The 52nd annual Eclipse Awards were presented on Jan. 26, with the coveted champion 3-year-old male trophy going to Epicenter. Until his final race, the Steve Asmussen trainee didn't finish worse than second for Winchell Thoroughbreds in 2022, collecting victories in the Grade 1 Travers, G2 Jim Dandy, G2 Louisiana Derby and G2 Risen Star.
The evening was a big one for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who picked up his eighth Eclipse Award for leading trainer, and also trained champion 3-year-old female Nest, champion 2-year-old male Forte, and older dirt female Malathaat.
Irad Ortiz Jr. collected his fourth career Eclipse Award as champion jockey while the top apprentice title went to Jose Antonio Gomez. For Ortiz, the honor ties him with Pat Day and Javier Castellano for the third-most jockey Eclipse titles. His mounts earned $37,075,772 from performances that included wins in the Belmont Stakes, Breeders' Cup Sprint, Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.
Godolphin cleaned up in both the Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder categories. As owner, Godolphin colors were carried by Breeders' Cup winners Cody's Wish, Rebel's Romance, Modern Games, and Mischief Magic. The stable was represented by 14 homebred graded stakes winners in 2022, who put the spotlight on stallions Street Sense and Dubawi.
Source: Paulick Report
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