EA 2024

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 25, 2024

JohnDeere.com/Equine Some restrictions apply. This offer is available to qualified equine associations members in the U.S. and Canada and is subject to change without notice. Cash savings offer not to be used with msrp discount program. John Deere’s green and yellow color scheme, the leaping deer symbol and JOHN DEERE are trademarks of Deere & Company. Official Equipment Supplier of NTRA We’ve been going the distance for over 180 years Congratulations to all Eclipse Award Finalists and Winners! As a partner to horse owners and the equine industry, we provide special equipment discounts for equine association members like you … and a percentage of every purchase puts money back into the equine industry to help further the bond between people, horses, and the land. To learn more about the benefits to the industry, and how members of qualifying equine associations can save on John Deere equipment, call us toll-free at 866-678-4289. A percentage of every equine sale is given back to the equine industry!

2 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA On behalf of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters, we are delighted that you are with us this evening at the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club. Tonight, we will honor the brilliance of human and equine Champions of Thoroughbred racing from 2023. I am thrilled to bring the Eclipse Awards back to The Breakers Palm Beach, one of the most historic resorts in America. I also am pleased to again share The Breakers with the Thoroughbred racing industry and bring its glamour into the homes of all those watching on FanDuel TV. We also are excited to welcome our ceremony announcer – Caton Bredar – and our masters of ceremony – Britney Eurton, Acacia Courtney Clement, and Nick Luck – to guide us through tonight’s event. Together, with all of tonight’s presenters, we will honor the excellence in Thoroughbred racing from 2023. Tonight, 17 champions will be celebrated for their excellence in each of their respective categories. We will acknowledge the incredible careers of our Award of Merit awardee Stuart Janney and our Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence honoree Tom Hammond. We will salute our 2023 Horseplayer of the Year, Paul Calia of Kansas City, Mo., who earned nearly $1 million for winning last year’s National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. We will recognize the FanDuel-NTRA Moment of the Year for 2023, as voted on by thousands of fans. We will honor six Media Award winners whose work helped cover the excitement of our sport and share it with the public. We will remember those who we lost this past year, whose lives left an enduring mark on the industry. All of these achievements will culminate in the announcement of the 2023 Horse of the Year. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our Eclipse Awards presenting sponsors and official partners, whose support is what makes tonight possible. Also thank you to our official charity, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, for all the work you do. And finally thank you to our broadcast partners: FanDuel TV, Racetrack Television Network (RTN), and the many internet streaming platforms broadcasting tonight’s show live to a global audience. I sincerely hope you enjoy this wonderful evening. Tom Rooney President and Chief Executive Officer National Thoroughbred Racing Association Welcome Welcome to the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA. NTRA

4 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA Tonight we welcome a multi-talented trio of accomplished racing presenters in Acacia Courtney Clement, Britney Eurton, and Nick Luck as hosts for the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards. Clement is a TV host, analyst, and reporter for the New York Racing Association. She is a host of the popular show “America’s Day at the Races” as well as a paddock reporter for “Saratoga Live,” both on FOX Sports. She also hosts the sales and pedigree podcast “In the Ring with Acacia Clement” on the In the Money Media platform. A native of Connecticut, Clement began riding at the age of 8, training in the hunter-jumper and dressage disciplines. In 2011, she founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Racing for Home Inc., which she runs with her mother, Sherrie Courtney. Accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Racing for Home is dedicated to retraining and re-homing Off-Track Thoroughbreds for new careers after the track. She is married to Miguel Clement, assistant trainer to his father, Christophe Clement. Eurton serves as a host and reporter for Thoroughbred racing’s largest events through her work with NBC Sports, including the Triple Crown, Royal Ascot, and the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. She recently completed nearly 10 years as a reporter and host for FanDuel TV. Eurton returns to the Eclipse Awards in 2024 having co-hosted the past five years. Eurton began her broadcasting career in 2014 and made her NBC Sports debut in 2017 on the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. She covered her first Triple Crown for NBC Sports in 2018 and co-hosted the network’s coverage of Royal Ascot in both 2019 and 2022. Eurton, a graduate of the University of Southern California, is the daughter of Peter Eurton, a former jockey and accomplished Thoroughbred trainer. Luck has been broadcasting and writing on horse racing since 2002. Well known to U.S. audiences for his work on NBC, he has been an integral part of its Emmy-nominated Triple Crown coverage and has hosted Royal Ascot coverage since the network’s debut at the event in 2017. For ESPN and NBC, Luck has appeared as a reporter/analyst on 19 consecutive Breeders’ Cups. He hosted the Eclipse Awards in 2018 at Gulfstream Park and fronted three seasons of the popular chat show “Cocktails and Conversation” with NBC colleague and co-host Eurton. At home in the United Kingdom, Luck is best known as the host of Racing TV’s key events and his weekly magazine show “Luck on Sunday.” He is the voice of Olympic equestrian coverage for the BBC and hosts an award-winning daily podcast. Luck is a director of Aintree Racecourse, sits on the Racing Welfare and Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association committees, is a trustee of the National Horse Racing Museum, and is chair of the Godolphin Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards. He has been named Racing Broadcaster of the Year nine times by the Horserace Writers’ Association, including 2022, when he also was Reporter of the Year. Caton Bredar, of FanDuel TV, will be tonight’s official ceremony announcer. MASTERS OF CEREMONY FAMILIAR VOICE CATON BREDAR TO SERVE AS CEREMONY ANNOUNCER Acacia Courtney Clement, Britney Eurton, and N ick Luck

Many of Dean Dorton’s industry relationships share connections with the world’s top thoroughbred horses, farms, owners, and trainers. As we celebrate a common passion, we applaud your comittment and dedication to the equine industry. Jen Shah, CPA, Equine Industry Leader [email protected] deandorton.com/equine Congratulations, Eclipse Awards Finalists!

6 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA Eclipse Awards are bestowed annually upon the horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of champion in their respective divisions. Champions are determined by voting representatives of Daily Racing Form, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB). The NTRA voting bloc is comprised of Equibase field personnel and North American racing secretaries and officials. Tonight we will honor winners in 17 equine and human categories. The equine categories are: 2-year-old male, 2-year-old filly, 3-year-old male, 3-year-old filly, older dirt male, older dirt female, male turf, female turf, male sprinter, female sprinter, steeplechase horse, and, the highest honor, Horse of the Year. For the human awards, the categories are: owner, breeder, trainer, jockey, and apprentice jockey. The Eclipse Award of Merit is given to an individual displaying outstanding lifetime achievement in, and in service to, the Thoroughbred industry. A Special Award may be granted to an individual or an organization performing an exemplary, meritorious service to the sport in a particular year. The Award of Merit and the Special Award are not annual awards. Media Eclipse Awards also are given in the categories of photography, audio multimedia, news/enterprise writing, feature/commentary writing, television/feature programming, and television/live racing programming to recognize members of the media for their outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing. The Horseplayer of the Year, the individual who wins the annual NTRA National Horseplayers Championship, also is honored with an Eclipse Award. The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age 5 and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies. The Eclipse Awards

SHARED GOALS SHARED SUCCESS Congratulations to ECLIPSE AWARD FINALISTS: 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY CANDIED by CANDY RIDE Owner: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners Breeder: Buck Pond Farm, Inc. 2-YEAR-OLD MALE FIERCENESS by CITY OF LIGHT Owner/Breeder: Repole Stable 3-YEAR-OLD MALE ARCANGELO TURF MALE UP TO THE MARK NEW STALLIONS FOR 2024:

8 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA NTRA MOMENT OF THE YEAR............................................... 10 2-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALISTS Fierceness ......................................................................... 12 Locked ............................................................................... 14 Muth .................................................................................. 16 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALISTS Candied ............................................................................. 18 Hard to Justify.................................................................. 20 Just F Y I ........................................................................... 22 OUTSTANDING APPRENTICE JOCKEY Axel Concepcion............................................................... 24 Jaime A. Torres ................................................................ 24 Sofia Vives......................................................................... 24 HORSEPLAYER OF THE YEAR Paul Calia.......................................................................... 26 ECLIPSE AWARD OF MERIT Stuart Janney ................................................................... 28 STEEPLECHASE HORSE FINALISTS Awakened.......................................................................... 32 Merry Maker .................................................................... 34 Snap Decision ................................................................... 36 OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHY Carolyn Simancik............................................................. 38 OUTSTANDING FEATURE/COMMENTARY WRITING Tim Layden....................................................................... 40 OUTSTANDING NEWS/ENTERPRISE WRITING Sean Clancy ...................................................................... 40 OUTSTANDING AUDIO/MULTIMEDIA INTERNET Thoroughbred Daily News .............................................. 42 NATIONAL TELEVISION - LIVE RACING PROGRAMMING NBC Sports ....................................................................... 42 NATIONAL TELEVISION - FEATURE Woodbine Entertainment ................................................ 42 SPECIAL ECLIPSE AWARD Tom Hammond................................................................. 44 MALE SPRINTER FINALISTS Cody’s Wish....................................................................... 46 Elite Power........................................................................ 48 Gunite................................................................................ 50 FEMALE SPRINTER FINALISTS Echo Zulu.......................................................................... 52 Goodnight Olive................................................................ 54 Maple Leaf Mel................................................................. 56 OUTSTANDING TRAINER Chad Brown ...................................................................... 58 Brad Cox............................................................................ 58 Bill Mott ............................................................................ 58 CHAMPION TURF MALE Auguste Rodin................................................................... 62 Master of The Seas........................................................... 64 Up to the Mark.................................................................. 66 CHAMPION TURF FEMALE In Italian............................................................................ 68 Inspiral.............................................................................. 70 Mawj.................................................................................. 72 OUTSTANDING JOCKEY Tyler Gaffalione ............................................................... 74 Irad Ortiz Jr. ..................................................................... 74 Flavien Prat ...................................................................... 74 OUTSTANDING BREEDER Calumet............................................................................. 76 Godolphin.......................................................................... 76 Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings .............................. 76 OUTSTANDING OWNER Godolphin.......................................................................... 78 Juddmonte ........................................................................ 78 Klaravich Stables ............................................................. 78 3-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALISTS Arcangelo.......................................................................... 80 Auguste Rodin................................................................... 82 Mage .................................................................................. 84 3-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALISTS Mawj.................................................................................. 88 Pretty Mischievous........................................................... 90 Randomized ...................................................................... 92 OLDER DIRT FEMALE FINALISTS Clairiere ............................................................................ 94 Goodnight Olive................................................................ 96 Idiomatic ........................................................................... 98 OLDER DIRT MALE FINALISTS Cody’s Wish......................................................................100 Elite Power.......................................................................102 White Abarrio..................................................................104 PAST WINNERS....................................................................106 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................116

Congratulations to the 2023 Eclipse Awards finalists. Hallways Feeds is proud to be the choice for many of these outstanding equine athletes and trainers. We’re honored to fuel your success. Best of luck to each of you. fiat goes for champions — and the feed that fuels them. MADE FOR THIS TM Greatness Is Never Achieved By Cuffling Corners.

10 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA Earlier this month, 13 of the most unforgettable, exciting, and significant events from Thoroughbred racing in North America last year were nominated for the 2023 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year, a distinction determined by fan voting and recognized at the Eclipse Awards. Fans voted through Jan. 16 on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association website, NTRA.com, and via Twitter, where every retweet or use of the official hashtag for the moments as presented on the @NTRA account was counted as one vote. The FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year will be recognized during this evening’s Eclipse Awards ceremony. The eligible 2023 moments were selected to illustrate the wide range of equine achievements and human emotions, as well as exceptional displays of athleticism. Events that fans chose from are listed as follows, along with the designated hashtags that were used to vote: #FrankieHollywood – Frankie Dettori returns to California and has a very successful year at Santa Anita and on the West Coast in 2023, including a masterful win aboard Inspiral in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. The 53-year-old Italian rider had announced his retirement and a farewell tour earlier in the year but ultimately decided to permanently move to the United States and continue his career in 2024. #BigRedTour – The “Secretariat: Larger Than Life” Traveling Tour celebrates the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s record-setting and historic Triple Crown sweep of 1973. The centerpiece of the yearlong tour that started in early spring was a 21-foot-long bronze monument of Secretariat, the largest monument of the great Virginia-born Thoroughbred. #IradWins7 – Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. wins seven consecutive races on Feb. 3 at Gulfstream Park to equal the track’s record for most wins by a jockey on a card. Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey, Tyler Gaffalione, Luis Saez, and Paco Lopez share the record. #MageDerby – Mage surprises the field in the 149th Kentucky Derby and wins the Run for the Roses at 15-1. The son of Good Magic won his first race in January and won the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs in just his fourth career start. #TreasuredPreakness – National Treasure battles Blazing Sevens to the wire in a dramatic stretch duel to win the 148th Preakness Stakes by a head under John Velazquez at Pimlico Race Course. The 2023 Preakness Stakes, producing the closest finish of the three Triple Crown races, gave trainer Bob Baffert a record eighth win in the 1 3/16-mile race at Old Hilltop. #ArcangeloBelmont – Arcangelo takes the Belmont Stakes, making trainer Jena Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. The son of Arrogate defeated Eclipse Award champion Forte. #ArcangeloTravers – Arcangelo follows his historic win in the Belmont Stakes with a win in the prestigious Travers Stakes. The win in the “Midsummer Derby” at Saratoga was Arcangelo’s fourth in five 2023 starts and turned out to be the last race of his career before being added to Lane’s End’s stallion roster. #CodyThrills – Cody’s Wish thrills the Breeders’ Cup crowd and his namesake, Cody Dorman, by winning the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for the second consecutive year. The 5-year-old son of Curlin edged Preakness winner National Treasure for owner/breeder Godolphin. #OliveAgain – Eclipse Award champion Goodnight Olive repeats as winner of the PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Favored in the field of nine, the Ghostzapper mare defeated longshots Yuugiri (26-1) and Three Witches (34-1). #ClassicWhite – Favored White Abarrio defeats Japan’s Derma Sotogake in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park for trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. Dutrow returned to training in February 2023 after a 10-year ban. #EliteSprinter – Eclipse Award champion Elite Power defeats familiar rival Gunite to collect his second consecutive Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Owner Juddmonte Farms retired the 5-year-old son of Curlin to its stallion roster after the Breeders’ Cup. #RiceRecord – Trainer Linda Rice sets a record on the last day of the year with her 165th training win on the New York Racing Association circuit in 2023. Rice topped the previous single-season NYRA record of 164 wins by trainer David Jacobson in 2013. #RussellOnTop –Trainer Brittany Russell makes history by becoming the first female trainer to lead the annual trainer standings in Maryland. Russell, who is married to jockey Sheldon Russell, accomplished the feat in just her fourth full season as a trainer. In 2022, fans gave the No. 1 vote to the uplifting story between a boy and a horse that swept across America had the ultimate ending when Cody’s Wish won the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland Race Course on Nov. 5, 2022, in dramatic fashion. With namesake Cody Dorman and family in attendance, Cody’s Wish gave a winning performance that continues to warm the hearts of all who watched in amazement. 2023 FANDUEL RACING-NTRA Moment of the Year

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 12 By David Grening Brilliant on debut, a bust in the Grade 1 Champagne, Fierceness left his connections a bit baffled four weeks out from the Breeders’ Cup. Opting to forge ahead and see what those weeks would bring, Fierceness convinced trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole to take a shot in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita. Pletcher and Repole were rewarded for their persistence when Fierceness galloped to a 6 1/2-length victory in the Juvenile. That victory will most likely reward Fierceness with the title of 2-year-old champion male when the Eclipse Awards are presented. Thirty-one of the previous 39 winners of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile were honored with an Eclipse Award. That list includes 2010 juvenile champion Uncle Mo, who many people were reminded of when Fierceness won his debut by 11 1/4 lengths on Aug. 25 in the mud at Saratoga. Uncle Mo had won his debut by 14 1/4 lengths, also at Saratoga in late August. While Uncle Mo went on to win the Champagne and then the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile handily that year, Fierceness floundered in the Aqueduct slop when he ran in the Champagne. He finished seventh of eight, beaten 20 1/4 lengths by Timberlake. Following the Champagne, the decision was made to take Fierceness to Keeneland, where Pletcher had assembled all of his potential Breeders’ Cup horses, watch him train, and make a decision whether to continue on to California. Fierceness trained well enough to continue, working well with fellow Breeders’ Cup Juvenile contender Locked, according to Pletcher. On Breeders’ Cup Friday, the betting public wasn’t convinced, sending Fierceness off at 16-1. Fierceness stalked General Partner for six furlongs before moving past him. Confronted by Grade 1 winner Muth at the top of the lane, Fierceness ran away from him too for a decisive victory in a solid time of 1:41.90 for 1 1/16 miles. “The colt trained awesome all summer. He was monstrous in his debut, trained great leading into the Champagne. Let’s see how he trains,” Pletcher said. “He’s got to sell us on the idea of running and he did. Took a shot and it worked out. Beautiful trip, showed what he’s all about it.” Fierceness, a son of City of Light, was bred by Repole. He campaigned his dam, Nonna Bella, a daughter of Stay Thirsty, who went 2 for 5 in her career. Fierceness is the first of three foals out of Nonna Bella to make it to the races. Fierceness returned to the work tab on Dec. 12 at the Palm Beach Downs training center in South Florida. The plan is for him to make his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3, $250,000 Holy Bull Stakes on Feb. 3 at Gulfstream Park. Fierceness Own: Repole Stable B. c. 2 (Mar) Sire: City of Light (Quality Road) $60,000 Dam:Nonna Bella (Stay Thirsty) Br: Repole Stable, Inc. (Ky) Tr: Pletcher Todd A(62 11 16 9 .18) 2023:(980 186 .19) Life 3 2 0 0 $1,102,750 105 2023 3 2 0 0 $1,102,750 105 2022 0 M 0 0 $0 - 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 1 1 0 0 $1,040,000 105 Wet(376) 2 1 0 0 $62,750 95 Synth(345) $0 Turf(289) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 3ä23= 8SA fst 1 23¦ :47 1:10©1:41© BCJuvnle-G1 105 7 /9 2ô 2ô 2Ç 1§ 1«õ Velazquez J R 122 16.50 101= 05 Fierceness«õ Muthô Locked¦õ Pressed, led, widened 7å23= 8BAQ slyø 1 C 22§ :45§1:10§1:35© Champagn-G1 59 6 /8 6§ 6§ô 3ª 5¬ 7§¥õ Ortiz I Jr 122 *.55 76= 12 Timberlake©õ General Partner«õ Dancing Groom§ô Lunge st, tired 25Ý23= 6Sar myø 6f 22 :44¨ :56¨1:09§ Md Sp Wt 105k 95 6 /8 1 1¦ 1§ô 1¬ 1¦¦õ Ortiz I Jr 119 *1.10 95= 11 Fierceness¦¦õ Air of DefianceÇ Billal¦ö 3-2w, geared down Barbara D. Livingston 2-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALIST F ierceness

Inquiries to David O’Farrell: [email protected] 352/237-2171 • www.ocalastud.com Eclipse Award finalist for 2YO Male Owner & Breeder: Repole Stable Trainer: Todd Pletcher Fierceness looks to follow in the footsteps of fellow Ocala Stud training graduate FORTE, winner of the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and Eclipse Award-winning 2YO Male of 2022.

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 14 By David Grening Little came easy for Locked in his juvenile campaign, yet he was talented enough to win a Grade 1 and finish third in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to earn a spot as a finalist for the Eclipse Award in the 2-year-old male division. Locked, a son of Gun Runner owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm and trained by Todd Pletcher, was a $425,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September 2022 auction. Locked showed talent in his debut on Whitney Day at Saratoga, even though he finished third. In a six-furlong race, Locked was squeezed back to last out of the gate but rallied to finish within 3 1/2 lengths of Just Steel at the finish while galloping out well past the field. Locked’s easiest trip of his four-race campaign came four weeks later, when, going a mile out of the Wilson Chute at Saratoga, he stalked the pace from second before making the lead around the far turn and drawing clear to a 7 1/4-length victory. In the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity on Oct. 7 at Keeneland, Locked broke from the outside post in an eight-horse field. He remained wide throughout and got engaged in a stretch-long battle with the rail-riding The Wine Steward and prevailed by a halflength. It was victory reminiscent of his stablemate Forte’s victory over Loggins in the 2022 Breeders’ Futurity. “It was great to see him overcome some adversity and significant obstacles in front of him, and we hope it goes a long way that he was looked in the eye and got battle-tested and hopefully that will prove beneficial come Breeders’ Cup time,” said Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. In the Breeders’ Cup, at Santa Anita, Locked was toward the back of the pack early and jockey Jose Ortiz was scrubbing on him around the far turn, where he still just had one horse beaten. Locked swung wide in the lane and made a belated bid to get third, 6 3/4 lengths behind his stablemate Fierceness, but only a halflength behind runner-up Muth. Fierceness and Muth are the other two finalists for the Eclipse Award in this division. “Even though he got beat 6 1/2 lengths, he was closing well,” Pletcher said of the Breeders’ Cup effort. “Unfortunately, he got shuffled a little too far back and took a lot of kickback. He made a good run. Obviously, Fierceness had spurted away from him at that point.” After the Breeders’ Cup, Locked shipped to South Florida and is based at the Palm Beach Downs training center. Locked returned to the work tab along with Fierceness on Dec. 12. Pletcher indicated the Grade 3, $250,000 Sam F. Davis on Feb. 10 at Tampa Bay Downs could be where Locked begins his 3-year-old campaign. Locked Own: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Wal Ch. c. 2 (Mar) KEESEP22 $425,000 Sire: Gun Runner (Candy Ride*Arg) $50,000 Dam:Luna Rosa (Malibu Moon) Br: Rosa Colasanti (Ky) Tr: Pletcher Todd A(62 11 16 9 .18) 2023:(980 186 .19) Life 4 2 0 2 $608,400 96 2023 4 2 0 2 $608,400 96 2022 0 M 0 0 $0 - 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 4 2 0 2 $608,400 96 Wet(477) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Synth(271) $0 Turf(244) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 3ä23= 8SA fst 1 23¦ :47 1:10©1:41© BCJuvnle-G1 94 4 /9 8ª 7©ô 8«ö 6¬ 3«ö Ortiz J L 122 *2.30 94= 05 Fierceness«õ Muthô Locked¦õ 5w, best stride late 7å23= 9Kee fst 1 23© :47©1:12©1:44¨ BrdrsFut-G1 93 8 /8 7¨ö 6© 6§õ 1Ç 1ô Ortiz J L 122 *.76 80= 20 Lockedô The WineSteward¨ö GenerousTipperÉ 5-3w 1st,4w uppr,drvng 1æ23= 5Sar fst 1 23© :47¨1:12 1:36 Md Sp Wt 105k 96 5 /10 2ô 2ô 1©ô 1¨ô 1¬õ Ortiz J L 119 *.75 101= 05 Locked¬õ Drum Roll Please¦¨ Sturdy§õ Bmp brk,out3p,driving 5Ý23= 2Sar fst 6f 22§ :45¨ :57¨1:10¦ Md Sp Wt 105k 81 4 /10 10 10¦¦ 5« 4«ô 3¨ô Ortiz J L 119 12.00 87= 11 Just Steeló Be You¨ô Locked«ô Steadied st,gd courage Barbara D. Livingston 2-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALIST Locked

BREED TRUE Inquiries to Rebecca Nicholson and Tom Hamm 859.873.7053 • www.threechimneys.com @ three_chimneys LGB, LLC 2024 / Photo: EquiSport Congratulations to the ConneCtions of eClipse finalists: Male sprinter GUNITE owner/Breeder: winChell thoroughBreds llC trainer: steve asMussen JoCkey: tyler gaffalione two-year-old Male LOCKED feMale sprinter ECHO ZULU owners: eClipse thoroughBred partners and walMaC farM trainer: todd pletCher JoCkey: Jose ortiz Breeder: rosa Colasanti owners: l and n raCing llC and winChell thoroughBreds llC trainer: steve asMussen JoCkey: florent geroux Breeders: Betz/J. Betz/Burns/Chnnhk Magers/CoCo equine/raMsBy

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 16 By David Grening With a high price tag comes high expectations. Muth, who sold for a record-equaling $2 million at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. 2-year-olds in training sale in March did a pretty good job of reaching those expectations in 2023. Muth won 2 of 4 starts, including the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes. That victory and his runner-up finish to Fierceness in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita earned Muth a spot as finalist for the Eclipse Award in the 2-year-old male division. Muth is a son of 2017 juvenile champ Good Magic and the first foal out of the Uncle Mo mare Hoppa. He was bred by Don Alberto Corporation. The colt’s rapid breeze of 9.60 seconds at the undertack show helped him sell for an OBS sale-record $2 million, which equaled the price of a New York-bred Tapit colt who eventually became Chestertown. Muth was purchased by Donato Lanni on behalf of Amr Zedan and was turned over to trainer Bob Baffert. Muth flashed similar speed to his sales workout when he won his five-furlong debut by 8 1/4 lengths on June 18 at Santa Anita. In his second start, the Grade 3 Best Pal on Aug. 13 at Del Mar, Muth found one better, finishing second to his Baffert-trained stablemate Prince of Monaco. Baffert shipped Muth to Saratoga to run in the Grade 1 Hopeful on Labor Day, but scratched the horse the morning of the race. Baffert re-routed Muth back to California, where on Oct. 7, in the American Pharoah at Santa Anita, he showed the ability to rate and get two turns as he defeated stablemate Wine Me Up by 3 3/4 lengths. “I wasn’t sure about Muth [getting two turns], especially the way he ran the time before,” Baffert said. “I freshened him up and look at the way he ran.” The American Pharoah victory earned Muth an automatic bid in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, also at Santa Anita. Muth, ridden by Juan Hernandez, was sitting a sweet trip in third down the backside, just behind General Partner and a stalking Fierceness. Fierceness took over from General Partner before the quarter pole, and Muth confronted Fierceness turning for home. But Fierceness pulled away in the stretch, defeating Muth by 6 1/4 lengths, while Muth held off favored Locked by a half-length for second. Baffert didn’t waste any time getting Muth back on the work tab as the horse breezed Nov. 15. He made his first start as a 3-year-old on Jan. 6, winning the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes over seven furlongs at Santa Anita. Muth Own: Zedan Racing Stables Inc B. c. 2 (Apr) OBSMAR23 $2,000,000 Sire: Good Magic (Curlin) $50,000 Dam:Hoppa (Uncle Mo) Br: Don Alberto Corporation (Ky) Tr: Baffert Bob(0 0 0 0 .00) 2023:(329 91 .28) Life 4 2 2 0 $596,600 95 2023 4 2 2 0 $596,600 95 2022 0 M 0 0 $0 - 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 4 2 2 0 $596,600 95 Wet(322) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Synth(285) $0 Turf(276) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 3ä23= 8SA fst 1 23¦ :47 1:10©1:41© BCJuvnle-G1 95 8 /9 4¦ô 3¦ô 3¦ 2§ 2«õ Hernandez J J 122b 2.70 95= 05 Fierceness«õ Muthô Locked¦õ Bold bid 3w, hung 7å23= 9SA fst 1 23¦ :46§1:10¦1:42§ AmPharoh-G1 91 2 /8 4¦ô 4¦ 2¦ô 1ô 1¨ö Hernandez J J 122b *.40 98= 06 Muth¨ö Wine Me Upªõ Be You¨õ Ins,bid2w1/4,going awy 13Ý23= 4Dmr fst 6f 21¨ :44¨ :56©1:09 BestPal-G3 93 4 /5 4 2ô 1¦ 2Ç 2©õ Hernandez J J 120b *.50 91= 15 Prince of Monaco©õ Muth©ô Raging Torrent¦ªõ Bp st,prss,clear,yield 18Þ23= 2SA fst 5f 21¨ :44§ :57¦ Md Sp Wt 61k 90 6 /6 2 1¨ 1¬ 1¤ 1¤ö Hernandez J J 118b *.30 105= 06 Muth¤ö El Magnifico¨õ Harry Houdiniô Widened, geared down Justin N. Lane 2-YEAR-OLD MALE FINALIST Muth

DelMarRacing.com Proud to champion racing’s best. From the home of the 2024 and 2025 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club congratulates all of the winners and finalists of this year’s Eclipse Awards. Celebrate the evening and we’ll see you where the turf meets the surf.

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 18 By Nicole Russo Candied, who stretched out to become a Grade 1 winner in just her second start, is among the finalists for the Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding 2-year-old filly of 2023. Candied, by perennial leading sire Candy Ride, was bred in Kentucky by Buck Pond Farm. She was a $165,000 purchase by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale. Prior to the Breeders’ Cup this year, Eclipse principal Aron Wellman said Sean Tugel, the partnership’s vice president for bloodstock, deserves the credit for scouting the filly out. “He spotted her on the sales grounds and was immediately enamored by her,” Wellman said. “Throughout the week she jumped through all his hoops and he was sending me videos and updates on her as we went through our process. We decided we were going to take a swing at her and were very pleased to land her at the price we did, $165,000. That’s not a little amount of money by any stretch of the imagination, but in the grand scheme of the marketplace, relatively speaking, it was a very good value.” Candied debuted at Saratoga for Todd Pletcher in one of the boutique summer meeting’s signature maiden special weight races featuring well-bred and well-meant juveniles who are often earmarked as potential future stakes competitors. Going six furlongs on Aug. 20, she won by three-quarters of a length over $725,000 yearling Catherine Wheel, with favored Munny Rockette, a $1 million juvenile purchase, in third. Off that effort, Candied stepped up to Grade 1 company and stretched out to 1 1/16 miles for the Darley Alcibiades Stakes on opening day of Keeneland’s fall meeting. “I thought the filly had the talent to do it; I was just concerned about the seasoning,” Pletcher said at the time. “Several of the fillies in here that we had to beat today had good, solid campaigns and she was just making her second start. But I’ll tell you, she trained impressively before her debut and she then just kept getting better afterwards. She was finishing her works and galloping out like she wanted more ground.” Candied indeed appreciated the ground. Racing in fourth at the five-sixteenths pole, the filly gamely ground her way through the stretch, putting a head in front of favored V V’s Dream near the furlong grounds and edging clear to win by a length. She did so despite racing on the wrong lead, indicating that more development could be in the offing as she becomes less green. The Alcibiades win earned Candied an automatic berth in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita, in which she drew the inside post in the large field of 12. The filly bobbled at the start, was five wide around the far turn, and brushed with another filly in the stretch. Still, she was making up ground late to finish third, beaten just three-quarters of a length. Three fine performances at three different tracks, while overcoming both her own greenness and racing luck, have made Candied an Eclipse finalist. Candied Own: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners B. f. 2 (Mar) FTKJUL22 $165,000 Sire: Candy Ride*Arg (Ride the Rails) $75,000 Dam:Toni Tools (Roaring Fever) Br: Buck Pond Farm, Inc. (Ky) Tr: Pletcher Todd A(62 11 16 9 .18) 2023:(980 186 .19) Life 3 2 0 1 $595,800 86 2023 3 2 0 1 $595,800 86 2022 0 M 0 0 $0 - 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 3 2 0 1 $595,800 86 Wet(428) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Synth(346) $0 Turf(292) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 3ä23= 6SA fst 1Â 22§ :46¨1:10©1:44§ çBCJuvFil-G1 78 1 /12 10¬ö 8©ô 6© 4§ô 3ö Saez L 122 2.80 87= 05 Just F Y IÉ Jody's Prideô Candied§ö Bobbled,5w,brushed3/16 6å23= 9Kee fst 1Â 23© :48¦1:12¨1:44 çAlcibiad-G1 86 3 /8 5§ô 5¨ô 4§ô 1Ç 1¦ Saez L 122 4.08 83= 18 Candied¦ V V's Dreamªö Alys BeachÇ 2w,bid 4w3/16,left ld 20Ý23= 5Sar fst 6f 22¦ :45¨ :57©1:10© çMd Sp Wt 105k 76 5 /9 7 6¨ô 5§ô 2¦ô 1ö Saez L 119 5.30 88= 14 Candiedö Catherine Wheel¨ô Munny Rockette¬ô 4w pursuit, up late Barbara D. Livingston 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALIST Candied

LEADING THE WAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. 201 W. Main Street, Suite 222 Lexington, KY 40507 50 F Street NW, Suite 430 Washington, D.C. 20001 National Thoroughbred Racing Association From the NTRA’s office in our nation’s capital, former U.S. Congressman and current NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney ensures the industry’s voice is heard by lawmakers through relationships, meetings, and events with key Members of Congress and their staffs. To arrange a visit with Tom and the NTRA staff in the D.C. office, please contact Meghan Rodgers at [email protected].

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 20 By Nicole Russo Hard to Justify’s credentials easily justify her spot among the three finalists for the Eclipse Award as outstanding 2-year-old filly. Her 3-for-3 campaign, highlighted by a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, made her one of the top picks among voters. Hard to Justify, a daughter of Triple Crown winner Justify – also the sire of fellow Breeders’ Cup winner and divisional finalist Just F Y I – was bred in Kentucky by Yeguada Centurion S.L. She was purchased by Wise Racing for $190,000 out of the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale – a relative bargain as she has already earned $687,750 for that stable in her first season of racing. Owner Brian Wise was quick to share credit for scouting out the star. “You know, it’s really all about having the best team in the business,” Wise said at the Breeders’ Cup. “When I say that, it’s that [trainer] Chad Brown and [bloodstock agent] Mike Ryan and [agent and young-horse trainer] Niall Brennan were walking together looking last fall for horses at the Keeneland sale. They spotted this horse that wasn’t even on their radar at first and said, ‘Hey, there’s something about her.’ Then she went down to Niall in Florida. “She just started training and never did anything wrong. It’s luck, but it’s luck that you get when you work with the best people in the world.” Hard to Justify debuted July 23 at Saratoga and turned heads by overcoming a troubled trip. Going 1 1/16 miles on the inner turf course, the filly was steadied at the seven-sixteenths pole, leaving her eighth on the far turn. She relied on her courage to win by a head under Flavien Prat, who was aboard in all three of her starts. Hard to Justify got a cleaner trip but showed the same grit in her next start, the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes on Oct. 4 at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet. The filly raced in second to have dead aim, forged her way to the lead in the stretch, and held sway to the wire to win by a half-length. The waters got deeper in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita, where Hard to Justify drew post 12 in the field of 14. She pressed an honest pace in second, and, as horses began to stack up outside of her entering the stretch, had to work to wear down pacesetting Dreamfyre, who didn’t fold until the late stages. Hard to Justify then held off European Group 1 winner Porta Fortuna by a half-length. “She has a great heart,” Wise said. Hard to Justify added her name to a distinguished list of winners of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, which has been a steady predictor of future talent since it was added to the Breeders’ Cup program in 2008. A number of winners have gone on to additional Grade 1 success, including eventual Eclipse Award champion turf females Lady Eli and Rushing Fall, and Stephanie’s Kitten, who later added a win in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. But before looking to the future, Hard to Justify’s connections can celebrate her current success. Hard to Justify Own: Wise Racing LLC B. f. 2 (Feb) KEESEP22 $190,000 Sire: Justify (Scat Daddy) $100,000 Dam:Instant Reflex (Quality Road) Br: Yeguada Centurion S.L. (Ky) Tr: Brown Chad C(81 17 11 10 .21) 2023:(909 207 .23) Life 3 3 0 0 $687,750 85 2023 3 3 0 0 $687,750 85 2022 0 M 0 0 $0 - 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 0 0 0 0 $0 - Wet(350) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Synth(338) $0 Turf(304) 3 3 0 0 $687,750 85 Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 3ä23= 7SA fm 1 ê 22© :47¨1:11 1:34§ çBCJvFlTf-G1 85 12/14 2¦ 2ô 2¦ 2Ç 1ô Prat F 122 9.10 88= 11 HardtoJustifyô PortaFortunaÇ SheFeelsPrettyö Prssd2w,led,prevailed 4å23= 5BAQ fm 1Âê 23© :50 1:14¦1:43© çMsGrillo-G2 80 1 /11 2¦ô 2¦ 2Ç 1ô 1ô Prat F 120 7.30 81= 12 Hard to Justifyô Life's an Audible¦ Whimsically§ö 3w in aim, gamely 23Û23= 1Sar fm 1ÂÑ 24¦ :49¨1:14¨1:45 çMd Sp Wt 105k 59 2 /10 6ªô 6© 8ªö 5¦ö 1Ç Prat F 119 3.00 77= 19 Hard to JustifyÇ Appellateô Snow Dance§õ Steady 7/16,gd courage Barbara D. Livingston 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALIST Hard to Justify

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 22 By Nicole Russo Just F Y I put together an unbeaten three-start campaign in 2023, capped by a victory in the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, to make herself a finalist for the Eclipse Award as champion 2-yearold filly. History is on her side. Since the first running of the Breeders’ Cup in 1984, 34 winners of the Juvenile Fillies have been honored with the Eclipse Award as outstanding 2-year-old filly. Kentucky-bred Just F Y I, an April foal, races as a homebred for California-based George Krikorian. The daughter of Triple Crown winner Justify – also the sire of fellow Breeders’ Cup winner and divisional finalist Hard to Justify – is out of Krikorian’s stakes-placed homebred Star Act, who in turn is out of the owner’s Grade 1-winning millionaire Starrer. Krikorian placed the big bay with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. “It’s very special,” Mott said last fall. Krikorian “has been a very good client and he sends me some horses that he thinks are going to be okay. I have a small group of horses for him, but they are all quite nice.” Mott unveiled Just F Y I on the Travers Stakes undercard on Aug. 26 at Saratoga, giving a leg up to Junior Alvarado, who remained her rider all season. In a field of 10 well-bred and well-meant fillies, Just F Y I was up late to win the six-furlong race by a head. The filly stretched out to a mile and stepped up in class for the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes on Oct. 7 at the Belmont at Aqueduct fall meet – and had to contend with a sloppy, sealed track to boot. She handled the conditions with aplomb, edging away in the stretch to win by 3 3/4 lengths. Just F Y I drew the outside post in a field of 12 for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 3 at Santa Anita and was sent away as the third choice in the 1 1/16-mile race. Just F Y I sat in second off favored Tamara in the early going and willingly moved up to engage her when Alvarado asked on the far turn. “By the half-mile pole, I was excited,” Alvarado said postrace. “I knew what I had under me.” Just F Y I forged her way to command inside the three-sixteenths pole, shook clear to a 1 1/2-length lead in midstretch, and then held sway gamely, staving off Jody’s Pride’s rally to win by a neck. Just F Y I’s pair of Grade 1 victories in the fall gave her 40 points to top the early leaderboard for the Kentucky Oaks in May at Churchill Downs. Mott is hopeful the filly will come out even better when she begins serious 3-year-old training with him in Florida. “Hopefully, she is the type that will [mature well] because she is a big, scopey filly and it looks like she has room to fill out and mature,” Mott said following the Breeders’ Cup. “She is still kind of a big string bean. But she is very athletic.” Just F Y I Own: Krikorian George B. f. 2 (Apr) Sire: Justify (Scat Daddy) $100,000 Dam:Star Act (Street Cry*Ire) Br: George Krikorian (Ky) Tr: Mott William I(54 10 2 7 .19) 2023:(649 103 .16) Life 3 3 0 0 $1,317,750 79 2023 3 3 0 0 $1,317,750 79 2022 0 M 0 0 $0 - 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 2 2 0 0 $1,097,750 79 Wet(349) 1 1 0 0 $220,000 75 Synth(353) $0 Turf(305) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 3ä23= 6SA fst 1Â 22§ :46¨1:10©1:44§ çBCJuvFil-G1 79 12/12 2¦ô 2¦ 2ô 1¦ô 1É Alvarado J 122 7.00 88= 05 Just F Y IÉ Jody's Prideô Candied§ö Bid 3w, clear, lasted 7å23= 5BAQ slyø 1 23¨ :47¨1:13 1:37§ çFrizette-G1 75 5 /6 3§ 3§ô 1Ç 1§ 1¨ö Alvarado J 120 4.80 88= 12 Just F Y I¨ö Central Avenueô Life Talk¦ 4-5w upper, edged clr 26Ý23= 6Sar fst 6f 22 :45 :57¨1:11 çMd Sp Wt 105k 70 9 /10 3 4§ô 3¦ 2¦ 1Ç Alvarado J 119 3.75 87= 10 Just F Y IÇ Shop Lifting§ö She's Wicked Smartö 3-4w upper, just up Susie Raisher 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY FINALIST Just F Y I

24 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA APPRENTICE JOCKEY FINALISTS By Mary Rampellini Axel Concepcion is an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2023 after a year in which he led his division in both wins and mount earnings and also secured the spring riding title at Laurel Park. Concepcion is an 18-year-old native of Puerto Rico. He compiled a record of 198 wins from 1,002 starts last year, for mount earnings of $5,172,124. He started 2023 with a Jan. 19 win at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, and by February was based in Maryland. Concepcion nailed down his first career title in May, when a riding double on the final card of the Laurel spring meet locked up the top spot in the track’s overall standings. He became just the fourth apprentice in the last decade to win a title at Laurel, according to the Maryland Jockey Club. “The wins are coming and thank God for two wins today,” Concepcion told Laurel’s publicity department. “I ride all my horses with confidence. Thanks to all the owners and trainers that help me. In the morning I work very hard for this, my first meet that I win. I’m very grateful.” Another high point for Concepcion came Aug. 19, when he won his first stakes race in the $75,000 Find at Laurel. He guided Field Pass to a neck victory. It was one of four winners on the card for Concepcion. Concepcion’s season was not without some difficulty. He was handed a pair of 30- day suspensions by Delaware Park’s stewards for careless riding last fall. The rider is a graduate of the Escuela Vocacional Hipica jockey school in Puerto Rico. AXEL CONCEPCION By Mary Rampellini Jaime A. Torres wrapped up his riding apprenticeship in October, and the $4,255,679 in mount earnings he won with the bug last year is one of the central reasons he is an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2023. The total ranked second among all North American-based apprentices in 2023, and it was achieved in less than a calendar year as Torres began riding as a journeyman on Oct. 15. During his time as an apprentice in 2023, he won 85 races from 667 starts. Torres ranked as the leading apprentice on the New York Racing Association circuit for 2023. The 24-year-old native of Puerto Rico was humbled by the title, he told NYRA. “No one in my family is related to this sport,” Torres said. “I remember one day I was at my mom’s home just changing the channels and I saw the races in Puerto Rico and I had never seen anything like that – only in the movies. I went to the races the next day – that was December 15, 2019. I saw the races and fell in love with it. I decided then to ask for more information about how to get into it.” Torres attended a jockey school in Puerto Rico and later worked as an exercise rider for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in Florida. The rider’s first win came Sept. 17, 2022, at Gulfstream Park. Torres has since made a smooth transition to journeyman status, winning the first two stakes races of his career on a single card Dec. 23 at Fair Grounds. JAIME A. TORRES By Mary Rampellini Sofia Vives is an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2023 because of the wins and mount earnings she compiled while riding in Canada. Vives, a 21-year-old native of South Carolina, ranked second in wins among North American-based apprentices last year, with 122 from 764 starts. She racked up $3,569,901 in mount earnings in 2023 to rank fourth in that category after wrapping up her season Dec. 17. Vives was a regular at Woodbine in Toronto last year and also won races at Fort Erie, and at home in the United States at Parx Racing. She was born into a racing family, as her father, Lazaro Vives, and her uncle, Juan Carlos Vives, were jockeys, she told Woodbine’s publicity department. Vives prepared for her riding career working for trainer Mark Casse at his training center in Ocala, Fla. Casse has long been a dominant trainer at Woodbine and topped the standings there in 2023. “I came up here with Mark Casse,” Vives told Daily Racing Form at the outset of her riding career in November 2022. “I started galloping for him two years ago.” Vives told Woodbine publicity her first role with Casse was working maintenance at the farm in Ocala. “I would always sneak a look at the horses going out to the track and watch them flying around out there,” she said. “I knew that’s where I wanted to be one day.” Safe to say, Vives has arrived. SOFIA VIVES

INTERNAL USE The Gulfstream Park Horsemen congratulate the Eclipse Award Champions of 2023. As we honor the Gulfstream Park Champions of 2023: Amstrong – Tapeta Colt Il Miracolo – 3 Yr. Old Colt Battle Cry – Tapeta Filly Time Passage – 3 Yr. Old Filly Bentornato -2 Yr.Old Colt Dean Delivers – Older Colt R Harper Rose -2 Yr.Old Filly Three Witches – Older Filly

26 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA As a part of tonight’s festivities, to salute horseplayers throughout North America, we recognize Paul Calia, of Kansas City, Mo., winner of the 2023 NTRA Horseplayer of the Year for capturing the 24th annual NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) at Horseshoe Las Vegas. Calia toppled a field of 779 entries on March 10-12 to take home the grand prize of $800,000 and an Eclipse Award crowning him Horseplayer of the Year. It was the first contest Calia had ever won. Calia amassed a winning score of $362.50 on his first entry and $305.50 on his second entry, over the three-day tournament from 53 mythical $2 win and place bets – 18 on Friday, 18 on Saturday, 10 in Sunday morning’s semifinal round, and seven at the exciting Final Table that ultimately yielded his victory. He is the first winner to also finish in the top 10 with a second entry, which placed fourth. “I started a little slow on Friday, thought I handicapped okay with some seconds and thirds. But Saturday I was pretty hot, and pretty much hit every longshot. It’s hard to put into words how many winners I picked on Saturday,” Calia said. When asked about his approach to playing two cards in the final table he said, “I don’t know how to describe it. I didn’t switch a lot of picks, I don’t let the odds affect me. I only switched about 10 to 15 percent of my picks between cards, one or two a day, that’s it.” His strategy paid off. Calia took home $950,000, including $150,000 for his fourth-place finish. With his victory, Calia earned an exemption into this year’s NHC and a berth to the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge worth $10,000. Instead of winning a second BCBC entry, which he won by finishing first on day two (Saturday), he instead took home $10,000 cash. That made his full earnings from the weekend a whopping $960,000. “There are three pillars to the sport of Thoroughbred racing – you have the horse and its connections, the racetracks, and the horseplayer,” NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney said after the tournament. “So, if horse racing is a three-legged stool, we aren’t anything without the horseplayer. My family’s relationship with this sport and with football all traces back to playing horses. The excitement at the NHC is vital to everything we do as an industry. This year’s NHC is bigger than ever before and I’m proud that the NTRA has this unique opportunity to showcase the best of the best in handicapping and celebrate what it means to be a horseplayer.” The 25th NTRA National Horseplayers Championship presented by Racetrack Television Network (RTN), Caesars Entertainment, and Horseshoe Las Vegas, will be held March 15-17. P aul Calia 2023 NTRA HORSEPLAYER OF THE YEAR Barbara D. Livingston

28 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA By Matt Hegarty Stuart Janney III, chairman of The Jockey Club, has been a prime mover behind the two most significant developments in Thoroughbred racing in the past decade. As the guiding force behind The Jockey Club, Janney pushed the organization in 2016 to hire a private investigatory company, 5 Stones Intelligence, to gather evidence and leads into the illegal use of drugs in racing. The company’s efforts were passed on to federal investigators, who, early in 2020, arrested 30 individuals involved in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing on charges related to illegal drug use. The subsequent prosecution of the individuals revealed gaping holes in racing’s regulatory structure, which led to the approval of federal legislation at the end of 2020 establishing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. Similar legislation had been pushed unsuccessfully by Janney and others at The Jockey Club for nearly a decade, but it was the revelations in the 2020 indictments that provided the final push over the line. Janney took the helm of The Jockey Club in 2015, succeeding Ogden Mills “Dinny” Phipps, his cousin. The two shared the same outlook on racing: The Sport of Kings was in peril, and it would take a rejection of the status quo and aggressive action to shake it up. Though Phipps, who died in 2016, would not live to see the efforts bear fruit, Janney honored his memory by continuing the fight. Although the last decade has been Janney’s most influential in racing, his history with the sport stretches back to his parents, who bred and raced Ruffian and other top horses. Although Janney had very little direct involvement in racing until the 1990s, when he began breeding his own horses, he quickly immersed himself in the industry in his native state, Maryland, taking a position on the board of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and acting as the president of the Maryland Million from 1994 to 1997. He subsequently was the chairman of a special commission that studied ways to improve Maryland racing. Janney was a board member at Keeneland from 1998 to 2015, and he remains a board member of the New York Racing Association, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Equibase Company, and Bloodhorse LLC. He was influential in the 2008 creation of The Jockey Club’s Thoroughbred Safety Committee, which has annually issued recommendations to the industry on best practices, and he acted as its chair until 2016. As an owner and breeder, Janney has campaigned numerous top-class horses including homebred stakes winners Coronado’s Quest, winner of the Haskell and Travers Stakes in 1998, Air Support, Criminologist, Data Link, Hymn Book, Ironicus, Norumbega, and On Leave, among others. Janney, in partnership with the Phipps Stable, was co-owner and cobreeder of 2013 Kentucky Derby winner Orb as well as Grade 1 winner Carriage Trail. AWARD OF MERIT Stuart Janney Jockey Club photo

v CONGRATULATIONS Honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit For decades, you have served Thoroughbred racing, and our firm, with the utmost integrity, courage, and visionary leadership. Stuart S. Janney, III

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 32 By Steve Andersen A gelding who began the season as a maiden race winner with plenty to prove did that and much more in 2023. Awakened won the first Grade 1 race of his career at the famous Saratoga meeting in August and ended the season as a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding steeplechaser of the year. Awakened, who races for Riverdee Stable and Ten Strike Racing, was never worse than third in five starts, won twice, and was at his best in the spring and summer. He showed the sort of improvement that not only pushed him to the fore of the national division in 2023, but tipped that he could reach even greater heights in the future. A gelding by Curlin bred in Kentucky by Phipps Stable, Awakened began his 6-year-old season with a third-place finish in an allowance race over hurdles at 2 1/8 miles at Middleburg, Virginia, in April. The race served as a good start to the season, a prep for a convincing win by 4 3/4 lengths in an allowance race over hurdles at 2 3/8 miles at Malvern, Pa., in late May. Awakened was eligible for stakes in the novice division when the Saratoga meeting began. Fisher took advantage of the restricted status to start Awakened in the Jonathan Kiser Novices’ Hurdle at 2 1/16 miles on Aug. 2. Awakened closed from fourth in a field of eight to finish a clear second behind McTigue. The performance was bright enough to justify a start in the premier jump race of the Saratoga season, the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard Handicap at 2 3/8 miles on Aug. 23. Dismissed at 6-1 in the $150,000 race, Awakened closed from ninth of 10 to win by a length in the best performance of his career. “I was pretty confident, just because I knew he’d like the distance and I knew he’d like the ground being firm,” Fisher told New York Racing Association publicity. The win provided a remarkable milestone for owner Riverdee Stable’s Sean Clancy, the award-winning journalist, who this year won his second Eclipse for writing. Not only was the Sheppard the first Grade 1 win for Riverdee Stable, but Clancy won the corresponding race as a jockey in 1988, when it was known as the New York Turf Writers Cup. Clancy had followed Awakened since the gelding won a maiden race at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Ellis Park in the summer of 2021 in his 10th and final start for Shug McGaughey. Awakened won a maiden race over hurdles in his fourth start over obstacles in 2022. Remarkably, another former McGaughey-trained runner, Snap Decision, also is a finalist for the 2023 steeplechase Eclipse Award. Awakened was held out of the Grand National meeting at Far Hills in New Jersey in October because of concern over wet ground. Instead, Awakened finished his 2023 season with a third-place finish behind Snap Decision in the Grade 2 Zeke Ferguson Memorial Handicap Hurdle at Great Meadow in Virginia in late October. Awakened Own: Riverdee Stable and Ten Strike Racing Ch. g. 6 (Feb) Sire: Curlin (Smart Strike) $225,000 Dam:Daydreaming (A.P. Indy) Br: Phipps Stable (Ky) Tr: Fisher Jack(0 0 0 0 .00) 2023:(115 24 .21) Life 21 5 3 4 $255,330 79 2023 5 2 1 2 $132,500 - 2022 6 2 2 0 $65,500 70 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 5 0 0 2 $18,360 79 Wet(443) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Synth(342) $0 Turf(304) 6 2 0 0 $68,970 73 Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 28å23= 5GrM fm 2°ê Hurdles 3:55© 4ÎFrgsnMmH-G2 - 4 /6 4¤ô 6¦« 4ªô 4« 3ª Garner T L150 2.10 - - Snap Decision¨ West Newton§ Awakened§ Closed well Hand timed 23Ý23= 1Sar fm 2´ê Hurdles 4:32§ 4ÎJShpprdH-G1 - 3 /10 9« 9©ö 6¨ô 3ô 1¦ Garner T 146 6.20 - - Awakened¦ Jimmy PÉ McTigue¬ Svd grnd,jmpd well,bid 2Ý23= 1Sar fm 2Âê Hurdles 3:44¦ 4ÎËJKiserNnv75k - 1 /8 4ªô 4¤ 3«ô 2©ô 2¨ö Garner T 153 3.70 - - McTigue¨ö Awakened¦¥ö Merry Maker¦ô Tracked ins, 2nd best 20Ü23= 4Mal fm 2´ê Hurdles 4:25¦ 4ÎAlw 30000C - 4 /9 2§ 2¦ 1¦ 1¦ô 1©ö Bargary J L154 - - - Awakened©ö Who's Counting¨ Eternal Story©ö Drew off Hand timed 22ß23= 2Mid fm 2°ê Hurdles 4:16¨ 4ÎAlw 35000N2L - 6 /6 4¨ô 3ªô 4© 3¨ô 3©ö Bargary J L154 - - - The Hero Next Door¦ô Neotropic¨õ Awakened§õ Gave chase Hand timed Barbara D. Livingston STEEPLECHASE HORSE FINALIST Awakened

Congratulations to our Steeplechase Nominees! National Steeplechase Association 400 Fair Hill Drive, Elkton, MD 21921 Bill Gallo, Director of Racing 443-553-1882 nationalsteeplechase.com

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 34 By Steve Andersen On the final circuit of the Grade 1 Lonesome Glory Hurdle at Aqueduct in September, Merry Maker crossed the last obstacle trailing the field of seven. The position was not a major concern for jockey Parker Hendriks, who assessed that Merry Maker was in contention with a half-mile remaining. “My guy just kept grinding to the wire,” Hendriks said. Merry Maker’s sustained rally resulted in a 15-1 upset win in the most prestigious victory of his career. The $150,000 Lonesome Glory at 2 1/2 miles is New York’s top jump race of the autumn. Combined with a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Grand National Hurdle Stakes at Far Hills in New Jersey in October, Merry Maker accomplished enough in 2023 to merit a position as a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the season’s outstanding steeplechaser. The Lonesome Glory was the highlight of the season for Merry Maker, who races for Hurricana Farm and trainer Archibald Kingsley Jr. Merry Maker led a sweep of the first three positions in the Lonesome Glory for Kingsley’s three runners in the field of seven. “I thought he would run a big race,” Hendriks said. “He was all guts and all heart to get it done.” The Lonesome Glory was a handicap, and Merry Maker had a light assignment of 142 pounds compared to top weight of 162 for Snap Decision, a finalist for the 2022 Eclipse Award. Snap Decision, the 1-2 favorite, set the pace in the Lonesome Glory, but faded in the final quarter-mile to finish a well-beaten fourth. Hendriks sensed that Snap Decision was a vulnerable favorite in the last half-mile. “I could see he was fading,” Hendriks told New York Racing Association publicity. Merry Maker, an Irish-bred gelding by Malinas out of Sparkling Gem, won 2 of 5 starts through 2023. He began his 6-year-old season with a win in an allowance race over hurdles at 2 1/8 miles at Great Meadow in Virginia in May and later finished third in the Jonathan Kiser Novice Hurdle on Aug. 2 at Saratoga. Merry Maker was only fourth of 10 in the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard Hurdle on Aug. 23 at Saratoga in his final start prior to the Lonesome Glory. In the Grand National at 2 5/8 miles, Merry Maker closed from seventh of eight to finish a clear second to surprise winner Noah And The Ark. In his eight-race career, which began with a maiden race win over hurdles in Virginia in the fall of 2021, Merry Maker has earned $197,450. He earned $180,000 in 2023, the highest of the season for an American steeplechaser. Merry Maker’s inexperience left Kingsley hopeful for more improvement from the relatively young runner, who is a 7-year-old in 2024. “It’s a journey with these horses,” he said on the day of the Lonesome Glory. “They develop over time, and it takes time to grow into this kind of horse. You’re looking at a progression of a horse in his development.” Merry Maker (Ire) Own: Hurricana Farm B. g. 6 (May) Sire: Malinas*Ger (Lomitas*GB) $5,000 Dam:Sparkling Gem*Ire (Revoque*Ire) Br: Matthew Hayes (Ire) Tr: Kingsley A J Jr(0 0 0 0 .00) 2023:(60 10 .17) Life 8 3 1 1 $197,450 - 2023 5 2 1 1 $180,000 - 2022 2 0 0 0 $2,450 - 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 0 0 0 0 $0 - Wet(395) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Synth(316) $0 Turf(329*) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 21å23= 6FH yl 2¸ê Hurdles 5:41¦ 4ÎGrandNat-G1 - 7 /8 7®ô 5ªô 4§ 2§ 2ªõ Hendriks P 156 12.30 - - Noah And The Arkªõ Merry Maker¦¥ö Seddon§õ Second best Hand timed 14æ23= 1BAQ gd 2¶ê Hurdles 4:41 4ÎLnsmGryH-G1 - 3 /7 7¬ 7¬ô 7ªö 3¦ô 1ô Hendriks P 142 15.90 - - Merry Makerô L'Imperatorªô Barbados§ô Slw st,ins,4w5th,7w1/4 23Ý23= 1Sar fm 2´ê Hurdles 4:32§ 4ÎJShpprdH-G1 - 6 /10 10® 10«õ 10¬ö 5© 4¤õ Watters G 144 20.60 - - Awakened¦ Jimmy PÉ McTigue¬ Toss head f1,bobbld f4 2Ý23= 1Sar fm 2Âê Hurdles 3:44¦ 4ÎËJKiserNnv75k - 2 /8 7¬ 6®ô 4¬ô 3¦¥ 3¦©ô Watters G 153 8.50 - - McTigue¨ö Awakened¦¥ö Merry Maker¦ô Saved grd, improved 6Ü23= 3GrM gd 2°ê Hurdles 4:15© 4ÎAlw 45000N2L - 8 /9 8ªõ 8ªõ 5¦õ 1¦ô 1§ô Mulqueen S 154 8.00 - - Merry Maker§ô Modus Operandi§ Neotropic¦ö Closed, drew clear Hand timed Barbara D. Livingston STEEPLECHASE HORSE FINALIST Merry M aker (IRE)

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 36 By Steve Andersen The 2023 jump racing season was typical of recent years – Snap Decision was very much part of the discussion among the game’s best performers. Major stakes wins in the spring and fall have left Snap Decision among the finalists for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding steeplechaser for a remarkable fourth consecutive year. Owned by the Bruton Street-US partnership of Mike Hankin, Charlie Fenwick, and Charlie Noell and trained by Jack Fisher, Snap Decision won 2 of 5 starts in 2023, bookending the season with wins in Virginia. Along the way, the gelding, who raced as a 9-year-old in 2023, surpassed $1 million in earnings, which includes a successful time at the start of his career on the flat when trained by Shug McGaughey. Snap Decision, by Hard Spun and bred by Phipps Stable in Kentucky, had his debut over obstacles in spring 2019 and has won 12 of 23 such races. His two wins in 2023 were his fifth and sixth graded stakes wins over hurdles. The season began with a win in the Grade 2 Temple Gwathmey Hurdle in Middleburg, Va., in April, when Snap Decision led throughout the 2 1/2-mile race. Three weeks later, Snap Decision was second to the Irish import Scaramanga in the Grade 1 Calvin Houghland Iroquois Stakes at three miles outside of Nashville. Snap Decision underwent surgery for an entrapped epiglottis shortly thereafter. Snap Decision was held out of the Grade 1 handicap hurdles at Saratoga since he would have carried substantially more than his rivals. Instead, Snap Decision returned to action as the 1-2 favorite in the Lonesome Glory Hurdle at 2 1/2 miles at the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting in September, also a handicap. Carrying 162 pounds, at least 20 pounds more than any of the other runners, Snap Decision led to the turn before fading to finish fourth behind Merry Maker, who carried 142 pounds. Snap Decision started in the Grand National Hurdle at Far Hills in New Jersey for the third consecutive year in October. While he was a game second by only a half-length in a thrilling running on firm ground in 2021, Snap Decision was sixth of nine on yielding turf in 2022. Conditions were not much better in 2023, another yielding course. Snap Decision was pulled up on the final circuit when trailing. He was none worse for the wear. Just a week later, Snap Decision was back on the track in the Grade 2 Zeke Ferguson Memorial Handicap Hurdle at 2 1/8 miles at Great Meadow in Virginia. Taking his customary position near the front, Snap Decision took the lead in the final half-mile and won by three lengths as the favorite. The winner’s share of the $75,000 race was worth $45,000 and gave Snap Decision career earnings of $1,000,834. Snap Decision Own: Bruton Street-US B. g. 9 (Apr) Sire: Hard Spun (Danzig) $35,000 Dam:Salute (Unbridled) Br: Phipps Stable (Ky) Tr: Fisher Jack(0 0 0 0 .00) 2023:(115 24 .21) Life 42 15 9 7 $1,000,834 90 2023 5 2 1 0 $151,500 - 2022 6 2 2 1 $237,000 89 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 2 0 0 1 $15,120 89 Wet(409) 1 0 0 0 $3,360 81 Synth(349) $0 Turf(323) 16 2 2 6 $187,954 90 Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 28å23= 5GrM fm 2°ê Hurdles 3:55© 4ÎFrgsnMmH-G2 - 2 /6 2¦ 2§ô 1ô 1¦ô 1¨ Watters G L162 *1.40 - - Snap Decision¨ West Newton§ Awakened§ Strong finish Hand timed 21å23= 6FH yl 2¸ê Hurdles 5:41¦ 4ÎGrandNat-G1 - 4 /8 4ªô 7¤ô - - - Watters G L156 3.80 - - Noah And The Arkªõ Merry Maker¦¥ö Seddon§õ Pulled up two out Hand timed 14æ23= 1BAQ gd 2¶ê Hurdles 4:41 4ÎLnsmGryH-G1 - 1 /7 1¦ô 1ô 1¦ô 2ô 4¤ô Watters G 162 *.55 - - Merry Makerô L'Imperatorªô Barbados§ô Jumped well,weakened 13Ü23= 5PW gd 3 ê Hurdles 5:49¦ 4ÎIroquois-G1 - 3 /8 1§ 1¦ 1ô 2ô 2¨ö McDermott S L158 - - - Scaramng¨ö SnpDecisionô ScorpionsRevenge¨õ Led, outrun late, game Hand timed 22ß23= 4Mid fm 2¶ê Hurdles 5:29 4ÎTmplGwmH-G2 - 5 /5 1¦ô 1¦ 1ô 1§ 1¨ö Watters G L158 - - - Snap Decision¨ö Redicean§¥ Belfast Banter¦© Hand ride, handily Hand timed Barbara D. Livingston STEEPLECHASE HORSE FINALIST Snap Decision

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38 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA By Matt Hegarty Carolyn Simancik, a photographer for Eclipse Sportswire, was positioned in the bird’s nest on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park near the head of the stretch, awaiting the start of the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Her favorite horse on the card, Cody’s Wish, was odds-on to win. Cody’s Wish raced behind the entire pack of horses going into the first turn as National Treasure led the seven-horse field through early fractions. As Cody’s Wish made his run to the front, he had to weave through the pack. At the quarter pole, he hooked up with National Treasure, bumped him a few times, and eventually prevailed by a nose. “I think I had seven heart attacks,” Simancik said. She also had multiple head-on shots of the tight finish on her camera, including what would become the Eclipse Award winner for Photography, a close-quarters shot rich with the details that told the story of the race. This was the first Eclipse for Simancik, who started her career as a professional photographer in 2021. Previously, she was the breeding manager at an equine hospital in Oklahoma before “falling in love” with both Thoroughbreds and photography. In her winning picture, Cody’s Wish is covered in dirt, his ears pinned, his black forelock flecked with dry gray dirt. His jockey, Junior Alvarado, appears motionless, as if resolute and confident. To his inside, Flavien Prat is holding the right rein of National Treasure a half-arm’s length from the horse’s neck, while National Treasure himself appears to be anxiously eyeing his competition. After the race, up in the bird’s nest, Simancik flipped through the photos. She immediately knew she had something special. “I felt like it defined him,” Simancik said. “He’s covered in dirt, and he’s still going, eyes straight ahead, like he knows what he’s got to do.” CAROLYN SIMANCIK PHOTOGRAPHY Wendy Wooley MEDIA

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40 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA By Matt Hegarty Over the last 10 years, Tim Layden, a writer-at-large for NBC Sports, has emerged as an authoritative mainstream voice for racing at a time when coverage of the sport has shrunk dramatically. It’s the role once played in racing by Jim McKay or William Nack, reporters and writers whose words, whether written or spoken, carry the weight of expertise. Layden, who lives in Connecticut, won his second consecutive Eclipse Award for Feature/Commentary Writing in 2023 by focusing on a weighty topic – the tragic, horrific death of the 3-year-old filly Maple Leaf Mel after she sustained a catastrophic injury deep in the stretch of the Test Stakes, a race that was broadcast nationally. This was the fourth Eclipse Award for Layden. Including last year’s award, Layden also won a writing Eclipse in 2018 and 1987. Layden’s story, which was published two months after the incident, relied heavily on interviews with Melanie Giddings, Maple Leaf Mel’s trainer and namesake. It also included detailed descriptions of Maple Leaf Mel’s necropsy report, which did not find any physical factors that are commonly associated with horses at risk for injuries. In between, Layden’s piece examines other high-profile fatalities that occurred in 2023, provoking questions about racing’s long-term sustainability in a culture that is increasingly sensitive to issues of animal welfare. “Painfully, horse fatalities have been an ongoing and important narrative in the sport, and we felt it was important to find an access point for the narrative as the 2023 season ended,” Layden said. “Maple Leaf Mel’s breakdown and death was an especially difficult moment, because of the stage, but also because people inside racing knew that Mel was treated with the best of care. Often we look for villains, in all stories, but we were unlikely to find any here. That’s what made the story so complicated and important.” By Matt Hegarty Like everyone at Saratoga Race Course on the afternoon of Aug. 5 last summer, Sean Clancy was reduced to heartbroken silence at the sight of Maple Leaf Mel breaking down in deep stretch of the Grade 1 Test Stakes. “I just remember having to sit down,” Clancy said. “I had just said, ‘Look at what a special filly that is,’ and then it happened.” A lifelong racetracker and veteran reporter, Clancy was set to cover the Whitney Stakes later that day for the publication he co-founded, the Saratoga Special. In the immediate aftermath of the breakdown, he found himself hovering near the winner’s circle. An old friend, trainer Brendan Walsh, was heading toward the backstretch after declining a trophy presentation for his filly, Pretty Mischievous, who had won the Test by default. “I saw him get into his golf cart, and so I just sat next to him,” Clancy said. “I was doing it more of as a friend.” Clancy spent the next three hours with Walsh, surrounded by the somber backstretch rituals that accompany tragedy. Trainers, jockeys, hotwalkers, and valets, they all said one thing or another to Walsh, who couldn’t shake the horrible feelings of winning the race. Clancy recorded it all. Later that night, he wrote it all down, making deadline for the Sunday edition. What emerged was an intimate portrait of the backside, familiar to many in racing but rendered unique by the tragic circumstances, told by an observer who couldn’t help but feel tied to the subject of his story. “I feel like we’re one of the voices for [the Saratoga racing community],” Clancy said, referring to the Saratoga Special and its staff. “And I remember thinking that night that the backstretchers were going to need our words tomorrow morning. Because we were all there. We were all going through the same thing.” TIM LAYDEN SEAN CLANCY WRITING – FEATURE/COMMENTARY WRITING – NEWS/ENTERPRISE MEDIA

42 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA MEDIA By Matt Hegarty To members of the racing community, the story of a horse named after a boy with the rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome immediately conjures the name Cody Dorman, the late namesake of the champion horse Cody’s Wish. Dorman’s relationship with the horse generated headlines around the country. But incredibly, there’s another: Carson Yost, the 31-year-old son of Wade Yost and namesake of Carson’s Run, a 2-year-old colt who won the Grade 1 bet365 Summer Stakes for West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey in late September 2023. After the Summer Stakes, the “Writers’ Room” podcast of Thoroughbred Daily News invited Wade Yost to the show to discuss the special circumstances that led to the naming of the horse. The episode won this year’s Eclipse Award for Multimedia. On the podcast, Carson Yost appears alongside his father, a Gulf War veteran who has known Terry Finley, the president of West Point Thoroughbreds, for decades. As Wade Yost describes his relationship with Finley and the impact of the horse’s success on his family’s relationships, Carson Yost hugs and leans into his father, providing touching scenes that accent the emotional weight of Wade’s story. “All credit to Wade for his openness and honesty,” said Susan Finley, president and chief executive officer of TDN (who is not related to Terry Finley). “We did not know that Carson was going to appear on the podcast with him, and that ended up showing us all how special the relationship is.” The hosts of the broadcast were Bill Finley, Randy Moss, and Zoe Cadman. The podcast was produced by Katie Petrunyak and Anthony LaRocca, with editing from Alia LaRocca and Nathan Wilkinson. By Matt Hegarty NBC Sports won its fourth consecutive Eclipse Award for Live Television Production for its coverage of the two-day Breeders’ Cup event on Nov. 3-4, and it’s not hard to fathom why. There are very few television productions that stretch for 9 1/2 hours over two days. Though the broadcast aired on three different channels, the production itself is put together by a single team at NBC, anchored by Lindsay Schanzer, a senior producer at NBC Sports. “Two days of racing is an enormous undertaking from a broadcasting perspective,” Schanzer said. Here are some numbers: 75 different video sources, including a special gyro camera that was mounted on a vehicle in the infield that could capture both the backstretch action and the stunning backdrop of the San Gabriel mountains framing Santa Anita Park. A dozen on-air analysts, commentators, and reporters. Fourteen live races, broadcast back-to-back-to-back, with the entire production crew responsible for knowing the myriad angles, both human and equine, that form the interior narratives of each of those contests. In addition to Schanzer, the broadcast was produced by Billy Matthews, with Amy Zimmerman as co-producer. It was directed by Kaare Numme. Ron Vacarro was the vice president of editorial, and John Furlong was the editorial producer. On-air talent included Ahmed Fareed, Britney Eurton, Jerry Bailey, Randy Moss, Nick Luck, Kenny Rice, Donna Brothers, Eddie Olczyk, Matt Bernier, Steve Kornacki, Larry Collmus, and Tim Layden. This was the 40th Breeders’ Cup held, and NBC has been the event’s broadcast partner for nearly every running. “We relished the opportunity to celebrate the origin and ensuing four-decade run of what has become the capstone of the yearly racing calendar and were delighted to bring the unforgettable moments of year 40’s champions to audiences worldwide,” Schanzer said. By Matt Hegarty Replays of Secretariat’s victories in the three 1973 Triple Crown races were a ubiquitous feature of racing broadcasts in 2023, the 50th anniversary of his feat. Viewers were able to relive the indelible moments of those three races – the deafening roar at Churchill Downs as Secretariat effortlessly passed Sham in deep stretch, the timing controversy at Pimlico, and the stride of the “tremendous machine” who shook Belmont Park. The producers in Woodbine Entertainment’s broadcast department got in on the action too. And in “Secretariat: The Last Race,” an eight-minute production that aired on the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s win in Woodbine’s Canadian International, they got an Eclipse Award for Television Feature for their efforts. Relying on a mix of archival footage and interviews with those who witnessed or had a part in the race – including Secretariat’s jockey that day, Eddie Maple – the production recreated the drama and excitement that surrounded Secretariat’s visit to Woodbine. The archival footage shows his arrival at the nearby airport, portions of his work prior to the race, and his easy victory, including the dramatic shot – deserving of its own annual replay – of hordes of attendees jumping the rail on the dirt track to get a closer look at Secretariat as he approaches the wire unchallenged. Rob Platts, the director of broadcasting for Woodbine, said that the archival footage had been sorted and stored at the track since the race, giving the team loads of video material to work with. The broadcast team then swept out to get interviews with Woodbine horsemen who had been at the race to fill out the feature, alongside the interview with Maple. The broadcast was produced by Tammy Gillanders, with support from Phil McSween and Paul Salvalaggio. The directors of photography were David Syrie and Rob Deluca, and Andrew Doherty was the editor. TDN NBC SPORTS WOODBINE AUDIO/MULTIMEDIA INTERNET TELEVISION – LIVE TELEVISION – FEATURE

44 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA By Matt Hegarty For decades, Tom Hammond has been one of the most recognizable figures in sports, his face smiling through the television screen to millions upon millions of households watching horse racing, football, and the Olympics. But it’s not just the face. “When Tom would slide into the host chair a couple of hours before the Kentucky Derby, and ‘that voice’ would suddenly fill the airwaves, it was a jolt of adrenaline for everyone on the telecast,” said Randy Moss, the sports commentator who worked with Hammond on dozens of racing broadcasts, including the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup. “It was like, ‘Okay, here we go!’ ” Hammond’s voice is one of distinction and authority, especially on national racing broadcasts. NBC assigned Hammond as a reporter on the inaugural Breeders’ Cup event in 1984, a broadcast that earned an Eclipse Award, and for the next 30 years, Hammond’s lifelong appreciation of horses and unshakeable professionalism combined to produce a consistent gift to viewers of the network’s coverage of the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup. A native of Lexington, Ky., who studied animal sciences at the University of Kentucky, Hammond began his broadcast career in the local market. Early on, he founded Hammond Productions to produce racing-related broadcasts and also served as an announcer at Keeneland’s horse auctions. His introduction to national broadcasting came in the late 1970s, when NBC hired him as an announcer for regional college basketball games. Over the next 34 years he would serve as the announcer for myriad sports covered by the network, including, perhaps most notably, 13 Olympics. In addition to the handfuls of Eclipse Awards for Television he has received as being part of NBC’s broadcast teams, he has been inducted into the Joe Hirsch Media Roll of Honor of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and received the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Jim McKay Award. He was inducted into both the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame. He can now add the Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence to the trophy shelf. “I have wanted to be a part of the Thoroughbred industry since I was 15 years old, though I could never have dreamed that involvement would come primarily as an announcer,” Hammond said. “The improbable nature of the [Special Eclipse] Award makes it even sweeter. As I look back over my 50-year career, I see the many opportunities that the Thoroughbred world has provided me. No question I consider the Career Excellence Award to be one of the most meaningful of my life.” Tom H ammond SPECIAL AWARD NBC Sports

The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA 46 By David Grening In 2022, Cody’s Wish and his bond with a young man stricken with a rare genetic disorder gave racing its feel-good story of the year. Somewhat overlooked was the horse’s race record, which included four wins from five starts and a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. While the bond between Cody’s Wish and Cody Dorman remained a major story in 2023, Cody’s Wish earned headlines for his supreme talent, which could very well carry him to an Eclipse Award as North America’s top older dirt male horse, leading male sprinter, and possibly Horse of the Year. In 2023, Cody’s Wish repeated as winner of the Grade 1 Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, narrowly fending off the late run of Preakness winner National Treasure and withstanding an inquiry into a bumping incident in the stretch to earn the victory. That was just one of three Grade 1 triumphs for Cody’s Wish and four victories overall in 2023. In May, he won the Churchill Downs Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths over Hoist the Gold, a horse would come back and win two graded stakes in the fall including the Grade 2 Cigar Mile. In June, Cody’s Wish was the dominant 3 1/4-length winner of the Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap versus arguably the deepest field in any race all year. The horses Cody’s Wish defeated in the Met Mile, won Grade 1 races in 2023 such as the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, Whitney, Awesome Again, and Carter; and Grade 2 stakes such as the Suburban, Cigar Mile, Woodward, Santa Anita Sprint Championship, and Phoenix. Cody’s Wish, a 5-year-old son of Curlin owned and bred by Godolphin Racing and trained by Bill Mott, proved to have limitations as he could only manage a third-place finish behind White Abarrio in the Whitney going 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga. But he bounced back with a workmanlike victory in the Grade 2 Vosburgh at Aqueduct and then his gutsy win in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. “It’s the icing on the cake. You couldn’t imagine a better ending,” Mott said after the Dirt Mile. “You know, wow, he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. We were a little skeptical about the mile and an eighth in the Whitney, but he’s done everything else. You look at his record, you can’t fault him.” Over the last two seasons, Cody’s Wish went 8 for 10 and finished his career with 11 wins from 16 starts. While the Cody’s Wish story had a happy ending on the track, there was a sad one away from it. Cody Dorman, just one month shy of his 18th birthday, died on the flight home to Kentucky the day after the Breeders’ Cup. The bond he had with the horse, who would put his head in his lap when he saw him, likely contributed to Cody Dorman living to almost 18. In a statement issued the day after Cody Dorman’s passing, his father, Kelly, said, “The joy that his interactions with Cody’s Wish have brought him the last five years is indescribable.” For the racing industry, they’ll be unforgettable. Cody's Wish Own: Godolphin LLC B. h. 5 (May) Sire: Curlin (Smart Strike) $225,000 Dam:Dance Card (Tapit) Br: Godolphin (Ky) Tr: Mott William I(54 10 2 7 .19) 2023:(649 103 .16) Life 16 11 1 4 $3,106,030 112 2023 5 4 0 1 $1,773,900 112 2022 5 4 1 0 $1,077,070 112 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 13 10 0 3 $2,965,230 112 Wet(434) 3 1 1 1 $140,800 104 Synth(350) $0 Turf(303) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 4ä23= 3SA fst 1 22§ :46 1:09¨1:35© 3ÎBCDirtMi-G1 107 2 /7 6¤ô 6ª 3¨ 2ô 1ó Alvarado J 126 *.80 99= 06 CodysWishó NtionlTrsur¨ö Skippylongstocking«ô Bumped foe, all out 1å23= 3BAQ fst 7f S 23¦ :46 1:09¨1:21© 3ÎVosburgh-G2 100 6 /6 6 4¦ô 2ô 1Ç 1¦ô Alvarado J 126 *.15 97= 10 Cody's Wish¦ô Accretive¨õ Great Navigator§ Off slw,mvd up out,3p 5Ý23=10Sar fst 1° 48¦ 1:11©1:36¦1:48§ 4ÎWhitney-G1 95 6 /6 6© 6¨ô 4§ 4ªô 3¦¥ Alvarado J 124 *.45 86= 14 White Abarrio«õ Zandon¨ö Cody's WishÇ Leaned,lost footing st 10Þ23=10Bel fst 1 ý 22¨ :45©1:10 1:34¦ 3ÎMtropltH-G1 112 1 /9 8©õ 8¨ô 1ô 1© 1¨õ Alvarado J 126 *.65 91= 15 Cody's Wish¨õ ZandonÇ White Abarrio§õ 5w sweep 1/4, drew clr 6Ü23=10CD fst 7f 22¨ :45 1:09 1:21 4ÎCD-G1 105 5 /9 9 9«ö 7©ö 1ô 1©ö Alvarado J 123 *.72 98= 05 Cody's Wish©ö Hoist the Goldô Tejano Twistö Blew past,clrd in hand Barbara D. Livingston MALE SPRINTER FINALIST Cody’s Wish

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR...

48 The 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, and produced by the NTRA By David Grening Elite Power flew under the radar in 2022 before victories in the Grade 2 Vosburgh and Breeders’ Cup Sprint carried him to an Eclipse Award as champion sprinter in 2022. Elite Power snuck up on nobody in 2023, raising his game to another level, running some of the fastest races of the year and capping off his campaign with a repeat victory in the Grade 1 Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint. While his four sprint victories from five starts, including two Grade 1 successes, will most likely earn him a second straight Eclipse Award as champion sprinter, those powerful performances also were good enough to earn him a berth as a finalist in the older dirt male category. A 5-year-old son of Curlin owned by Juddmonte and trained by Bill Mott, Elite Power began his 2023 campaign in Saudi Arabia – home country to the principal interests of Juddmonte – where he beat fellow American speedster Gunite by 3 3/4 lengths in the Group 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in February. Upon Elite Power’s return from the Middle East, Mott gave him a break and didn’t bring him back fully cranked for the Grade 2 True North at Belmont Park. Still, he was good enough to win it, beating California invader Anarchist by 1 3/4 lengths. In Saratoga, Elite Power might have run the best race any sprinter ran all year when he reeled in a seemingly home-free Gunite by a head in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap. It ran his overall winning streak to eight. “He got on his belly,” Mott said. “It was probably one of the most impressive performances I saw at Saratoga.” Gunite exacted a measure of revenge in the Grade 1 Forego, getting away with a relatively soft pace and defeating Elite Power by 1 1/4 lengths in the seven-furlong race. Elite Power and Gunite met for a fourth time in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and Elite Power, taking advantage of a swift pace, rallied from next to last under Irad Ortiz Jr. to defeat Gunite by 1 1/2 lengths. “It’s a difficult job to keep a horse going year after year,” Mott said. “To come back and win two Breeders’ Cups in a row says a lot about the durability of the horse and the luck that I have. We were lucky enough to have him, and he’s had a great career.” Elite Power, who was bred by Alpha Delta Stables LLC and purchased for $900,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale, finished his career with nine wins from 13 starts and $3,775,711 in purse earnings. In 2024, he will stand his first year at stud at Juddmonte in Lexington, Ky. “Really, I have to thank Bill and all his staff at doing an absolutely masterful job in managing the horse and keeping him [sharp] because when this horse came good, by golly, did he stay good,” Juddmonte’s manager Garrett O’Rourke said after the Breeders’ Cup. “He’s gone out good now.” Elite Power Own: Juddmonte Ch. h. 5 (Feb) Sire: Curlin (Smart Strike) $225,000 Dam:Broadway's Alibi (Vindication) Br: Alpha Delta Stables, LLC (Ky) Tr: Mott William I(54 10 2 7 .19) 2023:(649 103 .16) Life 13 9 1 1 $3,775,711 111 2023 5 4 1 0 $2,370,000 111 2022 6 5 0 1 $1,398,380 101 0 0 0 0 $0 - D.Fst 12 8 1 1 $3,583,211 111 Wet(426) 1 1 0 0 $192,500 108 Synth(335) $0 Turf(288) 0 0 0 0 $0 - Dst(0) 0 0 0 0 $0 - 4ä23=11SA fst 6f 21© :44¦ :56§1:08¦ 3ÎBCSprint-G1 111 7 /8 4 7¨õ 3¦ô 3¦ô 1¦ô Ortiz I Jr 126 *1.70 99= 04 Elite Power¦ô Guniteô Nakatomi¦ 4w, reeled in foes 26Ý23= 7Sar fst 7f 23 :46¦1:09¨1:21§ 4ÎForego-G1 98 3 /5 3 3§ 3¦ô 2¦ô 2¦ö Ortiz I Jr 124 *.75 95= 10 Gunite¦ö Elite Power© High Oak§õ Ins turn,ask1/4,chased 29Û23= 8Sar slyø 6f 22¨ :45§ :57¦1:09¦ 3ÎAGVndbtH-G1 108 4 /7 2 6§ô 4¨ 2¦ô 1Ç Ortiz I Jr 126 *1.10 96= 13 Elite PowerÇ Gunite«õ Dean Deliversª 2-4p trn,rally,bid1/16 10Þ23= 3Bel fst 6ôf 23¦ :46 1:09¦1:15¨ 4ÎTruNrth-G2 102 4 /6 3 4§ 4§ 1§ 1¦ö Ortiz I Jr 124 *.75 94= 09 Elite Power¦ö Anarchist¨ö Strobe§ô 3-4w,rallied,lead3/16 25á23 K. Abdulaziz(KSA) ft Í6f LH1:11 3Î Riyadh Dirt Sprint-G3 9 1¨õ Dettori L 126 - Elite Power¨õ Gunite§ Remake¦ Timeform Rating: 124 Stk 1500000 In command final furlong Barbara D. Livingston MALE SPRINTER FINALIST Elite P ower