Find out how 7 HRN writers see the Eclipse Awards picture

Before we head full-steam into horse racing in 2024, let's take a look back at the leading lights of 2023. Final ballots for the Eclipse Awards were due Wednesday, and the people charged with following horse racing most closely voted on who most deserved the year-end championships.

Some categories seemed straightforward. Elite Power shined in the male sprint division all year long, and by the end of the year it was clear that Idiomatic could outshine all comers in the distaff division. But others were more contentious. In a wide-open season, several horses could make serious claims for horse of the year, and divisions such as older dirt horse and female sprinter remained rich fields for debate.

The 53rd annual Eclipse Awards will be given to horse racing's 2023 leaders on Jan. 25. Voters include members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

Seven staff members or contributors at Horse Racing Nation voted for the 2023 Eclipse Awards: Mike Brunker, Ed DeRosa, Ron Flatter, Chip Gehrke, Mark Midland, Tom Pedulla and Laurie Ross. This is how each member of the staff voted in each category, including thoughts on their votes in the tightest divisions.

Horse of the year

After leading the dirt-mile division and winning its Breeders' Cup feature for the second year, Cody's Wish earned a majority of horse of the year votes from Horse Racing Nation writers. But the majority was slim: four of seven. The rest of the votes were spread across three horses as sprint star Elite Power, leading distaffer Idiomatic and Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio each earned a vote as well.

Mike Brunker: This looks like a tight race between Cody’s Wish, White Abarrio and Idiomatic, but my vote goes to the latter. I know tradition favors males who excelled at the classic distance, pointing to White Abarrio. Meanwhile, Cody’s Wishhad a tremendous year and undoubtedly had the most poignant backstory in many a moon. But in Idiomatic’s favor, she put together a nearly spotless year, with eight victories in nine starts, almost twice as many as her main competitors, including three Grade 1s. In addition to her sturdiness, she races almost exclusively around two turns, her only loss coming when shortened to a one-turn mile at Belmont, and even then the Juddmonte homebred managed to finish second.

Ed DeRosa: I'm not opposed to others incorporating "the story" into a horse's contributions for year-end honors, and certainly from that standpoint either Cody's Wish or Arcangelo make fine selections, but I've always been a "best year on the track" pragmatist when it comes to the horse's awards, which led me to White Abarrio for horse of the year. Yes, from a head-to-head perspective, the score was 1-1 between him and Cody's Wish, but when they went separate ways for the Breeders' Cup, White Abarrio ran in the more prestigious race by far and thus got my nod.

Ron Flatter: The story matters. It is part of the beauty of this subjective vote. Cody Dorman is inextricably linked to this horse, and that cannot be ignored. But if X's and O's are the prism, then how about a 4-for-5 year with thrilling wins capped by the long wait for the stewards to endorse the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile victory? Idiomatic stood on her own for success and durability, but she never faced males. White Abarrio had a sterling second half of the year, but it did not erase the inconsistency of the first half. Eclipse Awards night will be a tribute to Cody. Both the young man and the horse.

Chip Gehrke: Elite Power ran what I consider the best race of any horse in any division in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. In becoming the first U.S.-based horse to win a race overseas and then come back in the same year to win a Breeders’ Cup race, he proved to me to be the best horse who ran in 2023, with a better resume than the other contenders.

Mark Midland: In a year where the horse of the year vote could go a few ways, Cody's Wish gets my vote for a great season where he took home Grade 1 victories on Derby, Belmont and Breeders' Cup days to cap off an outstanding career and an even better story.  

Tom Pedulla: In winning 8 of 9 in a campaign that stretched from January into November and culminated in a valiant Distaff triumph, Juddmonte homebred Idiomatic separated herself from White Abarrio and Cody's Wish. White Abarrio was unimpressive through the opening half of the season and could do no better than third in the Met Mile. While Met Mile winner Cody's Wish is dynamite at that distance, his distance limitations were exposed in the 1 1/8-mile Whitney.

2-year-old male

Off of a dominant victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Fierceness swept the top slot for all voters in the HRN contingent. The son of City of Light, trained by Todd Pletcher, redeemed himself after a disappointing seventh in the Champagne (G1) with a defining victory at Santa Anita. "Normally I wouldn’t pick a colt with just one stakes win to his name," Laurie Ross said, "but Fierceness won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile very convincingly over more seasoned colts. Only time will tell if this was a fluke or if he's something special."

2-year-old female

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies is a reliable harbinger for the champion 2-year-old female. The last horse to win that race but not take the Eclipse trophy was Ria Antonia, who won the 2013 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies by disqualification over She's a Tiger, who had nosed her out before the Santa Anita stewards' decision.

HRN writers all sided with Just F Y I, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, on top in the 2-year-old female cagetory. The daughter of Justify went 3-for-3 in 2023, including a daylight victory in the Frizette (G1) and a game triumph on future stars Friday for trainer Bill Mott.

3-year-old male

Though different horses won the three jewels of the Triple Crown, Arcangelo followed up his Belmont Stakes victory with a victory in the Travers (G1). In that race, the Jena Antonucci-trained son of Arrogate dispatched Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Preakness winner National Treasure and the previous year's juvenile champion Forte. Even though Arcangelo was retired before he had a chance to end his season in the Breeders' Cup Classic, that made him enough of a divisional leader to earn top honors on all ballots from HRN writers.

3-year-old female

Pretty Mischievous overcame a far-outside post to prove best in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), holding by a neck over Gambling Girl to capture the blanket of lilies. That was her biggest triumph but by no means her only, as she earned four wins and two second-place finishes in six starts during 2023. All of those starts came in graded-stakes company, and the daughter of Into Mischief proved potent at one turn and two. Though the Brendan Walsh trainee missed a date against older in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, she still did enough against her own age group to take top honors on all HRN writers' ballots.

Older dirt male

Whenever a miler has a more dominant season than any horse in the classic division, the older dirt male race becomes contentious. That happened in 2023, as Cody's Wish had a dominant season but proved in the Whitney (G1) that he wanted no part of nine furlongs, much less 10. This led to a bona fide race in this division between Cody's Wish and White Abarrio, who not only beat Cody's Wish in the Whitney but followed that with a dazzling triumph in the Breeders' Cup Classic. The vote among HRN writers in this division was as tight as it could possibly be: Cody's Wish came out on top on four ballots, White Abarrio three.

Mike Brunker: Cody’s Wish gets my vote. No, he didn’t win at the classic distance, but he ran the table in his four graded races at seven furlongs and a mile, capped by his tenacious victory over a stubborn National Treasure in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. In my mind, that gives him a narrow advantage over White Abarrio, who captured back-to-back Grade 1s to end the year, including in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Ron Flatter: Putting the story of his late namesake aside, Cody's Wish was a three-time Grade 1 winner who was perfect at seven furlongs and a mile. Elite Power made this category interesting because of his domination of the sprint division, but he had one fewer Grade 1 victory. White Abarrio also made his case with his two Grade 1 wins the second half of the year, but his losses cannot be ignored. No one was perfect here, but that extra top-level win made Cody's Wish a cut above for me.

Chip Gehrke: No conventional older dirt male, conventional as defined by success in two-turn races, dominated this division in 2023. White Abarrio concluded the season with two impressive wins, signaling a remarkable form turnaround. But the question remains. Should he be the Eclipse Award winner? After much deliberation, I chose to place White Abarrio at the top of my ballot in this category, opting to keep Elite Power in his division with its distinct category. I'm uncertain, and I might be making a mistake. Do I believe Elite Power was the best on the dirt this season? Yes. But he remains a sprinter with his own designated category.

Mark Midland: Cody's Wish had a great season with three Grade 1 wins. His only loss came at the hands of Classic winner White Abarrio in the Whitney at Saratoga.

Tom Pedulla: White Abarrio backed up his Whitney romp with a solid Breeders' Cup Classic.

Laurie Ross: Including the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Cody's Wish won four Grade 1 races, one of only four horses this year to do so. He competed in Grade 1 races from May to November at the top of his game.

Older dirt female

The horse racing world looked forward to clashes between Nest, Clairiere and Secret Oath as 2023 began, but by the end of the year one horse in the distaff division had outshined them all. Idiomatic topped this division on each ballot submitted by a HRN writer. The royally bred daughter of Curlin began the year with a first-level allowance victory at Turfway, but by June she was a Grade 3 winner. That victory in the Shawnee kicked off a five-win streak for the Brad Cox trainee that included triumphs in the Personal Ensign (G1), Spinster (G1), and the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Male sprinter

In 2022 Elite Power was ascendant, rising from maiden winner to Breeders' Cup Sprint winner in five months and earning his first Eclipse Award. In 2023 the Bill Mott-trained son of Curlin was the horse to beat in the sprint division, and he proved difficult to topple. In five starts during 2023 he was defeated only once, by Gunite in the Forego (G1). But he turned the tables on Gunite by 1 1/2 lengths when he repeated in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, earning top male sprinter honors on each HRN writer's ballot.

Female sprinter

Who knows how clear this division would be if Echo Zulu had been able to make the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint? She and Goodnight Olive would have had their rubber match, after Goodnight Olive beat Echo Zulu in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and Echo Zulu turned the tables in the 2023 Ballerina (G1). But Echo Zulu was injured as she trained toward the Breeders' Cup, leaving Goodnight Olive to repeat without her toughest rival in the starting gate. That left a contentious question for the HRN writers. Four voted Echo Zulu on top in the female sprinter division, and three sided with Goodnight Olive.

Mike Brunker: Although Goodnight Olive had an excellent 2023 and won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Spirint at Santa Anita, my vote went to Echo Zulu, who ran three scintillating races, all in graded stakes, before suffering a life-threatening injury in October, and she beat Goodnight Olive in the Ballerina the only time they met.

Ron Flatter: This was the toughest category for me to decide, especially after comparing notes with some of our fellow voters. Yes, Echo Zulu beat her on the square. And yes, Echo Zulu was 3-for-3. But this is a reward for a full year, and the two sides of misfortune must be weighed. For that reason Maple Leaf Mel also merited consideration and was my third finalist. The extra Grade 1 victory for a defending champion mattered, namely the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Goodnight Olive got my nod. But only just.

Chip Gehrke: For me, this vote was rather easy. Echo Zulu was clearly the most dominant female sprinter who stepped foot on the race track in 2023. I would argue she was likely the best we have seen run over the past couple of decades. The problem is, she was injured and missed the Breeders' Cup. But the caveat here is that she faced her main rival for this award, Goodnight Olive, one race before the Breeders' Cup in the Ballerina. Echo Zulu soundly defeated her rival. She was 3-for-3 on the season, all in graded stakes, and left no doubt who the best female sprinter was.

Mark Midland: Goodnight Olive deserves the vote based on a powerful performance taking the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint for the second year in a row.

Tom Pedulla: Although Goodnight Olive took the Filly & Mare Sprint, a race Echo Zulu was unable to make, Echo Zulu dispatched her in the Ballerina. I have no doubt she is the swifter of the two.

Laurie Ross: Echo Zulu won all of her starts decisively, including dusting Goodnight Olive by 2 1/2 lengths in the Ballerina.

Male turf

Up to the Mark, a son of Not This Time, emerged as a divisional leader early in the turf-racing season. Though he was third in his graded-stakes debut in the Maker's Mark Mile (G1), the Todd Pletcher trainee won the Turf Classic (G1), Manhattan (G1) and Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland to cement his place among leading American grass horses. Only dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin was able to snap Up to the Mark's win streak, beating him by 3/4 length in the Breeders' Cup Turf.

That resume was good enough to put Up to the Mark atop most HRN writer ballots in the male turf division, though the vote was not unanimous since Tom Pedulla opted for the Breeders' Cup Turf winner. He said, "Wish we had seen more of Auguste Rodin before the Breeders' Cup Turf, but he edged top contender Up to the Mark in that season-culminating race. Good enough for me."

Female turf

In Italian came into the season the presumptive leader of the female turf division after marking herself the breakout star of 2022. She had a good season, winning a pair of Grade 1 races and rounding out the exacta in two more. But it was not a bulletproof season, especially after Inspiral finished like a freight train to win the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. That impressive effort swayed many of the HRN writers, though others sided with In Italian, the most consistent of the stateside contenders.

Ron Flatter: I do not believe there needs to be a hard and fast rule that international horses need multiple starts in the U.S. or Canada to be eligible for an Eclipse Award. Everyone has a different standard, and that is fine in the world of subjective voting. Otherwise, we may as well feed a computer. In Italian and Fev Rover made strong cases with two Grade 1 wins each, but each may as well have taken a knee in the Breeders' Cup. Inspiral was a thrilling winner in the Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita, giving her three top-level wins in as many countries. I like the look of that. She got my vote.

Chip Gehrke: In Italian did enough this season to warrant the top spot here, and it really wasn't close for me. Her two Grade 1 wins in the Jenny Wiley and Just a Game in April and June count just as much as Grade 1 wins in October and November. She came up short by a nose and a neck in two other Grade 1 events, the Diana at Saratoga and the First Lady at Keeneland in the summer and fall.

Mark Midland: From a Breeders' Cup of so many great memories this year, the one performance that stands out, the one that years from now we'll still be talking about is Inspiral's sensational closing kick in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. If that isn't Eclipse-worthy, then I don't know what is.

Tom Pedulla: Although Inspiral's other starts were abroad, her determined rally in the Filly & Mare Turf could not have been more impressive.

Laurie Ross: In Italian won two Grade 1 races and was a head and nose shy of two more, making her unlucky in the photo finishes.

Jockey

Irad Ortiz Jr. has won the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey in four of the last five years, and he had another banner year in 2023. He led all North American jockeys in wins (366) and earnings ($39,192,585). He won three Breeders' Cup races, the Classic, Sprint and the Filly & Mare Sprint. He did the most winning in the most important races, and he earned top honors on each HRN writer's ballot.

Trainer

Unlike the jockeys' race, the training race was a tighter question. Brad Cox led all trainers in earnings with $30,775,698, and his 28 percent win rate was best among trainers with $15 million or more in earnings. Steve Asmussen's 375 wins led all trainers. Some trainers with fewer starts made the most of it as well. Bill Mott started 645 horses, the fewest of any trainer with more than $15 million in earnings, and he earned 10 Grade 1 wins including three Breeders' Cup triumphs. Mott's record spoke the loudest to most of HRN's writers, as six put him on top and one opted for Cox.

Mike Brunker: I suspect the trophy will go to Bill Mott, who had a sterling year, including training three Breeders’ Cup winners, given the groundswell of support from many Eclipse voters. I, however, cast my ballot for Brad Cox, who won with a career-high 28 percent of his starters, vs. 16 percent for Mott, and topped $30 million in earnings, far above Mott’s nearly $18 million. Yes, Cox has a considerably bigger stable than Mott and the latter racked up 10 Grade 1 wins vs. 12 for Cox. But there are no dead heats in Eclipse voting, so I went with the earnings leader. Either would be a deserving winner.

Ron Flatter: Bill Mott earned three Breeders' Cup wins with three potential champions. That quality was a cut above the quantity of victories and dollars amassed by Brad Cox and Chad Brown. Mott did more with less and on what amounts to the sport's championship stage. He earned it.

Chip Gehrke: Bill Mott was the clear choice to me. He had several stable stars who ran full seasons. Elite Power, who travelled overseas and won, came back later in the season and won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Elite Power became the first U.S.-based horse to win a race overseas and come back in the same year to win a Breeders’ Cup race. His success spread across all divisions. He handled older horses Art Collector and Cody’s Wish. Top grass horses Casa Creed and War Like Goddess. The aforementioned male sprinter, Elite Power and also Frank's Rockette, a top female sprinter. And lastly, Just F Y I, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filles winner.

Tom Pedulla: Just F Y I and Elite Power, both trained by Bill Mott, are locks for Eclipse Awards in their respective divisions. His handling of 5-year-old Cody's Wish, Met Mile winner and Horse of the Year candidate, provided the latest example of his acumen with older horses.

Laurie Ross: Bill Mott conditioned three Breeders' Cup winners, more than any other trainer, plus Grade 1 winners Art Collector, Casa Creed and War Like Goddess. The Breeders' Cup winners he conditioned will be champions in their division. This is more significant than money earned or number of wins: quality over quantity.  

Owner

This earned Sheikh Mohammed's operation a leading spot on five of six ballots. Ed DeRosa abstained, and Chip Gehrke chose a higher-percentage ownership group. "The partnership of Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables posted a 30 percent win rate from their 135 starters along with 63 percent of their runners placing," Gehrke said. "Both numbers top others compared to others with similar or more starts. Their five Grade 1 wins tied for the third most of any owner."

Breeder

Most of Godolphin's top stars are homebreds, and that pattern continued in 2023. Pretty Mischievous, Cody's Wish, Master of the Seas, Mawj and more not only carry Godolphin's silks, but were bred by the powerful operation. That got Godolphin the top slot among breeders on five of the seven Eclipse ballots from HRN writers. Chip Gehrke voted for Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, whose breeding program accounted for 147 wins and purses of $11 million in 2023, including multiple Grade 1 winner Clairiere. Ed DeRosa abstained.