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2020 Eclipse Award Winners
The 2020 Eclipse Awards winners were announced during a virtual ceremony presented by Spendthrift Farm on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Winners are shown in bold,
followed by the other finalists.
In addition to honoring the 17 winners in the horse and human categories, members of the media were honored for outstanding coverage in six categories, shown here. Thomas Goldsmith received the Eclipse Award as the 2020 Horseplayer of the Year.
Eclipse Awards voting was conducted by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), and Daily Racing Form (DRF). The Eclipse Awards ceremony was produced by NTRA.
Eclipse Awards voting was conducted by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), and Daily Racing Form (DRF). The Eclipse Awards ceremony was produced by NTRA.
Horse of the Year: Authentic, Improbable, Monomoy Girl
Two-Year-Old Male: Essential Quality, Fire At Will, Jackie’s Warrior
Two-Year-Old Filly: Vequist, Aunt Pearl (IRE), Dayoutoftheoffice
Three-Year-Old Male: Authentic, Nadal, Tiz the Law
Three-Year-Old Filly: Swiss Skydiver, Gamine, Shedaresthedevil
Older Dirt Male: Improbable, Maximum Security, Vekoma
Older Dirt Female: Monomoy Girl, Midnight Bisou, Serengeti Empress
Male Sprinter: Whitmore, Vekoma, Volatile
Female Sprinter: Gamine, Glass Slippers (GB), Serengeti Empress
Male Turf Horse: Channel Maker, Order of Australia (IRE), Zulu Alpha
Female Turf Horse: Rushing Fall, Audarya (FR), Tarnawa (IRE)
Steeplechase Horse: Moscato (GB), Rashaan (IRE), Snap Decision
Owner: Godolphin LLC; Klaravich Stables Inc.; Spendthrift Farm LLC, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables LLC, and Starlight Racing
Breeder: WinStar Farm LLC, Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds LLC, Calumet Farm
Trainer: Brad Cox, Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert
Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr., Joel Rosario, John Velazquez
Apprentice Jockey: Alexander Crispin, Luis Cardenas, Yarmarie Correa
The Eclipse Awards were sponsored by Spendthrift Farm, Keeneland, Racetrack Television Network, Four Roses Bourbon, Daily Racing Form, Breeders’ Cup, FanDuel Group, The Stronach Group, TVG, Dean Dorton, Stonestreet Farm, Jackson Family Wines, Florida HBPA, Runhappy, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Hallway Feeds and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.
The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies
Caton Bredar has been named the recipient of the Charles W. Engelhard Award by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders.
Members of the NTWAB, here we are eight weeks away from the May 3 Kentucky Derby! I look forward to seeing many of you at Churchill Downs! Please make a note that our spring NTWAB meeting will take place at Churchill Downs on Wednesday, April 30 at 11 a.m. ET.
To promote transparency, National Turf Writers and Broadcasters annually discloses how its members voted for the top spot in each of the Eclipse Award categories. The attached chart , presented via Google Sheets, may be fully accessed by scrolling both vertically and horizontally.
Twitter posts @NTWAB by Dick Downey
Ed Bowen, a longtime NTWAB member, died on Jan. 20 at his home in Versailles, Ky. at age 82. His memory will be honored at the upcoming Eclipse Awards ceremony.
Lexington, Ky. (January 8, 2025) ―The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters today announced the winners of the 2024 Media Eclipse Awards in six categories.
The 2024 Eclipse Awards Finalists, with the exception of Horse of the Year, in alphabetical order.
The National Turf Writers and Broadcasters are pleased to announce the organization will support a record five internships at various horse racing media outlets in 2025.
Tim Layden, a member of National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, and former NTWAB members Ed Schuyler, Jr. and the late Edwin Pope have been selected to the National Museum of Racing’s Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor.
Outlets are encouraged to apply by Dec. 16.
