See who HRN's 8 voters choose for the 2022 Eclipse Awards

Some of the divisions for the 2022 Eclipse Awards have clear standouts. Others, including 3-year-old male, invite hot debate.

After winning the Kentucky Oaks in 2021, Malathaat trained on well as a 4-year-old, won three Grade 1 races and prevailed in a deep Breeders' Cup Distaff, proving herself the clear star of the older dirt female division. Nest dominated the sophomore fillies' division through the summer and beat older mares in the Beldame. Forte and Wonder Wheel dominated the juvenile divisions, and late-blooming Goodnight Olive shot to sprint stardom.

But controversies remain. Were three races enough to build a Horse of the Year campaign for Flightline? Could Epicenter's consistency outweigh the fact that Taiba and Cyberknife had more Grade 1 wins through the year? Should the strong season of Jackie's Warrior or the strong finish of Elite Power carry the day in the male sprint division? Did any American-based horses do well enough to stop voters from looking overseas for an older turf male? Who reigns in a deep division of older turf fillies and mares?

Eight Horse Racing Nation staff members or contributors voted for the 2022 Eclipse Awards: Mike Brunker, Ed DeRosa, Ron Flatter, Chip Gehrke, Mark Midland, Tom Pedulla, Laurie Ross and Brad Stephens. All have shared their top selections in equine and human categories, along with their top three votes for Horse of the Year and the contentious 3-year-old male division. We asked each voter to explain their choices in of those categories, as well.

The winners of the Eclipse Awards are voted on by members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. The NTRA will announce finalists on Saturday. Winners will be revealed at a ceremony on Jan. 26.

Horse of the Year

Brad Stephens: 1. Flightline, 2. Life Is Good, 3. Malathaat

Years from now, when I inevitably fall down a horse-racing YouTube rabbit hole, I will find my way to Flightline’s Met Mile (G1). Then to his Pacific Classic (G1). Then to his Breeders’ Cup Classic, with that incredible burst to put away a game Life Is Good and the rest of the field. I would have loved to have seen him race more than six times, but I will forever be thankful we got to see those six starts. Speaking of Life Is Good, his connections could have ducked Flightline by settling for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile or running for second-best in the Classic. Instead, trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. took the fight to the favorite, as Life Is Good went to the front and stayed there for as long as he could hold Flightline at bay. Life Is Good fell to fifth, but the dogged effort earned him the respect of racing fans. And Pletcher deserves further credit for Malathaat, who bounced back from a pair of mid-season losses to deliver three straight Grade 1 wins.

Chip Gehrke: 1. Flightline, 2. Olympiad, 3. Epicenter

No matter your feelings for the lack of a resume Flightline put together in 2022 with only three starts, he was so dominant in those three starts, beating the best the world has to offer on the dirt. Do I like a Horse of the Year with only three starts? No. But an exception has to be made here because of the sheer dominance this horse displayed.

I normally would select my Horse of the Year finalists from three divisions, but this year there were really no other deserving candidates from outside of the dirt male division. Olympiad ran eight times and won five graded stakes, the most of any in his division. I can forgive him for the one off day he had at Saratoga when Life is Good beat him as he rebounded to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and then finished runner-up to Flightline in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Epicenter was in this Horse of the Year conversation until his Breeders’ Cup injury. The consistent 3-year-old won four graded stakes and was beaten by only three horses in the races he finished, coming back to defeat all three in later races.

Ed DeRosa: Abstain from category

I debated Beverly Park or Cody's Wish but felt like that'd be too much "look at me," and this is about the horses. I just can't boost a 3-race campaign for Horse of the Year, though. I abstained on (2017 champion older dirt female) Forever Unbridled, who had only three starts. That's just not a season unless you're a 2-year-old.

Laurie Ross: 1. Flightline, 2. Life Is Good, 3. Taiba

Flightline – For obvious reasons of being undefeated, and his outstanding Classic win cinched it. Pity we won't see more of him, but the lure of  breeding bucks overrides the reason for breeding for some owners.

Life Is Good – Not a classic distance horse, but he is unbeatable at shorter distances. He was the modern version of Sham to Flightline's Secretariat. I'm not opening the whole Flightline/Secretariat conversation, it's merely a simile, so calm down, folks. Kudos to Todd Pletcher, CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC for sending Life Is Good to the Classic for an epic showdown when they probably could have won the Dirt Mile.

Taiba – Just missed second place by a half-length in the Classic, beating older horses. This athletic, intelligent colt recovered from the terrible management of shoving him into the Kentucky Derby, when many inexperienced colts don't. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does as a 4-year-old.

Mark Midland: 1. Flightline, 2. Olympiad, 3. Life Is Good

Flightline was dominant from start to finish in a spectacular campaign in 2022. He was inspiring to watch and he surely will go down as one of the best horses of recent memory, if not the very best. Olympiad got my second-place vote for a terrific year going 6-for-8 with five stakes wins and a runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Third was Life Is Good, a superstar horse who unfortunately ran into a generational star in Flightline this year.

Mike Brunker: 1. Flightline, 2. Life Is Good, 3. Olympiad

Though like many I am crushed that Flightline won't race again, I don't want to cast a "symbolic" vote to try to deny him the Horse of the Year title. He was nothing less than brilliant in each of his three starts this year and rightfully deserves to wear the crown.

Ron Flatter: 1. Flightline, 2. Nest, 3. Life Is Good

Even if only for three races, Flightline was a generational talent. Nest was exemplary taking on the boys in the Belmont, her Grade 1 wins were dazzling, and she was the best 3-year-old in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Life Is Good was as good as it got going up to 1 1/8 miles, and his presence made the Breeders' Cup Classic a little more interesting.

Tom Pedulla: 1. Flightline, 2. Olympiad, 3. Epicenter

Flightline – Like everyone else, disappointed he did not run more. But no one can deny he was a superstar.

Olympiad – Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up rattled off five straight wins to open the season.

Epicenter – Do not hold career-ending injury in Breeders' Cup Classic against him. Travers (G1) triumph among year's best performances.

3-year-old male

Brad Stephens: 1. Epicenter, 2. Taiba, 3. Mo Donegal

Does a resume with one Grade 1 win outweigh one with three? In this case, it does. Many of Epicenter and Taiba’s results cancel each other out in a blind comparison. Both won major Kentucky Derby preps. The Jim Dandy (G2) and Pennsylvania Derby are of roughly equal importance, even if the latter has a (G1) tacked onto it. Epicenter’s runner-up finishes in the Derby and Preakness Stakes stack up well against Taiba’s third-place showing in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Malibu Stakes win. The difference is Epicenter’s 5 1/4-length Travers Stakes score. Taiba does not have that type of win in that prestigious of a race on his ledger. My third-place vote went to Mo Donegal. He beat the eventual Preakness winner in a Derby prep, two races before comfortably besting a Belmont Stakes field that included the Derby winner and the year’s top 3-year-old filly.

Chip Gehrke: 1. Epicenter, 2. Taiba, 3. Cyberknife

Epicenter held down my No. 1 ranking every week since late March, and he did nothing to lose that position. In the seven races Epicenter finished, he lost to a grand total of three horses. Before the Kentucky Derby he won the Risen Star (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds. After his runner-up finishes in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness he was freshened for Saratoga, where he swept the two biggest races for this division, the Jim Dandy and Travers with resounding wins in both.

Taiba gets the slight nod over Cyberknife for No. 2 on my ballot. If the connections of Taiba wanted the Eclipse, they should have run in the most important race this division had to offer in the second half of the season, the Travers. Instead they skipped that race after their Haskell runner-up to Cyberknife and waited for the Pennsylvania Derby.

In the Eclipse Award era, which dates to 1971, every single winner has crossed the wire as one of the top three in a Triple Crown race, won the Travers or won the Breeders’ Cup Classic. There is no in-between. All 51 Eclipse winners from this division have met that criteria.

No. 3 on my ballot is Cyberknife. He quietly put together an outstanding season. He defeated Taiba in the Haskell but then lost to that rival in the Pennsylvania Derby. But remember, Cyberknife ran in the Travers between those two races while Taiba sat on the bench.

Ed DeRosa: 1. Modern Games, 2. Epicenter, 3. Rich Strike

I value that Modern Games defeated older in Grade 1 competition twice in North America.

Laurie Ross: 1. Cyberknife, 2. Epicenter, 3. Taiba

I decided to play the outlier in this division, looking at the entire body of work for the entire year and not just a few races.

Cyberknife – This solid colt ran in practically every graded stakes for 3-year-olds on the East Coast for nine months straight. Sure, he didn't win them all, but other than the Lecomte (G3) and Kentucky Derby, he could be depended upon to hit the board. He battled the older Cody's Wish in the Dirt Mile after a long campaign, and Cyberknife is refreshing in an era of sparsely run stakes horses. Kudos to Brad Cox for keeping Cyberknife healthy and at the top of his game.   

Epicenter – I've loved his breeding since his debut. and in retrospect, he probably should have been my No. 1 pick, since he beat everyone in this division. Sadly, he wasn't able to prove himself against older horses but will hopefully pass his talent to his offspring.

Taiba – Traded decisions with Cyberknife, Like Cyberknife and Epicenter, he deserves recognition for his skill.

Mark Midland: 1. Epicenter, 2. Modern Games, 3. Taiba

I voted for Epicenter and I'm not sure why this was even a consideration to vote for someone else. I thought HRN's editor, Ron Flatter, outlined this perfectly in his article "Strength of schedule could be a big factor in 3-year-old debate." In the article, Ron brings a lot of data to the forefront, but what illustrates Epicenter's stature the more for me is this group of stats: If we ignore the Breeders' Cup Classic in which Epicenter obviously did not finish, his head-to-head record against other Grade 1 stakes winners was 15-2 and his record against all graded stakes winners was 28-3. If that isn't dominance, I don't know what is. By comparison, Taiba was only 10-8 against Grade 1 stakes winners and 22-11 against all graded stakes winners. My second vote was for Modern Games, who was dominant on the turf, and my third-place vote was for Taiba.

Mike Brunker: 1. Epicenter, 2. Modern Games, 3. Taiba

Epicenter deserves the accolade because he faced the toughest competition throughout the year and showed up every time. Cases can be made for Modern Games and Taiba, but this colt sold me on his quality before he collected the elusive Grade 1 victory in the Travers.

Ron Flatter: 1. Epicenter, 2. Modern Games, 3. Cyberknife

This was all about strength of schedule. Epicenter went 15-2 against Grade 1 winners in races he finished this year. Modern Games had similarly impressive numbers, maybe even more so, but he lacked the starts in North America to get my vote. Cyberknife over Taiba for third? It came down to how good his Grade 1s were and how Taiba's were not.

Tom Pedulla: 1. Epicenter, 2. Taiba, 3. Cyberknife

Epicenter – Impressed by consistency over the long haul. First or second through first seven starts before he was hurt in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Taiba – Late-season surge not quite enough.

Cyberknife – As game as they come.

3-year-old filly

Nest won five times in eight starts including the Ashland (G1), Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and the Alabama (G1). The daughter of Curlin beat older mares in the Beldame (G2) and finished a good second behind male stablemate Mo Donegal in the Belmont Stakes. Nest compiled the most consistent high-level campaign among sophomore fillies in 2022, and the Todd Pletcher trainee earned a sweep of top votes in this division from our voters.

2-year-old male

Forte started his career with a dominant victory in a maiden special weight at Belmont in May. The son of Violence continued to draw on that ability all year long, proving himself elite at one turn and two. The Todd Pletcher charge won four of his five starts in 2022, including three Grade 1 victories: the Hopeful, the Breeders' Futurity and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. This earned top votes on all eight ballots from our writers.

2-year-old filly

Wonder Wheel won four of her five starts in 2022, including two Grade 1 races over two-turn trips: the Alcibiades (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The versatile Mark Casse trainee won the Alcibiades on the front end then rallied from near the back of the pack for Breeders' Cup glory. That made this daughter of Into Mischief a clear standout in the juvenile fillies' division, earning her top honors from all eight of our voters.

Older dirt male

All of our voters who cast a vote in this category placed Flightline at the top of the older dirt male division, just as they named him atop their Horse of the Year ballots. Though this John Sadler trainee raced only three times, his dominant victories in the Met Mile, Pacific Classic and Breeders' Cup Classic were enough for them to tab this son of Tapit as the divisional leader.

Brad Stephens: Flightline

Chip Gehrke: Flightline

Ed DeRosa: Abstain from category

Laurie Ross: Flightline

Mark Midland: Flightline

Mike Brunker: Flightline

Ron Flatter: Flightline

Tom Pedulla: Flightline

Older dirt female

As it has been for the last few years, the older dirt female division was deeply competitive. But Malathaat was the horse who showed up the most consistently, with four wins and two seconds in six starts. The daughter of Curlin finished her season with three straight Grade 1 victories in the Personal Ensign, the Spinster and a thrilling rendition of the Breeders' Cup Distaff. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat already won an Eclipse as a sophomore, and all eight of our voters gave her top consideration to earn another one for her 4-year-old campaign.

Male sprinter

This proved one of the most contentious divisions among our voters. Four placed Jackie's Warrior atop the division. Despite his defeats in the Forego (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Sprint, sharp victories in the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3), Churchill Downs (G1), True North (G2) and Vanderbilt (G1) were enough for him to hold on for a first-place vote.

Three voters instead sided with the horse who rose late in the season: Elite Power. Though Elite Power began the year a maiden and spent the summer working through his first- and second-level allowance conditions, he romped in the Vosburgh (G2) and then silenced concerns about the strength of that race when he won the Breeders' Cup Sprint with authority. One sided with Cody's Wish, who toppled Jackie's Warrior in the seven-furlong Forego and won graded stakes in one-turn and two-turn mile trips.

Brad Stephens: Jackie's Warrior

Chip Gehrke: Jackie's Warrior

Ed DeRosa: Elite Power

Laurie Ross: Elite Power

Mark Midland: Cody's Wish

Mike Brunker: Jackie's Warrior

Ron Flatter: Jackie's Warrior

Tom Pedulla: Elite Power

Female sprinter

Early in the season, the female sprinter picture looked wide open. By the end, it came into sharp focus. Though Goodnight Olive did not start her 2022 season until a Belmont allowance in June and never had tried stakes company until the Ballerina (G1) in August, the Chad Brown trainee made the most of a four-race season. This daughter of Ghostzapper routed second- and third-level allowance company, took the Ballerina by open lengths despite a rough start and then romped in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. This meteoric rise made Goodnight Olive the top selection on all of our voters' ballots.

Male turf horse

Among American-based male turf horses, no one dominated in 2022. Santin and Casa Creed both won a pair of Grade 1 grass races early in the season, but neither brought his best late in the year. The only other male to win two North American Grade 1 races on grass was Modern Games, a proper Group 1-quality European who won the Woodbine Mile and the Breeders' Cup Mile on his two stateside trips for trainer Charlie Appleby. That record earned this son of Dubawi top honors on all eight of our voters' ballots.

Female turf horse

In one of the most hotly contested categories of the year, four horses gained first-place votes from our writers in the female turf division. Four of our eight opted for Regal Glory, who won three Grade 1 races against fillies and mares: the Jenny Wiley, the Just a Game and the Matriarch. She also finished second against males in the Fourstardave (G1).

Speaking of form against males, two of our voters gave the nod to War Like Goddess. She won two of her three starts against fillies, before rolling past males to win the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) and then finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Turf, the best finish of any American contender in that race. HRN writers also gave a first-place vote each to In Italian, front-running winner of the Diana (G1) and the First Lady, and Tuesday, whose only North American race was a one-length score over In Italian in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Brad Stephens: Regal Glory

Chip Gehrke: Regal Glory

Ed DeRosa: In Italian

Laurie Ross: Regal Glory

Mark Midland: Tuesday

Mike Brunker: Regal Glory

Ron Flatter: War Like Goddess

Tom Pedulla: War Like Goddess

Steeplechase horse

Among the five who cast votes in this division, Hewick was the consensus choice, topping three of those ballots. The son of Virtual has spent most of his career in Ireland and made only one stateside start in 2022. But the John Hanlon trainee made it count: he drew off to a dominant six-length victory as the favorite in the Grand National Hurdle (G1) at Far Hills.

Two other horses got a first-place vote each from our writers in the steeplechase division. Down Royal won three of her four starts on the year, including a late-running neck score in the A. P. Smithwick Memorial (G1) at Saratoga and an open-length score in the David L. (Zeke) Ferguson Memorial Hurdle (G2) at Great Meadow. Snap Decision, though only sixth behind Hewick in the Grand National Hurdle, won two Grade 1 races in 2022: the Calvin Houghland Iroquois Hurdle at Percy Warner and the Jonathan Sheppard Handicap at Saratoga.

Brad Stephens: Abstain from category

Chip Gehrke: Hewick

Ed DeRosa: Abstain from category

Laurie Ross: Snap Decision

Mark Midland: Hewick

Mike Brunker: Down Royal

Ron Flatter: Abstain from category

Tom Pedulla: Hewick

Owner

In a contentious category, three ownership interests split the vote among our writers' ballots. Four opted to place Godolphin on top. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's global breeding and racing powerhouse campaigned 10 horses who won one or more Grade 1 races in North America during 2022. That tally includes four Breeders' Cup winners: Rebel's Romance (Turf), Modern Games (Mile), Cody's Wish (Dirt Mile) and Mischief Magic (Juvenile Turf Sprint).

Two ballots placed Peter Brant on top. A perennial force in the American turf divisions, particularly with fillies and mares, Brant's top-level winners in 2022 included Regal Glory, In Italian, Bleecker Street and Gina Romantica. Two other voters put the partnership behind Breeders' Cup Classic winner Flightline atop their ballot.

Brad Stephens: Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine and West Point Thoroughbreds

Chip Gehrke: Peter Brant

Ed DeRosa: Peter Brant

Laurie Ross: Godolphin

Mark Midland: Godolphin

Mike Brunker: Godolphin

Ron Flatter: Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine and West Point Thoroughbreds

Tom Pedulla: Godolphin

Breeder

In another split category, four of the eight voters put Summer Wind Equine on top of the breeder section of their ballot. Jane Lyon's farm bred Flightline and Grade 3-placed Ryder Ryder Ryder. Three other voters put Godolphin on top. They led all breeders in 2022 by North American race earnings, and all four Godolphin-owned Breeders' Cup winners were homebreds. One voter sided with Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings; they ranked third in breeders' progeny earnings behind Godolphin and Calumet Farm, and its leading horses included their Grade 1-winning homebreds Clairiere and Pauline's Pearl.

Brad Stephens: Summer Wind Equine

Chip Gehrke: Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings

Ed DeRosa: Summer Wind Equine

Laurie Ross: Godolphin

Mark Midland: Summer Wind Equine

Mike Brunker: Godolphin

Ron Flatter: Summer Wind Equine

Tom Pedulla: Godolphin

Jockey

Seven of the eight voters put Irad Ortiz Jr. on top in the jockeys' race. He led all jockeys with $37,075,772 in purse earnings, just over $7 million clear of Flavien Prat; his 325 wins were 48 clear of second-place Vicente Del-Cid. Ortiz's most important horses included Belmont winner Mo Donegal and three Breeders' Cup winners: Forte (Juvenile), Elite Power (Sprint) and Goodnight Olive (Filly and Mare Sprint).

One voter backed Flavien Prat, who amassed 236 victories and $29,832,252 in earnings through 2022. Prat piloted Flightline to all three of his 2022 wins, including the Breeders' Cup Classic. Other marquee wins for Prat included the Blue Grass (G1) with Zandon, the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) with Count Again and the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) with Gina Romantica.

Brad Stephens: Flavien Prat

Chip Gehrke: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Ed DeRosa: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Laurie Ross: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Mark Midland: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Mike Brunker: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Ron Flatter: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Tom Pedulla: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Apprentice jockey

Among the six votes cast in the apprentice jockey division among our writers, four first-place votes went to Jose Antonio Gomez. Gomez won 152 races during 2022 while riding regularly at Aqueduct, Belmont, Saratoga and Parx. His most important victories included wins with Golden Rocket in the New York Stallion Series Statue of Liberty on Aug. 18 and with Royal Urn in the John J. Reilly Handicap on May 15 at Monmouth.

Two others placed Vicente Del-Cid, a star apprentice on the Louisiana circuit, on top. Del-Cid's 277 wins surpassed every North American jockey except for Irad Ortiz Jr. His biggest win came Oct. 14 with Janet Is Ready, who he guided to victory in the $100,000 Louisiana Jewel at Delta Downs.

Brad Stephens: Jose Antonio Gomez

Chip Gehrke: Vicente Del-Cid

Ed DeRosa: Abstain from category

Laurie Ross: Vicente Del-Cid

Mark Midland: Jose Antonio Gomez

Mike Brunker: Jose Antonio Gomez

Ron Flatter: Abstain from category

Tom Pedulla: Jose Antonio Gomez

Trainer

The race for champion trainer in 2022 looks like a contentious one between Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown, and that reflects in our voters' top choices. Five of our eight put Todd Pletcher on top. He trains likely champions Malathaat, Nest and Forte. Other 2022 top-level winners under his care include Belmont winner Mo Donegal, Pegasus World Cup (G1) winner Life Is Good, Keeneland Turf Mile (G1) winner Annapolis and Cigar Mile (G1) winner Mind Control.

All three people who did not put Todd Pletcher on top put Chad Brown there. Brown trains likely champion sprint female Goodnight Olive, as well as two of the top contenders in the filly and mare turf division, Regal Glory and In Italian. Other leading horses for Brown in 2022 include Preakness winner Early Voting, Blue Grass (G1) winner Zandon, and H. Allen Jerkens (G1) winner Jack Christopher.

Brad Stephens: Todd Pletcher

Chip Gehrke: Chad Brown

Ed DeRosa: Todd Pletcher

Laurie Ross: Chad Brown

Mark Midland: Todd Pletcher

Mike Brunker: Chad Brown

Ron Flatter: Todd Pletcher

Tom Pedulla: Todd Pletcher