Eclipse Awards Diaries: Beauty and Excitement

The Eclipse Awards are synonymous with excellence, and that’s what we saw at Gulfstream Park on Friday. There’s something really amazing about the whole scene here: between the glamour of Miami, the beauty of the races and the excitement of the parties, this is the place to be for January.
My day started out the way every great day does: at the racetrack! When I arrived at Gulfstream, the sun was shining, the breeze was blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean and all was right in the world. Fans were streaming in to take in the excellent racing action on a beautiful Friday afternoon.

And what a beautiful afternoon it was! It really was a treat to escape the frozen north and watch some top-notch horse racing in a setting as lovely as this.

While I was at the races, I met artist Robert Clark, who creates equine art for Gulfstream Park. Today, he was finishing an amazing painting of 2012 Horse of the Year Wise Dan, who also is in the running for the title this year. The piece was absolutely beautiful, and he has a slew of paintings that adorn the hallways leading to the VIP skyboxes at Gulfstream Park.

Awesomely, Mr. Clark calls this area the “Horse Hall of Fame,” as well he should: the paintings he’s created include likenesses of equine greats Barbaro, Curlin and Invasor.

I also had a chance to swing by Christine A. Moore’s millinery, which was completely awesome because she let me try on each and every hat there. There really is something special about dressing up to go to the races, and I felt very fashionable as I tried on all the hats and fascinators there. If you want to learn more about Christine’s creations, please check out the blog I wrote about her here. 

When the races were over, the day was just heating up, because the Eclipse Awards reception was on. The evening was titled “The Celebration of the Thoroughbred,” and proceeds from the event benefitted the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, which helps transition retired racehorses into second careers and will be presented with a Special Eclipse Award on Saturday night. 
The evening was absolutely amazing – there were stilt walkers and a lady in one of those cool plastic bubbles that let you walk on water.

It gets better: there was a champagne ice luge, y’all. How have I lived my life this long without knowing that this is a thing that exists? I clearly need to upgrade my lifestyle. 

There were also people who seemed to be cupcake sun goddesses, which is an awesome thing to have on your résumé. Also, the cupcakes were really, really delicious.

Speaking of food (don’t lie: you knew this was going to happen) the spread was amazing. Seafood, potstickers and something called mini-brisket pot pies. Heaven!

All in all, the joint was jumping and it was the perfect way to kick off the Eclipse Awards festivities in style.

Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll be back tomorrow with all of the action from the Eclipse Awards!