Accelerate or Justify? The debate has raged on social media and amongst horse racing fans ever since Accelerate crossed the wire first in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. Did his accomplishments outdo a Triple Crown winner? Has the Triple Crown lost its luster after occurring twice in the last four years? Those questions will be taken into account when the media casts their ballots for the 2018 Eclipse Awards, which honor the top horses and people in all major divisions. The finalists were recently announced, and although we weren’t asked to vote, here is how each member of the Racing Dudes writing team would have cast his ballot:
| Jared Welch | Aaron Halterman | Mike "Slim" Spector | Curtis "Magic" Kalleward | Brandon "B$" Bauer | Mike Somich | RacingDudes.com Consensus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horse of the Year | Justify | Justify | Justify | Justify | Justify | Justify | Justify |
| Two-Year-Old Male | Game Winner | Game Winner | Game Winner | Game Winner | Game Winner | Game Winner | Game Winner |
| Two-Year-Old Female | Newspaperofrecord | Newspaperofrecord | Newspaperofrecord | Newspaperofrecord | Bellafina | Jaywalk | Newspaperofrecord |
| Three-Year-Old Male | Justify | Justify | Justify | Justify | Justify | Justify | Justify |
| Three-Year-Old Female | Monomoy Girl | Monomoy Girl | Monomoy Girl | Monomoy Girl | Monomoy Girl | Monomoy Girl | Monomoy Girl |
| Older Dirt Male | Accelerate | Accelerate | Accelerate | Accelerate | Accelerate | Accelerate | Accelerate |
| Older Dirt Female | Unique Bella | Abel Tasman | Abel Tasman | Abel Tasman | Vale Dori | Abel Tasman | Abel Tasman |
| Male Sprinter | Roy H | Roy H | Roy H | Roy H | Roy H | Mind Your Biscuits | Roy H |
| Female Sprinter | Shamrock Rose | Marley's Freedom | Marley's Freedom | Marley's Freedom | Marley's Freedom | Finley'sluckycharm | Marley's Freedom |
| Male Turf Horse | Expert Eye | Stormy Liberal | Glorious Empire | Stormy Liberal | Stormy Liberal | Glorious Empire | Stormy Liberal |
| Female Turf Horse | Enable | Sistercharlie | Sistercharlie | Sistercharlie | Sistercharlie | Enable | Sistercharlie |
| Steeplechase Horse | Zanjabeel | Zanjabeel | Optimus Prime | Zanjabeel | Zanjabeel | Optimus Prime | Zanjabeel |
| Owner | Team Justify | End Zone Athletics | Sol Kumin | Hronis Racing | Hronis Racing | Sol Kumin | TIE - Sol Kumin & Hronis Racing |
| Breeder | WinStar Farm | WinStar Farm | Glennwood Farm | Glennwood Farm | Glennwood Farm | WinStar Farm | TIE - Glennwood Farm & WinStar Farm |
| Trainer | Bob Baffert | Bob Baffert | Bob Baffert | Chad Brown | Bob Baffert | Bob Baffert | Bob Baffert |
| Jockey | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Mike Smith | Mike Smith | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Jose Ortiz | Irad Ortiz, Jr. |
| Apprentice Jockey | Edgar Morales | Edgar Morales | Reylu Gutierrez | Reylu Gutierrez | Reylu Gutierrez | Weston Hamilton | Reylu Gutierrez |
Did we get it right? Who did we miss? Let us know in the Comments section below or on Twitter! You can follow each of us at @racing_dudes, @SaratogaSlim, @CurtisKalleward, @BbauerRacing, and @Somobomb18. The 48th Annual Eclipse Awards will be held at Gulfstream Park on January 24th, 2019.
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