Fri Jan 4 12:45:31 2008

Comment | Email | Print

Finalists for 2007 Eclipse Awards announced

---

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Breeders' Cup Classic winner Curlin is one of the three finalists for the 2007 Eclipse Award for top three-year-old male thoroughbred. Three finalists in 11 equine divisions and five human categories were announced Friday by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers Association (NTWA) and Daily Racing Form (DRF).

Winners in all categories will be announced at the 37th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, to be held Monday, January 21, at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. Finalists for Horse of the Year will be announced at the Eclipse Awards ceremony. NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop will present the Horse of the Year trophy to the winning connections at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Along with Curlin the finalists for champion male three-year-old are Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and Derby runner-up Hard Spun. Street Sense was the Eclipse Award winner as the 2006 champion two-year-old male. Curlin is considered the favorite to be named Horse of the Year.

Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches is a finalist for champion three-year-old female. She is joined by multiple stakes winners Octave and Panty Raid.

Invasor, 2006 Horse of the Year, has a chance to repeat as champion older male thoroughbred. He was retired due to injury after winning the Dubai World Cup. Also named as finalists are Whitney and Woodward Handicaps winner Lawyer Ron and Corinthian, winner of the Mel Mile.

The three finalists for champion older female are Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Ginger Punch, Distaff runner-up Hystericalady and Nashoba's Key, winner of seven of eight starts in 2007.

Breeders' Cup Turf winner English Channel is a finalist for champion male turf thoroughbred along with Breeders' Cup Mile winner Kip Deville and Grade 1 winner After Market.

Nashoba's Key is also a finalist for champion female turf horse. She is joined by Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Lahudood and Matriarch Stakes champ Precious Kitten.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner War Pass is joined as a finalist in the two- year-old male division by Juvenile runner-up Pyro and Kodiak Kowboy, third in the Breeders' Cup event.

Indian Blessing, winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly, is a finalist for top two-year-old filly with runner-up Proud Spell and multiple stakes winner Country Star.

The three finalists for champion male sprinter are Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Midnight Lute, Sprint runner-up Idiot Proof and Vosburgh champ Fabulous Strike.

The brand new category of female sprinter has Breeders' Cup Female Sprint winner Maryfield as a finalist. She is joined by Dream Rush, winner of the Test and Prioress Stakes, and River Prayer who was perfect in five starts last year.

Three-time Eclipse Award winner McDynamo is a finalist for champion steeplechaser. He won the award the last two years as well as in 2003. The other finalists are Good Night Shirt and Planets Aligned.

Veteran jockey Garrett Gomez is after his first Eclipse Award as champion rider. Gomez earned more than $23.8 million in 2007 with 266 wins in 1,262 mounts. He also recorded a record 76 stakes victories.

"It would mean a lot to my career," said Gomez. "It's an award you always hope to have an opportunity to win. We were nominated in 2006. You see guys winning throughout the years and you're kind of in awe about it, and always hope you have the same opportunity. A rider always hopes to reach a pinnacle like this. Now we have to see if we can stay there."

Gomez is joined as a finalist by two-time champion John Velazquez and Robby Albarado, rider for Curlin. Velazquez was the regular jockey on Rags to Riches.

Trainer Todd Pletcher is a finalist for champion conditioner. He has won the award the last three years and is coming off a year in which he won his first Triple Crown race with Rags to Riches. Pletcher broke his own record for earnings in a single year with better than $28.5 million.

Pletcher is joined as a finalist by Curlin's trainer Steve Asmussen and Kiaran McLaughlin who trained Invasor.

The three finalists for champion apprentice jockey are Tyler Pizarro, Alonso Quinonez and Joe Talamo.

In the thoroughbred owners category, three-time winner Frank Stronach is joined by Shadwell Stable and Maggi Moss.

Frank Stronach's Adena Springs has a chance to be named champion breeder for the fourth straight year. Joining Adena Springs as finalists are previous winner William S. Farish, and Martin and Pam Wygod.

In other Eclipse Award news, The NTRA announced on Thursday that NBC Sports won the Media Eclipse Award for National Television - Live Racing, for its production of the 2007 Kentucky Derby.