The cream of the crop have been crowned! The 2017 edition of the Eclipse Awards was held tonight, 1/25/18. There was a most deserving horse selected in all equine categories. Read on to learn how your favorite athlete’s performance on the track led to the most prestigious award in North American Thoroughbred racing.
Tonight’s Eclipse Awards were held in the Sport of Kings Theater in Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Hallandale, FL. The ceremony began at 8 P.M. EST. This was the 47th edition of the awards that were inaugurated in 1971. Representatives from 3 groups collaborated to choose the Champions of 12 categories of horses as well as awards for media, horseplayer, owner, breeder, trainer, jockeys and some special awards. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) and the Daily Racing Form (DRF) each submitted a total of 269 voters to select the best horse in every type of North American Thoroughbred race. Though the ceremony is traditionally held in January, the award is for the prior year of racing. Thus, tonight’s winners are our 2017 Eclipse Award Champions. The equine categories are as follows, with the contenders and my opinion on why they were nominated and the winner of each category:
Female Turf: the winner is Lady Eli!
- Lady Eli – this 6 year-old mare has now retired from racing. Though her final year was rather fantastic, winning 3 of 5 graded stakes, she experienced an injury in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf that left her with a seventh place finish. This is the same race she finished 2nd in 2016 and 1st in 2015. She has never received an Eclipse Award before so I am so pleased she got one now.
- Off Limits – also age 6, this horse had a strong year with 5 wins in 6 starts in 2017. Her final 3 races were graded stakes and she won them all, the grade 1 Matriarch win was her finest moment as she surged from last to first .
- Wuheida – this 4 year-old filly only ran in grade/group 1 stakes in 2017. Though she didn’t win any of her first 4 races of the year, she pulled off the upset in the BC Filly and Mare Turf and that is an esteemed championship race, worthy of accolades and awards.
Male Turf: World Approval is the winner!
- Beach Patrol – in 2017 this 5 year-old had 7 starts. Every race was a grade 1! He won 2, the Arlington Million and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. He finished out his year with a 2nd place finish, only 1/2 length behind, in the Longines BC Turf. His 5 length win in the Joe Hirsch was his best romp.
- Talismanic – this is the BC Turf winner that beat Beach Patrol. Now, at 5 years-old, he won 3 of 8 starts last year. Any BC winner stands reason to earn an Eclipse but of his 6 graded stakes in 2017 he only won 2.
- World Approval – he gets my approval for the win in this category. This gelding took home the win in the BC Turf Mile and won 5 of his 6 2017 races, all graded stakes or black type races.
Female Sprinter: Unique Bella is the winner!
- Bar of Gold – she got her nomination for her upset win in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint. This was by far her big moment of 2017. She started out her year in a claiming race. Of her 7 starts in 2017 she only won 1 other race.
- Paulassilverlining– she began 2017 on a 3 straight winning streak but fizzled, losing her last 2 starts. My favorite moment for Paulassilverling was her win in the G1 Madison stakes, largely because it was at my hometrack, Keeneland.
- Unique Bella – raced in 6 graded stakes in 2017. Her best race was her come-back, the La Brea when she won it by 3/4 of a length, following her worst performance 1 race prior, when she was 7th in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint. She won all of her other 2017 races.
Male Sprinter: Roy H is the winner!
- Imperial Hint – he had a nice year, winning 4 of 5 starts and a nice 2nd place finish in the BC Sprint. He won an automatic berth into the BC from his 4 and 3/4 length win in the G3 Smile Sprint Stakes.
- Mind Your Biscuits – easily one of the very best names for a racehorse! If a name won an Eclipse, he would have it. However, his 2 wins in 6 starts is not nearly as impressive despite his 2nd top 3 finish in the BC Sprint. I most applaud his win in the G1, $2 million dollar Dubai Golden Shaheen, way to represent on a national level! His best North American race was the G2 Belmont Sprint Champion Stakes.
- Roy H – He will take home this Eclipse Award. He won the 2017 BC Sprint as well as 4 more of his 6 starts in 2017. Roy H won 2 other graded stakes in 2017.
Older Dirt Female: the winner is Forever Unbridled!
- Forever Unbridled – She only raced 3 times in 2017 but that allowed her to remain undefeated for the year and win the most important of her races, the BC Distaff.
- Songbird – she was injured before the 2017 BC, having success there in 2015 and 2017. She holds two prior Eclipse Awards, 2016 Champion 3 Year-Old Filly and 2015 Champion 2 Year-Old Filly. She won 2 of her 3 graded stakes starts this past year. In her 2nd place finish in the Personal Ensign Stakes she was only a neck short. Her wins in 2017 were both by a length. It just was not her best year.
- Stellar Wind – she is currently prepping for this weekend’s Pegasus World Cup. She already has an Eclipse Award, 2015 Champion 3 year-old filly but she only raced 4 times and won 3 of the 4. Her worst race was her last place finish in the BC Distaff. Her best was either her longest win, the 1 and 1/4 lengths ahead in the Apple Blossom or the 103 speed figure win in the Clement L. Hirsch. I’m a length over speed fan myself.
Older Dirt Male: the winner is Gun Runner!
- Arrogate – he won an Eclipse in 2016 for Champion 3-Year Old Colt after his win in the BC Classic that same year and his win in the Pegasus World Cup. However, I’m scratching my head over his Longines World’s Best Racehorse title for 2017. Also, he only won 1 of 4 races this past year and that race was in Dubai. His best performance was not in North America this year, it was the Dubai World Cup. He was 5th in the Championship race stateside, the BC Classic.
- Collected – won his first 4 of 6 starts in 2017. Was on pace to take this Eclipse Award but did not finish strong enough. His second place finish in the BC Classic worked against him. His best race was his win in the G1, $1 million dollar TVG Pacific Classic when he beat out Arrogate.
- Gun Runner – winner of the 2017 BC Classic, undefeated in North American racing in 2017 and overall winner of 5 in 6 starts that same year. Naturally, the BC Classic was my favorite of his races.
3 Year-Old Filly: Abel Tasman is the winner!
- Abel Tasman -she has the most traditional resume for this award. She won the KY Oaks, the Acorn and the Coaching Club American Oaks in 2017. Overall, she won 3 of her 7 starts this past year, all of her races were graded stakes. She was 2nd by just 1/2 length in the BC Distaff to an older female, Forever Unbridled. Despite her 2nd place finish, I still consider this Abel Tasman’s strongest moment, an excellent finish to a nice year.
- Elate – with a 2 in 9 record for 2017 I do not think this is her year for an Eclipse. I enjoyed her 5 and 1/2 length victory in the Alabama Stakes!
- Unique Bella – see her write up under female sprinter.
3 Year-Old Male: West Coast is the winner!
- Always Dreaming – enough said, 2017 Kentucky Derby winner is the winner in my book! I’ll be the first to admit that his excellence declined after he won his first 4 of 7 2017 starts.
- Battle of Midway – had a strong chance to nab this one. He won the BC Dirt Mile. He worked hard for this award with 10 starts in 2017 and won exactly half.
- West Coast – boasting 6 in 9 wins this horse won the Mid -Summer Derby, the $1.25 million dollar, G1 Traver’s Stakes by 3 and 1/4 lengths! Despite his 3rd place finish in the BC Classic, he got this Eclipse.
2 Year-Old Female: Caledonia Road is the winner!
- Caledonia Road -with just 3 races in her career she has won twice and the most recent was the BC Juvenile Fillies. That is where the nomination stems from and the win was earned.
- Moonshine Memories – she won both the G1 DelMar Debutante and the G1 Chandelier Stakes but she did poorly in her 4th race, the BC Juvenile Fillies so I suspect she will not win and Eclipse. Her Chandelier win was impressive, she finished 2 and 3/4 lengths ahead.
- Rushing Fall – is undefeated in 3 lifetime races. She won the JP Morgan Chase Stakes at Keeneland, great track but is most known for her win in the BC Fillies Juvenile Turf.
2 Year-Old Male: the winner is Good Magic!
- Bolt d’Oro – 3 of his 4 career races were grade 1 and he won all but the BC Juvenile, when he finished 3rd. He was the fastest of the 2 year-olds. He earned his record in the G1 Front Runner Stakes.
- Good Magic– he was the winner of the Sentient Jet BC Juvenile. It was his first and only win of 3 starts. He was 2nd in his prior two finishes. The BC win sealed the deal.
- Solomini – it is a tough call to pick the best with so few races in their career. Solomini has had 1 win in 4 starts and the win was only a maiden race. He has placed 2nd in two G1 stakes . His most prestigious race to date was the BC Juvenile.
Steeplechase Horse – no comments, I’ll leave this up to the Steeplechase fans and experts, congratulations to you: Scorpiancer is the winner!
- All The Way Jose – no comment
- Mr Hot Stuff – no comment
- Scorpiancer – no comment
Horse of the Year: the final winner is….Gun Runner!
- Arrogate – already covered in older male category
- Gun Runner – already covered in older male category
- World Approval – already covered in male turf category
There you have your 2017 equine Eclipse Award winners! I hope you agree with the judges results. Congratulations to all of the nominees in all of the categories. Saturday, we are off and running in the Pegasus World Cup. I have a post coming on that race real soon. Check back to see who is winning in 2018.
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