Unlike last year, when Horse of the Year was a hotly-debated topic until Justify was ultimately named the 2019 Eclipse Award winner, several of the 2019 year-end honors seem like mortal locks. Still, not every category has a surefire winner.
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 | Mike Somich | Brandon "B$" Bauer | Ricky Pasternak | RacingDudes.com Consensus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horse of the Year | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Mitole | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar |
| Two-Year-Old Male | Storm the Court | Structor | Structor | Structor | Structor | Structor | Storm the Court | Structor |
| Two-Year-Old Female | British Idiom | British Idiom | British Idiom | British Idiom | British Idiom | British Idiom | British Idiom | British Idiom |
| Three-Year-Old Male | Maximum Security | Maximum Security | Code of Honor | Maximum Security | Maximum Security | Maximum Security | Code of Honor | Maximum Security |
| Three-Year-Old Female | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe |
| Older Dirt Male | Mitole | Mitole | Mitole | Mitole | Vino Rosso | Mitole | Mitole | Mitole |
| Older Dirt Female | Midnight Bisou | Midnight Bisou | Midnight Bisou | Midnight Bisou | Midnight Bisou | Midnight Bisou | Midnight Bisou | Midnight Bisou |
| Male Sprinter | Mitole | Mitole | Mitole | Mitole | Mitole | Mitole | Mitole | Mitole |
| Female Sprinter | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe | Covfefe |
| Male Turf Horse | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar | Bricks and Mortar |
| Female Turf Horse | Uni | Sistercharlie | Uni | Got Stormy | Uni | Uni | Sistercharlie | Uni |
| Owner | Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence | Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence | Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence | Gary Barber | Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence | Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence | Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence | Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence |
| Breeder | Calumet Farm | Godolphin | Calumet Farm | Godolphin | Godolphin | Calumet Farm | Calumet Farm | Calumet Farm |
| Trainer | Chad Brown | Chad Brown | Chad Brown | Chad Brown | Chad Brown | Chad Brown | Chad Brown | Chad Brown |
| Jockey | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Jose Ortiz | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Irad Ortiz, Jr. |
| Apprentice Jockey | Kazushi Kimura | Angel Diaz | Kazushi Kimura | Kazushi Kimura | Angel Diaz | Julio Correa | Kazushi Kimura | Kazushi Kimura |
(note: Aaron would have voted for Karl Broberg [Trainer] and Endzone Athletics [Owner] if given the chance)
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, @Somobomb18, @BbauerRacing, and @RickyP_15.
The 49th Annual Eclipse Awards will be held at Gulfstream Park on January 23, 2020.
