In a nearly unanimous vote, Louisville’s Starlight Racing Partners, which includes Jack Wolf and Ed Glasscock, was awarded the prize of Champion Two-Year-Old for their Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Shanghai Bobby. The Todd Pletcher trained colt is expected to make his three-year-old debut this weekend in the Grade 1 Holy Bull Stakes.
Champion Female Sprinter went to William “Buff” Bradley’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Groupie Doll. The Keeneland-based four-year-old filly ended the year with five graded stakes wins and a nose defeat to Stay Thirsty in the Cigar Mile. Although an illness sidelined her training schedule, Groupie Doll is expected to return to racing this year.
Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another was honored as Champion Three-Year-Old. His path to the Kentucky Derby included victories in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes and the Santa Anita Derby. After his Kentucky Derby win, the son of Flower Alley left fans hopeful they’d see a Triple Crown winner when I’ll Have Another overtook Bodemeister in the stretch to win the Preakness Stakes. Before an injury forced his early retirement just one day before a Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes, I’ll Have Another was undefeated in four starts for the year. I’ll Have Another begins his stud career this year in Japan.
Former president of Keeneland, Nick Nicholson, was awarded the Award of Merit which is voted on by a panel of representatives from the Daily Racing Form, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters. The award honors outstanding lifetime achievement in the Thoroughbred industry.
A complete list of the Eclipse Award winners follows below.
