HORSE OF THE YEAR
CHAMPION 3YO MALE
AMERICAN PHAROAH
(c, Pioneerof the Nile–Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman)
$300,000 yrl '14 FTSAUG
O/B-Zayat Stables LLC (Ky); T-Bob Baffert
2015 Record: 8-7-1-0, $8,288,800
Major Victories
GI Arkansas Derby GI Kentucky Derby GI Preakness S.
GI Belmont S. GI Haskell Inv. S. GI Breeders' Cup Classic
Equineline PPs Equineline catalog-style pedigree
Having missed the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 2014 after smashing wins in the GI Del Mar Futurity and GI FrontRunner S., there was some question as to whether or not American Pharoah had done enough to earn the juvenile Eclipse, but voters ultimately gave him the edge over Texas Red (Afleet Alex) 126-111. This year, the Zayat homebred left no doubt as to who the sport's brightest star was.
The bay kicked off his sophomore campaign with a 6 1/2-length drubbing at 40 cents on the dollar in Oaklawn's sloppy-track GII Rebel S. Mar. 14, and continued Hall of Famer Bob Baffert's stranglehold on the Hot Springs 3-year-old series with an even easier tally in the Apr. 11 GI Arkansas Derby. Backed as the 29-10 favorite with distance questions to answer in the
GI Kentucky Derby, he responded with a one-length score from Firing Line (Line of David), and didn't blink when Pimlico was hit with a deluge of rain right before the GI Preakness S., splashing home by seven lengths and setting up yet another Triple Crown try.
Coolmore announced at that point that it had acquired the breeding rights to American Pharoah, and saw their investment instantly pay off when the colt galloped around “Big Sandy” a never-in-doubt 5 1/2-length GI Belmont S. hero, snapping a 37-year drought.
Having already done so much, there were questions then as to whether American Pharoah would stay in training, but New Jersey resident Ahmed Zayat opted to send his charge to Monmouth's Aug. 2 GI Haskell Invitational S.
After being greeted by throngs of fans each morning at the Oceanport oval that week, he did not disappoint, turning in one of his most visually impressive performances when besting Keen Ice (Curlin) by 2 1/4 geared-down lengths. The lone blemish on American Pharoah's record came, of course, at Saratoga–the “Graveyard of Favorites”–when he dueled through swift splits only to succumb to Keen Ice's advances in the shadow of the wire.
Connections opted to regroup and train up to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, and the legend went out in fitting style, demolishing a strong field gate to wire while earning a career-best 120 Beyer Speed Figure. His $8,288,800 2015 bankroll was the most earned in one season, besting Smarty Jones's Oaklawn Centennial Bonus-inflated mark of $7,563,535 from 2004.
CHAMPION OLDER MALE
HONOR CODE
(A.P. Indy–Serena's Cat, by Storm Cat)
O-Lane's End Racing, Dell Ridge Farm LLC & Teresa Viola Racing; B-Dell Ridge Farm LLC (KY);
T-Shug McGaughey
2015 Record: 6-3-0-2, $2,075,660
Major Races
GI Whitney S. GI Metropolitan H. GII Gulfstream Park H. Equineline.com PPs Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree
The talented and regally bred Honor Code truly turned the corner during his 2015 season, with wins in two of the country's most prestigious races. The “TDN Rising Star” fought his way to the top of a tough category, beating out the formidable likes of MGISWs and fellow Rising Stars Liam's Map (Unbridled's Song) and Tonalist (Tapit) to take home the Eclipse for top older male.
Winner of the 2013 GII Remsen S. and second in that year's GI Champagne S., Honor Code spent most of his sophomore season on the sidelines, but returned with a vengeance as a 4-year-old. Kicking off this season by overcoming a 15-length deficit to defeat the speedy MGISW Private Zone (Macho Uno) in the GII Gulfstream Park H. Mar. 7, the dark bay was at the mercy of pace dynamics when fifth in the GII Alysheba S. May 1. Let go at 7-1 in the June 6 GI Metropolitan H. off that effort, he silenced all doubters by uncorking a powerful late rally from last to score an ultra-impressive victory over Tonalist in that historic Belmont test. Sent off as second choice behind that rival next out when stretched back out to 1 1/8 miles in Saratoga's GI Whitney S., Honor Code proved he was not a one-turn wonder when unleashing that same furious late turn of foot to nab the runaway Liam's Map on the wire Aug. 8. Cut back to a mile in Belmont's GII Kelso H. Oct. 3, the Shug McGaughey pupil came running too late and had to settle for third and he was the only one making up any serious ground from the back when third behind a sensational performance from Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Oct. 31.
A son of SW Serena's Cat (Storm Cat) and a half-brother to MGSW and GISP Noble Tune (Unbridled's Song), Honor Code was retired to Lane's End Farm after the Breeders' Cup where he stands for a fee of $40,000 for the 2016 season.
TURF MALE
BIG BLUE KITTEN
(r, Kitten's Joy–Spent Gold, by Unaccounted For)
O/B-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY); T-Chad C. Brown
2015 Record: 6-3-2-1, $1,421,000.
Major Victories
GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational GI United Nations S.
Equineline PPs Equineline catalog-style pedigree
Big Blue Kitten secured Eclipse honors as top male turfer thanks to a consistent campaign that landed the veteran a pair of victories at the highest level. Carrying the familiar white and red of owner/breeder Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Big Blue Kitten won three times overall and hit the board in each of his six trips to post in 2015.
The homebred kicked off his season with a flying last-to-first win in Aqueduct's GIII Fort Marcy S. May 2 and closed well to complete the exacta behind Slumber (GB) (Cacique {Ire}) in the GI Knob Creek Manhattan S. at Belmont June 6. Big Blue Kitten turned the tables on that rival to capture the July 5 GI United Nations S. at Monmouth Park for the second time in his career, and closed out his summer schedule with a fast-closing runner-up effort behind fellow finalist The Pizza Man (English Channel) over yielding ground in the GI Arlington Million S. Aug. 15.
Returned to New York, the ridgling earned a determined victory in the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S.–a win that had escaped him as the favorite in the 2013 and 2014 renewals of the event.
Big Blue Kitten closed out his campaign with an admirable third-place finish in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland Oct. 31. Assuming his typical position toward the rear of the field, the bay closed from over 30 lengths off the pace and came up less than two lengths shy of the formidable European duo of Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}).
Big Blue Kitten earns the second Eclipse Award in this division for the Ramseys, who campaigned his sire to a championship in 2004. Big Blue Kitten is expected to compete again in 2016 under the ownership of Calumet Farm, who also acquired breeding rights to the turfer following the conclusion of his racing career.
CHAMPION OLDER FEMALE
BEHOLDER
(m, Henny Hughes–Lesle's Lady, by Tricky Creek)
$180,000 yrl '11 KEESEP
O-Spendthrift Farm LLC; B-Clarkland Farm (KY);
T-Richard Mandella
2015 Record: 5-5-0-0, $1,068,300
Major Victories
GI Zenyatta S. GI Pacific Classic S. GI Clement L. Hirsch S. GIII Adoration S.
Equineline PPs Equineline catalog-style pedigree
Although Beholder never got to test American Pharoah in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic as intended, the 5-year-old mare did more than enough throughout her spotless season to take home the Champion Older Female Eclipse.
The Spendthrift colorbearer, a half-sister to the farm's successful sire Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday), opened the year with a win in Santa Anita's Santa Lucia S. Apr. 10. She annexed the GIII Adoration S. there June 13 and tallied another Grade I win when she took the Clement L. Hirsch S. by seven lengths. Beholder was the jaw-dropping 8 1/2-length victress of the GI Pacific Classic S. Aug. 22 before winning her third consecutive GI Zenyatta S. Sept. 26. Although Beholder ended her season on a slightly disappointing note, having to withdraw from the Breeders' Cup Classic due to a fever, she remains in training and will run during the 2016 season.
This is Beholder's third Eclipse award, haven taken home Champion 2-Year-Old filly in 2012 and Champion 3-Year-Old filly in 2013.
TURF FEMALE
TEPIN
(m, Bernstein–Life Happened, by Stravinsky)
$140,000 yrl '12 FTNAUG
O-Robert Masterson. B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Mark Casse
2015 Record: 7-5-2-0, $2,092,520.
Major Victories
GI Breeders' Cup Mile GI First Lady S. GI Just a Game S.
Equineline PPs Equineline catalog-style pedigree
In a year with no shortage of talent and accomplishments in the filly and mare turf division, Tepin soared above her contemporaries with a stellar campaign capped by a victory over males in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. From seven appearances in 2015, the bay never finished further than a head behind the winner and notched three Grade I triumphs.
After beginning her campaign with an allowance score at Gulfstream in March, Tepin blossomed in the spring with a pair of convincing tallies in the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard and the GI Longines Just a Game S. on Belmont Stakes Day. The distaffer's summer campaign at Saratoga was characterized by a pair of hard-luck defeats at the hands of Hard Not to Like (Hard Spun) and Dacita (Chi) (Scat Daddy) in the July 25 GI Diana S. and the Aug. 29 GII Ketel One Ballston Spa S., respectively.
Sent to Kentucky for the autumn, Tepin took another significant step forward over rain-softened turf, dominating the Oct. 3 GI First Lady S. by an astonishing seven lengths. The Mark Casse trainee proved up to the task when asked to repeat the same feat against some talented North American-based males and formidable European foes in the Oct. 31 World Championships, and delivered an authoritative 2 1/4-length win to effectively wrap up year-end honors.
After receiving some down time over the past few months, Tepin is expected to return to the races in 2016.
CHAMPION SPRINTER
RUNHAPPY
(c, Super Saver–Bella Jolie, by Broken Vow)
O-James McIngvale; B-Wayne, Gray & Bryan Lyster (KY); T-Laura Wohlers.
2015 Record: 7-6-0-0, $1,613,600
Major Victories
GI Malibu S. GI Breeders' Cup Sprint GIII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. GI King's Bishop S.
Equineline PPs Equineline catalog-style pedigree
Sophomore Runhappy blossomed over the summer into the nation's premier fleet-footed runner and was thusly rewarded with the Eclipse for Male Sprinter. The bay was successful–but very green–in his Turfway Park debut last December and was a slow-starting ninth in the GIII LeComte S. for trainer Laura Wohlers. Transferred to conditioner Maria Borell, Runhappy strung together back-to-back allowance wins at Indiana Grand July 7 and Ellis Park July 31. Lightly regarded at 11-1 trying top sophomore sprinters in the GI King's Bishop S. at Saratoga Aug. 29, he registered a devastating four-length success and was the authoritative winner of the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. at Keeneland Oct. 2, despite a slow start and despite having his saddle slip during the race. Uncharacteristically not in front in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint Oct. 31, Runhappy settled well enough for Edgar Prado, then chased down fellow Eclipse nominee Private Zone (Macho Uno) in the stretch to virtually lock up his Eclipse. The day after his Breeders' Cup victory, it was announced he would be returned to his original trainer Wohlers. The McIngvale colorbearer wrapped up his stellar season with a victory in the GI Malibu S. on Santa Anita's opening day card Dec. 26.
CHAMPION FEMALE SPRINTER
LA VERDAD
(Yes It's True–Noble Fire, by Hook and Ladder)
$70,000 3yo '14 FTKHRA
O-Lady Sheila Stable; B-Eklektikos Stable LLC (NY);
T-Linda Rice
2015 Record: 8-5-1-0, $722,500
Major Races
GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (2d) GII Gallant Bloom H. Equineline.com PPs Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree
In what proved to be the most contentious division, Eclipse Award voters gave the slight nod to Sheila Rosenbloom's La Verdad, who despite a defeat at the hands of Wavell Avenue (Harlington) in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and without a top-level victory to her credit, received 98 first-place votes to 90 for Wavell Avenue. Lady Shipman (Midshipman) garnered 41 first-place votes to finish a distant third. La Verdad becomes just the second female to be named champion in the 10-year history of the award absent a victory on championship day.
The New York-bred kicked off her 5-year-old season with a successful defense of her title in the GII Distaff H. in April and employed her patented front-running tactics to add victories in the GIII Vagrancy H. the following month and the state-bred restricted Dancing Renee S. in late June. Ultimately disqualified from an apparent success in Saratoga's GII Honorable Miss H. July 29, she found the line a half-length to the good of Wavell Avenue in the GII Gallant Bloom H. Sept. 26. When La Verdad showed up in the entries for the Iroquois S. against her fellow Empire-breds just a week prior to the Breeders' Cup, it appeared that she would take a pass on championship day. But, with the seven-furlong distance of the F/M Sprint something of a question mark, La Verdad was ridden from off the pace in the Iroquois and asked to finish. And that she did, en route to a 3 3/4-length victory, was given the green light for the trip to Kentucky and was gallant in defeat at Keeneland.
La Verdad was given an entry in, but subsequently withdrawn from the Fasig-Tipton November Sale and was sixth against the boys in the GIII Fall Highweight H. later that month. She remains in training in the early part of this year and made a successful 6-year-old debut in the Interborough S. Jan. 9. She is slated for one more appearance in the GII Barbara Fritchie H. Feb. 13 before an expected date in the breeding shed with Medaglia d'Oro. Rosenblum also campaigns La Verdad's half-sister Hot City Girl (City Zip), winner of last year's GIII Charles Town Oaks who was recently the runner-up in the GI La Brea S.
3-YEAR-OLD FEMALE
STELLAR WIND
(f, Curlin">Curlin–Evening Star, by Malibu Moon)
$40,000 yrl '13 FTNAUG; $86,000 yrl '13 FTISEP
O-Hronis Racing LLC; B-Keswick Stables & Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings (VA); T-John W. Sadler
2015 Record: 6-4-1-0, $886,000.
Major Victories
GI Santa Anita Oaks GII Summertime Oaks
Equineline PPs Equineline catalog-style pedigree
When Hronis Racing privately purchased Stellar Wind following a blowout maiden win at Laurel Park in the final weeks of 2014, a year-end title in 2015 surely remained a lofty aspiration at best. But as the chestnut progressed throughout the season–culminating with a painfully close runner-up effort in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff–dreams became a reality and the filly placed herself at the fore of a contentious division.
Stellar Wind provided an immediate return on investment for owner Kosta Hronis, annexing the GIII Santa Ysabel S. and GI Santa Anita Oaks in Arcadia Feb. 28 and Apr. 4, respectively. Tabbed as the slight favorite for the GI Kentucky Oaks May 1, the Virginia-bred endured a troubled trip and closed belatedly to cross the wire fourth, beaten 4 3/4 lengths by Lovely Maria (Majesticperfection).
Given a brief respite following that effort, she forged to a hard-fought win in the GII Summertime Oaks June 20 and made it two in a row with a much easier triumph in Del Mar's GIII Torrey Pines S. Aug. 30.
Riding a hot hand, the filly ventured eastward once more for the Breeders' Cup and rallied from well back to engage in a fierce stretch duel with Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat), coming up a neck short of that rival. Stellar Wind managed to outfinish a number of her sophomore classmates in the Distaff and secured the first Eclipse honor for owner Hronis and trainer Sadler.
Stellar Wind, who hails from the same family that produced recent GI Los Alamitos Futurity hero Mor Spirit (Eskendereya), is expected to compete in 2016.
CHAMPION 2YO MALE
NYQUIST
(c, Uncle Mo–Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry)
O-Reddam Racing LLC; B-Summerhill Farm (KY); T-Doug O'Neill.
2015 Record: 5-5-0-0, $1,613,600
Major Victories
GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile GI FrontRunner S. GI Del Mar Futurity GII Best Pal S.
Equineline PPs Equineline catalog-style pedigree
Nyquist was the clear pick for champion juvenile colt after taking the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile to cap a five-for-five season. Reddam Racing's $400,000 Fasig-Tipton purchase went virtually pillar-to-post in his five-panel debut at Santa Anita June 5 and took the GII Best Pal S. by an impressive 5 1/4 lengths Aug. 8, the first of four consecutive defeats of fellow finalist Swipe (Birdstone). The prohibitive favorite annexed the GII Del Mar Futurity Sept. 7 and handled the 1 1/16-mile distance brilliantly in the GI FrontRunner S. Sept. 26. His Breeders' Cup win was the feather in his cap of a spotless juvenile season. Drawn gate 12 that afternoon, Nyquist was trapped out very wide for most of the journey, but nevertheless made a bold bid for the front nearing the furlong marker and held sway as Swipe whittled the winning margin down to a half-length.
This is the connections' second Eclipse Award, having taken home the Champion 3-Year-Old Male award with dual Classic winner I'll Have Another in 2012. Nyquist's first-crop sire Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) won this award in 2010 after taking the GI Champagne S. and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile during his undefeated freshman season.
CHAMPION
2-YEAR-OLD FEMALE
SONGBIRD
(Medaglia d'Oro–Ivanavinalot, by West Acre)
$400,000 yrl '14 FTSAUG
O-Fox Hill Farms Inc.; B-John Antonelli (KY);
T-Jerry Hollendorfer
2015 Record: 4-4-0-0, $1,502,000
Major Races
GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies GI Chandelier S. GI Del Mar Debutante S. Equineline.com PPs
Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree
After a perfect four-for-four season with each victory more impressive than the next, Songbird stamped herself as not only the clear leader of her division, but also as one of the best of her generation of either sex.
The dark bay earned “TDN Rising Star” status after a sensational 6 1/2-length graduation in her career bow at Del Mar July 26 and followed that effort with a 5 1/2-length drubbing of the one-time GSW Pretty N Cool (Scat Daddy) in that venue's GI Del Mar Debutante S. Sept. 5. She handled her two-turn test with aplomb next out, going gate-to-wire to win Santa Anita's 1 1/16-mile GI Chandelier S. by open lengths Sept. 26. The Fox Hill Farm's colorbearer quieted any doubts about who the champion juvenile filly would be with a dominating 5 3/4-length victory over fellow “TDN Rising Star” and GI Spinaway S. winner Rachel's Valentina (Bernardini) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Keeneland Oct. 31.
A $400,000 FTSAUG purchase, Songbird is out GSW Ivanavinalot, who amassed earnings of $647,300 during her time on track. The juvenile filly is set to make her sophomore debut Feb. 6 in Santa Anita's GII Las Virgenes S.
CHAMPION STEEPLECHASER
DAWALAN (FR)
(Azamour {Ire}–Daltawa {Ire}, by Miswaki)
O-Irvin S. Naylor. B-H. H. The Aga Khan's Studs SC (Fr);
T-Cyril Murphy
2015 Record: 6-3-0-1, $255,000
Equineline.com PPs Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree
Royally bred Dawalan (Fr), an Aga Khan-bred half-brother to two European Horses of the Year in Daylami (Ire) (Doyoun {Ire}) and Dalakhani (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), won his 2015 bow for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede and trainer Nicky Henderson hurdling at Musselburgh Feb. 1, but failed to hit the board twice at Cheltenham Mar. 12 and Aintree Apr. 9. Purchased privately by these connections, Dawalan resurfaced with a decent third in the GI Lonesome Glory Handicap Hurdle behind Eclipse foe Bob Le Beau (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}) at Belmont Park Sept. 24. Dawalan scored back-to-back wins to seal his championship season, landing the GI Grand National Hurdle S. over fellow Eclipse finalist Demonstrative (Elusive Quality) at Far Hills Oct. 17 and over that rival and old adversary Bob Le Beau in Camden's GI Colonial Cup Chase Nov. 21.
OUTSTANDING OWNER
OUTSTANDING BREEDER
ZAYAT STABLES
Cairo, Egypt-born Ahmed Zayat, whose business success came
predominantly in the beverage industry, had already become a major player in the racing game over the past decade, but a Classic victory eluded the New Jersey resident until homebred American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile)'s 2015 GI Kentucky Derby victory and subsequent completion of the Triple Crown. Zayat's blue and gold silks had been carried to five previous on-the-board finishes in American Classics, including when American Pharoah's sire Pioneerofthenile checked in second in the 2009 GI Kentucky Derby.
Zayat acquired American Pharoah's dam Littleprincessemma (Yankee Gentleman) for $250,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 2007. She was winless in two career starts, but her second foal to race was American Pharoah, who provided her owner with his first Eclipse Award when he took home the hardware last year in the champion juvenile category.
Zayat Stables was leading owner by purse earnings in 2015, with $8,733,599 of its $10,000,226 coming thanks to American Pharoah. Other standouts for the stable included GIII Gotham S. and GIII Jerome S. winner El Kabeir (Scat Daddy) and Mr. Z (Malibu Moon), who was third in American Pharoah's GI Arkansas Derby romp. Zayat runners started 215 times, with 21 wins, 31 seconds and 31 thirds. Zayat was fourth among leading breeders in 2015 with earnings of $8,434,540.
OUTSTANDING JOCKEY
JAVIER CASTELLANO
2015 Record: 1,507-344-244-236, $28,120,767
Javier Castellano landed his third straight Eclipse as Outstanding Jockey and led all reinsmen with 344 wins from 1,507 starts in 2015. He also broke his own single-season earnings record, first among jockeys, with $28,120,767, eclipsing his 2013 total of $26,219,907, the year he began his Eclipse run. The 38-year-old's mounts won 65 black-type races in 2015, with 46 coming in graded events. Castellano triumphed 17 times at the highest level in 2015, with horses of the caliber of 'TDN Rising Star's Liam's Map (Unbridled's Song) in the GI Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and GI Woodward S.; GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine Stopchargingmaria (More Than Ready); 'TDN Rising Star' Honor Code (A.P. Indy) in the GI Whitney S.and GI NYRA.com Metropolitan H.; Constitution (Tapit) in the GI Donn H.; and the star-crossed 'TDN Rising Star' Rock Fall (Speightstown) in the GI Vosburgh S. and GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. Castellano also won his fifth GI Travers S. aboard Keen Ice (Curlin) during his landmark defeat of Triple Crown champion American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) at Saratoga this past August, amongst his 10 graded stakes victories at that track, as well as the GI Hopeful S. with Ralis (Square Eddie) and the GI Alabama S. with Embellish the Lace (Super Saver). Other 2015 Grade I winners that carried Castellano to victory included: Twilight Eclipse (Purim) in the Man O'War S.; Feathered (Indian Charlie) in the Humana Distaff S.; Ball Dancing (Exchange Rate) in the Jenny Wiley S.; Jack Milton (War Front) in the Maker's 46 Mile S.; Nickname (Scat Daddy) in the Frizette S.; and Mshawish (Medaglia d'Oro) in the Gulfstream Park Turf H. Castellano also added riding titles at Belmont Park's spring/summer meet, as well as his fourth consecutive Gulfstream Park riding title this past spring.
APPRENTICE JOCKEY
TYLER GAFFALIONE
2015 Record (as an apprentice): 1,075-172-160-145, $4,032,985
Florida native Tyler Gaffalione, son of retired jockey Steve Gaffalione, enjoyed a stellar season in 2015, taking Gulfstream Park's spring and summer meet titles. The 21-year-old's first winner was aboard Holdin Bullets (Ghostzapper) in Hallandale Sept. 7, 2014 and he finished up his apprenticeship Oct. 10. That sire's Golden Rifle gave Gaffalione his first black-type winner, one of three during his apprenticeship, winning the Eight Miles East S. at Gulfstream Aug. 8. Gaffalione also celebrated a five-win day at that venue, all with horses trained by Ralph Nicks Sept. 20. Later that season, Cali Star (Street Cry {Ire}) carried Gaffalione across the line first in the GIII Rampart S. there for his first graded stakes triumph Dec. 12 and he was ranked 12th by overall wins in 2015.
OUTSTANDING TRAINER
BOB BAFFERT
2015 Record: 388-83-66-55, $16,221,741
Despite being dwarfed–in a statistical sense–by his fellow co-finalists Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown, Bob Baffert picked up his first statuette as the nation's outstanding conditioner since 1999 and fourth overall and gave Team American Pharoah victories in five of the six categories for which they were nominated. Baffert received fully 200 of the first-place votes cast to easily best six-time winner and two-time defending winner Todd Pletcher (44) and Chad Brown (12).
Though he started roughly half the number of horses as did his fellow finalists and though he finished outside the top 50 by number of victories, the Baffert stable amassed earnings in excess of $16.2 million, over half of which was banked, of course, by Horse of the Year and 6-time Grade I winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) during his record-setting run in 2015.
Overall the Baffert barn was represented by 23 graded-stakes wins, with additional Grade I scores courtesy of Eclipse Award finalist Dortmund (Big Brown, Santa Anita Derby); Callback (Street Sense, Las Virgenes S.); and Mor Spirit (Eskendereya, Los Alamitos Futurity). Other top horses under Baffert's care in 2015 included the late MGSW Gimme da Lute (Midnight Lute); Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday); and the 2-year-olds Pretty N Cool (Scat Daddy) and Toews on Ice (Archarcharch).
Despite the towering numbers posted by the likes of Pletcher and Brown, voters ultimately gave Baffert the nod, paying tribute to his horsemanship with and management of the horse of the world in 2015.
ECLIPSE AWARD OF MERIT
LEONARD LAVIN
Leonard Lavin, who founded Glen Hill Farm in Ocala, Florida in 1966, was honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit at Saturday evening's ceremony. Under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Willard Proctor and his son, Tom, the Glen Hill racing and breeding operation has produced more than 80 stakes winners, including 1994 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner One Dreamer. Other Glen Hill stakes winners include Relaunch, Convenience, Top Rung, Concept, Win, Repriced, Rich in Spirit, Closeout and Marketing Mix. The farm is currently run by Lavin's grandson Craig Bernick.
Lavin, born in Chicago in 1919, served in the U.S. Navy before founding the Alberto-Culver Company–a manufacturer of beauty care products–in 1955. His wife Bernice, whom he married in 1947, passed away in 2007. He has two daughters–Carol and Karen–and one son, the late Scott. The Lavins have been supporters of a number of racing-related charities, and have also made major donations to a number of educational institutions and to victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Presenting this Award… Jay Hovdey
This award belongs to someone who has meant a lot to this sport for many, many years. $100,000 in 1972 would be worth about $500,000 today. That's how much Leonard Lavin was willing to put on the line when he had faith in a trainer named Willard Proctor, a jockey named Jerry Lambert and most of all a filly named Convenience. Now you won't find Convenience's name in a list of any champions, although the record shows that she very often beat champions, like Susan's Girl, Typecast and Turkish Trousers. But when Convenience beat Typecast in a winner-take-all match-race at Hollywood Park that year, she not only assured herself a place in history, she sent a clear signal to the racing world that her owner–that guy from Chicago who sold hair-care products and deodorant–was destined to make a lasting mark on the game. Leonard Lavin would tell you that there is no particular merit in putting up $100,000 at even-money to win a horse race. Writ large, that's what the game is supposed to be about for owners, trainers, jockeys and horse players. My horse can beat your horse. You think so? Let's go find out. But there is considerable merit in being able to win with humility, lose with dignity and keep coming back for more. Leonard Lavin knew this from the moment he stood in the winner's circle with his very first horse, named Gabby Abby in 1967, and he knows it today at the age of 96 when his horses at Glen Hill Farm are still going strong. There is also considerable merit in continuity, in maintaining the level of quality in an organization that reflects back upon its people. Leonard Lavin knew this as well. Which is why the Alberto-Culver Company was praised as a model of consistency in product development and corporate innovation. He knows it today still and that is why Glen Hill Farm has lasted so long at the top of the game when so many have fallen by the wayside in the past 50 years. There is, of course, considerable merit in the way Leonard and his wife Bernice shared their fortune and their good luck with furthering the causes of health, education and welfare in the Thoroughbred racing community. Lavin would tell you that he shouldn't get any credit for doing the right thing, but all the same he was glad to help. Each time he did something for the world beyond horse racing, Leonard Lavin would be identified, not only as the philanthropic CEO of Alberto-Culver, but also he was identified as Leonard Lavin, Thoroughbred owner and breeder. So the public knew it was a Thoroughbred owner and breeder who endowed the chair of opthamology at the University of Chicago. It was a Thoroughbred owner and breeder who supplied the major backing for the wildly respected entrepreneurial management center at the San Diego State University and it was the family of the Thoroughbred owner and breeder who funded the Institute of Public Education at Tulane University. It was also a Thoroughbred owner and breeder who weighed in with a large donation to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In his autobiography, Leonard Lavin doesn't spend a lot of time patting himself on the back. He credits his father with his instincts as a gambler. He considers himself the luckiest man on earth because he found his beloved wife Bernice, who was his business partner, as well. And he does tout the advantages of always taking that phone call because you never know what might come next. Leonard Lavin also holds firm to his earliest philosophy of a strong foundation. In his case, as a young businessman starting a company, that foundation was a reserve of cash that would always be there no matter the set-backs. As a Thoroughbred breeder, his foundation has been his unshakable faith in his Florida farm and the resources that he has brought to it. And to the Proctor family that served him so long and so well. In that spirit, I would suggest that Leonard Lavin himself and Glen Hill Farm merit our gratitude for being part of the foundation of the modern Thoroughbred industry. Leonard Lavin wrote in his autobiography, 'For those few minutes during each race, there was nothing to match the surge of power or rush of adrenaline as the splendid animals raced to the finish line. The runaway enthusiasm, the fierce striving beauty, the shared sense of hope and anticipation and the sheer possibility of cheering on a winner.' Tonight we are gathered to honor the finest of those winners, both human and horse, therefore it is with great pleasure and considerable pride in friendship that, on behalf of the entire racing community, I am at last able to present the Eclipse Award of Merit to one of the finest citizens and most generous benefactors the game has ever known, Leonard Lavin.
Accepting the Award… Craig Bernick
2016 is the 50th year that my grandfather Leonard Lavin has been in the horse business. He is humbled and grateful to receive this award and called it his proudest moment. I wish he could be here, but I am honored to speak on his behalf. This is likely the first Eclipse Award of Merit awarded to a horse owner that has never owned a champion or raced in a Triple Crown, which accentuates the persistence that Leonard Lavin has for horses and this business. He grew up in the depression and was a huge fan of the sport well before he owned horses. As a 9-year-old in 1928, his father took him on a train from Chicago to see Reigh Count win the Kentucky Derby. As a teenager, he skipped school to bet on Equipoise when he ran at Washington Park or Arlington Park.
As a young man, he dreamed of one day having the means to own horses. There were no syndicates, Ownerview conferences or educational opportunities for the curious when he and my grandmother purchased their first horses. The commercial market was not what we have today. You couldn't buy top horses, as they were mostly handed down from generation to generation. And when someone died, there weren't dispersals, there were basically estate sales to keep the best horses amongst friends. It was truly the sport of kings.
He rarely purchased made horses, preferring to breed his own or buy as yearlings, thus making his own pedigrees. And we have tried to stick with that philosophy for 50 years. Leonard Lavin has won some 184 stakes races at 28 tracks and raced some excellent horses, including Convenience, Relaunch, Prize Spot, Header Card, Top Rung, Star of the Crop, One Dreamer, Band, Marketing Mix, Pontchartrain, Diversy Harbor and Chiropractor. The recent graded winner Family Meeting is a sixth-generation homebred back to that horse that won the match-race, Convenience, which is especially gratifying.
His proudest moment was winning the GIII Equipoise Mile at Arlington Park in 1994. It coincided with the 50th reunion of his ship, the USS DuPage that he served on during World War II, and 100 of his shipmates made the trip to Chicago and he took them to Arlington Park. Surely, Tom Proctor has never had more pressure on him in a race than that day. He won and that is certainly his proudest moment, he later won the Breeders' Cup that year, but there was nothing to compare to that.
Since my grandfather's first day in the horse business, there's been a relationship with the Proctor family. Willard Proctor, Alan Proctor, Hap Proctor and Tom Proctor have managed our farm in Ocala and trained our horses at the track. They have represented us with the highest integrity and old-school horsemanship and hard work. This award is as much theirs as it is ours.
It's been wonderful working with my grandfather since I took over Glen Hill Farm in 2008. It's very unique for a founder to turn over control of his business, but my grandfather felt I would benefit from his guidance, which has proven true. Many who know Leonard Lavin say that he is the toughest person they've met and he has the highest expectations for those that he loves. He has been a hard, but fair boss. Our disagreements have been about horses, never business principles–those have been consistent and straightforward; be a man of your word, pay your bills on time, be patient with horses, stand up for what you believe, whether it's popular or not, never suggest an idea to someone that you wouldn't do yourself and most of all, he has stressed that Glen Hill Farm is an extension of the Lavin and Bernick families, so make sure everything associated with it is done properly and with class.
My goal is to teach these principles to my family and have Glen Hill Farm endure for another 50 years. Thank you very much.
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