ECLIPSE AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED; RACHEL AND ZENYATTA LEAD LIST
It’s finalist day for the 2009 Eclipse Awards. With perhaps the exception of Dolphus Morrison as a finalists for breeder, no real surprises among the list of candidates. Headlined by Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta as the only two listed in the Horse of the Year category, the complete list of the finalists are listed below.
Female superstars Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta lead an all-star cast of finalists for the 2009 Eclipse Awards, recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing. Winners in all categories will be announced at the 39th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, to be held Monday evening, January 18, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The announcement of the finalists was made today by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers Association (NTWA) and Daily Racing Form (DRF), the three presenting organizations of the Eclipse Awards.
The three-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra, winner of all eight of her starts in 2009, including the Preakness Stakes; and the five-year old mare Zenyatta, who won all five of her races last year and culminated her undefeated career by becoming the first female to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, are the two candidates for Horse of the Year. Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta were the only two horses to receive votes in the Horse of the Year category.
The Eclipse Awards finalists (in alphabetical order) are:
· Horse of the Year: Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta
· Two-Year-Old Male: Lookin At Lucky, Noble’s Promise, Vale of York (IRE)
· Two-Year-Old Filly: Blind Luck, Hot Dixie Chick, She Be Wild
· Three-Year-Old Male: Mine That Bird, Quality Road, Summer Bird
· Three-Year-Old Filly: Careless Jewel, Flashing, Rachel Alexandra
· Older Male: Einstein (BRZ), Gio Ponti, Kodiak Kowboy
· Older Female: Life Is Sweet, Music Note, Zenyatta
· Male Sprinter: Dancing in Silks, Kodiak Kowboy, Zensational
· Female Sprinter: Informed Decision, Music Note, Ventura
· Male Turf Horse: Conduit (IRE), Gio Ponti, Presious Passion
· Female Turf Horse: Goldikova (IRE), Midday (GB), Ventura
· Steeplechase Horse: Mixed Up, Red Letter Day, Spy in the Sky
· Owner: Godolphin Racing, Juddmonte Farms, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S. Moss
· Breeder: Adena Springs, Juddmonte Farms, Dolphus C. Morrison
· Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, John Shirreffs
· Jockey: Ramon Dominguez, Garrett Gomez, Julien Leparoux
· Apprentice Jockey: Luis Batista, Christian Santiago Reyes, Luis Saez
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.
The 2009 Eclipse Awards ceremony will be held on January 18 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., and televised live on TVG.
Tags: adena springs, blind luck, Bob Baffert, Careless Jewel, Christian Santiago Reyes, conduit, Dancing in Silks, Dolphus C. Morrison, eclipse awards, einstein, Flashing, garrett gomez, gio ponti, Godophin, goldikova, Hot Dixie Chick, Informed Decision, Jerome S. Moss, john shirreffs, Juddmonte Farms, julien leparoux, kodiak kowboy, Life is Sweet, lookin at lucky, Luis Batista, Luis Saez, Midday, mine that bird, Mixed Up, music note, Noble's Promise, Presious Passion, Qualirty Road, Rachel Alexandra, Racing, ramon dominguez, Red Letter Day, She Be Wild, Spy in the Sky, steve asmussen, Summer Bird, Vale of York, ventura, Zensational, zenyatta
January 6th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
What the heck?! Jonathan Sheppard didn’t make the final cut for trainer? Are you kidding me? Sure Bob entered the Hall of Fame this year, but I’m trying to think of why he’s made the final three.
This shouldn’t be about strictly graded wins. Bob had 18 graded wins vs. Sheppard’s 16; making them 3rd and 4th respectively. However which barn sent out more runners in 2009? Come now I thought the Eclipse was to award a trainer who is a standout by virtue of how they get the very best and then some from horses they own or are entrusted to them.
Sheppard has two candidates for Eclipse awards this year. Winners over fences, dirt, grass, and synthetics from coast to coat and also north of the boarder. I bet he could get the 30-yr old “quarter horse” out in front of the Safeway to even win one.
I won’t even touch how Mine That Bird made the 3-yr old cut. That’s almost as amazing at his Kentucky Derby win which was his sole victory in 2009.
January 6th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Glad to see Hot Dixie Chick as a finalist. The only true 2-year-old dirt horse in the bunch.
January 6th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Chip Wooley should be in top three. He won the Derby. How many Derby’s has Sheppard won?
January 6th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Mark A, she may have run dirt, but she’s never been beyond 7f. Huh.
January 6th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
I noticed that Mr. Jackson was not named in the owners’ bracket as well as Mr. Borel in the jockeys’.
What’s up with this?
January 7th, 2010 at 10:22 am
Sorry to see Adena Springs in the Breeders group. Is Frank Stronach going to be rewarded AGAIN this year?
January 8th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
I totally agree with Glimmerglass–it’s a travesty that Sheppard won’t win the training Eclipse. A couple others surprise me, but I am soooooo glad that that slime Michael Gill, who dove back into the claiming game this year, didn’t get rewarded with vote for Owner even though he topped the earnings list. Can’t they retroactively take back that award he got in 2005? That was a damn sham!