| Horse of the Year | |
|---|---|
Thoroughbred flat racing |
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| Country | United States |
| Official website | Eclipse Award |
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. Because Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States has no governing body to sanction the various awards, "Horse of the Year" is not an official national award.[1]
The Champion award is a designation give to a horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year was deemed the most outstanding. The list below is a Champion's history compilation beginning with the year 1887 published by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association's The Blood-Horse magazine (founded 1961), [2] described by ESPN as "the Thoroughbred industry's most-respected trade publication". [3] This list includes Champions from 1936 through 1970 as selected by New York Morning Telegraph, and its sister newspaper, the Daily Racing Form, as well as the Eclipse Award program created in 1971.
The award list that began in 1936 was based on a poll of the staff of The New York Morning Telegraph and its sister newspaper, the Daily Racing Form (DRF), a tabloid founded in 1894 that was focused on statistical information for bettors.[4] At the same time a rival poll was organised by the Baltimore-based Turf and Sport Digest magazine.[5] Formed in 1942 as an advocacy group, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA) inaugurated a competing award in 1950, selecting its winners from votes by racing secretaries from member tracks across the United States. The three systems resulted in different opinions as to "Horse of the Year" Champions in 1949, 1952, 1957, 1965, and 1970.[6] In 1971, the DRF and TRA made an agreement with the National Turf Writers Association to merge into one set of awards, called the Eclipse Awards.[7]
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In a rare occurrence, two two-year-olds topped the balloting for 1972 American Horse of the Year honors with Secretariat edging out the filly, La Prevoyante. Secretariat received the votes of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America and the Daily Racing Form, while La Prevoyante was chosen by the National Turf Writers Association.[1]
Kelso, who placed 4th in the Blood-Horse magazine ranking of the top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, won "Horse of the Year" honors five consecutive years. Omaha is the only winner of the U.S. Triple Crown that was not voted "Horse of the Year" honors.
Most wins:
Most wins by a trainer:
Most wins by an owner:
| Year |
Horse |
Trainer |
Owner |
Age | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Capot (DRF)[46] | John M. Gaver, Sr. | Greentree Stable | 3 | C |
| 1949 | Coaltown (TSD)[47] | Horace A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 4 | C |
| 1948 | Citation[48] | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 3 | C |
| 1947 | Armed[49] | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 6 | G |
| 1946 | Assault[50] | Max Hirsch | King Ranch | 3 | C |
| 1945 | Busher[51] | George M. Odom | Louis B. Mayer | 3 | F |
| 1944 | Twilight Tear[52][53] | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 3 | F |
| 1943 | Count Fleet[54] | Don Cameron | Fannie Hertz | 3 | C |
| 1942 | Whirlaway[55] | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 4 | C |
| 1941 | Whirlaway[56] | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm | 3 | C |
| 1940 | Challedon[57] | Louis J. Schaefer | Branncastle Farm | 4 | C |
| 1939 | Challedon[58] | Louis J. Schaefer | Branncastle Farm | 3 | C |
| 1938 | Seabiscuit[59] | Tom Smith | Charles S. Howard | 5 | C |
| 1937 | War Admiral[60] | George Conway | Glen Riddle Farm | 3 | C |
| 1936 | Granville[61][62] | Jim Fitzsimmons | William Woodward, Sr. | 3 | C |
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