You may know it's going to happen and you're as ready as can be, but sometimes the best things in life just touch off an emotional reaction anyway—as happened more than once at the Eclipse Awards ceremony Jan. 26 at The Breakers Resort in Palm Beach, Fla.
Co-host Britney Eurton opened the event by encouraging the guests to "laugh, cry, yell at the top of your lungs." The 500 luminaries filling the luxurious ballroom did just that, right down to joining in the announcement of Flightline as Horse of the Year.
Let's face it. The official results had been kept a deep, dark secret by the organizers of the competition but there was no question Flightline was going to be crowned Horse of the Year and top older male of 2022.
Anything else would have been unthinkable, especially after he was named Longines World's Best Racehorse just a week earlier in London. With an official rating of 140, equaling the record mark held by Frankel . After all the comparisons to the all-time greats, up to and including Secretariat.
So, when it was time to announce the winner, Tom Rooney, CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said, "I'm not even going to open the envelope. Let's all announce it together... One. Two. Three..." And the crowd yelled, "FLIGHTLINE!"
Flightline, by Tapit out of the Indian Charlie mare Feathered, is the ultimate prize of Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Equine breeding operation and is owned by a partnership including Lyon, Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing.
While his owners, fans, and vanquished opponents celebrated at the black-tie affair, replete with top-shelf beverages, a raw bar, and filet mignon at a venue that has hosted such other royalty as then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Flightline himself already has embarked on the second phase of the career for which he was bred.
Under the watchful eye of ace bloodstock agent David Ingordo basically since his foaling, Flightline now resides and toils, if that's the right word, at Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Ky.
"It's the thrill of the lifetime," said Lyon. "More than I ever could imagine."
Trainer John Sadler cited the call of Flightline's dominating victory in the Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar.
"Flightline is the horse of a generation," he said. "In the words of Trevor Denman, 'We might not see this again.'"
Flightline's coronation actually was among many foregone conclusions at the ceremony with victories at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, as usual, a strong factor in determining the award winners.
Exceptions were categories widely held to be close calls—3-year-old male, male sprinter, and female turf.
Again, some emotion followed the announcement of the winners.
Epicenter was, in fact, the epicenter of 3-year-old competition for much of the year, especially after winning the Louisiana Derby (G2). But his shocking defeat in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and a second-place finish in the Preakness Stakes (G1) left the Travers Stakes (G1) as his only top-level score. He could have settled things with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) but, instead, suffered a career-ending injury and did not finish while Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Taiba rolled home third, best of the 3-year-olds.
Whether or not there was some sympathy vote as a result of the injury, the Eclipse Award voters settled the issue pretty firmly, choosing Epicenter over Taiba by a margin of 155 votes to 63. Modern Games, winner of three grade/group 1 grass races for Godolphin, finished a distant third—typical of the fate of turf runners in the division that includes the U.S. Triple Crown.
"It was a little like watching the Kentucky Derby," said Epicenter's owner, Ron Winchell. "You couldn't call it until the wire came up."
Modern Games rebounded nicely, running away with the Eclipse for the year's top male turf horse, leading a parade of victories for Godolphin, including repeats in the owner and breeder competitions.
There was plenty of emotion throughout 2022 surrounding the saga of Cody's Wish . The story of the instant connection between the colt and his disabled namesake, teenager Cody Dorman, grew and grew as Cody's Wish won and won, capping the year with a dramatic, final-strides victory over Cyberknife in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).
The story was cut short, though, as Cody's Wish lost out on the Eclipse to Elite Power in a close three-way race with Jackie's Warrior finishing third in the voting.
The Eclipse Award loss was softened by, what else, an emotional presentation as the Dirt Mile victory was honored as the 2022 Moment of the Year, complete with video of Cody Dorman looking on from his wheelchair.
There was more than one teary eye in the room during a brief recorded presentation as the youngster said, through his speaking device, "Thank you, everyone, for following Cody's Wish and supporting me."
The emotional trains slowed with the announcement of the female turf award. That came down to three U.S.-based runners—In Italian, Regal Glory, and War Like Goddess. Neither Bill Mott, who trains War Like Goddess, nor Chad Brown, who has the other two, is given to much public emotion. Regal Glory got the nod.
Still, Regal Glory's owner, Peter Brant, touched a tender nerve while honoring his late friend and Regal Glory's breeder, Paul Pompa.
"It was my connection with him as a friend that brought me to Regal Glory," Brant said. "Paul, I know you're up there somewhere and very proud of Regal Glory."
Tender emotion turned to humor during byplay between Todd Pletcher, who won the trainer's Eclipse, and owner Mike Repole, who won two statuettes during the festivities. Among his 2022 training feats, Pletcher saddled the 1-2 finishers in the Belmont Stakes (G1), Mo Donegal , and Nest, both owned by Repole partnerships.
"We accomplished something in 2022 that I thought was impossible," Pletcher said. "We rendered Mike Repole speechless for a few minutes after the Belmont Stakes."
Repole, one of the most animated owners in racing, followed Pletcher to the stage shortly thereafter to accept an award for Nest.
"Speechless no more!" he exulted.
Repole had gone overtime for his acceptance speech earlier when Forte won the Eclipse for top 2-year-old male of 2022. He was followed to the stage by Jonathan Green, whose Wonder Wheel won the 2-year-old filly award.
"Mike, I'm going to give you 30 seconds of my time," Green said, then proceeded to find himself serenaded off after using up his full minute anyway.
The emotion was appreciation and deep respect as longtime racing journalist and broadcaster Jay Privman accepted a special Eclipse Award honoring his contributions to the sport. Privman graciously thanked a range of supporters, including many in the room who gave their time to make his reporting possible and was honored with an ovation.
A bit of levity returned when David Harrison, winner of the 2022 National Horseplayers Championship, a victory worth $725,000, was honored as NTRA Horseplayer of the Year.
Even before Harrison launched into his acceptance speech, his daughter, Lauren O'Reilly, began cheering wildly from the back of the room, highly visible in a bright red dress, jumping up and down with shrieks of joy.
Asked if she, too, plays the horses, O'Reilly said, "No. But my daddy does and I love him."
The awards are determined by 258 eligible members of the NTRA (consisting of member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel), the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, and Daily Racing Form. Finalists were determined by voters' top three selections, using a 10-5-1 point basis. The Eclipse Award winners are determined solely by first-place votes.
