Flightline Leads Finalists for 2022 Eclipse Awards
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Flightline wins the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters announced Jan. 7 the finalists for the 2022 Eclipse Awards, recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing.
Winners in 17 horse and human categories will be announced on FanDuel TV, and other outlets, during the 52nd annual Eclipse Awards, presented by John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, on Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The evening will culminate with the announcement of the 2022 Horse of the Year, a prize Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Flightline is anticipated to easily capture.
Of the 258 eligible voters represented by the NTRA, consisting of member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, the NTWAB, and Daily Racing Form, 246 (95.3%) 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.
The 2022 Eclipse Awards Finalists—with the exception of Horse of the Year, which will be announced on Eclipse Awards night—(in alphabetical order) are:
2-Year-Old Male: Cave Rock , Forte , Victoria Road
2-Year-Old Filly: Leave No Trace , Meditate , Wonder Wheel
3-Year-Old Male: Epicenter , Modern Games , Taiba
3-Year-Old Filly: 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
Male Turf Horse: Modern Games, Nations Pride , Rebel's Romance
Female Turf Horse: In Italian , Regal Glory , War Like Goddess
Steeplechase Horse: 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
Equines such as Breeder's Cup Mile (G1T) winner Modern Games and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) winner Goodnight Olive are finalists for multiple awards, and the global racing and breeding operation Godolphin is a finalist for both champion owner and breeder.
Goodnight Olive defeats Echo Zulu in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
Many Eclipse categories have winners that would appear clear-cut, such as Forte and Wonder Wheel as champion 2-year-old male and champion 2-year-old female, respectively, while other divisions, such as 3-year-old male and male sprinter, appear contentious.
In addition to honoring the 17 winners in the horse and human categories, David Harrison will receive the Eclipse Award as the 2022 Horseplayer of the Year. Members of the media will be honored for outstanding coverage in six categories.
Eclipse Awards voting is conducted by the NTWAB, the NTRA, and Daily Racing Form. The Eclipse Awards ceremony is produced by the NTRA.
The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire, Eclipse, who began racing at age 5 and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.