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Dateline: 01/27/03
The 2002 Eclipse Awards were handed out on Monday January 27th and Azeri came out the big winner with both Champion Older Female and Horse of the Year. Much speculation had been given as to whether she deserved to be Horse of the Year since she never raced against the males, but voters decided overwhelmingly that her nearly flawless performance in the distaff division deserved the big prize.
Azeri received 84% of the total votes: 37 out of 44 from Daily Racing Form, 107 out of 128 from the National Turf Writers' Association, and 45 out of 53 from NTRA. War Emblem was second with a total of 12 votes, while Left Bank and Rock of Gibraltar each received seven. Others getting votes for Horse of the Year were Orientate who got 3 votes while Storm Flag Flying, Toccet, Street Cry, Medaglia d'Oro, Volponi, and Xtra Heat received 1 vote each.
All the winners for 2002 are listed below with the actual vote totals. A link to the 2002 past performances is given for each horse. 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 Female: Azeri
Vote totals:
Horse of the Year: Azeri 3, War Emblem 0, Left Bank 0, Rock of Gibraltar 0
Older Female: Azeri - 30, unanimous
Two-Year-Old Male: Vindication
Vote totals: Vindication, 30; Toccet, 15; Sky Mesa, 2
Two-Year-Old Filly: Storm Flag Flying
Vote totals: Storm Flag Flying, 30; Awesome Humor, 5
Three-Year-Old Male: War Emblem
Vote totals: War Emblem, 30; Medaglia d'Oro, 11; Came Home, 7
Three-Year-Old Female: Farda Amiga
Vote totals: Farda Amiga, 30; Imperial Gesture, 7; Take Charge Lady, 6; You, 5
Older Male: Left Bank
Vote totals: Left Bank, 25; Volponi, 17.5; Street Cry (IRE), 3.5; Evening Attire, 2
Sprinter: Orientate
Vote totals: Orientate, 30; Xtra Heat, 10; Left Bank, 5; Gygistar, .5; Kalookan Queen, .5
Male Turf Horse: High Chaparral
Vote totals: High Chaparral (IRE), 30; With Anticipation, 11; Rock of Gibraltar (IRE), 7
Female Turf Horse: Golden Apples
Vote totals: Golden Apples (IRE), 30; Starine (FR), 15; Astra, 3
Steeplechase: Flat Top
Vote totals: Flat Top, 30; It's a Giggle, 8.5; McDynamo, 8.5
Owner: Richard A. Englander
Vote totals: Richard Englander, 1.5; The Thoroughbred Corp., 1; Juddmonte Farms, .5
Breeder: Juddmonte Farms
Vote totals: Juddmonte Farms, 2; Harry Mangurian, 1
Trainer: Bobby Frankel
Vote totals: Robert Frankel, 3
Jockey: Jerry Bailey
Vote totals: Jerry Bailey, 3
Apprentice Jockey: Ryan Fogelsonger
Vote totals: Ryan Fogelsonger, 3
How the Awards are Decided
In the equine categories, each voting group's first choice counts 10 points, five points for second and one for third giving a maximum of 30 points. For the Horse of the Year vote, each group's favorite gets one point for a maximum of three points. In the human categories, each group receives one vote for a maximum of three. To see the details for all the voting from Blood Horse, check here.
More about the Eclipse Awards:
- 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
Photos ©2003, Cindy Pierson Dulay, licenced to About except for Ryan Fogelsonger which is courtesy of Maryland Jockey Club.
