Eclipse Award
Encyclopedia
The Eclipse Award is an American
thoroughbred
horse racing
award named after the 18th century British
racehorse and sire
, Eclipse
. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association
(NTRA), Daily Racing Form
and the National Turf Writers Association
who select all finalists at the end of the year. Those same voters then vote any of the three finalists in each category. Winners are announced in January of the next year.
J. B. Faulconer, the first full-time publicity director at Keeneland
, is credited with starting the Eclipse Award program.
The Eclipse Award of Merit is the industry's highest honor. The most prestigious Eclipse Award for horses is the Horse of the Year
title.
The equivalent in Australia
is the Australian Thoroughbred racing awards
, in Canada
the Sovereign Award
s, and in Europe
, the Cartier Racing Award
s.
An Eclipse Award Trophy
is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American foundries with expertise in studio bronze casting. It is then mounted on the hand crafted native Kentucky walnut base to comprise the Eclipse Award on which a brass plate recites the award winner.
The Eclipse Award categories:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
award named after the 18th century British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
racehorse and sire
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
, Eclipse
Eclipse (horse)
Eclipse was an outstanding, undefeated 18th-century British Thoroughbred racehorse who was later a phenomenal success as a sire.-Breeding:...
. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association
National Thoroughbred Racing Association
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic...
(NTRA), Daily Racing Form
Daily Racing Form
The Daily Racing Form is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race horses as a statistical service for bettors on horse racing in the United States....
and the National Turf Writers Association
National Turf Writers Association
The National Turf Writers Association is an American association of journalists, columnists and other writers involved with reporting on the horse racing industry...
who select all finalists at the end of the year. Those same voters then vote any of the three finalists in each category. Winners are announced in January of the next year.
J. B. Faulconer, the first full-time publicity director at Keeneland
Keeneland
Keeneland is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and sales complex in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc., it is also known for its reference library on the sport, which contains more than 10,000 volumes, an extensive videocassette collection, and a substantial...
, is credited with starting the Eclipse Award program.
The Eclipse Award of Merit is the industry's highest honor. The most prestigious Eclipse Award for horses is the Horse of the Year
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
title.
The equivalent in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
is the Australian Thoroughbred racing awards
Australian Thoroughbred racing awards
The Australian Thoroughbred racing awards are given annually in Australian Thoroughbred horse racing. Voting on various categories is done by members of the Australian Racing Writers Association and include:Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year...
, in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
the Sovereign Award
Sovereign Award
The Sovereign Award is given annually since 1975 by the Jockey Club of Canada to the outstanding horses and people in Canadian Thoroughbred racing.The most prestigious award for horses is Sovereign Horse of the Year....
s, and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Cartier Racing Award
Cartier Racing Award
The Cartier Racing Awards are awards in European horse racing, founded in 1991, and sponsored by Cartier jewelers. The award winners are decided by points earned in group races plus the votes cast by British racing journalists and readers of the Racing Post and Daily Telegraph newspapers.Eight...
s.
An Eclipse Award Trophy
Eclipse Award Trophy
The Eclipse Award Trophy is presented annually to recognize those horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories...
is presented to the winner in each division that is made by a few small selected American foundries with expertise in studio bronze casting. It is then mounted on the hand crafted native Kentucky walnut base to comprise the Eclipse Award on which a brass plate recites the award winner.
The Eclipse Award categories:
- American Horse of the Year
- American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt
- American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly
- American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse
- American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
- American Champion Older Male Horse
- American Champion Older Female Horse
- American Champion Sprint Horse
- American Champion Female Sprint HorseAmerican Champion Female Sprint HorseThe American Champion Sprint Female Horse award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to the top female horse in sprint races usually run at a distance of 6 or 7 furlongs...
- American Champion Male Turf Horse
- American Champion Female Turf Horse
- Outstanding Steeplechase horseEclipse Award for Outstanding Steeplechase horseThe American Champion Steeplechase Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded as part of the Eclipse Award program since its inception in 1971. It is awarded annually to the top horse in steeplechase racing....
- Outstanding OwnerEclipse Award for Outstanding OwnerEclipse Award for Outstanding Owner is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor for racehorse owners. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually.Past winners: -References:* *...
- Outstanding BreederEclipse Award for Outstanding BreederEclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor for breeders. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually.Its Canadian counterpart is the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Breeder....
- Outstanding TrainerEclipse Award for Outstanding TrainerThe Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor for trainers. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually.Its Canadian counterpart is the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Trainer....
- Outstanding JockeyEclipse Award for Outstanding JockeyThe Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor for jockeys first awarded in 1971. Part of the Eclipse Awards program, it is awarded annually....
- Outstanding Apprentice JockeyEclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice JockeyThe Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor. Created in 1971, it is part of the Eclipse Awards program and is awarded annually to a jockey undergoing their apprenticeship....
- Eclipse Special AwardEclipse Special AwardThe Eclipse Special Award is part of the Eclipse Award program in United States Thoroughbred horse racing. The Special Award's purpose is to honor outstanding individual achievements in, or contributions to, the sport.Honorees:*1971 : Robert J. Kleberg...
- Eclipse Award Of MeritEclipse Award of MeritThe Eclipse Award of Merit is part of the American Eclipse Awards in Thoroughbred horse racing. The industry's highest honor, it is presented to an individual or entity displaying outstanding lifetime achievement in, and service to, the Thoroughbred industry....
- National Thoroughbred Racing Association Moment of the YearNational Thoroughbred Racing Association Moment of the YearThe National Thoroughbred Racing Association Moment of the Year award, begun in 1999, celebrates or honors one moment that occurred during a given year that most exemplifies the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States....