"I am very excited to be participating in this year's Eclipse Awards," said Belichick. "As an avid horseracing fan and someone who appreciates greatness in all sports, it is truly an honor to be involved with recognizing the finest horses and owners in the world."The results of the Eclipse Awards balloting will not be made public until the night of the awards, but Tiznow is considered the clear-cut favorite to win the Older Male category. He is also a finalist with Johannesburg and Point Given for Horse of the Year honors.
Bill Belichick, head coach of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, will present the Eclipse Award for Champion Older Male at the Eclipse Awards ceremony Feb. 18 in Miami Beach.As reported by Steve Haskin on bloodhorse.com back in December, Belichick used Tiznow's Breeders' Cup Classic victory to inspire his team this year. Belichick showed his team a videotape of Tiznow's victorious performance, using it as a rallying cry for his Patriots who were sporting a 7-5 record and struggling for a playoff spot at the time. Belichick thought the evenly matched race with so many horses in contention at the top of the stretch mirrored the Patriots' situation at the time. The Patriots won their next seven games, including the Super Bowl over the St. Louis Rams in New Orleans.