American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), Beholder (Henny Hughes) and Runhappy (Super Saver) are the three finalists for 2015 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year, it was announced Wednesday.
Zayat Stables's American Pharoah, 2014's champion juvenile, enjoyed an historic sophomore campaign that included the first Triple Crown win in 37 years and was capped by an effortless 6 1/2-length victory in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. With an 8-7-1-0 record for the season, the homebred accrued record earnings $8,288,800 and is a veritable shoe-in for both Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old.
Beholder, meanwhile, champion 2-year-old filly and champion 3-year-old filly in 2012 and 2013, respectively, posted a perfect five-for-five campaign last season, that included a jaw-dropping 8 1/4-length romp against males in Del Mar's GI Pacific Classic S. in August. The 5-year-old Spendthrift Farm colorbearer earned $1,068,300, and is also nominated in the older dirt female category.
Sophomore Runhappy, also a finalist for champion 3-year-old and for champion sprinter, annexed the GI King's Bishop,
GI Breeders' Cup Sprint and GI Malibu S. en route to a $1,466,900 2015 bankroll.
Nominees in 17 equine and human categories were announced Wednesday morning from Gulfstream Park. The Eclipse champions will be announced during a ceremony at Gulfstream Jan. 16. Glen Hill Farm's Leonard Lavin will receive the Eclipse Award of Merit for his lifetime achievements, while a John O'Neill will receive an award for Horseplayer of the Year and six media Eclipse Awards will be presented.
The complete list of finalists in each category are listed below:
Horse of the Year: American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), Beholder (Henny Hughes), Runhappy (Super Saver)
Older Dirt Male: Honor Code (A.P. Indy), Liam's Map (Unbridled's Song), Tonalist (Tapit)
Older Dirt Female: Beholder (Henny Hughes), Sheer Drama (Burning Roma), Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat)
2yo Male: Airoforce (Colonel John), Mohaymen (Tapit), Nyquist (Uncle Mo)
2yo Female: Rachel's Valentina (Bernardini), Catch a Glimpse (City Zip), Songbird (Medaglia d'Oro)
3yo Male: American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), Dortmund (Big Brown), Runhappy (Super Saver)
3yo Female: Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), I'm a Chatterbox (Munnings), Stellar Wind (Curlin)
Male Sprinter: Private Zone (Macho Uno), Rock Fall (Speightstown), Runhappy (Super Saver)
Female Sprinter: La Verdad (Yes It's True), Lady Shipman (Midshipman), Wavell Avenue (Harlington)
Turf Male: Big Blue Kitten (Kitten's Joy), Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), The Pizza Man (English Channel)
Turf Female: Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Stephanie's Kitten (Kitten's Joy), Tepin (Bernstein)
Steeplechase: Bob Le Beau (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}), Dawalan (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}), Demonstrative (Elusive Quality)
Owner: Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Midwest Thoroughbreds, Zayat Stables
Breeder: Darley, Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Zayat Stables
Trainer: Bob Baffert, Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Javier Castellano, Victor Espinoza, Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Apprentice Jockey: Eric Cancel, Angel Cruz, Tyler Gaffalione
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