Eclipse Awards Diaries: Award-Winning Evening

I knew that Eclipse Awards Saturday was going to be great from the moment I opened my eyes that morning: it was the perfect South Florida winter day, with a soft sea breeze and temperatures hovering in the seventies. So, basically: heaven. That’s what went through my mind when I arrived at Gulfstream Park on Saturday morning. Honestly, if the pearly gates are anything like the entrance to Gulfstream, I really *will* have to start going to church more often.

Not only were the Eclipse Awards being held at Gulfstream on Saturday, but the Sunshine Millions were the main attraction for the afternoon of racing at the Hallandale Beach track. The Sunshine Millions pit runners from Florida, California, Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland against one another, and this year’s five-race edition kicked off with the Sunshine Millions Sprint. With all of my preparations for the Eclipse Awards, I hadn’t had time to come up with a betting strategy for any of the races on Saturday; therefore I was a happy spectator for a marvelous afternoon of Thoroughbred racing.
As the horses made their way onto the track for the Sunshine Millions Sprint, fans crowded the rail to catch sight of their favorite horses.

Minutes later, the race was off, and in almost no time at all Weekend Hideaway was crowned the 2015 victor of the Sunshine Millions Sprint.

Up next was the Sunshine Millions Turf Stakes. All I knew before the race is that Manchurian High had the most magnificent forelock (which is that tuft of hair that falls between a horse’s eyes) and I was in love with him.

So you can imagine my delight when he won with ease (although he was travelling at such a high rate of speed that his gorgeous forelock disappeared into the rest of his mane. Woe betides me!)

Up next was the Sunshine Millions Distaff, which is a race restricted to female horses. It was very cool to witness celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s filly Dame Dorothy take home the honors – I even came up with a terrible, terrible pun for the tweet from the America’s Best Racing account:

Dame Dorothy serves up a win for her celebrity chef owner @bflay in the #SunshineMillions Distaff at @GulfstreamPark! pic.twitter.com/0JEXBW9F2A
— Americas Best Racing (@ABRLive) January 17, 2015
As photographers were waiting for the next race (the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf) to start on the grass course, we were in for a major treat: Gulfstream’s two resident flamingoes were having their afternoon feed, and they walked right near us! It was a very cool moment.

I also took the opportunity to take a selfie with the massive Pegasus who welcomes guests to the track. Seriously, this be-winged pony is a titan:

So I could not resist:

#PenelopePegasusSelfie pic.twitter.com/POOjioZ7tO
— Penelope P. Miller (@PenelopePMiller) January 17, 2015
Shenanigans completed, it was time to focus up since the race was on. After seven-eighths of a mile, the adorably named Pink Poppy crossed the wire with daylight separating her and her closest rival.

The final race of the Sunshine Millions was the richest contest of the day: the Classic. Valued at a quarter of a million dollars, the race had attracted some tough contenders. The heavy favorite, Wildcat Red, encountered traffic trouble and unfortunately finished out of the money; however, that left the race wide open for Sr. Quisqueyano, who prevailed to score in the Sunshine Millions Classic.

With the Sunshine Millions behind us, I had about five minutes to shed my track clothes in favor of my Eclipse Awards finery. (OK, well, since I’m hardly the main event at the Eclipse Awards, “finery” may be a bit of a stretch….) Regardless, I was dressed and ready when it was curtain time for horse racing’s year-end championships. In fact, I even had time to help my co-worker Jim Mulvihill with his bow tie before the ceremony started. Actually, a YouTube tutorial provided the help and I just repeated what the instructional video said in a louder voice; but it totally worked! Look how proud I am:

Bow tie got finished thanks only to @PenelopePMiller (with assist from YouTube). #EclipseAwards pic.twitter.com/IdBEfr400x
— Jim Mulvihill (@YourFriendJimbo) January 17, 2015
Don’t worry; with a little straightening and finagling it turned out pretty close to acceptable.
Anyway, then it was time for the show to go on! When I arrived at the Sport of Kings Theater at Gulfstream Park where the awards would be held, the room was transformed into a horse lover’s paradise and was populated by some of the sport’s brightest stars.

Here’s Miss Connecticut Acacia Courtney, who is a lover of racing – she actually founded and operates her own aftercare facility for retired racehorses! She’s pictured with her parents, who were so thrilled to be at the Eclipse Awards to watch their daughter present two of the year-end honors.

Here are turf writing superstars John Scheinman and Frank Angst, both of whom won Eclipse Awards for their outstanding capabilities:

Legendary track announcer Tom Durkin with West Point Thoroughbreds’ Terry Finley:

Two of the smartest and nicest people in horse racing broadcasting: Caton Bredar and Laffit Pincay, Jr.:

And one of my favorite shots of the night, which includes California Chrome’s co-owner Steve Coburn with Mr. and Mrs. Willis Horton, who own Take Charge Brandi. It was such a cool moment.

Also, Mrs. Horton is insanely glamorous and even more beautiful in person than she is in photos. I want to be just like her when I grow up.
I had about three minutes to clandestinely pick croutons off of my purloined Caesar salad and shove them in my mouth before it was time for the Eclipse Awards to begin. Our fantastic host Jeannine Edwards was entertaining, funny, knowledgeable and passionate about the sport.

As soon as Jeannine took the stage, events started rolling really quickly; the first honor of the evening was for Female Turf Horse, which went to a very deserving Dayatthespa. Her human connections were clearly overjoyed:

Up next was Male Turf Horse. This one was no surprise to me when it went to Main Sequence, but I was so delighted to see jockey Rajiv Maragh up with the rest of the team behind the horse. Rajiv was in the pilot’s seat for three of Main Sequence’s four victories this year before he was sidelined with an injury; and it was wonderful to see him help accept the award for Outstanding Turf Horse.

This year, Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey took home Eclipse Awards for both Outstanding Breeder and Outstanding Owner – an amazing accomplishment. Mr. Ramsey had a long list of people he wanted to thank for the success of his farm, but it was his words of gratitude, love and commitment to his wife Sarah that were the most moving.

The next Eclipse Award was the NTRA Moment of the Year, which went to California Chrome’s Kentucky Derby victory. Chrome’s co-owner Steve Coburn and trainer Art Sherman accepted the award, and were sure to give thanks to their horse’s many fans who made the award possible.

Then it was time for the Champion Female Sprinter to be announced, which went to Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Judy the Beauty. I was thrilled for her owner and trainer Wesley Ward, who gave a wonderful acceptance speech on behalf of his mare.

The 2014 Champion Male Sprinter was Work All Week, who had captured the Breeders’ Cup Sprint just two and a half months ago. His owners from Midwest Thoroughbreds were clearly thrilled with the victory, and emotions were running high on the podium.

Then my friend John Scheinman accepted his Eclipse Award for Writing in the Feature/Commentary division, and I was beyond thrilled for him as he accepted his well-deserved award!

Up next was the Special Eclipse Award, which was earned this year by the amazing team at Old Friends Farm, which gives a home to aging stallions that need a place to live out their golden years. Jockey Rosie Napravnik, who’s taking some time out of the saddle to start her family, does extensive work with Old Friends and introduced the farm’s founder Michael Blowen to accept his award.

Blowen was so gracious in his speech, and talked about his passion for our horses, his commitment to his charges, his desire to ensure a safe home in America for stallions currently living abroad; and finally, he announced the wonderful news that Old Friends will open its first satellite farm at a racetrack at scenic Kentucky Downs.

Both Rosie and Michael were met with standing ovations for their efforts to help retired racehorses, and with good reason: people like them and the countless others who dedicate their lives to the Thoroughbreds deserve as many awards as well as all of the respect and support in the world for their tireless efforts.
The show then continued with the Eclipse Award for Older Female, which went to the lovely Close Hatches. Side story: I actually had the results a few hours before the Eclipse Awards; so when I was in an elevator at Gulfstream Park on Saturday afternoon and Close Hatches’ trainer Bill Mott walked in, I was trying so hard not to give anything away that I’m sure I looked completely insane.  Sorry, Mr. Mott. I just didn’t want to ruin the surprise!
Up next was Champion Older Male, a category I thought was pretty wide open. But I was delighted for the connections of Main Sequence when they got to return to the stage for their second Eclipse Award of the evening.

Joe Clancy then took the stage to accept his Media Eclipse Award for News and Enterprise Writing, and he was clearly overjoyed by the accolade.

Then it was Frank Angst’s turn, who took home the Eclipse Award for Audio/Multimedia for the Blood-Horse’s fantastic longform piece about the elusive quest for the Triple Crown. It was one of my favorite reads this year, so I was particularly thrilled to see it honored.

Handicapper of the Year Jose Arias took the stage next, and gave a beautiful speech about his love of the sport from a bettor’s perspective.

Then it was time to announce Outstanding Trainer; this was another category that was pretty wide open in my mind, but I wasn’t surprised when Todd Pletcher took home a record seventh statue. He was clearly pretty touched by the honor, and gave an emotional acceptance speech.

Then, it was time for the speech I was probably most excited for: Two-Year-Old Filly. You see, this year’s winner, Take Charge Brandi, is owned by Willis Horton, who became famous at last year’s Eclipse Awards for merrily ignoring the time constraint on speeches and delivering a hilarious acceptance for Will Take Charge’s Champion Three-Year-Old Male honors.
In fact, that speech has become so legendary that this year host Jeannine Edwards brought out a chair for Mrs. Horton so she could be comfortable during her husband’s speech!

Champion Two-Year-Old Male was up next, which went to the undefeated American Pharoah, and owners the Zayat Family took the stage to accept.

Then Barbara Livingston took home an unprecedented third Media Eclipse Award for her amazing photography. She’s genuinely a unique talent, and her work is an inspiration to so many budding Thoroughbred photographers.
Legendary track announcer Tom Durkin then took the stage to accept his Eclipse Award of Merit, and when he mounted the stairs the standing ovation from the crowd was thunderous and sustained.  In what was my favorite speech of the evening, Tom talked about his love of the sport, the amazing horses he’s called, and his deep love and respect for the Thoroughbreds at the center of our game. To read a full transcript of his speech (and I urge you to do so!) please check it out over at the Paulick Report.
His speech had me in tears, and I know I’m not the only one. Thank you, Tom, for making great races even better through the magic of your announcing.

Tom was a tough act to follow, but my friend Acacia Courtney and the Racing Form’s Jay Privman did a fantastic job introducing the winners of Champion Apprentice Jockey and Outstanding Jockey.

Drayden Van Dyke took home the honors for Apprentice Jockey, and he gave a beautiful speech that remembered his fallen colleague Juan Saez as well as his father who passed away.

Javier Castellano was awarded the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey, and he was sure to thank his family for their tireless support in his speech.

Then it was time for the sophomores to shine: the Champion Three-Year-Old Filly and Three-Year-Old were up next. To no one’s surprise, Untapable won the statue for Three-Year-Old Filly; she had such a remarkable season that the vote was unanimous. Her owners from Winchell Thoroughbreds took the stage to accept the award, which was richly deserved.

Then it was time to name the Champion Three-Year-Old; this was a tough call, since the three finalists of California Chrome, Bayern and Shared Belief had all had incredible years. But in the end, Chrome’s record spoke for itself and he took home the honors. His crew of human connections made their way to the stage and once again thanked their horse’s fans for their support.

Then it was time for the biggest moment of the night: the Horse of the Year announcement. A strong case could be made for each of the three finalists; but once again it was Chrome’s time to shine, and his delighted connections returned right back to the stage to take home the gold trophy.

With that, the night was over. As revelers left the Sport of Kings theater to go to the after party, I had one more magical moment: I got to take a photo with Tom Durkin and his brand-new Eclipse Award! That was seriously, majorly cool. You can tell by the grin on my face just how excited I was!

Have to say that my favorite #EclipseAwards moment was getting a photo with the legendary Tom Durkin @TdurkTom! pic.twitter.com/TMlFTz87Ni
— Penelope P. Miller (@PenelopePMiller) January 18, 2015
We as racing fans were lucky to be treated to so many outstanding moments in 2014, and with so many of the sport’s stars returning to the races this year, I have a feeling that things are going to be even more amazing in 2015. I, for one, can’t wait!