Inside the Numbers: The Eclipse Awards

Racing
Bricks and Mortar, Maximum Security, and Mitole are the finalists for 2019 Horse of the Year.
Bricks and Mortar, Maximum Security, and Mitole are the finalists for 2019 Horse of the Year. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Each January the best of the best in Thoroughbred racing are honored at the Eclipse Awards, part of an exciting weekend culminating in the Pegasus World Cup races. The top equine and human performers of 2019 will be named this Thursday, Jan. 23.

Read on for the facts and figures surrounding this year’s awards.

1 – Just one reigning Eclipse Award champion is a finalist this year: Sistercharlie, who could repeat as outstanding female turf horse. Steeplechase finalist Scorpiancer won the champion steeplechase award previously in 2017.

3 – Total 2019 losses by this year’s Horse of the Year finalists. Bricks and Mortar went undefeated, Maximum Security lost twice and Mitole lost one race.

Covfefe wins the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
Covfefe wins the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. (Eclipse Sportswire)

3 – This year could be the third straight year that a 3-year-old filly is named champion female sprinter, with Covfefe aiming to take home the title after Shamrock Rose last year and Unique Bella in 2017.

4Chad Brown could earn his fourth straight title as outstanding trainer this year.

4 – Four horses are finalists for more than one Eclipse Award: Bricks and Mortar (Horse of the Year and turf male), Maximum Security (Horse of the Year and 3-year-old male), Mitole (Horse of the Year, male sprinter, and older dirt male), and Covfefe (3-year-old filly and female sprinter).

6 – The number of 2019 equine finalists who began their career outside of North America: Blue Prize, Sistercharlie, and Uni, as well as the three steeplechase finalists Brain Power, Scorpiancer, and Winston C.

6 – The number of Eclipse Awards won by 2012-13 Horse of the Year Wise Dan, more than any horse this century and third-highest total in the history of the awards.

7 – No one has won more outstanding trainer Eclipse Awards than Todd Pletcher.

7 – Total number of 2019 Breeders’ Cup wins by the top jockey finalists. Irad Ortiz Jr. collected four victories, Javier Castellano won two races, and Jose Ortiz captured one.

8 – Total number of Eclipse Awards won by the great Forego from 1974-77, including three Horse of the Year awards.

9 – The three finalists for top trainer together train nine finalists for equine awards; Steve Asmussen (Midnight Bisou and Mitole) and Brad Cox (British Idiom and Covfefe) each train two while Chad Brown conditions five (Bricks and Mortar, Guarana, Sistercharlie, Structor, and Uni).

9 – The number of champion 2-year-olds who went on to win the Kentucky Derby, including Nyquist in 2016. This year’s 2-year-old male finalists are Maxfield, Storm the Court, and Structor.

12 – The three Horse of the Year finalists won a total of 12 Grade 1 (highest level) races in 2019; Bricks and Mortar won five, Maximum Security three, and Mitole four.

18 – The number of racing victories by the awards’ namesake, Thoroughbred stallion Eclipse. He was undefeated in his racing career.

20 – The number of different trainers that have ever been named outstanding trainer. Ten of them have won more than once. Brad Cox is the only 2019 finalist who hasn’t won the award previously.

24 – The total number of Eclipse Awards that will be given this year, including 17 voted on by the media, an Eclipse Award for the top horseplayer, and six awards for media coverage of the sport.

35% – Percent of 2019 Grade 1 races won by one of the three finalists for top trainer. From 103 Grade 1s, 36 were won by either Steve Asmussen (11), Chad Brown (20), or Brad Cox (5).

$26,624.56 – Average purse earnings per start for outstanding jockey finalist Javier Castellano in 2019. He piloted his mounts to more than $25 million in total earnings for the year.

$11,270,950 – Dollars earned by the three Horse of the Year finalists in 2019.

$42,717,807 – Total dollars earned in 2019 by the 30 equine Eclipse Award finalists.

$86,691,738 – Total 2019 purse earnings by the three finalists for top jockey: Javier Castellano, Irad Ortiz Jr., and Jose Ortiz.

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