Post by Neco on Feb 23, 2020 19:43:07 GMT -5
2019 Thoroughbred Racing Eclipse Awards
At the end of every year since 1973, the Thoroughbred racing industry has come together to honor the best of the best of the equine athletes that raced throughout the months. The Eclipse Awards, named after the mighty undefeated Eclipse of the 1760s, are awarded to the champions of the track that displayed superb authority and remarkable courage over their peers.
Here on Seeing Stars, our horses are no different and deserve every sort of recognition that their non-pixelly counterparts. SO TODAY, I am happy to present the SS Eclipse Awards to the best of our Thoroughbred racehorses for the authority they displayed over the year.
NOTE: Some horses did not have halter/in-hand images available for their awards, so I had to use other images I could find of them. For those owners, please contact me with an halter or in-hand pose and I will be happy to create you a normal Eclipse award image.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champion 2 Year Old Filly
Girl Gone Wild
(Tizzi Rizzi x Wild Card)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Dekada Stables
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/4853/wildie-tb-gii-mare-ribbon
Girl Gone Wild has certainly lived up to her namesake, blazing through the juvenile filly ranks to cement her place among the Eclipse winners like a wild card. The daughter of two Eclipse winners, "Wildie," as she's called, scored runner up finishes in the Rio Juvenile ranks only to finish 5th in the main event. Perhaps emboldened by that loss, she has since run roughshod over her juvenile peers, storming to a veritable storm of in the money finishes that has sent her catapulting into the graded ranks. Even as a juvenile, she already has numerous black-type to her name and that big white face is a dangerous thing for a rival to see as she takes dead aim down the center of the stretch. With the Kentucky Oaks just months away, this flashy red daughter of two Eclipse winners is the winter book favorite for the definitive race of 3 year old fillies and has earned her prize as Champion 2-Year-Old Filly.
Champion 2 Year Old Colt
Horus
(Lost Hero x Heretic Queen)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/10082/horus-4th-gen-giii-stallion
Horus is the culmination of years of champions at Hard Tack and he has yet to disappoint in his short career. The towering bay son of the 2018 Triple Tiara winner and 2017 1000 Guineas/Epsom Derby winner, Horus is related to no less than 4 Derby winners, 2 Kentucky Oaks winners, 1 Preakness Stakes winner and a half dozen Eclipse champions, including numerous Horses of the Year. As a juvenile, Horus was out of the Top 3 only once, and has since scored over half a dozen victories over his peers with a combination of blazing frontrunning speed and head-bobbing grit, in addition to several in the money finishes. This colt is a living testament to the power of the bloodline, and he's looking keen to run in his family's footsteps as he enters the new year as Champion 2-Year-Old Colt.
Champion 3 Year Old Filly
Elysium
(Fair Play x Ruffian)
Breeder: RKO Haven/Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/7767/1gr-elysium-2nd-gen-mare
Last year's champion 2 year old filly has blown away the competition with a furious 3-year-old campaign not seen since the immortal Athena Watchover. Engaging in a season long titantic battle with Rhapsody's Illicit, these two fillies pushed each other to greater heights, with Illicit taking the Kentucky Derby and Elysium sweeping the Triple Tiara, sometimes by only mere inches over her storied rival. She finished in the money in all three Triple Crown races, losing by only a neck in the Preakness to Damask and finishing ahead of Illicit in that and the Belmont Stakes. Related to a dual Breeders' Cup winner, a Belmont Stakes winner and several other Eclipse champions, Elysium has proven herself at the highest levels to more than earn her this year's top accolades of Champion 3 Year Old Filly.
Champion 3 Year Old Colt
Damask
(Vintage x Chantilly)
Breeder: Rhapsody
Owner: Rhapsody
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/8074/ribbon-damask-rose-castile
In a year of fillies, Damask proved himself as the only sophmore colt to be able to keep up with the wave of girl power. The beautiful grey sabino scored in the only prep won by a male in the Triple Crown, then wore down the Kentucky Derby winner Illicit and held off the Oaks winner Elysium to score in the Preakness by a narrow neck. He went on to become one of the best of his generation throughout the rest of the season, scoring graded stakes wins left and right, duking it out with the Derby, Oaks and Belmont Stakes winners throughout the season to culminate in a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. A half-brother to three over graded stakes winners, he has proven himself to be the best of his family and has done more than enough to earn himself an award as this year's Champion 3 Year Old Male.
Champion Older Male
Delrium
Breeder: BlueJay Stables
Owner: Rhapsody
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/5482/1r-delirium-bluejay-unbalanced
A veteran of the 2017 Triple Crown, Delirium has proven he's not crazy when it comes to talent - he's off the charts. A striking solid black colt with a wide white blaze, we knew Delirum was good as a sophmore, but he has aged like fine wine and his 2019 season was his best of his career. He began his blazing season in Dubai, rocketing to the top of the Dubai ranking with a score in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1, then cementing his status as top older male with an emphatic score in the Dubai World Cup over a Triple Crown winner and Triple Tiara winner. He continued that trend throughout the year into the Breeders' Cup, landing the Secretariat Memorial Stakes in the easiest of fashions before closing the year with a fourth in the Classic - behind a Triple Tiara winner. It took only the best to beat Delirium at anay time this year, and it is this downright toughness that has earned him this year's Champion Older Male award.
Champion Older Female
Acrimony
(Rancor x Cyclone Princess)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/8152/1p-acrimony-3rd-gen-mare
Sweet-natured Acrimony fails to live up to her name in the paddock, but has proven herself tough as they come as a four-year-old. The daughter of an Oaks and Belmont Stakes winner, as well as related to another handful of Derby, Oaks and Eclipse winners, Acrimony was overshaded by her towering relative in the 2018 Triple Tiara winner Heretic Queen as a sophomore, but has blossomed as an older filly. Blazing through the allowance ranks, she leaped into graded company head first and struck for both Grade III and Grade II wins, before taking on male rivals in the Breeders' Cup. Relegated to the Dirt Mile as her Triple stablemates targeted other races, Acrimony found her nitch as she stormed to a qualifying win in the Corinthian - and stunned her male rivals with an upset in the Dirt Mile itself. She has not lost since that outing, and has since closed her career the winner of her last five starts. With her sparkling record this year, Acrimony has more than earned her honors as Champion Older Female.
Champion Male Sprinter
Lani
Breeder: Rhapsody
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/8493/1p-lani-1st-gen-stallion
The shimmering Lani was originally a Triple Crown prospect that has since proven his worth as something perhaps more rare - an exceptional sprinter. With most of the racing world focused on the Classics, Lani found himself lacking in one particular area, in that his stamina just wasn't there. Entered in this year's Triple Crown trail, he managed some credible finishes in the preps but came up flat when it actually counted. Instead, he was cut far back in distance and began to thrive - and win. He scored consecutive victories at 8 furlongs or less, and blazed through the sprinter ranks to earn berths to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Sprint. While he managed a third in the 10 furlong Classic, he sparkled in the Sprint and Dirt Mile, finishing 1st and 2nd respectively and storming to several other sprint wins following those, before ultimately retiring on his laurels - capped by being crowned Champion Male Sprinter.
Champion Female Sprinter
Tizzi Rizzi
Breeder: Tattered Dream Stables
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/435/tizzi-rizzi-1st-gen-mare
It was a rough year for female sprinters, with fewer than half a dozen fillies and mares competing in sprints on either dirt or turf. Tizzi Rizzi, however briefly she ran, shone brightest of them all, competing exclusively in Dubai this year against the best of her generation and beyond in some of the top races of the year. Never out of the money once in all her Dubai starts, she scored twin victories in the Dubawi and Mahab Al Shimaal, winning over her fellow female sprinters and male rivals. She was a close third in the premier Dubai sprinting event, the Golden Shehaan, finishing behind her first foal Dodger in an ironic twist. Now, she sports two consecutive Eclipse awards after taking Female Sprinter last year, and her 2019 record, it's only practical that Tizzi Rizzi is honored as this year's Champion Female Sprinter.
Champion Male Stayer
Dracarys
(Eclipse x Siren's Soliloquy)
Breeder: Hawkstone/Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/529/dracarys-gi-2nd-gen-stallion
Dracarys is what we call consistent - through all his years of racing, he has rarely finished out of the money. A Gold Medalist way back in 2016 as a juvenile, Dracary has since blossomed into a force to be reckoned with over the grass in racing's longest contests. A son of the turf giants Eclipse and Siren's Soliloquy, both Breeders' Cup winners and both Eclipse winners, he has since lived up to his high expectations, roaring to his best season of his career in his last year of racing. Starting his season in Dubai, he stumbled in his first race before thundering back to his biggest win to date, the Dubai Sheema Classic in stakes-record time. He then set his sights on the graded ranks and tore through them with equal abandon, racking up victories before being turned loose into the Breeders' Cup. Scoring in both his preps at first asking, he was beaten by a record-setter in the Turf and a freak of a filly in the Marathon. With all that he's accomplished this year in his final bow, Dracarys has more than earned Champion Male Stayer.
Champion Female Stayer
Vixin
(Empire City x Rose Red)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Turn & Burn
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/4711/ribbon-vixin-mare-retired
Vixin started her year as a dark horse, one of the few mares that ran in the staying ranks and catapulted herself to the top of the heap by the time the year ended. Thundering through a campaign that saw her travel from Dubai to Santa Anita, she danced very dance asked of her - and often won. After a disappointing start in Dubai, she returned stateside to regain her equilibrium, galloping through graded stakes company and scoring a graded victory among other placements. Seemingly always in the shadow of higher regarded stablements, Vixin had to claw her way to the top the traditional way, running as hard and as fast as she could and leaving her rivals dead on their feet. Taken to the Breeders' Cup, she did just that, earning a berth into the Filly & Mare Turf, but working her way in the hard way with the Marathon and Turf. A 2nd place in the Filly & Mare Turf set her up for her biggest accomplishment to date - she ran them off their feet in the Marathon, scoring by daylight over fellow Eclipse winners. With that brilliant display, Vixin has earned her retirement as Champion Female Stayer.
Champion Female Turf Horse
Moxie
(Puck x Ansia)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Turn & Burn
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/1832/ribbon-moxie-mare-retired
It was the year of fillies and Moxie catapulted herself to the top of the turf pyramid after a sparkling 2019 season. Shuttled between Dubai and the US, she never batted an eye at anything that was asked of her and responded with winning efforts left and right. After a subpar effort in Dubai, she returned stateside to regain the momentum she showed in 2018, scoring consecutive Grade II wins before being unleashed in the Breeders' Cup. A daughter of an unknown stallion but well-regarded broodmare in Ansia, she defied expecatations as she scored berths to both the Filly and Mare Turf and the Turf. While coming up short to her stablemate in the Turf, she blew the field away in the Filly & Mare Turf in dramatic fashion, coming from dead last at the top of the lane to split horses and nail her stablemate at the wire. With a record as flashy as her markings, it's no wonder that Moxie has been crowned this year's Champion Female Turf Horse.
Champion Male Turf Horse
Adamantium
(John Henry x Paris in Flames)
Breeder: Hawkstone/Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/551/1p-adamantium-2nd-gen-stallion
The son of two Eclipse winners and Breeders' Cup winners, Adamantium is harder than steel and faster than lightning as this study bay colt has run to his best season of his career. Beginning his campaign in Dubai like many others, he developed a liking to the springy turf and blazed to a record-setting score in the Al Rashidiya, before coming up short in his several few starts. He redeemed himself, however, by storming to victory in the Dubai Turf and stamping himself the top turf stallion to beat. He proved just as tough in the graded ranks back stateside, never finishing worse than third in six starts, before turning his sights to the Breeders' Cup, a family tradition on both sides of his bloodline. A win in the English Channel catapulted him into the Turf and the big bay horse was all out to a thrilling finish to win in stakes-record time over fellow Eclipse winner Dracarys. The Turf would prove to be Adamatium's last race after a six year career, where he has more than proven his talent and class as one of the titans of the SS turf and has earned this year's award in a landslide for Champion Male Turf Horse.
Horse of the Year
Elysium
(Fair Play x Ruffian)
Breeder: RKO Haven
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/7767/1gr-elysium-2nd-gen-mare
History is made in the strides of Thoroughbreds across the globe, but it is on Seeing Stars that we have seen heaven on earth in the form of a lanky seal brown filly. Elysium's foaling was unheralded, though there was hope she would turn out to be a good one - and instead, she became a great one. Rocketing through the Triple Tiara rankings, she became the fourth filly to wear that coveted crown and the first filly to win the UAE Derby, thwarting anyone else's hopes for a run at the three-year-old filly championship. However, this near-black filly wasn't quite done yet - she still had the Breeders' Cup and the forum to set on fire. Competing against fellow Triple Tiara and Crown winners, 1000 and 2000 Guineas winners, Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes winners and a Dubai World Cup winner, Elysium left it on the track - and gained immortality. An off the board finish in the Distaff tempered any expecations she would have in the Classic, but Elysium was an expert at defying those. Roaring to the front of the Classic, she held off the Breeders' Cup Sprint winner to nail her legacy by the slimmest of noses at the wire, becoming the first female to win the Breeders' Cup Classic and one of the few three-year-olds to win the coveted race. It would prove to be her last race, and what a race she left us with.
With all that she has accomplished, it was a unanimous decision that Elysium is crowned the 2019 HORSE OF THE YEAR!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Congrats to all owners and breeders for this amazing year of racing! I'm so excited looking forward to 2020 and already can see a new generation of Eclipse winners appearing on the racetrack as we head into the Triple Crown, Dubai and the British Classics.
Tagged Owners/Breeders: Aragorn , Jewellz , Ryder ☆ ,
At the end of every year since 1973, the Thoroughbred racing industry has come together to honor the best of the best of the equine athletes that raced throughout the months. The Eclipse Awards, named after the mighty undefeated Eclipse of the 1760s, are awarded to the champions of the track that displayed superb authority and remarkable courage over their peers.
Here on Seeing Stars, our horses are no different and deserve every sort of recognition that their non-pixelly counterparts. SO TODAY, I am happy to present the SS Eclipse Awards to the best of our Thoroughbred racehorses for the authority they displayed over the year.
NOTE: Some horses did not have halter/in-hand images available for their awards, so I had to use other images I could find of them. For those owners, please contact me with an halter or in-hand pose and I will be happy to create you a normal Eclipse award image.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Champion 2 Year Old Filly
Girl Gone Wild
(Tizzi Rizzi x Wild Card)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Dekada Stables
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/4853/wildie-tb-gii-mare-ribbon
Girl Gone Wild has certainly lived up to her namesake, blazing through the juvenile filly ranks to cement her place among the Eclipse winners like a wild card. The daughter of two Eclipse winners, "Wildie," as she's called, scored runner up finishes in the Rio Juvenile ranks only to finish 5th in the main event. Perhaps emboldened by that loss, she has since run roughshod over her juvenile peers, storming to a veritable storm of in the money finishes that has sent her catapulting into the graded ranks. Even as a juvenile, she already has numerous black-type to her name and that big white face is a dangerous thing for a rival to see as she takes dead aim down the center of the stretch. With the Kentucky Oaks just months away, this flashy red daughter of two Eclipse winners is the winter book favorite for the definitive race of 3 year old fillies and has earned her prize as Champion 2-Year-Old Filly.
Champion 2 Year Old Colt
Horus
(Lost Hero x Heretic Queen)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/10082/horus-4th-gen-giii-stallion
Horus is the culmination of years of champions at Hard Tack and he has yet to disappoint in his short career. The towering bay son of the 2018 Triple Tiara winner and 2017 1000 Guineas/Epsom Derby winner, Horus is related to no less than 4 Derby winners, 2 Kentucky Oaks winners, 1 Preakness Stakes winner and a half dozen Eclipse champions, including numerous Horses of the Year. As a juvenile, Horus was out of the Top 3 only once, and has since scored over half a dozen victories over his peers with a combination of blazing frontrunning speed and head-bobbing grit, in addition to several in the money finishes. This colt is a living testament to the power of the bloodline, and he's looking keen to run in his family's footsteps as he enters the new year as Champion 2-Year-Old Colt.
Champion 3 Year Old Filly
Elysium
(Fair Play x Ruffian)
Breeder: RKO Haven/Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/7767/1gr-elysium-2nd-gen-mare
Last year's champion 2 year old filly has blown away the competition with a furious 3-year-old campaign not seen since the immortal Athena Watchover. Engaging in a season long titantic battle with Rhapsody's Illicit, these two fillies pushed each other to greater heights, with Illicit taking the Kentucky Derby and Elysium sweeping the Triple Tiara, sometimes by only mere inches over her storied rival. She finished in the money in all three Triple Crown races, losing by only a neck in the Preakness to Damask and finishing ahead of Illicit in that and the Belmont Stakes. Related to a dual Breeders' Cup winner, a Belmont Stakes winner and several other Eclipse champions, Elysium has proven herself at the highest levels to more than earn her this year's top accolades of Champion 3 Year Old Filly.
Champion 3 Year Old Colt
Damask
(Vintage x Chantilly)
Breeder: Rhapsody
Owner: Rhapsody
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/8074/ribbon-damask-rose-castile
In a year of fillies, Damask proved himself as the only sophmore colt to be able to keep up with the wave of girl power. The beautiful grey sabino scored in the only prep won by a male in the Triple Crown, then wore down the Kentucky Derby winner Illicit and held off the Oaks winner Elysium to score in the Preakness by a narrow neck. He went on to become one of the best of his generation throughout the rest of the season, scoring graded stakes wins left and right, duking it out with the Derby, Oaks and Belmont Stakes winners throughout the season to culminate in a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. A half-brother to three over graded stakes winners, he has proven himself to be the best of his family and has done more than enough to earn himself an award as this year's Champion 3 Year Old Male.
Champion Older Male
Delrium
Breeder: BlueJay Stables
Owner: Rhapsody
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/5482/1r-delirium-bluejay-unbalanced
A veteran of the 2017 Triple Crown, Delirium has proven he's not crazy when it comes to talent - he's off the charts. A striking solid black colt with a wide white blaze, we knew Delirum was good as a sophmore, but he has aged like fine wine and his 2019 season was his best of his career. He began his blazing season in Dubai, rocketing to the top of the Dubai ranking with a score in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1, then cementing his status as top older male with an emphatic score in the Dubai World Cup over a Triple Crown winner and Triple Tiara winner. He continued that trend throughout the year into the Breeders' Cup, landing the Secretariat Memorial Stakes in the easiest of fashions before closing the year with a fourth in the Classic - behind a Triple Tiara winner. It took only the best to beat Delirium at anay time this year, and it is this downright toughness that has earned him this year's Champion Older Male award.
Champion Older Female
Acrimony
(Rancor x Cyclone Princess)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/8152/1p-acrimony-3rd-gen-mare
Sweet-natured Acrimony fails to live up to her name in the paddock, but has proven herself tough as they come as a four-year-old. The daughter of an Oaks and Belmont Stakes winner, as well as related to another handful of Derby, Oaks and Eclipse winners, Acrimony was overshaded by her towering relative in the 2018 Triple Tiara winner Heretic Queen as a sophomore, but has blossomed as an older filly. Blazing through the allowance ranks, she leaped into graded company head first and struck for both Grade III and Grade II wins, before taking on male rivals in the Breeders' Cup. Relegated to the Dirt Mile as her Triple stablemates targeted other races, Acrimony found her nitch as she stormed to a qualifying win in the Corinthian - and stunned her male rivals with an upset in the Dirt Mile itself. She has not lost since that outing, and has since closed her career the winner of her last five starts. With her sparkling record this year, Acrimony has more than earned her honors as Champion Older Female.
Champion Male Sprinter
Lani
Breeder: Rhapsody
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/8493/1p-lani-1st-gen-stallion
The shimmering Lani was originally a Triple Crown prospect that has since proven his worth as something perhaps more rare - an exceptional sprinter. With most of the racing world focused on the Classics, Lani found himself lacking in one particular area, in that his stamina just wasn't there. Entered in this year's Triple Crown trail, he managed some credible finishes in the preps but came up flat when it actually counted. Instead, he was cut far back in distance and began to thrive - and win. He scored consecutive victories at 8 furlongs or less, and blazed through the sprinter ranks to earn berths to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Sprint. While he managed a third in the 10 furlong Classic, he sparkled in the Sprint and Dirt Mile, finishing 1st and 2nd respectively and storming to several other sprint wins following those, before ultimately retiring on his laurels - capped by being crowned Champion Male Sprinter.
Champion Female Sprinter
Tizzi Rizzi
Breeder: Tattered Dream Stables
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/435/tizzi-rizzi-1st-gen-mare
It was a rough year for female sprinters, with fewer than half a dozen fillies and mares competing in sprints on either dirt or turf. Tizzi Rizzi, however briefly she ran, shone brightest of them all, competing exclusively in Dubai this year against the best of her generation and beyond in some of the top races of the year. Never out of the money once in all her Dubai starts, she scored twin victories in the Dubawi and Mahab Al Shimaal, winning over her fellow female sprinters and male rivals. She was a close third in the premier Dubai sprinting event, the Golden Shehaan, finishing behind her first foal Dodger in an ironic twist. Now, she sports two consecutive Eclipse awards after taking Female Sprinter last year, and her 2019 record, it's only practical that Tizzi Rizzi is honored as this year's Champion Female Sprinter.
Champion Male Stayer
Dracarys
(Eclipse x Siren's Soliloquy)
Breeder: Hawkstone/Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/529/dracarys-gi-2nd-gen-stallion
Dracarys is what we call consistent - through all his years of racing, he has rarely finished out of the money. A Gold Medalist way back in 2016 as a juvenile, Dracary has since blossomed into a force to be reckoned with over the grass in racing's longest contests. A son of the turf giants Eclipse and Siren's Soliloquy, both Breeders' Cup winners and both Eclipse winners, he has since lived up to his high expectations, roaring to his best season of his career in his last year of racing. Starting his season in Dubai, he stumbled in his first race before thundering back to his biggest win to date, the Dubai Sheema Classic in stakes-record time. He then set his sights on the graded ranks and tore through them with equal abandon, racking up victories before being turned loose into the Breeders' Cup. Scoring in both his preps at first asking, he was beaten by a record-setter in the Turf and a freak of a filly in the Marathon. With all that he's accomplished this year in his final bow, Dracarys has more than earned Champion Male Stayer.
Champion Female Stayer
Vixin
(Empire City x Rose Red)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Turn & Burn
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/4711/ribbon-vixin-mare-retired
Vixin started her year as a dark horse, one of the few mares that ran in the staying ranks and catapulted herself to the top of the heap by the time the year ended. Thundering through a campaign that saw her travel from Dubai to Santa Anita, she danced very dance asked of her - and often won. After a disappointing start in Dubai, she returned stateside to regain her equilibrium, galloping through graded stakes company and scoring a graded victory among other placements. Seemingly always in the shadow of higher regarded stablements, Vixin had to claw her way to the top the traditional way, running as hard and as fast as she could and leaving her rivals dead on their feet. Taken to the Breeders' Cup, she did just that, earning a berth into the Filly & Mare Turf, but working her way in the hard way with the Marathon and Turf. A 2nd place in the Filly & Mare Turf set her up for her biggest accomplishment to date - she ran them off their feet in the Marathon, scoring by daylight over fellow Eclipse winners. With that brilliant display, Vixin has earned her retirement as Champion Female Stayer.
Champion Female Turf Horse
Moxie
(Puck x Ansia)
Breeder: Hard Tack
Owner: Turn & Burn
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/1832/ribbon-moxie-mare-retired
It was the year of fillies and Moxie catapulted herself to the top of the turf pyramid after a sparkling 2019 season. Shuttled between Dubai and the US, she never batted an eye at anything that was asked of her and responded with winning efforts left and right. After a subpar effort in Dubai, she returned stateside to regain the momentum she showed in 2018, scoring consecutive Grade II wins before being unleashed in the Breeders' Cup. A daughter of an unknown stallion but well-regarded broodmare in Ansia, she defied expecatations as she scored berths to both the Filly and Mare Turf and the Turf. While coming up short to her stablemate in the Turf, she blew the field away in the Filly & Mare Turf in dramatic fashion, coming from dead last at the top of the lane to split horses and nail her stablemate at the wire. With a record as flashy as her markings, it's no wonder that Moxie has been crowned this year's Champion Female Turf Horse.
Champion Male Turf Horse
Adamantium
(John Henry x Paris in Flames)
Breeder: Hawkstone/Hard Tack
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/551/1p-adamantium-2nd-gen-stallion
The son of two Eclipse winners and Breeders' Cup winners, Adamantium is harder than steel and faster than lightning as this study bay colt has run to his best season of his career. Beginning his campaign in Dubai like many others, he developed a liking to the springy turf and blazed to a record-setting score in the Al Rashidiya, before coming up short in his several few starts. He redeemed himself, however, by storming to victory in the Dubai Turf and stamping himself the top turf stallion to beat. He proved just as tough in the graded ranks back stateside, never finishing worse than third in six starts, before turning his sights to the Breeders' Cup, a family tradition on both sides of his bloodline. A win in the English Channel catapulted him into the Turf and the big bay horse was all out to a thrilling finish to win in stakes-record time over fellow Eclipse winner Dracarys. The Turf would prove to be Adamatium's last race after a six year career, where he has more than proven his talent and class as one of the titans of the SS turf and has earned this year's award in a landslide for Champion Male Turf Horse.
Horse of the Year
Elysium
(Fair Play x Ruffian)
Breeder: RKO Haven
Owner: Hard Tack
seeingstars.boards.net/thread/7767/1gr-elysium-2nd-gen-mare
History is made in the strides of Thoroughbreds across the globe, but it is on Seeing Stars that we have seen heaven on earth in the form of a lanky seal brown filly. Elysium's foaling was unheralded, though there was hope she would turn out to be a good one - and instead, she became a great one. Rocketing through the Triple Tiara rankings, she became the fourth filly to wear that coveted crown and the first filly to win the UAE Derby, thwarting anyone else's hopes for a run at the three-year-old filly championship. However, this near-black filly wasn't quite done yet - she still had the Breeders' Cup and the forum to set on fire. Competing against fellow Triple Tiara and Crown winners, 1000 and 2000 Guineas winners, Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes winners and a Dubai World Cup winner, Elysium left it on the track - and gained immortality. An off the board finish in the Distaff tempered any expecations she would have in the Classic, but Elysium was an expert at defying those. Roaring to the front of the Classic, she held off the Breeders' Cup Sprint winner to nail her legacy by the slimmest of noses at the wire, becoming the first female to win the Breeders' Cup Classic and one of the few three-year-olds to win the coveted race. It would prove to be her last race, and what a race she left us with.
With all that she has accomplished, it was a unanimous decision that Elysium is crowned the 2019 HORSE OF THE YEAR!
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Congrats to all owners and breeders for this amazing year of racing! I'm so excited looking forward to 2020 and already can see a new generation of Eclipse winners appearing on the racetrack as we head into the Triple Crown, Dubai and the British Classics.
Tagged Owners/Breeders: Aragorn , Jewellz , Ryder ☆ ,