Daily Racing Form (DRF), Breeders’ Cup and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today the launch of the 2012 Eclipse Horse of the Year Fan Vote Sweepstakes. The free-to-enter sweepstakes requires fans to select the horse they feel deserves to win the 2012 Horse of the Year Award, which will be announced Saturday, January 19, 2013, at the 42st annual Eclipse Awards ceremony at Gulfstream Park Racetrack and Casino in Hallandale Beach, Fla. Fans are also encouraged to cast their votes in a host of other Eclipse Award categories. All voters will be entered in a random drawing for a trip for two—including airfare, hotel accommodations, ground transportation and event tickets—to January’s Eclipse Awards ceremony, plus reserved seats and VIP access for a day of racing at Gulfstream Park.
Voting is available at www.drf.com/eclipse and will continue until 3:00 p.m. (ET) on January 3, 2013. The prize winner will be drawn on or about January 4. Following the close of voting, but prior to the Eclipse Awards, DRF, Breeders’ Cup and the NTRA will release the fans’ top choices in each Eclipse Award category, including Horse of the Year. The sweepstakes is open to U.S. and Canadian (excluding those in the province of Quebec) residents. For official rules, visit www.drf.com/eclipse.
Actual Eclipse Award voting takes place among designated representatives of the NTRA, DRF and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories. Awards also are given to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing.
The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.
The Eclipse Awards are presented by Daily Racing Form, The Stronach Group and Breeders’ Cup and produced by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). Official Partners of the Eclipse Awards include Adequan, Besilu Stables, Keeneland, Kendall-Jackson, NOA Watches and Roberts Communications. The official hotel of the Eclipse Awards is the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa.
Tickets to the Eclipse Awards are available for $375 each. Order forms for tickets are available at.http://ntra.kinsta.cloud/en/eclipse-awards/2012-2013-awards/. Hotel Reservations at the Westin Diplomat can be made at https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/eclipseawards. For additional information, please contact Michele Ravencraft of the NTRA at mravencraft@ntra.com.
Daily Racing Form, “America’s Turf Authority since 1894” for Thoroughbred racing horseplayers and professionals throughout North America, is the Thoroughbred industry’s dominant multi-channel media company. Launched in Chicago on November 17, 1894, Daily Racing Form is the only daily newspaper in the U.S. dedicated solely to the coverage of a single sport, publishing up to 2,000 unique pages of statistical and editorial copy every day, in as many as 30 daily editions, 364 days a year (with the exception of Christmas Day). Its companion website, www.drf.com, is the most heavily trafficked horseracing destination, providing players with interactive past performances, exclusive handicapping tools and access to its online wagering platform, DRF Bets.
Breeders’ Cup administers the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s year-end Championships. Breeders’ Cup also administers the Breeders’ Cup Challenge qualifying series, which provides automatic starting positions into the Championships races. The 2013 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held Nov. 1-2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be televised live by NBC. Breeders’ Cup press releases appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, www.breederscup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading Thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers, horseplayers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA website, NTRA.com.