Defending champion Azeri repeated as Champion Older Female with 123 votes over second choice Sightseek's 107 votes, while the undefeated Halfbridled took home Two-Year-Old Filly honors. Despite her flawless record, Halfbridled was not a unanimous winner as one voter out of the 248 went to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Ashado. In the human categories, Bobby Frankel won the trainer award for the fifth consecutive year, and Jerry Bailey won the jockey award for the fifth year in a row and seventh time in nine years.
It is worth noting that of the 313 eligible voters amongst the NTRA/Equibase, the Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers Association, only 79% of them (248) voted for the Eclipse Awards. Voters were asked to select their top three choices in each category, so as to have three finalists in each division, but the winners were determined solely by first-place votes.
All the winners for 2003 are listed below with the actual vote totals. A link to a full profile with a photo and full 2003 past performances is given for each horse. To see all this years finalists with profiles for each, check here. You can look up past year's winners here. You can see how the awards are decided here.
Horse of the Year and Champion Older Male: Mineshaft
Horse of the Year: Mineshaft 209, Congaree 11, Halfbridled 9, Funny Cide 4, all others 12
Older Male: Mineshaft - 221, Congaree 11, Pleasantly Perfect 7, all others 9
More from Blood Horse
Two-Year-Old Male: Action This Day
Vote totals: Action This Day 114, Cuvee 42, Birdstone 23, all others 66
More from Blood Horse
Two-Year-Old Filly: Halfbridled
Vote totals: Halfbridled 247, Ashado 1
More from Blood Horse
Three-Year-Old Male: Funny Cide
Vote totals: Funny Cide 150, Empire Maker 92, Ten Most Wanted 4, all others 1
More from Blood Horse
Three-Year-Old Female: Bird Town
Vote totals: Bird Town 96, Six Perfections 94, Composure 20, all others 37
More from Blood Horse
Older Female: Azeri
Vote totals: Azeri 123, Sightseek 107, Adoration 9, all others 8
More from Blood Horse
Sprinter: Aldebaran
Vote totals: Aldebaran 137, Cajun Beat 74, Congaree 27, all others 10
More from Blood Horse
Male Turf Horse: High Chaparral
Vote totals: High Chaparral 138, Storming Home 73, Johar 17, all others 18
More from Blood Horse
Female Turf Horse: Islington
Vote totals: Islington 90, Heat Haze 74, Six Perfections 66, all others 18
More from Blood Horse
Steeplechase: McDynamo
Vote totals: McDynamo 225, Praise the Prince 4, abstaining 19
More from Blood Horse
Owner: Juddmonte Farms
Vote totals: Juddmonte Farms 102, Michael Gill 51, Edmund Gann 32, all others 57
More from Blood Horse
Breeder: Juddmonte Farms
Vote totals: Juddmonte Farms 171, Frank Stronach/Adena Springs 36, John Franks 9, all others 28
More from Blood Horse
Trainer: Robert Frankel
Vote totals: Robert Frankel 193, Richard Mandella 44, Todd Pletcher 5, all others 6
More from Blood Horse
Jockey: Jerry Bailey
Vote totals: Jerry Bailey 211, Patrick Valenzuela 17, Edgar Prado 10, all others 10
More from Blood Horse
Apprentice Jockey: Eddie Castro
Vote totals: Eddie Castro 147, Ryan Fogelsonger 52, Pablo Fragoso 12, all others 15, abstaining 22
More from Blood Horse
More about the Eclipse Awards:
- How the awards are decided
- Past winners for all categories
- Eclipse Awards from Infoplease Almanac with some historical info and multiple winners
- DRF Eclipse Award Special - your best source of current info about this year's awards
