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Rachel, Zenyatta named Horse of the Year finalists

Rachel (left) and Zenyatta (right) will duke it out in the ballot box (EquiSport Photos) (Ted Tarquinio/Horsephotos.com) Female superstars RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) and ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) lead an all-star cast of finalists for the 2009 Eclipse Awards, recognizing excellence in Thoroughbred racing. Winners in all categories will be announced at the 39th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, to be held January 18 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The announcement of the finalists was made Wednesday by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers Association (NTWA) and Daily Racing Form (DRF), the three presenting organizations of the Eclipse Awards. The three-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra, winner of all eight of her starts in 2009, including the Preakness S. (G1) and Woodward S. (G1), and the five-year old mare Zenyatta, who won all five of her races last year and culminated her undefeated career by becoming the first female to win the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), are the only two candidates for Horse of the Year. Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta were the only two horses to receive votes in the Horse of the Year category.

Rachel Alexandra leads the three-year-old filly category, which also includes CARELESS JEWEL (Tapit) and FLASHING (A.P. Indy), while Zenyatta heads older female finalists LIFE IS SWEET (Storm Cat) and MUSIC NOTE (A.P. Indy).

The Eclipse Awards finalists (in alphabetical order) are:

Horse of the Year: Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta

Two-Year-Old Male: LOOKIN AT LUCKY (Smart Strike), NOBLE'S PROMISE (Cuvee), VALE OF YORK (Ire) (Invincible Spirit)

Two-Year-Old Filly: BLIND LUCK (Pollard's Vision), HOT DIXIE CHICK (Dixie Union), SHE BE WILD (Offlee Wild)

Three-Year-Old Male: MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone), QUALITY ROAD (Elusive Quality), SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone)

Three-Year-Old Filly: Careless Jewel, Flashing, Rachel Alexandra

Older Male: EINSTEIN (Brz) (Spend a Buck), GIO PONTI (Tale of the Cat), KODIAK KOWBOY (Posse)

Older Female: Life is Sweet, Music Note, Zenyatta

Male Sprinter: DANCING IN SILKS (Black Minnaloushe), Kodiak Kowboy, ZENSATIONAL (Unbridled's Song)

Female Sprinter: INFORMED DECISION (Monarchos), Music Note, VENTURA (Chester House)

Male Turf Horse: CONDUIT (Ire) (Dalakhani), Gio Ponti, PRESIOUS PASSION (Royal Anthem)

Female Turf Horse: GOLDIKOVA (Ire) (Anabaa), MIDDAY (GB) (Oasis Dream [GB]), Ventura

Steeplechase Horse: MIXED UP (Carnivalay), RED LETTER DAY (Red Ransom), SPY IN THE SKY (Thunder Gulch)

Owner: Godolphin Racing, Juddmonte Farms, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S. Moss

Breeder: Adena Springs, Juddmonte Farms, Dolphus C. Morrison

Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, John Shirreffs

Jockey: Ramon Dominguez, Garrett Gomez, Julien Leparoux

Apprentice Jockey: Luis Batista, Christian Santiago Reyes, Luis Saez

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.

The 2009 Eclipse Awards will be televised live on TVG. For hotel accommodations and Eclipse Awards ceremony reservations, contact Michele Ravencraft at the NTRA's Lexington office at 1-800-792-6872 or e-mail mravencraft@ntra.com.

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