 1; Pietro Moran, 1; Voter Abstentions, 7.

The Media Eclipse Awards were announced January 8. The articles can be read and photo viewed here.

How the Awards are Decided

The old three-bloc voting system was replaced in 2003 with a one vote per person system, where every voter's selection is weighted equally. Voters rank their top three selections in each of the 16 voting categories and points are awarded on a 10-5-1 basis. The voting point system determines the three finalists in each category, but the winner is determined by first-place votes only.

More about the Eclipse Awards:

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