Finalists for the 2020 Eclipse Awards Announced

The 2020 nominees for one of horse racing's most prestigious awards - Eclipse Awards- has been announced. The event, which will hold on January 28, will award horse, trainers, and pretty much anyone that has been instrumental in horse racing. Bob Baffert and Brad Cox are dominating the list, both having horses in five different categories. Also, both trainers are nominated for the Outstanding Trainer category.

Baffert, who recently turned 68 has won the Eclipse Award four times as a trainer. Cox, who is 40-years-old is yet to win an Eclipse Award. It will be fun to see in whose favor this year's award will go. Another notable trainer in the category is Steve Asmussen, who has been on the job for a while and has a few winning horses. Baffert stable has two champions in the Horse of the Year category. Cox's champion, Monomoy Girl, completes the nominee list in that category. Authentic, a Kentucky Derby (G1) and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner is most favored to win the category. He is trained by Baffert, alongside Improbable, who is a three-time Grade 1 winner. The Cox-trained champion, Monomoy Girl, ended her 2020 season with a win at the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). In all five appearances she made in 2020, she came out victorious, which is why she is a strong contender in the category.

Authentic will likely win this category as ongoing polls suggest the same. In a vote cast by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, and Daily Racing Form, the majority of the votes were in favor of Authentic for Horse of the Year. Of the 249 eligible voters, 95 percent cast their votes, which is a clear indication of who the racing industry sees as the best candidate for the award.

In the 3-Year-Old-Male category, Baffert also has two champions - Authentic and Nadal. However, the competition in this category is stiff, as the third finalist is the Barclay Tagg-trained horse, Tiz the Law. Tiz the Law won the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Travers (G1) in 2020 while losing a few. More of Baffert-trained horses continue to flood other categories as another champion, Gamine, is a finalist in two other categories - three-year-old filly and female sprinter of the year. Cox is also represented by Shedaresthedevil, who won the Kentucky Oaks (G1), in the three-year-old filly category.

The full list of nominees are;

Breeder of the Year

• Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds LLC
• Calumet Farm
• WinStar Farm LLC

Owner of the Year

• Godolphin LLC
• Klaravich Stables Inc.
• Spendthrift Farm LLC
• MyRaceHorse Stable
• Madaket Stables LLC
• Starlight Racing

Trainer of the Year

• Steve Asmussen
• Bob Baffert
• Brad Cox

Jockey of the Year

• Irad Ortiz, Jr.
• Joel Rosario
• John Velazquez

Apprentice Jockey of the Year

• Luis Cardenas
• Yarmarie Correa
• Alexander Crispin

2-Year-Old Filly of the Year

• Aunt Pearl
• Dayoutoftheoffice
• Vequist

2-Year-Old Male of the Year

• Essential Quality
• Fire At Will
• Jackie’s Warrior

3-Year-Old Filly of the Year

• Gamine
• Shedaresthedevil
• Swiss Skydiver

3-Year-Old Male of the Year

• Authentic
• Nadal
• Tiz the Law

Older Dirt Male Horse of the Year

• Improbable
• Maximum Security
• Vekoma

Older Dirt Female Horse of the Year

• Midnight Bisou
• Monomoy Girl
• Serengeti Empress

Male Sprinter of the Year

• Vekoma
• Volatile
• Whitmore

Female Sprinter of the Year

• Gamine
• Glass Slippers
• Serengeti Empress

Male Turf Horse of the Year

• Channel Maker
• Order of Australia
• Zulu Alpha

Female Turf Horse of the Year

• Audarya
• Rushing Fall
• Tarnawa

Steeplechase Horse of the Year

• Moscato
• Rashaan
• Snap Decision

Horse of the Year

• Authentic
• Improbable
• Monomoy Girl

As per covid-19 safety protocols, the ceremony will be held virtually and will be broadcasted live on TVG, among several channels. The event will go live on January 28, 2021, by 8 PM EST.