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Eclipse Awards Return to Gulfstream Jan. 18

The 43rd annual Eclipse Awards will be held Jan. 18 at Gulfstream Park Racetrack and Casino in Hallandale Beach, Fla, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced.

Belmont II, Mellon Named Pillars of the Turf

August Belmont II and Paul Mellon were selected as the inaugural Pillars of the Turf inductees for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame's new category June 5. They will be inducted Aug. 9 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Good, Good Night for Fink

Higher-energy Eclipse Award ceremony Jan. 19 honors longtime owner/breeder Morton Fink with three trophies. Godolphin/Darley also picks up three awards.

Wise Dan Sweeps HOY, Older Male, Turf Titles

Morton Fink's homebred Wise Dan swept three categories--male turf horse, older male, and Horse of the Year--at the Jan. 19 Eclipse Awards ceremony in Hallandale Beach, Fla., becoming the first horse to do so since John Henry.

Eclipse Award Overview; Winners, Votes

A voting overview of the 2012 Eclipse Award winners and other candidates, along with number of first-place votes for each category is listed in this story.

Outstanding Apprentice Jockey: Jose Montano

Competition for outstanding apprentice jockey came down to Irad Ortiz, Jr., who lost his bug on Feb. 2, and Jose Montano, who was an apprentice most of the year. In the end, voters cast their votes for the true apprentice.

Champion Older Female: Royal Delta

Long-striding Royal Delta delivered when it mattered most in 2012, and although her 4-year-old season was not without flaws, her winning performances were spectacular.

Questing Named Champion 3-Year-Old Filly

Questing's amazing brilliance during the summer did not escape the Eclipse voters, despite her seemingly late-season decline and the return to top form by last year's 2-year-old filly champ My Miss Aurelia.

Champion 3-Year-Old Male: I'll Have Another

Being the leader in the clubhouse is a mixed blessing. You've left your marker out on the course, and now everybody gets to take a shot at beating you. It all worked out fine for I'll Have Another in 2012.

Outstanding Breeder: Darley

Sheikh Mohammed's Eclipse Award as outstanding breeder was due to an overabundance of quality rather than quantity.

Trinniberg Named Champion Sprinter

The Sprint division in 2012 took some odd twists during the course of the year, with the first half of the year focused on the defending champion Amazombie.

Zagora Named Champion Female Turf Horse

For the second year in a row, owner Martin Schwartz returned to the Eclipse Awards podium to receive a trophy in the female grass horse category, thanks to Zagora.

Godolphin Named Outstanding Owner

Godolphin, the private Thoroughbred racing stable of the Maktoum family, earned its second Eclipse Award as top owner in the past four years while winning seven grade I races and six other graded races in the United Stakes.

Champion Steeplechaser: Pierrot Lunaire

Pierrot Lunaire pulled off what no other horse did over hurdles in 2012, winning back-to-back National Steeplechase Association grade I races to take home an Eclipse Award as outstanding steeplechaser.

Beholder Champion 2-Year-Old Filly

Blessed with speed and the ability to extend it around two turns against the best in her division, Beholder earned her Eclipse Award as the top 2-year-old filly on racing's biggest weekend during the Breeders' Cup.

Shanghai Bobby Named Champion 2-Year-Old Male

Anyone who remembers the "old" days no doubt took great joy in seeing Shanghai Bobby win the Hopeful and Champagne stakes, arguably the two most prestigious 2-year-old stakes prior to the advent of the Breeders' Cup.

Doctors Expect Full Recovery for Dominguez

The agent for jockey Ramon Dominguez says doctors are optimistic the nation's leading rider will fully recover from a fractured skull.

Paynter's Recovery Is 'Moment of the Year'

Paynter's recovery from life-threatening battles with laminitis and colitis after his victory in the 2012 Haskell Invitational Stakes (gr. I) at Monmouth Park was voted by fans the 2012 NTRA Moment of the Year.

College Student Wins Eclipse Awards Contest

Megean O'Dell, a student in the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona, has won the Eclipse Awards Sweepstakes sponsored by Starlight Racing, Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, and Derrick Smith.

What's Going On Here: Recasting the Eclipse

The goal is to make the event more exciting and accessible to fans.

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Visitors to Have Access at Eclipse Awards

Fans visiting Gulfstream Park on the night of Jan. 19 will have unprecedented access to the Eclipse Awards-winning connections immediately following their recognition at the sold-out event.

Charles Lopresti Talks About Wise Dan

Trainer Charles Lopresti talks about Horse of the Year Candidate Wise Dan at Keeneland on January 10, 2013.

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Eclipse Awards Get Their Groove Back

Holding the Eclipse Awards at Gulfstream Park plus the addition of several new charity events has given the event new life.

Training Delayed for Groupie Doll

Breeder's Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I) winner Groupie Doll, who arrived at Gulfstream Park Dec. 29, has yet to make it to the racetrack to train due to less-than-perfect blood work.

Nicholson to Receive Eclipse Award of Merit

Nick Nicholson, who retired as president of Keeneland in September of last year, will receive the Eclipse Award of Merit for his leadership and achievements on behalf of the Thoroughbred industry, officials said Jan. 7.

Eclipse Finalists Named

Finalists for the 2012 Eclipse Awards were announced Jan 5, with Fort Larned, I'll Have Another, and Wise Dan leading the 17 categories as nominees for Horse of the Year.

Eclipse Award Sweepstakes Announced

Starlight Racing and Coolmore's Tabor, Magnier, and Smith are offering two tickets to the 2012 Eclipse Awards in a drawing to be held Jan. 13.

Eclipse Awards to be Televised Live on HRTV

The 42nd annual Eclipse Awards will be broadcast live Jan. 19 on HRTV, according to an announcement. HRTV will also provide live coverage of the announcement of Eclipse Awards finalists on Jan. 5 at noon EST.

ESPN Chalks Up Another Media Eclipse Award

ESPN's news-magazine show E:60 has won the 2012 Media Eclipse Award in the Television-Features programming category for "Notinrwildestdremz", the story of a rescued and neglected Thoroughbred filly.

Foaling Video Results in Eclipse Award Honor

Glenye Cain Oakford of Daily Racing Form has won the 2012 Media Eclipse Award in the Audio/Multi-Media Internet category for "Zenyatta: Wait for First Foal Combines Science, Art and Anticipation."

Eclipse Fundraiser to Help Aftercare Program

Gulfstream Park is hosting several charity fundraisers the week before the Eclipse Awards, Jan. 15-19.

Voting Underway for 2012 NTRA Moment of Year

Voting is under way at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association website for the 14th annual "NTRA Moment of the Year."

Committee to Promote Eclipse Awards Events

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association has formed an Eclipse Awards "host committee" that will actively promote participation in Eclipse Awards week events.

Eclipse Award-Related Events Benefit Charity

A series of special events leading up to the 42nd annual Eclipse Awards will benefit several Thoroughbred industry-related charities, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced Dec. 4.

'Miami Chic' Theme for 2013 Eclipse Awards

"Miami Chic" will be the theme for the 42nd annual Eclipse Awards ceremony that will be held Jan. 19, 2013, at Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Eclipse-winning Photographer Marten Dies

Michael Marten, a two-time Eclipse Award-winning photographer, died May 28 of cancer at his Del Mar, Calif., home.

And They're Off: Eclipse Awards Edition

Lenny and Steve review the Eclipse Award ceremony and the winners, Lasix, and more. Sponsored by Darby Dan Farm

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Triple Crown Talk: Eclipse Awards Review

A shoddy telecast and a couple of questionable winners stole the show.

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Slideshow: The 2011 Eclipse Awards

Images from the 41st annual Eclipse Awards.

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Dominguez Repeats As Top Jock

Ramon Dominguez dwarfed his 2010 numbers en route to winning a second consecutive Eclipse Award.

Frey First Following Re-Vote for Apprentice

After a re-vote for the Eclipse Award for apprentice jockey, the award went to Kyle Frey, who got 77 first-place votes.

Royal Delta: Winner On and Off the Track

Royal Delta had a huge year in 2011, both on the racetrack and in the auction ring, and the filly will kick off 2012 with an Eclipse Award as new owner Ben Leon Jr. points her toward greater accomplishments.

Animal Kingdom Awarded for Classic Success

By a vote of 114 to 111, Animal Kingdom outpolled Caleb's Posse for an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old male.

Adena Wins 7th Eclipse as Top Breeder

Frank Stronach's Adena Springs continues to crank out top-level stakes winners and knocked down its seventh Eclipse Award for breeder in the last eight years.

Ramseys Scratch Out Eclipse as Top Owner

Ken and Sarah Ramsey won their second Eclipse Award as leading owner, having picked up their first in 2004 when they campaigned top older horses Kitten's Joy and Roses in May.

Older Female: Grace in a Landslide

There was little drama in the announcement of Fox Hill Farms' Havre de Grace being named top older female. The 4-year-old daughter of 2005 Horse of the Year Saint Liam garnered 245 of the 248 first-place votes cast.

Acclamation Claims Older Male Championship

In a split decision worthy of a season in which very little was settled definitively on the racetrack, the California-bred Acclamation notched the Eclipse Award for 2011's top older male.

Amazing Amazombie is Sprint Champ

Winning the Breeders' Cup Sprint had been the flourishing finish to a splendid nine-race championship season for Amazombie that ran from late January to Nov. 5. Now he has been voted male sprint champion.

Musical Romance Hits Highest Note

As bigger names garnered the publicity, Musical Romance completed her rags-to-riches story when she was named champion female sprinter for 2011.

'Blues' is Named Steeplechase Champion

When contenders for champion steeplechaser of 2011 were announced, Irvin S. Naylor was assured he would take home the Eclipse Award statuette because he owned all three finalists.