The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) announced Thursday evening that CODY’S WISH, who won four races last year including the Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), was named the 2023 Horse of the Year at the 53rd Annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, presented by FanDuel TV, John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club at The Breakers Palm Beach.
Kelly Dorman, father of Cody Dorman for whom the champion was named, accepted the evening’s big award.
In an earlier announcement, WOODBINE ENTERTAINMENT won the Feature Television Programming Eclipse for “SECRETARIAT The Last Race,” – Oct. 8, 2023. TSN (The Sports Network) in Canada. Tammy Gillanders was producer.
Owned by Godolphin and trained by Bill Mott, Cody’s Wish received 134 out of a possible 219 first-place votes for Horse of the Year. As a 5-year-old, Cody’s Wish, a son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin out of Dance Card by Tapit, won four of five starts, including three Grade 1 races. Cody’s Wish made his 2023 debut winning the 7-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) in May, followed by the Hill ‘N’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park in June. He suffered his only defeat of the year when he was third in the 1 1/8-mile Whitney (G1) at Saratoga in August. He bounced back in October at Aqueduct to win the Vosburgh Stakes (G2), before capturing the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1).
Cody’s Wish was named after Cody Dorman, a boy born with Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, which severely restricts body movements. Cody Dorman, in a wheelchair, bonded with a foal at a meeting at Godolphin’s Gainsborough Farm in 2018. That foal was named Cody’s Wish, and beginning in 2022 that bond became a national story as Cody’s Wish developed into a top-flight racehorse and Cody Dorman and his family attended many of his races. Sadly, Cody Dorman died the day after watching Cody’s Wish win the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on his return home to Kentucky.
The Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year and Older Male, Cody’s Wish, is accepted by the Dorman Family (Kelly, Leslie, and Kylie) and Godolphin Connection. (NTRA photo)
It was an especially big evening for the trainer of Cody’s Wish, Hall of Famer BILL MOTT, and his owner, GODOLPHIN. Mott, based in New York, won his fourth Outstanding Trainer Eclipse Award. In addition to Cody’s Wish, Mott trained two other Eclipse Award winners in 2023, saddling Just F Y I, the Champion 2-year-old Filly, and Elite Power, who won Champion Male Sprinter. Cody’s Wish is the second Horse of the Year trained by Mott, who campaigned Cigar to win the gold trophy in 1995 and 1996. Mott also won the Outstanding Trainer Eclipse in those same years and captured the honor again in 2011.
Godolphin, the prominent racing and breeding operation from the United Arab Emirates, won the Outstanding Owner Eclipse Award for the fourth consecutive year and the Outstanding Breeder title for the third straight year. Godolphin led all North American owners earnings in 2023 with $17,270,233, and its runners combined for 12 Grade 1 victories. Godolphin also led all North American breeders in 2023 with progeny earnings of $20,907,146. In addition to Cody’s Wish, Godolphin’s Pretty Mischievous was voted Champion 3-Year-Old Filly.
The Mott-trained Just F Y I, owned by George Krikorian, won the Champion 2-Year-Old Filly title by capturing the Grade 1 Frizette at Aqueduct and the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
The first award of the evening went to Repole Stable’s Fierceness was voted Champion 2-year-old Male on the strength of his 6 ¼-length victory in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Mike Repole got the evening off to a lively start. “I love this sport, I’ve loved it for 40 years. This is what I dreamt about. From a $2 dollar bettor to three [two-year-old champions], Uncle Mo, Forte last year and Fierceness this year.
“Right now the sport, we’re all on the Titanic, there’s an iceberg there, we haven’t hit it yet. We need a vision, we need alignment, we need leadership and we gotta make this better for everybody. I implore you, please, be selfless over selfish, let’s f**n compete on the racetrack. Outside the racetrack, let’s compete together.”
In Friday’s Thoroughbred Daily News, reporter T.D. Thornton noted, “Repole’s passion was evident. But by choosing to punctuate his remarks with f-bomb profanities while surrounded by family members and children on the stage as “exit music” got cued up in the background to encourage him to wrap it up, Repole introduced a level of coarseness that didn’t mesh with the spirit and tone of the festivities.”
Blue Rose Farm’s Arcangelo won the Champion 3-Year-Old Male Eclipse Award. Trained by Jena Antonucci, Arcangelo won both the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Travers Stakes (G1) to seal the title. Antonucci became the first female trainer to saddle a Champion 3-Year-Old.
Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Pretty Mischievous, trained by Brendan Walsh, won three Grade 1 races last year, highlighted by her dramatic victory in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
The Champion Older Dirt Female title went to Juddmonte’s Idiomatic. In a stellar season under trainer Brad Cox, Idiomatic won eight of nine races, including closing out the year with consecutive Grade 1 wins in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga, the Juddmonte Spinster at Keeneland, and the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
New York-based rider Irad Ortiz Jr. won the Outstanding Jockey Eclipse Award for the fifth time in the last six years. In 2023, Ortiz broke his single season record for total earnings with $39,192,585, and led all North American riders in wins with 366. Ortiz won three Breeders’ Cup races, highlighted by his victory aboard White Abarrio in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Two of Ortiz’s other Breeders’ Cup winners ― Elite Power and Goodnight Olive ― swept the Male Sprinter and Female Sprinter Eclipse Awards, respectively, for the second consecutive year. Juddmonte’s Elite Power, trained by Mott, won the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) at Saratoga and the Qatar Racing Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). First Row Partners and Team Hanley’s Goodnight Olive, trained by Chad Brown, won the Madison (G1) at Keeneland in the spring and her second PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) in November to secure the Champion Female Sprint title.
Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC’s Up to the Mark was crowned Champion Male Turf Horse off consecutive Grade 1 wins in the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs, the Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park and the Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Up to the Mark was also a game second behind Auguste Rodin (IRE) in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).
Cheveley Park Stud’s Inspiral (GB) won two Group 1 races in Europe last year before coming to the U.S. and winning the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1). Trained by John Gosden, Inspiral was voted Champion Female Turf Horse.
Hurricana Farm’s Merry Maker (IRE) won Champion Steeplechase Horse. Trained by Archibald Kingsley, Jr. Merry Maker took the 2 ½-mile Lonesome Glory Handicap (G1) over national fences at Aqueduct and finished second in the Grand National Hurdle Stakes (G1) at Far Hills, N.J.
Completing the human awards, Axel Concepcion was voted Outstanding Apprentice Jockey. Riding primarily on the Middle Atlantic circuit, the native of Puerto Rico led all apprentice riders in total earnings with $5,179,154 and wins with 199.
Woodbine Entertainment’s Tammy Gillanders and Rob Platts accept the Eclipse award for the Feature Television Programming winning entry about Secretariat. (NTRA photo)
The complete list of 2023 Eclipse Award winners, and vote totals appear, below:
Voter participation rate: 219/250= 88%
(Name, First-Place Votes)
Two-Year-Old Male
Fierceness, 205; Big Evs (IRE), 4; Muth, 3; Locked, 2; Prince of Monaco, 2; Nutella Fella, 1; The Wine Steward, 1; Timberlake, 1.
Two-Year-Old Filly
Just F Y I, 202; Hard to Justify, 9; Candied, 3; Tamara, 2; Brightwork, 1; Jody’s Pride, 1; She Feels Pretty, 1.
Three-Year-Old Male
Arcangelo, 193; Auguste Rodin (IRE), 21; Arabian Knight, 2; Mage, 1; National Treasure, 1; Two Phil’s, 1.
Three-Year-Old Filly
Pretty Mischievous, 182; Randomized, 24; Mawj (IRE), 9; Ceiling Crusher, 2; Faiza, 2.
Older Dirt Male
Cody’s Wish, 148; White Abarrio, 65; Elite Power, 5, Defunded, 1.
Older Dirt Female
Idiomatic, 211; Goodnight Olive, 4; Echo Zulu, 3; Adare Manor, 1.
Male Sprinter
Elite Power, 183; Cody’s Wish, 35; Speed Boat Beach, 1.
Female Sprinter
Goodnight Olive, 140; Echo Zulu, 72; Maple Leaf Mel, 3; Caravel, 2; Kirstenbosch, 1; Pretty Mischievous, 1.
Male Turf Horse
Up to the Mark, 141; Auguste Rodin (IRE), 60; Master of The Seas (IRE), 12; Casa Creed, 1; Exaulted, 1; Integration, 1; Nobals, 1; Program Trading, (GB) 1; Red Knight, 1.
Female Turf Horse
Inspiral (GB), 112; In Italian (GB), 50; Mawj (IRE), 43; Anisette (GB), 4; War Like Goddess, 3; Caravel, 2; Closing Remarks, 1; Didia (ARG), 1; Fev Rover, (IRE), 1; Moira, 1; Surge Capacity, 1.
Steeplechase Horse
Merry Maker (IRE), 69; Snap Decision, 50; Awakened, 25; Noah and The Arc (IRE), 24; Belfast Banter (IRE), 19; Scaramanga (IRE), 6; Voter Abstentions, 26.
Owner
Godolphin, LLC, 191; Klaravich Stables, Inc., 7; Juddmonte, 5; Gary Barber, 2;
Repole Stable, 2; Coleswood Farm, Inc., 1; Harris Farm, Inc., 1; George Krikorian, 1; Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC, 1; Bruno Schickedanz, 1; Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, 1; Voter Abstentions, 6.
Breeder
Godolphin, 202; Calumet Farm, 3; Brereton C. Jones, 3; Richard Barton Enterprises, 1; George Krikorian, 1; Repole Stable, 1; Spendthrift Farm LLC, 1; Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, LLC, 1; Taylor Made Farm, 1; Voter Abstentions, 5.
Trainer
Bill Mott, 132; Brad Cox, 60; Steve Asmussen, 8; Chad Brown, 7; Jena Antonucci, 4; Todd Pletcher, 3; Bob Baffert, 1; Mark Casse, 1; Linda Rice, 1. Voter Abstentions, 2.
Jockey
Irad Ortiz Jr., 187; Javier Castellano,17; Flavien Prat, 7; Junior Alvarado, 4; Juan Hernandez, 1; Luis Saez, 1; Mike Smith, 1. Voter Abstention, 1.
Apprentice Jockey
Axel Concepcion, 166; Sofia Vives, 16; Jaime Torres, 14; Luis R. Rivera Jr., 7; Walter A. Rodriguez, 2; Voter Abstentions, 14.
Horse of the Year
Cody’s Wish, 134; White Abarrio, 37; Idiomatic, 21; Up to the Mark, 9; Arcangelo, 6; Auguste Rodin (IRE), 6; Elite Power, 5; Practical Move, 1.
***
Award of Merit
Stuart S. Janney III received the Eclipse Award of Merit for outstanding career service to the Thoroughbred industry.
Special Eclipse Award
Tom Hammond received a Special Eclipse Award for Career Excellence.
Horseplayer of the Year
Paul Calia was presented with an Eclipse Award as the 2023 Horseplayer of the Year.
Media Eclipse Awards
Media Eclipse Awards also are given in the categories of photography, multimedia, news/enterprise writing, feature/commentary writing, television–-feature, and television–live racing programming to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing. The 2023 Media Eclipse Awards winners, determined by a judges’ panel for each category and previously announced, are:
Writing – Feature/Commentary – Tim Layden, NBCSports.com – “Maple Leaf Mel and the long arc of a horse racing tragedy,” Nov. 1, 2023
Writing– News/Enterprise – Sean Clancy, The Saratoga Special – “The Worst Test,” Aug. 6, 2023
Live Television Programming – NBC Sports – “The Breeders’ Cup World Championships,” Nov. 3-4, 2023; Lindsay Schanzer, Senior Producer
Feature Television Programming – Woodbine Entertainment: “SECRETARIAT The Last Race,” – Oct. 8, 2023. Airing on TSN (The Sports Network) in Canada. Tammy Gillanders, Producer
Multimedia – TDN Writers’ Room Podcast – “Wade and Carson Jost,” September 20, 2023; Susan Finley, Publisher, Thoroughbred Daily News
Photography – Carolyn Simancik – “Trading Horse Paint,” (Cody’s Wish/National Treasure battle in Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile) The Press Box, Nov. 4, 2023
Watch the ceremony here. :
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