Buy TicketsKeeneland sales and Keeneland racing, which in 2022 included the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, are well represented by the finalists for the year’s Eclipse Awards named today by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.
Equine champions and outstanding horsemen of 2022 will be announced Thursday, Jan. 26 at the 52nd annual Eclipse Awards Ceremony at The Breakers Palm Beach in Florida. Finalists for Horse of the Year will be named early in the event.
Keeneland joins John Deere and The Jockey Club as presenting sponsors of the ceremony.
Thirteen graduates of Keeneland sales – 12 are alumni of the prestigious September Yearling Sale –are finalists for Eclipse Awards. They and their 2022 graded stakes victories are:
Two-Year-Old Male: Cave Rock, who won the American Pharoah (G1) and Runhappy Del Mar Futurity (G1); Forte, who won the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) both at Keeneland and the Hopeful (G1).
Two-Year-Old Filly: Wonder Wheel, who won the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and Darley Alcibiades (G1) both at Keeneland.
Three-Year-Old Male: Epicenter, who won the Runhappy Travers (G1), Jim Dandy (G2), Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and Risen Star (G2) Presented by Lamarque Ford.
Three-Year-Old Filly: Nest, who won the Central Bank Ashland (G1) at Keeneland and the Alabama (G1), Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and Beldame (G2).
Older Dirt Male: Life Is Good, who won the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Presented by 1/ST BET, Whitney (G1), Woodward (G1) and John A. Nerud (G2); Olympiad, who won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), Alysheba (G2) Presented by Sentient Jet, New Orleans Classic (G2) and Stephen Foster (G2) and Mineshaft (G3).
Older Dirt Female: Malathaat, who won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), Juddmonte Spinster (G1) and Baird Doubledogdare (G3) at Keeneland and the Personal Ensign (G1).
Male Sprinter: Elite Power, who won the Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland and the Vosburgh (G2); Jackie’s Warrior, who won the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) and Churchill Downs (G1) Presented by Ford, the True North (G2) and the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3).
Female Sprinter: Echo Zulu, who won the Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) and Dogwood (G3).
Female Turf: Regal Glory, who won the Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland, Matriarch (G1), Just a Game (G1) and TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational (G3) Presented by PEPSI (G3); War Like Goddess, who won the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1), Glens Falls (G2) and Keeneland’s Bewitch (G3).
In addition, these finalists for Eclipse Awards all captured 2022 Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland:
Caravel (Female Sprinter) won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) after capturing the Franklin (G3) during Keeneland’s Fall Meet;
Cody’s Wish (Male Sprinter) won the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1);
Flightline (Older Dirt Male) won the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Two days later at Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale, a 2.5 percent ownership interest in Flightline sold for $4.6 million;
Goodnight Olive (Older Dirt Female, Female Sprinter) won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1);
Meditate (IRE) (Two-Year-Old Filly) won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1);
Modern Games (IRE) (Three-Year-Old Male, Male Turf Horse) won the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) Presented by PDJF;
Rebel’s Romance (IRE) (Male Turf Horse) won the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1);
Tuesday (IRE) (Three-Year-Old Filly) won the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1); and
Victoria Road (IRE) (Two-Year-Old Male) won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).
Another finalist with a Keeneland stakes victory in 2022 is In Italian (GB) (Female Turf Horse), who won the First Lady (G1) Presented by UK HealthCare during the Fall Meet.
Meanwhile, every finalist for Eclipse Awards as outstanding horsemen is active at Keeneland:
Owner: Peter Brant, Godolphin, Klaravich Stables.
Breeder: Godolphin, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Summer Wind Equine.
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr., Flavien Prat, Joel Rosario.
Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher.