The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters announced Thursday evening that Gun Runner was voted the 2017 Horse of the Year at the 47th Annual Eclipse Awards Ceremony at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
Gun Runner was the winner of four Grade 1 races culminating with the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The Eclipse Awards, honoring excellence in North American Thoroughbred racing, presented by The Stronach Group, Daily Racing Form and the Breeders’ Cup, are voted on by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form (DRF) and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB).
Owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Three Chimneys Farm and trained by Steve Asmussen, Gun Runner received 248 out of a possible 250 first-place votes for Horse of the Year. Juddmonte Farms’ Arrogate, who was last year’s Champion 3-year-old, received two first place votes.
Gun Runner, who was also named the Champion Older Dirt Male earlier in the evening, won 5 of 6 starts during his 4-year-old season. That included dominant victories in the Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park in April, the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs in June, the Whitney and Woodward at Saratoga in August, and then finished the year with a front-running 2 1/4-length victory in the Classic at Del Mar.
Gun Runner’s only defeat last year came in the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, when he finished second to Arrogate. Gun Runner later turned the tables on Arrogate, who dead-heated for fifth in the Classic. Gun Runner, ridden in all of his races last year by Florent Geroux, finished the year with earnings of $6,950,700.
A chestnut son of Candy Ride (ARG) out of Quiet Giant by Giant’s Causeway, Gun Runner was bred in Kentucky by Besilu Stables. Gun Runner is scheduled to make his final career start in Saturday’s $16 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, and then will be retired to stud duty at Three Chimneys Farm in Versailles, Kentucky.
With the crowning of Gun Runner, Steve Asmussen becomes the first trainer since the Eclipse Awards began in 1971 to train the Horse of the Year winner on four occasions. In addition to Gun Runner, Asmussen, a member of Thoroughbred Racing’s Hall of Fame, trained Curlin to Horse of the Year titles in 2007 and 2008 and the filly Rachel Alexandra in 2009.
Award of Merit
The recipient of the Award of Merit, voted on by a panel of representatives from the three presenting organizations and previously announced, is Frank Stronach. The Award of Merit is presented to honor outstanding lifetime achievement in the Thoroughbred industry.
In other awards Thursday, two horses from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert captured the 3-year-old male and 3-year-old filly titles. Gary and Mary West’s West Coast, winner of the Travers and Pennsylvania Derby was named Champion 3-year-old Male, and China Horse Club’s Abel Tasman, winner of the Kentucky Oaks and the Coaching Club American Oaks, was named Champion 3-year-old filly.
The Champion 2-year-old Male title went to Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic, who is trained by Chad Brown, who was also named Outstanding Trainer for the second consecutive year.
Juddmonte Farms, which campaigned Arrogate to victories in the both the Pegasus and Dubai World Cups, was named Champion owner, and Clearksy Farms, breeders of Arrogate and Abel Tasman, was named the Outstanding Breeder. Jose Ortiz, who led all riders with more than $27 million in earnings, was named Champion Jockey.
A list of 2017 Eclipse Awards winners appears below:
(Horse ages in parentheses where applicable; Country codes indicate a foreign breeding designation)
- Two-Year-Old Male: Good Magic
- Two-Year-Old Filly: Caledonia Road
- Three-Year-Old Male: West Coast
- Three-Year-Old Filly: Abel Tasman
- Older Dirt Male: Gun Runner (4)
- Older Dirt Female: Forever Unbridled (5)
- Male Sprinter: Roy H (5)
- Female Sprinter: Unique Bella (3)
- Male Turf Horse: World Approval (5)
- Female Turf Horse: Lady Eli (5)
- Steeplechase Horse: Scorpiancer (IRE) (8)
- Owner: Juddmonte Farms, Inc.
- Breeder: Clearsky Farms
- Jockey: Jose Ortiz
- Apprentice Jockey: Evin Roman
- Trainer: Chad Brown
- Horse of the Year: Gun Runner (4)
The Eclipse Awards
Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon the Thoroughbred horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of Champion in their respective divisions. The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-Century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.
Voting Overview
In voting that concluded Jan. 2, Eclipse Awards voters cast their ballots to rank the top three horses and individuals in each Championship division on a 10-5-1 point system basis. This voting established the top three finalists in each division, whose names were released on Jan. 5.
NTRA