2024 might have been the Year of the Dragon, but in the land of U.S. Thoroughbred racing, it was the Year of the “Grizzly.” Thorpedo Anna, famously called a grizzly bear by trainer Kenny McPeek, was honored as Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old filly at Thursday night’s Eclipse Awards banquet at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida.
Thorpedo Anna earned her divisional crown unanimously, with all 208 voters electing her as their top choice. The Horse of the Year balloting was one-sided as well. Thorpedo Anna received 193 first-place votes, while champion three-year-old male Sierra Leone garnered only 10. Fierceness, Sierra Leone’s main rival for the divisional title, was the only other to attract Horse of the Year votes (five).
Only the second member of her demographic to win the golden statuette in the half-century of the Eclipse Awards, Thorpedo Anna shares that distinction with Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra (2009). Both are Kentucky Oaks (G1) heroines from the same sire line. Rachel Alexandra is by Medaglia d’Oro, whose late son Fast Anna sired Thorpedo Anna.
Going back to 1936, when voting for championships was first formalized, just two other sophomore fillies have ranked as the year’s top performer – World War II-era Hall of Famers Twilight Tear (1944) and Busher (1945). Deeper in the mists of time, Beldame (1904) and Regret (1915) have garnered accolades on an informal basis.
Thorpedo Anna – Horse of the Year, Champion Three-Year-Old Filly
Thorpedo Anna’s lifetime past performances courtesy of Brisnet
Campaigned by Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, breeder Judy Hicks, and Sherri McPeek’s Magdalena Racing, Thorpedo Anna was purchased for $40,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling. The dark bay became the latest auction success story for Kenny McPeek, who also sourced Hall of Famer Curlin and champion filly Swiss Skydiver for bargain prices.
Thorpedo Anna was named after co-owner Edwards’s granddaughter, Anna Thorp. A competitive swimmer, she picked up the nickname “Thorpedo” just like Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe. Her namesake has now become an historic figure herself.
Thorpedo Anna’s juvenile season didn’t end on the most auspicious note. Overturned as the odds-on favorite in the 2023 Golden Rod (G2), she later sustained a bruised hip that pushed her 2024 debut back to the end of March. But her comeback romp in the Fantasy (G2) at Oaklawn Park revived the favorable impressions from her first two starts, a Keeneland maiden and Churchill Downs allowance that she’d won by a combined margin of 17 1/2 lengths.
Among the leading players in the Kentucky Oaks, Thorpedo Anna touted herself with her sparkling works. McPeek was inspired to make the declaration that turned into a recurring theme:
“They better bring a bear because I’m bringing a grizzly.”
Thorpedo Anna took that as a prophecy, mauling her opponents in the Kentucky Oaks, Acorn (G1), and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). After running out of competition in her own division, she tried males in the Travers (G1) in hopes of becoming the first filly to win in more than a century. Thorpedo Anna rallied furiously to miss by a head to Fierceness, with eventual champion three-year-old male Sierra Leone back in third. She returned to the three-year-old filly ranks to add the Cotillion (G1), where she overcame a troubled trip, and crowned the year by beating elders in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1).
Thorpedo Anna is the sixth female, including older fillies and mares, to be named Horse of the Year since the Eclipse Awards were inaugurated in 1971. The others are Havre de Grace (2011), Zenyatta (2010), the aforementioned Rachel Alexandra, fellow Distaff winners Lady’s Secret (1986) and Azeri (2002), and turf great All Along (1983).
McPeek revealed in mid-December that Thorpedo Anna had to undergo dental surgery for a bone fragment in her jaw. Recently back training at Gulfstream Park, she is likely to kick off 2025 back at Oaklawn. The March 8 Azeri (G2) and April 12 Apple Blossom H. (G1) are on the radar, with the April 5 Dubai World Cup (G1) relegated to a longshot possibility.
| HORSE OF THE YEAR | FIRST-PLACE VOTES |
| THORPEDO ANNA | 193 |
| Sierra Leone | 10 |
| Fierceness | 5 |
| THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY | FIRST-PLACE VOTES |
| THORPEDO ANNA | 208 |
| – | – |
Citizen Bull – Champion Two-Year-Old Male
Citizen Bull’s lifetime past performances courtesy of Brisnet
Citizen Bull clinched his championship title with a front-running score in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), not only defeating Grade 1-winning stablemate Gaming, but also leading East Coast hopefuls Chancer McPatrick and East Avenue. It was the third win in four starts for the son of Into Mischief, whose only setback was a third-place effort to Gaming in the Del Mar Futurity (G1). Citizen Bull preceded his Breeders’ Cup triumph with a two-length victory in the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita.
Citizen Bull is the seventh two-year-old male champion Bob Baffert has trained. Four of his previous six had won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but the two that didn’t, American Pharoah and Lookin at Lucky, had more successful three-year-old campaigns. Citizen Bull, who races for a wide-ranging partnership that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stable, is reportedly aiming for the Feb. 1 Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita.
| TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE | FIRST-PLACE VOTES |
| CITIZEN BULL | 204 |
| Chancer McPatrick | 2 |
| Henri Matisse | 1 |
| (Abstention) | 1 |
Immersive – Champion Two-Year-Old Filly
Immersive’s lifetime past performances courtesy of Brisnet
Immersive’s perfect season culminating in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) made her a nearly-unanimous choice for the divisional championship. In a less clear-cut year, more voters might have been tempted to think outside the box for another unbeaten option, Irish-based Lake Victoria, who starred in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). But Immersive foreclosed that option by compiling an ironclad resume in Grade 1 races of historical magnitude.
A homebred for global powerhouse Godolphin, which collected its fourth straight Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner and breeder, Immersive outperformed her odds in her first two starts at Saratoga. The Brad Cox pupil was a cool 10-1 in her July 21 unveiling, and she proved the market wrong again when striking at 12-1 in the Spinaway (G1). Bettors didn’t make the same mistake in her ensuing starts, sending her off as the favorite in both the Alcibiades (G1) and the Juvenile Fillies.
Immersive is the second U.S. champion two-year-old filly for Godolphin, after Tempera (2001), and for her sire, Nyquist, after Vequist (2020). They likewise clinched their championships in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and Immersive continues its strong correlation to the Eclipse Award. In the 41-year history of the Breeders’ Cup, 37 winners of the Juvenile Fillies received year-end honors.
Unfortunately, Immersive won’t have the chance to defy the trends regarding Juvenile Fillies winners in the Kentucky Oaks. Currently sidelined by bone bruising, she’s expected to return later his summer.
| TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY | FIRST-PLACE VOTES |
| IMMERSIVE | 202 |
| Lake Victoria | 6 |
Sierra Leone – Champion Three-Year-Old Male
Sierra Leone’s lifetime past performances courtesy of Brisnet
Although splitting the season head-to-head matchups with Fierceness at two wins apiece, Sierra Leone’s season-ending score in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), along with his much better finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1), gave the son of Gun Runner the edge in a contentious race.
Despite being a gem of consistency all season, Sierra Leone was often frustrating, performing below bettors’ expectations throughout the summer while sometimes throwing away wins by failing to maintain a straight course. An example of the latter came in the Kentucky Derby, where his continuous bumping with the Japanese colt Forever Young cost both a chance at catching Mystik Dan in one of the closest Derby finishes in recent memory.
Sierra Leone had started the year right winning the Risen Star (G2) and Blue Grass (G1), but the Derby was the beginning of a four-race losing skid that didn’t end until the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. The other three losses came at Saratoga, perhaps not Sierra Leone’s favorite track, but he was never worse than third in the Belmont (G1), Jim Dandy (G2), and Travers, the latter two won by Fierceness, who had finished 15th in the Derby and later second in the Classic.
Sierra Leone races for a partnership that includes Peter Brant and the Coolmore principals. The Chad Brown trainee is presently targeting next month’s $20 million Saudi Cup (G1).
| THREE-YEAR-OLD MALE | FIRST-PLACE VOTES |
| SIERRA LEONE | 169 |
| Fierceness | 34 |
| Dornoch | 2 |
| Seize the Grey | 1 |
| (Abstentions) | 2 |
National Treasure – Champion Older Dirt Male
National Treasure’s lifetime past performances courtesy of Brisnet
The older dirt males in 2024 were not a vintage group, none of whom made an impact in the division’s signature event, the Breeders’ Cup Classic. National Treasure would not have started in the Classic even if his season had not ended prematurely with foot issues, but the four-year-old son of Quality Road did just enough beforehand to claim championship honors.
His two wins on the season, in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) and Metropolitan H. (G1), book-ended a fourth-place effort in the $20 million Saudi Cup, the world’s richest race. An odds-on favorite in the Whitney (G1) in his race after the Met Mile, National Treasure turned his most forgettable effort of the year when finishing 10 lengths sixth, though the muddy, speed-favoring surface worked against him. He rebounded with a stronger effort, a head loss in the California Crown (G1) at Santa Anita.
Like stablemate and fellow champion Citizen Bull, the Bob Baffert trainee races for a wide-ranging partnership headed by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stable. The 2023 Preakness (G1) winner has retired to Spendthrift Farm and will stand the 2025 breeding season for $40,000, stands and nurses.
| OLDER DIRT MALE | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 4) |
| NATIONAL TREASURE | 148 |
| Full Serrano | 19 |
| Kingsbarns | 7 |
| Senor Buscador | 6 |
Idiomatic – Champion Older Dirt Female
Idiomatic’s lifetime past performances courtesy of Brisnet
Although injury sent her into retirement before she could defend her Breeders’ Cup Distaff title, Idiomatic had done enough to retain her crown as champion older dirt female. The Juddmonte homebred joins an exclusive club of two-time champions in this division, including Hall of Famers Beholder (2015-16), Royal Delta (2012-13), Paseana (1992-93), Bayakoa (1989-90), and Susan’s Girl (1973 and 1975). Zenyatta (2008-10) and Azeri (2002-04) top the charts as three-time champions in the Eclipse era.
By Curlin and out of Lockdown, who is herself a full sister to 2014 divisional champion Close Hatches, Idiomatic was a late bloomer, largely on account of her massive size. The Cox trainee rewarded connections’ patience by developing into a top-class operator as a four-year-old, concluding 2023 with a five-race winning spree comprising the Shawnee (G3), Delaware H. (G2), Personal Ensign (G1), Spinster (G1), and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
The Juddmonte team sportingly kept Idiomatic in training in 2024, and she extended her streak to six by romping in the May 3 La Troienne (G1). Her skein ended with a frustrating loss by a head in the Ogden Phipps (G1) at Saratoga, where Idiomatic was given too much to do to catch a loose-on-the-lead Randomized.
Idiomatic overcame another tactical miscue in the Molly Pitcher (G3) at Monmouth, fending off future Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) champion Soul of an Angel in a slow race shape that didn’t play to her strengths. The opposite scenario cost her in the Personal Ensign, as Idiomatic engaged in a counterproductive speed duel and got mugged late by deep-closing Raging Sea. Back at Keeneland for the Spinster, Idiomatic found the right cadence for her high cruising speed and drew off by 6 1/2 lengths. That whet the appetite for a Distaff clash with Thorpedo Anna, until Idiomatic came down with a left knee issue.
Idiomatic surpassed her “aunt” Close Hatches on the racetrack. Now she will try to emulate her success as a broodmare. Close Hatches has set the bar pretty high, though, as the dam of Tacitus, Scylla, and Batten Down.
| OLDER DIRT FEMALE | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 3) |
| IDIOMATIC | 144 |
| Raging Sea | 38 |
| Adare Manor | 23 |
Rebel’s Romance – Champion Turf Male
Rebel’s Romance’s lifetime PPs courtesy of Brisnet
The closest verdict came in the turf male category, with a scant eight-vote margin lifting Godolphin globetrotter Rebel’s Romance past the leading U.S. candidate, Johannes. Their respective results on Breeders’ Cup Day were decisive. Rebel’s Romance regained his Turf (G1) title by a head, under a very clever William Buick ride, while Johannes was nabbed late by More than Looks in the Mile (G1).
Ironically, the Mile outcome in 2022 had worked against Rebel’s Romance. His Charlie Appleby stablemate Modern Games already wrapped up his Eclipse at Keeneland before Rebel’s Romance prevailed in the Turf.
After a 2023 campaign blighted by bad luck of various kinds, chief among them a terrible spill in the Bowling Green (G2) at Saratoga, Rebel’s Romance was back on the podium in 2024. The Dubawi gelding swept Qatar’s H H the Amir Trophy (G3) and the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on World Cup night, then ventured to Hong Kong to plunder the Champions & Chater Cup (G1). A better-than-appears third in his first British Group 1 attempt in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth (G1), Rebel’s Romance eked out a course-record win in the Preis von Europa (G1) at Cologne. He’d won the same race before his 2022 Breeders’ Cup score, and past was prologue at Del Mar.
Rebel’s Romance’s trajectory is particularly unusual because he romped in the 2021 UAE Derby (G2), sparking hopes of trying the U.S. Triple Crown trail. The Godolphin brain trust didn’t think that the Kentucky Derby was realistic for him at that stage of life, but the Belmont was, until a hind leg infection knocked him out. Rebel’s Romance rescued his career from the brink of oblivion by thriving on turf, and the seven-year-old is expected to reappear in the Feb. 15 H H the Amir Trophy in Qatar.
| TURF MALE | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 4) |
| REBEL’S ROMANCE | 89 |
| Johannes | 81 |
| Carl Spackler | 15 |
| More Than Looks | 14 |
Moira – Champion Turf Female
Moira’s lifetime past performances courtesy of Brisnet
Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2022, Moira added an Eclipse Award to her cabinet on the strength of her performance in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1). The Kevin Attard veteran joins an exclusive club of Sovereign Award winners who also won an Eclipse.
The most recent, Chief Bearhart, collected a 1997 Eclipse Award in the turf male category in the midst of his run of three consecutive Sovereigns as well as Canadian Horse of the Year honors in 1997-98. Since Canada instituted the Sovereign Awards in 1975 to recognize its champions, other dual-nation equine champions include Canadian Horses of the Year Glorious Song (1980), Deputy Minister (1981), and Dance Smartly (1991) as well as three-time Sovereign honoree Sky Classic, whose last award was the 1992 turf male Eclipse. Moira hails from the sire line of Deputy Minister, via Awesome Again and Ghostzapper, so she was emulating her paternal great-grandsire here.
Moira had already secured a place in history as the last winner of Canada’s classic under the name of the Queen’s Plate, for the foreseeable future at least. She routed males in a track-record edition in August 2022, just a couple of weeks before the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, and the prize has reverted to being called the King’s Plate. Moira concluded her Horse of the Year season in anticlimactic fashion on turf, disqualified from a hard-charging second for interfering in the E.P. Taylor (G1) and rallying belatedly for fifth in the Filly & Mare Turf.
Although Moira didn’t have a memorable follow-up act in 2023, she did finish the year on a strong note when third in the Filly & Mare Turf. That ended up being an auspicious sign for 2024. After an excellent second off the layoff in the Diana (G1), she outdueled her nemesis Fev Rover in a clutch performance in the Beverly D. (G2). For the third straight year, the E.P. Taylor just wasn’t her race, but she did close for second to the free-wheeling Full Count Felicia. Her third crack at the Breeders’ Cup was the proverbial harm, holding off Godolphin sophomore Cinderella’s Dream in a storybook ending.
Or was it the end? Campaigned by a partnership including Madaket Stables, SF Racing, and X-Men Racing, Moira was sold for $4.3 million at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November to a buyer later identified as Yuesheng Zhang’s Yulong Investments. The prominent international owner has left the door open to racing her again, either in North America or in Australia.
| TURF FEMALE | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 3) |
| MOIRA | 176 |
| She Feels Pretty | 21 |
| Cinderella’s Dream | 8 |
Straight No Chaser – Champion Male Sprinter
Straight No Chaser’s lifetime PPs courtesy of Brisnet
Straight No Chaser was named champion male sprinter after concluding the season with a pair to top-class performances, including a gutsy half-length victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). A talented speedster whose career had been marked by layoffs, the five-year-old horse put it all together at the right time for owner MyRacehorse and trainer Dan Blacker, returning from a 4 1/2-month hiatus with a scintillating 6 1/4-length win in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) in late September.
The Kentucky-bred son of Speightster came back five weeks later in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar and Straight No Chaser switched tactics. After leading all the way in previous wins, he tracked the pace in third before determinedly proving best in the stretch drive. An earner of more than $1.4 million from a 10-6-0-1 record, Straight No Chaser is back in training for a 2025 campaign.
| MALE SPRINTER | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 3) |
| STRAIGHT NO CHASER | 125 |
| Cogburn | 38 |
| The Chosen Vron | 23 |
Soul of an Angel – Champion Female Sprinter
Soul of an Angel’s lifetime past performances courtesy of Brisnet
Among the busiest champions of 2024 was Soul of an Angel, who came out on Jan. 13 and was still going on Dec. 26 when making her 11th start of the year in the Rampart S. at Gulfstream Park. The Rampart, in which she finished third by half a length, proved the five-year-old’s only loss around one turn during the campaign.
Her other one-turn scores were solid. The first was a 4 3/4-length romp over the top-class Randomized in the one-mile Ruffian (G2) at Aqueduct in May. After three consecutive losses in two-turn races (one of which was a photo-finish beat to Idiomatic in the Molly Pitcher [G3]), Soul of an Angel reverted to sprinting. After capturing the Princess Rooney (G3) by more than three lengths, Soul of an Angel took advantage of a hot pace in the Breeders’ Filly & Mare Sprint at Del Mar and register a come-from-behind, 19-1 upset.
Soul of an Angel was acquired privately last March by C2 Racing Stable, Agave Racing Stable, and Ken Reimer, and was trained for much of the campaign by Saffie Joseph Jr. The rugged Atreides mare enters her six-year-old season in 2025 with a mark of six wins from 42 starts.
| FEMALE SPRINTER | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 3) |
| SOUL OF AN ANGEL | 168 |
| Sweet Azteca | 11 |
| Ways and Means | 10 |
Snap Decision – Champion Steeplechaser
Snap Decision’s lifetime past performances courtesy of Brisnet
The fifth horse aged 10 or older to claim the steeplechase title, Snap Decision was the division’s most consistent performer at the highest level all season, winning three times and placing third twice in five starts. His most decisive win, an eight-length triumph in the Temple Gwathmey (G2) at Middleburg, Virginia, came in his season debut. His other two wins were closer, as he landed both the Iroquois (G1) and Grand National (G1) by a neck. Having virtually clinched the title after the Grand National, Snap Decision’s season-ending third in the resuscitated Colonial Cup (G1) did no serious harm to his candidacy.
Snap Decision is owned by Bruton Street-US and is trained by Jack Fisher, the same owner-trainer combo of former jump champions Scorpiancer (2017) and Moscato (2020). The gelded son of Hard Spun was bred by the Phipps family, whose affiliation with the steeplechase sport dates back decades. Lillian Bostwick Phipps, the wife of the late Jockey Club chairman Ogden Phipps, campaigned six individual champions, including Hall of Fame inductees Oedipus and Neji.
| STEEPLECHASER | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 2) |
| SNAP DECISION | 182 |
| Carloun | 7 |
Godolphin – Outstanding Owner and Breeder
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Godolphin continues to establish a new standard in the owner and breeder categories, sweeping the Eclipse Awards for the fourth consecutive year. Under either the Godolphin or Darley banner, Sheikh Mohammed has won or tied for leading owner eight times (2006, 2009, 2012, 2020-24) and been recognized as leading breeder five times (2012, 2021-24).
Godolphin runners earned more than $20 million from 460 North American starts (104-71-65) in 2024, more than double than Klaravich Stables in second, and their top performers include champion two-year-old filly Immersive, 2025 Kentucky Derby contender East Avenue, and Grade 1 winners Cinderella’s Dream, Highland Falls, Measured Time, and Nations Pride. Godolphin also easily led all breeders with more than $23 million in earnings.
| OUTSTANDING OWNER | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 3) |
| GODOLPHIN | 193 |
| Brookdale Racing, Inc., Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Magdalena Racing | 5 |
| Klaravich Stables | 4 |
| OUTSTANDING BREEDER | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 2) |
| GODOLPHIN | 176 |
| Judy Hicks | 21 |
Chad Brown – Outstanding Trainer
Chad Brown received his fifth Eclipse Award after leading all North American trainers in purse earnings, compiling more $30.9 million and topping the list for the sixth time. He recorded a 23% strike rate in 2024, winning 212 races from 925 starts, and 54% of his runners finished in the top three. Brown easily led all conditioners with 47 graded stakes victories, including 15 Grade 1 triumphs.
A winner of four straight Eclipse Awards from 2016-20, Brown earned his 19th Breeders’ Cup race win via Classic hero Sierra Leone, and the 46-year-old native of Mechanicville, New York, plans to have multiple Grade 1 juvenile winner Chancer McPatrick on the 2025 Kentucky Derby trail. Brown also won Grade 1 races with Beaute Cachee, Carl Spackler, Chili Flag, Domestic Product, Gina Romantica, Program Trading, Raging Sea, Randomized, Ways and Means, and Whitebeam.
| OUTSTANDING TRAINER | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 2) |
| CHAD BROWN | 101 |
| Kenny McPeek | 88 |
Flavien Prat – Outstanding Jockey
Flavien Prat enjoyed a record-breaking season in 2024, establishing new marks for graded (56) and stakes wins (82). He surpassed Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey for the graded stakes record and five-time Eclipse winner Irad Ortiz Jr. for total stakes wins. A native of France, the 32-year-old journeyman moved his tack from Southern California to the East Coast in 2023. Prat led all North American riders with purse earnings of $37,286,176 in 2024, winning 230 races from 1,040 mounts in 2024, including 16 Grade 1s
Along with winning major races throughout the calendar year, Prat garnered his first Bill Shoemaker award, which recognizes the leading jockey of the Breeders Cup, after capturing the Classic aboard champion three-year-old male Sierra Leone and the Filly & Mare Turf aboard divisional champion Moira. Other notable mounts included champion older dirt male National Treasure, Chancer McPatrick, Gaming, Raging Sea, and Ways and Means, and Prat will pick up the mount on Kentucky Derby (G1) prospect Patch Adams in Saturday’s Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn Park. Prat has compiled a commendable 1-1-3 record from six Kentucky Derby mounts.
| OUTSTANDING JOCKEY | FIRST-PLACE VOTES |
| FLAVIEN PRAT | 202 |
| Irad Ortiz Jr. | 5 |
| Brian Hernandez Jr. | 1 |
Erik Asmussen – Outstanding Apprentice Jockey
Erik Asmussen grew up in horse racing as the son of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and nephew of retired international riding legend Cash Asmussen, who was voted champion apprentice in 1979. The 22-year-old Erik embarked on his riding career in 2024, winning his first race at Sam Houston last January. He went on to earn the Eclipse Award after leading all North American-based apprentice jockeys in wins (127) and earnings ($5,078,150), and the Midwestern-based native of Arlington, Texas ranked sixth during the Churchill Downs fall meet with 12 wins. Asmussen won 16% of his starts during 2024.
| OUTSTANDING APPRENTICE JOCKEY | FIRST-PLACE VOTES (TOP 4) |
| ERIK ASMUSSEN | 168 |
| J.G. Torrealba | 15 |
| Gabriel Moldonado | 8 |
| Sofia Vives | 8 |
Additional awards
Recipients of previously announced awards were also honored.
Special Eclipse Award: Frank Taylor and the Stable Recovery Program received a Special Eclipse Award.
Horseplayer of the Year: Mike Gillum earned the 2024 Horseplayer of the Year title by winning the National Horseplayers’ Championship.
Media Eclipse Awards
Live Television Programming – NBC Sports, “The 150th Kentucky Derby” – Lindsay Schanzer, Senior Producer, May 4, 2024
Live Television Programming – NBC Sports, “The 150th Kentucky Derby” – Lindsay Schanzer, Senior Producer, May 4, 2024
Feature Television Programming – NBC Sports, “The Impossible Dream,” – Rachel Goodman, Producer, May 4, 2024
Writing – Feature/Commentary – Chris McGrath, Thoroughbred Daily News – “Lunching with Legends at Lil’s,” March 26, 2024
Writing – News/Enterprise – Sean Clancy, The Saratoga Special – “Two for the Show,” Aug. 28, 2024
Photography – Scott Serio, “Night Rider – Skippylongstocking wins the Charles Town Classic,” Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, October 2024
Multimedia – Sue Finley, Thoroughbred Daily News, “After Saving Two Horses from a Kill Pen, Stewart Aims to do More to End Slaughter,” July 15, 2024
