Contact: Jim Gluckson (646) 335-6835
Third consecutive year that a female horse wins racing’s highest honor
Fox Hill Farm’s 4-year-old Filly Havre de Grace was named Horse of the Year Monday evening at the 41st Eclipse Awards, Presented by The Stronach Entertainment Group, Daily Racing Form and the Breeders’ Cup. Havre de Grace became the third consecutive female to win the Horse of the Year title, following Rachel Alexandra in 2009 and Zenyatta in 2010.   The Eclipse Awards are voted on by representatives of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form (DRF) and National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB).
Havre de Grace finished first with 166 votes, followed by Peter and Mary Hilvers and Bud and Judy Johnston’s 5-year-old Acclamation, who finished second with 26 votes. Diamond Pride LLC and the Lanni Family Trust’s 4-year-old Game on Dude finished third with 10 votes, followed by Cape Blanco with 9 votes. (Complete Horse of the Year results are listed below).
Havre de Grace, trained by Larry Jones, won five races in seven starts in 2011, beginning with the grade 3 Azeri Stakes last April, followed by the grade 1 Apple Blossom, the grade 3 Obeah Stakes, the Woodward against male horses in September and the Beldame  Invitational at Belmont Park. Ramon Dominquez, who was also voted Champion Jockey of 2011, rode Havre de Grace in six of her seven starts. Gabriel Saez rode her in the Obeah.
(Horse ages in parenthesis where applicable; Country codes indicate a foreign breeding designation)
  • Two-Year-Old Male: Hansen
  • Two-Year-Old Filly:  My Miss Aurelia
  • Three-Year-Old Male:  Animal Kingdom
  • Three-Year-Old Filly:  Royal Delta
  • Older Male:  Acclamation (5)
  • Older Female: Havre de Grace (4)
  • Male Sprinter:  Amazombie (5)
  • Female Sprinter: Musical Romance (4)
  • Male Turf Horse: Cape Blanco (IRE) (4)
  • Female Turf Horse: Stacelita (FR) (5)
  • Steeplechase Horse: Black Jack Blues (IRE) (8)
  • Owner: Ken and Sarah Ramsey
  • Breeder:  Adena Springs
  • Jockey: Ramon Dominguez
  • Apprentice Jockey: Kyle Frey
  • Trainer: Bill Mott
Digital images from the Eclipse Awards ceremony will be disseminated by Horsephotos on January 16.
The Eclipse Awards
Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon the Thoroughbred horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of Champion in their respective divisions. 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.
Voting Overview
In voting that concluded January 3, 2012, and again on January 11 for the Apprentice Jockey category, Eclipse Awards voters cast their ballots to rank the top three horses and individuals in each Championship division on a 10-5-1 point system basis. (See File Attached) This voting established the top three finalists in each division, whose names were released on Jan. 5, 2012; the Apprentice Jockey category was announced Jan. 11, following a re-vote. Eclipse Award winners; however, were determined by first-place votes only.
Results for the 2011 Finalists in all 17 categories were sent as an attachment to this document.
The tallies below represent only first-place votes from members of the consolidated voting entities, NTRA, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers And Broadcasters.
Voter participation rate: 248/267 = 92.88%
Two-Year-Old Male (Name, First-Place Votes)
Hansen, 194; Union Rags, 52; Secret Circle, 1; Overdriven, 1.
Two-Year-Old Filly
My Miss Aurelia, 247; Stephanie’s Kitten, 1.
Three-Year-Old Male
Animal Kingdom, 114; Caleb’s Posse, 111; Shackleford, 12; Ruler On Ice, 5; Stay Thirsty, 4; Uncle Mo, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.
Three-Year-Old Filly
Royal Delta, 243; Awesome Feather, 2; Plum Pretty, 2; Zazu, 1.
Older Male
Acclamation, 95; Game On Dude, 70; Tizway, 52; Drosselmeyer, 21; Flat Out, 4; Cape Blanco (IRE), 3;  Wise Dan,1; Voter Abstention, 1. No Vote, 1.
Older Female
Havre de Grace, 245; Blind Luck, 2; Awesome Maria, 1.
Male Sprinter
Amazombie, 201; Caleb’s Posse, 42; Regally Ready, 2; The Factor, 2; Jackson Bend, 1.
Female Sprinter
Musical Romance, 131; Hilda’s Passion, 53; Sassy Image, 46; Turbulent Descent, 13; Switch, 2; Voter Abstentions, 2; No Vote, 1.
Male Turf Horse
Cape Blanco (IRE), 172; Acclamation, 55; St Nicholas Abbey (IRE), 16; Court Vision, 2; Turallure, 2; Drosselmeyer, 1.
Female Turf Horse
Stacelita (FR), 158; Perfect Shirl, 28; Never Retreat, 25; Dubawi Heights (GB), 17; Summer Soiree, 4; Aruna, 3; Winter Memories, 3; Goldikova (IRE), 2; Cambina, 1; Cozi Rosie, 1; Sarah Lynx (IRE) 1; Star Billing, 1; Together (IRE), 1;  Voter Abstentions, 3.
Steeplechase Horse
Black Jack Blues (IRE), 137; Tax Ruling, 80; Decoy Daddy (IRE), 1; Divine Fortune, 1; Lake Placid, 1; Sermon of Love, 1; Voter Abstentions, 27.
Owner
Ken and Sarah Ramsey, 66; Midwest Thoroughbreds, 60; Team Valor International, 25; Godolphin Racing, 21; Fox Hill Farms, 20; Repole Stable, 16; Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, 13; WinStar Farm, 12; George and Lori Hall, 2; Melnyk Racing, 1; Maggi Moss, 1; Estate of Edward P. Evans, 1; Peter and Mary Hilvers et al., 1; Billy, Donna and Justin Hays, 1; Voter Abstentions, 8.
Breeder
Adena Springs, 151; Ken and Sarah Ramsey, 62; Ocala Stud, 5; Nancy Dillman, 4; Aaron and Marie Jones, 3; WinStar Farm, 3; Darley, 2; Estate of Edward P. Evans, 2; Brereton C. Jones, 2; Eugene Melnyk, 1; Grapestock, 1; Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, 1; Old English Rancho, 1;  Voter Abstentions, 10.
Trainer
Bill Mott, 83; Bob Baffert, 60; Todd Pletcher, 57; H. Graham Motion, 23; Steve Asmussen, 15; Aidan O’Brien, 4; Jerry Hollendorfer, 1; Edmond Gaudet, 1; Dale Romans, 1; Voter Abstentions, 3.
Jockey
Ramon Dominguez, 197; John Velazquez, 30; Javier Castellano, 14; Joel Rosario, 2; DeShawn Parker, 1; Voter Abstentions, 3; No Vote, 1.
Apprentice Jockey
Kyle Frey, 77; Ryan Curatolo, 57; Rosario Montanez, 19; C.J. McMahon, 7; Irad Ortiz, Jr. 3; Amanda Tamburello,3; Constantino Roman, 1;  Voter Abstentions, 7.
Award of Merit and Special Award
The winner of the Award of Merit, voted on by a panel of representatives from the three presenting organizations and previously announced, is W. Cothran “Cot” Campbell. The Award of Merit is presented to honor outstanding lifetime achievement in the Thoroughbred industry.
The winner of the Special Award, voted on by a panel of representatives from the three presenting organizations and previously announced, is Rapid Redux, who won 19 consecutive races in 2011. The Special Award is presented to honor outstanding individual achievements in, or contributions to, the sport of Thoroughbred racing.
Media Eclipse Awards also are given in the categories of photography, audio and multi-media Internet, news/enterprise writing, feature/commentary writing, national television–feature and national television–live racing programming to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing. The 2011 Media Eclipse Awards winners, determined by a judges’ panel for each category and previously announced, are:
  • Photography – Bob Mayberger, Sports Illustrated Snapshot; “A.P. Smithwick Memorial Stakes,” August 4, 2011.
  • Writing – Feature/Commentary: Claire Novak, ESPN.com; “Pressure off Durkin at Belmont,” June 10, 2011.
  • Writing – News/Enterprise – Jennie Rees, Louisville Courier-Journal; “Breeders’ Cup 2011: Jockeys Rein in Their Emotions,”   October 30, 2011.
  • Television – Live Racing: ESPN, “The Breeders’ Cup Classic”; Mike McQuade, Coordinating Producer; November 5, 2011.
  • Television – Feature: HRTV, “Inside Information: Randy Romero,” Amy Zimmerman, Executive Producer; December 26, 2010.
  • Audio and Multi-Media Internet – Thoroughbred Times, “On the Scene,” November 1-6, 2011 Breeders’ Cup; Tom Law and Greg Charkoudian, co-producers.