43rd Annual Eclipse Awards Nominees
The 43rd Annual Eclipse Awards are set to take place at the Sport of Kings Theater at Gulfstream Park Racetrack and Casino on January 18, 2014. A number of events will take place in the days leading up to the Eclipse Awards evening, starting with the Eclipse Awards Charity Golf Tournament on January 14 at the Diplomat Resort Golf & Spa. Proceeds will go to the Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation. On January 16, the Eclipse Awards Ladies Luncheon will benefit the Race for Education, while the Eclipse Awards Charity Poker Tournament…
Being held on the same day, will benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund. The program on January 17 includes the Eclipse Awards ThoroFan Annual Awards Breakfast in honor of Cot Campbell, as well as the Eclipse Awards Celebration of the Thoroughbred, with proceeds going to Gulfstream Park Thoroughbred Aftercare. The Eclips Awards VIP Welcome Breakfast will take place on Saturday morning, with the Eclipse Awards presentations take place in the evening. The weekend’s activities end off on Sunday with the Eclipse Awards First Chance/Last Chance NHC Tournament.
While the Eclipse Awards have a number of categories to acknowledge notable performance of equine and human horseracing personalities, many would agree that the top honor is the title of Horse of the Year, and for 2013 the nominees for this prestigious title are Will Take Charge, Wise Dan and Much Macho Man. Nominees for the category of Two-Year-Old Male are Shared Belief, Havana and New Year’s Day with Two-Year-Old Filly nominations going to Chriselliam, She’s a Tiger and Ria Antonia. Three-Year-Old Male nominees are Will Take Charge, Orb and Palace Malice with fillies in the age group being Princess of Sylmar, Beholder and Close Hatches.
Older male nominees are Wise Dan, Mucho Macho Man and Game On Dude, with older females being Joyful Victory, Tiz Miz Sue and Royal Delta. Male sprinter nominees are Secret Circle, Sahara Sky and Point Offthebench, with female sprinters being Mizdirection, Dance to Bristol and Groupie Doll. Magician, Wise Dan and Point of Entry are nominees for Male Turf Horse, with Laughing, Mizdirection and Dank as the Female Turf Horse nominees. Steeplechase nominees are Divine Fortune, Italian Wedding and Gustavian.
Nominated owners are Midwest Thoroughbreds, Juddmonte Farms, Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey. Breeder nominees are Morton Fink Adena Springs and Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey. Eclipse Award Trainer nominees are Todd Pletcher, Bill Mott and Bob Baffert. Jockey nominees are Joel Rosario, Gary Stevens and Javier Castellano, with apprentice jockey nominees being Manuel Franco, Victor Carrasco and Edgard Zayas.
