Keeneland Racing and Sales Well Represented by Eclipse Awards Finalists

LEXINGTON, KY (Jan. 5, 2018)Keeneland racing and sales enjoy strong ties to the finalists for the 2017 Eclipse Awards, headlined by 15 sales alumni that include Breeders’ Cup winners Caledonia Road, Good Magic and Roy H. Finalists were announced today by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.
Champions will be announced Thursday, Jan. 25, at the 47th annual Eclipse Awards dinner and ceremony at Gulfstream Park.
Horses offered at Keeneland sales who are Eclipse finalists and their 2017 stakes wins:

Horse of the Year: Arrogate, winner of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1). (Click here for a video of Arrogate at Keeneland’s 2014 September Yearling Sale.)

Older Dirt Male: Arrogate and Collected, winner of the $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic (G1), Californian (G2), Precisionist (G3) and Santana Mile. (Click here for a video of Collected at the 2014 September Sale.)

Two-Year-Old Male: Good Magic, winner of the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), and graded stakes-placed Solomini. (Click here for a video of Good Magic at the 2016 September Sale. Click here for a video of Solomini at the 2016 September Sale.)

Two-Year-Old Female: Caledonia Road, winner of the 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). (Click here for a video of Caledonia Road at the 2016 September Sale.)

Three-Year-Old Male: Always Dreaming, winner of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1); and West Coast, winner of the Travers Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), Pennsylvania Derby (G1), Los Alamitos Derby (G3) and Easy Goer. (Click here for a video of Always Dreaming at the 2015 September Sale. Click here for a video of West Coast at the 2015 September Sale.)

Three-Year-Old Female: Abel Tasman, winner of the Kentucky Oaks (G1), Acorn (G1) and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1); and Unique Bella, winner of the La Brea (G1), Las Virgenes (G2), Santa Ynez (G2), L.A. Woman (G3) and Santa Ysabel (G3). (Click here for a video of Abel Tasman at the 2015 September Sale. Click here for a video of Unique Bella at the 2015 September Sale.)

Older Dirt Female: Stellar Wind sold for $6 million at Keeneland’s 2017 November Sale following her campaign that included wins in the Apple Blossom (G1), Beholder Mile (G1) and Clement L. Hirsch (G1). (Click here for a video of her at the November Sale.)

Male Sprinter: Mind Your Biscuits, winner of the Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Gulf News (G1) and Belmont Sprint Championship (G2); and Roy H, winner of the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G1) and True North (G2). (Click here for a video of Mind Your Biscuits at Keeneland’s 2014 January Horses of All Ages Sale. Click here for a video of Roy H at the 2013 September Sale.)

Female Sprinter: Unique Bella (see above).

Male Turf Horse: Beach Patrol, winner of the Arlington Million XXXV (G1) and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1). (Click here for a video of Beach Patrol at the 2013 November Sale.)

Female Turf Horse: Lady Eli, winner of the Diana (G1), Gamely (G1) and Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa (G2). (Click here for a video of Lady Eli at the 2013 September Sale.)

Steeplechase Horse: Mr. Hot Stuff won the Grand National Hurdle (G1).
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A number of finalists for equine Eclipse Awards, as well as those in the categories of owner, breeder, trainer and jockey, also were prominent participants at Keeneland during its 2017 Spring and Fall Meets.
Paulassilverlining won the Madison (G1), while Rushing Fall captured the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G3) as a prep for her victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Del Mar.
Other notable Eclipse Award finalists to run at Keeneland this year are West Coast (2nd in the Stonestreet Lexington-G3), Lady Eli (2nd in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley-G1), Elate (Central Bank Ashland-G1) and Bar of Gold (Juddmonte Spinster-G1).
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Godolophin Racing secured its first Keeneland title as leading owner with five wins in the Spring. Four of those wins came on Saturday, April 15, and included the Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1) with Dickinson and Ben Ali (G3) with Watershed.
Finishing second in the Spring Meet owner standings with four victories was Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, represented by Madison winner Paulassilverlining. Juddmonte also sponsors Keeneland’s Juddmonte Spinster in the Fall.
Paulassilverlining is trained by Chad Brown and was ridden in the Madison by Jose Ortiz.
Brown and Javier Castellano teamed to win the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine with Rushing Fall.
Castellano won four graded stakes at Keeneland in 2017. In addition to the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine, he accounted for the Maker’s 46 Mile (G1) with American Patriot; Transylvania (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select with Big Score; and Adena Springs Beaumont (G3) with Sweet Loretta.
Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen finished second in Keeneland’s 2017 Fall Meet trainer standings with nine wins.
Eclipse Award finalists Winchell Thoroughbreds, Three Chimneys Farm, Clearsky Farms and WinStar Farm are major players at Keeneland racing and sales.