And it’s down to three.
In a season where 453 individual horses made at least one start in 180 steeplechase races, the Eclipse Award comes down to three.
Cool Jet. Swore. Zanahiyr.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Assocation, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters announced finalists in 17 horse and human categories for the 2025 Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards Sunday. Exhale. Once. Now, what to do with the next 17 days? The winner will be announced at the annual Eclipse Awards at the Breakers in Palm Beach Jan. 22. There won’t be much exhaling between now and then for the Riverdee team.
Cool Jet locked up the Lonesome Glory Award for the most earnings. Trained by Jack Fisher and ridden to his three wins by Bernie Dalton, the Irish-bred earned $190,500 in six starts. The Lonesome Glory trophy sits proudly on our dining room table, a bit of Christmas garland around the five-time champion’s neck and hooves. Now, there is one last big one. It’s the Emmy. The Oscar. The Pulitzer. The Nobel. Sure, in our world, it’s that big.
Eight horses split the eight Grade 1 stakes during the season. Abaan, Cool Jet, Proven Innocent, Historic Heart, Jimmy P, Swore, Zanahiyr and Fil Dor. With a Grade 1 stakes win in the Commonwealth Cup and Grade 3 scores in the Mariann de Tejeda and Noel Laing, Cool Jet is the only Grade 1 winner to win any other graded stakes. Must count for something, right?
Here’s hoping. Surely not expecting.
