The brightest superstar of the 2022 North American racing scene, Flightline, headlines the list of Eclipse Awards finalists announced on Saturday. Winners will be unveiled during the 52nd Eclipse Awards gala at The Breakers Palm Beach on Jan. 26, the Thursday evening prior to the Jan. 28 Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park.
The Eclipse Awards, named after the unbeaten 18th-century legend and foundation sire Eclipse, are bestowed by voters from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form (DRF), and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB). The 246 participating voters (95.3% of the 258 eligible) cast ballots for their first, second, and third choices in each category.
Finalists were tabulated by a points system, with each voter’s top three receiving points on a 10-5-1 scale. Only first-place votes, however, will determine the champions.
Horse of the Year finalists were not publicized in Saturday’s announcement. Their identities will be kept under wraps until Jan. 26.
2022 Eclipse Awards finalists, in alphabetical order by division:
Two-year-old male: Cave Rock, Forte, Victoria Road
Two-year-old female: Leave No Trace, Meditate, Wonder Wheel
Three-year-old male: Epicenter, Modern Games, Taiba
Three-year-old female: Nest, Secret Oath, Tuesday
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
Turf male: Modern Games, Nations Pride, Rebel’s Romance
Turf female: In Italian, Regal Glory, War Like Goddess
Steeplechaser: Down Royal, Hewick, Snap Decision
Owner: Peter Brant, Godolphin, Klaravich Stables
Breeder: Godolphin, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, 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
Media awards and Horseplayer of the Year
The Jan. 26 ceremony will also fete the winners of six media Eclipse categories as well as Horseplayer of the Year David Harrison, who captured the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) last January.
The media winners, selected by panels of judges, were announced on Friday:
Photography – Wendy Wooley – “Elbow Room Please,” The Paulick Report, Oct. 1, 2022.
Writing – Feature/Commentary – Tim Layden – “Beneath the Super Bowl’s Turf: The Ghosts of Hollywood Park,” NBCSports.com, Feb. 8, 2022.
Writing- News Enterprise – Tom Law – “Big Tally,” Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, July 1, 2022
Live Television Programming – NBC Sports Breeders’ Cup World Championships Nov. 4-5, 2022; Lindsay Schanzer, NBC Sports Producer of Horse Racing
Feature Television Programming – NBC Sports – “Cody’s Wish” Nov. 5, 2022; Jack Felling, Coordinating Producer
Audio/Multimedia – Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN) – Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Nov. 5, 2022; Mike Penna, HRRN President
