Eclipse Awards: Meet some contenders for each category

The conclusion of the year brings not just holiday cheer, but end-of-year awards in horse racing. The Eclipse Awards spread across 17 different categories/divisions and are equivalent to any other year-end awards in sports. Finalists in all categories will be announced shortly after News Year’s Day and the ceremony, where they announce the winners, will be held Jan. 22 in Florida.

It’s also worth noting that the National Thoroughbred Racing Association also suggests voters wait to cast their votes until after Dec. 26, when Santa Anita hosts three Grade 1 races.

Here’s a look at the contenders in each category.

Horse of the Year

Despite missing the Breeders’ Cup, Sovereignty’s resume still includes victories in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers. While we’ll never know how he would have fared against older horses this year, his dominance of the 3-year-old division makes him the leader for the top prize.

It's unknown how voters will view the results of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Horses only need one race in North America to qualify for an Eclipse Award and Forever Young’s Classic victory more than qualifies him for this top prize. Forever Young was the third non-North American-based horse to win the Classic (Arcangues in 1993 and Raven’s Pass in 2008) and the two prior did not win Horse of the Year, granted Curlin - who Raven’s Pass beat in the Classic - was a guaranteed winner. Perhaps Forever Young would have a better case without Sovereignty.

Sierra Leone, second to Forever Young in the Classic, will likely be the third finalist. He missed out on Horse of the Year after his Classic win last year due to Thorpedo Anna’s brilliant season. Some other potential finalists include: Book’em Danno, Bentornato, and Shisospicy.

Older Dirt Male

The same conversation will come up with Forever Young in this category. If voters decide one race is good enough, it’s hard not to have him win this award and he’ll most definitely be a finalist. If not, Sierra Leone has one Grade 1 win and two seconds in Grade 1s but is one win all year really enough? Fierceness falls in a similar boat, with one Grade 1 win and a Grade 2 but Sierra Leone beat him each time they met.

That uncertainty could sway voters toward Book’em Danno, who went on a nice win streak at Saratoga but didn’t compete in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, won by Bentornato, another likely contender.

Older Dirt Female

While Thorpedo Anna’s 2025 campaign wasn’t Horse of the Year worthy like last year, she’ll likely win this category that lacks some luster. Despite some up-and-down moments, she still won four of six races, including two Grade 1s.

Thorpedo Anna retired before the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, won by Scylla, who finally put it all together and will be a finalist for this award. Splendora, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, will likely be the other finalist. Kopion could also receive some votes.

3-year-old Male

Sovereignty is a shoo-in, and the two horses he beat all year will likely be the other two finalists.

Journalism couldn’t get to Sovereignty but did win the Preakness and Haskell. Baeza couldn’t get to Journalism but did get his Grade 1 victory in the Pennsylvania Derby. Luckily, it looks like both of these horses, and maybe even Sovereignty, will return next year.

3-year-old Female

This category brings a healthy debate, as Nitrogen looked poised to grab this award before Shisospicy won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Nitrogen’s form moved from turf to dirt, including a Grade 1 win the Alabama and two seconds in Grade 1s against older horses.

Shisospicy beat older horses, and males, in the Turf Sprint and had five other victories this year, including the Grade 2 Music City Stakes at Kentucky Downs.

Behind those two, Gezora won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, her only race on this continent. It’s likely not enough to beat the top two but she’ll potentially be a finalist. Some others include: Scottish Lassie, La Cara, Good Cheer, Fionn, Lush Lips, and Destino d’Oro.

Male Turf Horse

Rebel’s Romance fell just short in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, though he won the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on this continent as well. There’s not much after him so he’ll likely win back-to-back awards in this category. Ethical Diamond upset the Turf, though he likely won’t have enough to win this award.

Notable Speech won both the Breeders’ Cup Mile and Grade 1 Woodbine Mile. He’ll certainly be a finalist and a force for 2026.

Formidable Man, second in the Mile, merits a look with two Grade 2 victories and a win the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile.

Other possibilities include: Reef Runner, El Cordobes, Deterministic, and Rhetorical.

Female Turf Horse

She Feels Pretty couldn’t hold off Gezora in the Filly and Mare Turf but certainly did enough to win this award. Her two Grade 1 wins and two Grade 1 seconds give her plenty to top the rest, including Gezora, who will likely get votes.

Ag Bullet couldn’t get her elusive Breeders’ Cup win but she did enough this year to be in the conversation for this award. Despite only having two wins this year, she beat males in the Grade 1 Jaipur at Saratoga.

Other possibilities include: Diamond Rain, Excellent Truth, Dynamic Pricing, and Future Is Now.

Male Sprinter

This is probably the most highly debated category, as Book’em Danno was clearly the top sprinter all year but didn’t run in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, won by Bentornato, who only ran one other time this year, winning a listed stakes at Churchill Downs.

Book’em Danno rattled off three straight graded victories at Saratoga, including the Grade 1 Forego and Grade 2 Vanderbilt, which had a Grade 1 field.

Those two are the only likely winners and some possibilities for finalists include: Imagination, Lovesick Blues, Reef Runner, and Dr. Venkman.

Female Sprinter

Shisospicy will contend with Splendora for this prize, as both won their Breeders’ Cup races. Kopion and Ag Bullet merit consideration but Shisospicy is the likely favorite.

2-year-old Male

Along with Sovereignty in the 3-year-old Male category, this one is the easiest to decide, as Ted Noffey put together an incredible campaign. A pair of Grade 1 wins in the Hopeful and Breeders’ Futurity preceded a dominant display in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He’s the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby headed into 2026 and has this award wrapped up.

Behind him, like in the Juvenile, would be Brant, a Grade 1 winner in his own right, having won the Del Mar Futurity before finishing third in the Juvenile.

Mr. A. P. merits a look for a finalist, as he finished second in the Juvenile.

Paladin’s victory in the Grade 2 Remsen makes him a candidate, as does Litmus Test’s win in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity.

Further Ado was impressive winning his maiden and won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club.

2-year-old Female

Super Corredora upset the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and will contend with Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint winner Cy Fair for this prize.

Super Corredora only had a maiden win on her record, whereas Cy Fair won a listed stakes at Woodbine and finished second in another one at Saratoga.

Explora will likely be the other finalist.

Steeplechase Horse

A lot of voters will abstain from this category but some look at the past performances and make a decision that way, if they don’t follow jump racing closely.

Cool Jet was a top earner and won a Grade 1 but faltered in the Grade 1 Colonial Cup last out.

Swore won a Grade 1 and another race but fell in the Grade 1 Grand National, won by Zanahiyr, who will get some votes.

Jimmy P and Historic Heart each won a Grade 1 at Saratoga.

Owner

Godolphin has racked up plenty of these and they’ll need to find space in the trophy case for this year’s award. The Middle Eastern powerhouse crushed everybody else in earnings thanks to some big wins.

The usual suspects will likely get some votes as well: Klaravich Stables, Juddmonte, Calumet, Spendthrift, Winchell Thoroughbreds, and Repole Stable.

Trainer

This race is coming down to the wire in terms of earnings. Chad Brown has a couple weeks left to catch Brad Cox, who’s built up nearly a $4 million lead.

Steve Asmussen will likely have the most wins among the big dogs but Bill Mott is a serious contender, having led Sovereignty to a potential dual Eclipse season.

Todd Pletcher also had a solid year, topped by Ted Noffey’s likely Eclipse win.

Apprentice Jockey

This is another one that some voters abstain from, as it can be hard to follow which tracks these bugs ride at.

Recently, Yedsit Hazlewood, who rides in the Mid-Atlantic, has been making some noise and could find his way to bigger tracks.

Pietro Moran became the first apprentice to win Woodbine’s King’s Plate and has had a solid year otherwise.

Irving Moncada is another possibility to be a finalist.

Jockey

The always hotly debated category, and this year comes down to some familiar faces - two Ortizs and Flavien Prat. Irad Ortiz Jr., who will have the most wins, has a narrow lead in earnings over Prat. Jose Ortiz has more wins than Prat but isn’t close on earnings.

Perhaps a different name worth mentioning is Junior Alvarado. Afterall, he did win the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and Travers, among others.

This one is going to be interesting but right now, Irad Ortiz is most likely the favorite to bring home another title.