How 6 Horse Racing Nation voters see the Eclipse Awards
The votes are in for the 2024 Eclipse Awards, which will be presented Jan. 23. Though many divisions are competitive, the ones that have prompted the most discussion are Horse of the Year and 3-year-old male.
Six staff members or contributors at Horse Racing Nation voted for the 2023 Eclipse Awards: Mike Brunker, Ed DeRosa, Chip Gehrke, Mark Midland, Tom Pedulla and Laurie Ross. This is how each of them voted in each category, including comments on the Horse of the Year and 3-year-old male divisions.
Mike Brunker
Horse of the Year: Thorpedo Anna, Fierceness, Sierra Leone
Comment: Given Thorpedo Anna's complete dominance in the 3-year-old filly division and her game second in the Grade 1 Travers against Fierceness, I think she the only logical choice for Horse of the Year. I only hope the general reluctance to give the award to a female doesn't get in the way of a deserving victory.
2-year-old male: Citizen Bull, Chancer McPatrick, Gaming
2-year-old filly: Immersive, Tenma, Good Cheer
3-year-old male: Fierceness, Sierra Leone, Dornoch
Comment: Very tight race between Fierceness and Sierra Leone, who compiled identical records in terms of graded stakes wins and finished ahead of the other twice in the four times they met. I went with the former based on his super game performance in the Breeders' Cup Classic, in which he contested a very hot pace and battled all the way to the wire.
3-year-old filly: Thorpedo Anna, She Feels Pretty, Cinderella's Dream
Older dirt male: National Treasure, Mullikin, Straight No Chaser
Older dirt female: Raging Sea, Adare Manor, Idiomatic
Male sprint: Straight No Chaser, Cogburn, Mullikin
Female sprint: Soul of an Angel, Sweet Azteca, Ways and Means
Male turf: Carl Spackler, Johannes, Far Bridge
Female turf: She Feels Pretty, Moira, Cinderella's Dream
Trainer: Kenny McPeek, Chad Brown, Bob Baffert
Jockey: Flavien Prat, Tyler Gaffalione, Irad Ortiz Jr.
Apprentice jockey: Erik Asmussen, J.G. Torrealba, Sofia Vives
Owner: Godolphin, Klaravich Stables, Repole Stable
Breeder: Godolphin, Judy Hicks, Debby M. Oxley
Steeplechase: Snap Decision, Carloun, Ziggle Pops
Ed DeRosa
Horse of the Year: Sierra Leone
Comment: When it comes to Eclipse Awards involving 3-year-olds, whether within their division or as Horse of the Year candidates, I put a premium on winning races anyone can enter. That is why Breeders' Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone gets my nod as Horse of the Year over Thorpedo Anna and champion 3-year-old male over Fierceness.
2-year-old male: Citizen Bull
2-year-old filly: Immersive
3-year-old male: Sierra Leone
3-year-old filly: Thorpedo Anna
Older dirt male: Abstain
Older dirt female: Raging Sea
Male sprint: Straight No Chaser
Female sprint: Soul of an Angel
Male turf: Rebel’s Romance
Female turf: Moira
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Apprentice jockey: Abstain
Owner: Abstain
Breeder: Abstain
Steeplechase: Abstain
Chip Gehrke
Horse of the Year: Thorpedo Anna
Comment: This wasn’t a difficult decision. Thorpedo Anna had a stellar 2024, effortlessly handling a lackluster 3-year-old filly division like it was her personal playground. Sure, she was defeated by Fierceness in the Travers, the one time she faced the boys, but let’s not overlook her remarkable runner-up effort in that race. She stepped up, proved she could hang with the top 3-year-old males and nearly toppled them. The Horse of the Year door swung wide open for Thorpedo Anna the moment Fierceness crossed the wire as runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Classic. With no other boasting a resume strong enough, Thorpedo Anna won my vote for this honor.
2-year-old male: Citizen Bull, Chancer McPatrick, Journalism
2-year-old filly: Immersive, Good Cheer, Lake Victoria
3-year-old male: Sierra Leone, Fierceness, Dornoch
Comment: Sierra Leone danced more dances than Fierceness, competing admirably in two of the Triple Crown races. Fierceness sat on the bench after finishing 15th in the Kentucky Derby in his only Triple Crown race appearance. If Sierra Leone hadn’t lost the Kentucky Derby by a nose, the Eclipse in this division would be his. Sure, he was beaten by Fierceness in the Travers, but the Derby is a much bigger deal, and Fierceness finished that race up the track. Fierceness was brilliant in his wins, but he also ran poorly in some races. Consistency matters. Sierra Leone owned the first half of the season, and the second half was a wash. Their 2-2 head-to-head split keeps things interesting, but Sierra Leone claimed the tiebreaker emphatically in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
3-year-old filly: Thorpedo Anna, Power Squeeze, Candied
Older dirt male: National Treasure, Subsanador, Newgate
Older dirt female: Idiomatic, Adare Manor, Raging Sea
Male sprint: The Chosen Vron, Straight No Chaser, Mullikin
Female sprint: Soul of an Angel, Society, Alva Starr
Male turf: Johannes, Carl Spackler, Far Bridge
Female turf: Moira, Didia, Gina Romantica
Trainer: Chad Brown, Brad Cox, Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Flavien Prat, Tyler Gaffalione, Irad Ortiz Jr.
Apprentice jockey: Erik Asmussen, Gabriel Maldonado, J.G. Torrealba
Owner: Klaravich Stables, Godolphin, Bruno Schickedanz
Breeder: Calumet Farm, Brereton Jones, WinStar Farm
Steeplechase: Snap Decision, L'Imperator, Rampoldi Plan
Mark Midland
Horse of the Year: Thorpedo Anna
Comment: Thorpedo Anna had a sensational season, winning all the top races of her division and barely missing the Travers by a head.
2-year-old male: Citizen Bull
2-year-old filly: Immersive
3-year-old male: Sierra Leone
Comment: In a tight category, Sierra Leone’s commanding win in the Breeders' Cup Classic puts him over the top for 3-year-old male champion.
3-year-old filly: Thorpedo Anna
Older dirt male: Full Serrano
Older dirt female: Idiomatic
Male sprint: Straight No Chaser
Female sprint: Soul of an Angel
Male turf: More Than Looks
Female turf: Moira
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Apprentice jockey: Erik Asmussen
Owner: Godolphin
Breeder: Godolphin
Steeplechase: Snap Decision
Tom Pedulla
Horse of the Year: Thorpedo Anna, Sierra Leone, Fierceness
Comment: No one comes close to her five Grade 1 wins. She made it look easy in her two most significant victories, the Kentucky Oaks and the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Sierra Leone’s just-miss Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic win give him the edge on Derby flop Fierceness.
Fierceness deserves plenty of respect and is capable of brilliance. There is no overlooking his inexplicably poor Derby.
2-year-old filly: Immersive
2-year-old male: Citizen Bull
3-year-old filly: Thorpedo Anna
3-year-old male: Sierra Leone, Fierceness, Mystik Dan
Comment: Sierra Leone always came with his late kick and he saved his best for the most opportune time, capitalizing on an ideal pace scenario and rallying to win the Classic.
As well as Fierceness performed to fend off Thorpedo Anna in the Travers and to keep to a torrid pace in the Classic, a distant 15th-place in the Kentucky Derby is impossible to overcome.
Mystik Dan backed up his 18-1 Derby upset with a solid Preakness.
Older dirt male: Full Serrano
Older dirt female: Raging Sea
Male sprint: Mullikin
Female sprint: Soul of an Angel
Male turf: Rebel’s Romance
Female turf: Moira
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Apprentice jockey: Erik Asmussen
Owner: Godolphin
Breeder: Godolphin
Steeplechase: Snap Decision
Laurie Ross
Horse of the Year: Thorpedo Anna, Sierra Leone, Immersive
Comment: Thorpedo Anna stood out as a remarkable competitor with unrivaled consistency in 2024. She dominated her competitors and the headlines from March to November and captured the hearts of racing fans with her exceptional performances. Although her lone loss was by a head to Fierceness in the Travers, she had a more challenging trip.
2-year-old male: Citizen Bull, Chancer McPatrick, Gaming
2-year-old filly: Immersive, Lake Victoria, Good Cheer
3-year-old male: Sierra Leone, Fierceness, Seize the Grey
Comment: There was no clear standout as five different winners emerged in the premier Grade 1 events, the Triple Crown, Travers and Breeders' Cup Classic. Therefore, analyzing the past performances of each colt was necessary to determine the top performer.
Sierra Leone gets the nod for most consistent performer from February through November. He claimed victories in the Risen Star (G2), Bluegrass (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Classic. Along the way, the Chad Brown trainee missed the victory in a controversial Kentucky Derby by a nose, came in second behind Fierceness in the Jim Dandy (G2) and secured third place in both the Belmont and Travers.
Sierra Leone and Fierceness competed against each other four times, with each colt besting the other twice. Fierceness showed brilliance by winning two Grade 1 races and one Grade 2. But his subpar performance in the Kentucky Derby ultimately influenced the final decision.
3-year-old filly: Thorpedo Anna, She Feels Pretty, Cinderella’s Dream
Older dirt male: National Treasure, Subsanador, Straight No Chaser
Older dirt female: Adare Manor, Idiomatic, Raging Sea
Male sprint: Cogburn, The Chosen Vron, Straight No Chaser
Female sprint: Soul of an Angel, Society, Sweet Azteca
Male turf: Carl Spackler, Far Bridge, Johannes
Female turf: She Feels Pretty, Cinderella’s Dream, Moira
Trainer: Kenny McPeek, Chad Brown, Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Flavien Prat, Irad Ortiz Jr., Tyler Gaffalione
Apprentice jockey: Erik Asmussen, Gabriel Maldonado, J.G. Torrealba
Owner: Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, Judy B. Hicks and Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek); Godolphin; Klaravich Stables
Breeder: Judy Hicks, Godolphin, Juddmonte Farms
Steeplechase: Snap Decision, Noah and the Ark, Rampoldi Plan