All Things 2024: Top 10 & Hall Of Fame
2024 FROM A 30,000 FOOT VIEW
Eclipse surpassed the 50-win mark for the 5th consecutive year and the 10-Stakes-win plateau for the 6th year in a row as well while racking up greater than $5 million in purse earnings in 2024, the 5th straight year we’ve surpassed $5 million in purse dough, including a $6+ million 2022, which we came a whisker shy of in 2023 and a $7+ million season in 2021.
While there are always transition periods, rebuilding phases with the retirement of stable stars and natural attrition associated with the operation of any major stable, 2024 was another banner year filled with milestones, including surpassing the $50 million lifetime earnings mark, our 600th overall win and our 150th Stakes tally, all thanks to our loyal partner base, every horseman and woman responsible for caring for our equine athletes and the horses, the horses the horses!
Since the company’s launch in late 2011, Eclipse has established itself as a perennial leader in the public partnership space in every meaningful statistical category and 2024 was a continuation of that trend, as the squad managed to further distance ourself from the pack, racking up a robust 58 total wins worldwide, good for a solid 18+% win clip and we tacked on another 45 seconds and 47 thirds from 325 starters, which equates to a 46+% in-the-money rate.
It wasn’t just action galore and wins by the many that marked the season that was 2024, but the stable stayed true to our mission to compete and win at the very upper echelon of the sport by winning a whopping 14 Stakes races, 6 of which were Graded Stakes and placing 22 more times in high level events.
Perhaps the stat we are most proud of is that since our first full racing season in 2012 the stable has triumphed in at least 1 Grade 1 event every single year for 13 straight years with a total of 27 top tier victories overall. This year the streak was kept alive by Anisette who proved superior in the Grade 1, $300,000 Gamely at Santa Anita, the second such time an #EclipseFilly has conquered the prestigious fixture.
In the process of racking up these types of stats, Eclipse remained solid in overall earnings with a $15,516 average in earnings per start and seeing our runners bank in excess of $5 million, which marks the 5th consecutive year we’ve topped $5 million in earnings!
As for our partners, another source of enhanced pride for Eclipse is that 243 partners won at least 1 race as Members of Eclipse partnerships in 2023, 117 of whom enjoyed Stakes glory, 45 of whom enjoyed Graded Stakes glory and 22 of whom enjoyed the taste of Grade 1 victory.
Off the playing field and in the auction ring, our #EclipseFillies commanded nearly $7 million in total receipts headed a pair of 7-figure fillies in Anisette and Queen Goddess, the 12th consecutive year with which Eclipse has sold at least one $1 million+ filly at auction, having topped the broodmare prospect category several times in the process. These figures do not account for blockbuster private sales such as Candied, Naval Force and the stable’s biggest stallion deal to date in the form of Locked.
All that said, Eclipse is never an operation to rest on our laurels and we remain hungrier than ever to deliver the Grade 1 results on and off the racetrack that our 1st class partners desire and deserve.
To see our 2024 North American stats and all historical stats for Eclipse and to be able to compare our statistics to other public partnerships, an exercise we strongly encourage you to do, check out this link on Ownerview:
https://www.ownerview.com/syndicate/o6-1861482/eclipse-thoroughbred-partners
Now, here’s our highly-anticipated annual Top 10 Highlights, 4 of the horses who happen to be making back-to-back, repeat appearances on the coveted list:
TOP 10 HIGHLIGHTS OF 2024
10. GEOLOGIST running 2nd in the UAE Guineas in Dubai at Meydan Racecourse gave her partners an enormous international thrill. It wasn’t a win, but the globetrotting filly, purchased for just €35,000 as a yearling, took her group on one heck of a ride for a few seasons, ultimately being sold in December for €220,000. Geologist was part of the inaugural Euros Fillies Fund designed for the effervescent conditioner, Amy Murphy, and she set the tone for what has evolved into a stupendous relationship between Eclipse and Murphy.
9. SOLO ALBUM was a Graded Stakes heroine at age 3 in 2023 and repeated the feat in 2024 in the Grade 3, $150,000 Trillium Stakes at Woodbine in Toronto, Canada. The sire Curlin has been so, so good to Eclipse and Solo Album joined Curalina, Point of Honor and Nest as a daughter of Curlin to grace the baby blue and black silks with grace at the elite level. Sold in November to the tune of $800,000, Solo Album will make her encore as a Mama before we know it.
8. BUILT announced his presence with authority with a rousing MSW score at Keeneland in October and then firmly stamped himself a Kentucky Derby contender by pulverizing his foes in the $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes at Fair Grounds in New Orleans in December. Yet another progeny of Hard Spun to swoon stardom for Eclipse, Built has already taken his partners on a wild ride and it could get even wilder as he marches his way to The Run For The Roses on the 1st Saturday in May.
7. CANDIED is another #EclipseFilly appearing on the annual Top 10 Highlight Reel for the 2nd straight year, this time as a recognition of her superb body of work in 2024. A Grade 1-winner and Breeders’ Cup-placed last year, Candied earned Stakes honors in the $100,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park in New Jersey and then strung together placings in 4 consecutive Grade 1’s, including the CCA Oaks and the Alabama at Saratoga, the Spinster at Keeneland and topped off her year with back-to-back placings in the Breeders’ Cup.
6. THE GREY WIZARD deserves a gold star for his 2024 campaign. The venerable turf marathoner captured the Grade 2, $200,000 Belmont Gold Cup at Saratoga, the $200,000 Cape Henlopen at Delaware and the $150,000 John Forbes Memorial at the famed Far Hills meet. Tack on a 2nd at Kentucky Downs and this dude’s 2024 was pure magic. Good turf marathoners are a fun division to have a top one in and The Grey Wizard always seems to have another rabbit to pull out of his hat for his admiring partners.
5. SUNSET GLORY came back after over a year layoff to reel off 3 straight wins at Santa Anita and Del Mar, highlighted by her score in the $100,000 TOC/CTT Stakes. The accomplishment for Sunset Glory was enough in and of itself and a wonderful testament to her partners who did right by her with immense and unwavering patience, but the win was also significant in it marking the 3rd straight year that an #EclipseFilly won the TOC/CTT Stakes at Del Mar, as Sister Otoole has taken down the event in 2022 and 2023.
4. JOURNALISM achieved a lot in the first 7 weeks of his budding career, going from a 3rd in a debut sprint, to bounding home clear in a MSW route 3 weeks later, only to dominate a field of Breeders’ Cup-placed colts in the Grade 2, $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity a month later. The son of Curlin is doing his best to prove that he can rep the Curlin colts just as well as the #EclipseCurlinFillies have over the years and is currently the 2nd choice in the Las Vegas Future Book for the Kentucky Derby. Between Journalism and Built, the baby blue and black brethren have some serious colts to contend for the Holy Grail in 2025.
3. LOCKED is another repeat-offender from last year’s highlight reel, returning from a rare injury to decimate an esteemed cast of competitors in the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile at The Big A in New York. A Grade 1-hero at age 2 in the $600,000 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, Locked’s victory in the historic and prestigious Cigar Mile over his elders was one for the ages, A supreme talent, Locked’s stallion rights have been secured by a major Kentucky farm, but if all goes well he will continue to race for Eclipse in 2025 with the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup his 1st target in 15 days time.
2. ANISETTE winning the Grade 1, $300,000 Gamely at Santa Anita proved she was other-worldly. In fact, not only was it the 2nd Gamely trophy earned by an #EclipseFilly, but it completed the Hat Trick for Anisette of officially securing a win in all 3 Grade 1 events for fillies and mares on the turf in California. The Triple Crown of sorts, including the Del Mar Oaks and the American Oaks in addition to the Gamely, is truly fit for a Queen. Anisette commanded $1.8 million at Fasig-Tipton’s “Night of the Stars” in November, putting an apropos exclamation point on a purely euphoric 2-year ride for her partners. What a filly!
1. HEALTH & SAFETY At the core of everything Eclipse stands for is pure horsemanship and a totally devoted appreciation for the equine athletes who are the heart of the Eclipse program. Therefore, the #1 highlight of the 2024 season is the fact that each and every one of the 325 horses and jockeys that Eclipse sent out onto the racetrack to compete in a race came home safe. Inevitably, the stable is frequently experiencing injuries to equine members of the roster during training or in other unfortunate ways, some minor, some crushing. This comes with the territory and Eclipse exercises every ounce of skill and effort to minimize this risk. We also recognize and appreciate the risk taken by horse and jockey every time they go to battle and this is something Eclipse never takes for granted and we take extreme pride in the care, attention and horsemanship that goes into every member of the stable. It is our wish that this can be our #1 highlight every single year.
HONORABLE MENTION
SET started his career a perfect 2 for 2 with a duo of scintillating wins, including bringing home the top prize in the $100,000 Cutler Bay Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The son of Oscar Performance delivered Eclipse our 2nd such Cutler Bay trophy and is on the comeback trail for a 4 year-old campaign.
ABAAN continues to provide his partners with thrill after thrill, delivering a pair of Stakes tallies in 2024 in Tennessee and in Camden. A multiple Graded and Stakes victor as a turf marathoner on the flat, Abaan went sour in the Spring of 2023 and was converted into a steeplechaser. He took to it like a duck to water and while he didn’t live up to the Eclipse Award hype this past year, he did cross the wire 1st on a pair of occasions and he was also 2nd at Far Hills, unable to double-up in back-to-back seasons at the historic venue. Abaan will be back for more over hurdles in 2025.
NAVAL FORCE was acquired privately in Ireland late in his Freshman season and only ran a few times for Eclipse in the Emerald Isle and his primary accolade was in a medium-level affair at Navan, but he joined his stablemate from the year prior, Teutates, as a mega-dollar sale to Hong Kong, providing his partners with a healthy score. These types are hard to come by and while Eclipse is a racing stable, when it makes sense to accept a hefty profit, especially with geldings like Naval Force and Teutates, it is truly gratifying.
ECLIPSE HOMEBREDS are continuing to cycle into a reasonable pattern of productivity. We have been very selective about the #EclipseFillies we’ve retained for our boutique broodmare band and 2024 was an extended coming out party for a handful of homebreds, including Precision (a rare Euro homebred), Into Diamonds, Muscled and Cavatelli. Breeding thoroughbred racehorses is the ultimate test of patience and commitment and we’re beginning to see the fruits of our labor come to fruition and the partners who’ve stayed the course as Members of the various breeding partnerships we have cultivated are reaping some deserved gratification. With our VP of Bloodstock, Sean Tugel, at the helm, we’re seeing marked improvement in our breed-to-race program as well as our overall program as our matings and pedigree analysis strengthen our roster in all respects.
FEEL GOOD STORIES OF THE YEAR
NEEDLEPOINT splashed onto the turf scene in the summer of 2023 when she dashed her way to a jaw-dropping win in her debut on French Oaks day at prestigious Longchamp in France. The gorgeous Blue Point filly was immediately tabbed a Guineas candidate for 2024, but a freak injury to a vertebrae in her spine derailed her bid for the Classics and even more scarily, put her life at risk. Thanks to a classy filly and unforeseen devotion from Amy Murphy and her team who literally slept with Needlepoint in her stall around the clock for over a month as she was nursed back to health, Needlepoint not only made it back to the races late in 2024, but she proved to be every bit the sensational talent she hinted at way back in the summer of 2023 with a breathtaking win. Now in California seeking Stakes success, Needlepoint is a miracle of sorts and rates an awesome feel good story for 2024!
BLUE MOON AFTERCARE PROGRAM has been a mainstay for the baby blue and black brethren for several years now and finally in 2023 the operation became an official, certified 501(c)3 charitable organization. The brainchild of our VP of Partner Relations, Kelsey Marshall Hughes, Blue Moon has done incredible work year in and year out, rescuing, rehoming and retraining dozens of former Eclipse runners and doing important philanthropy for industry-related charities, including numerous accredited aftercare organizations. The health, safety and well-being of our equine athletes is always priority #1 at Eclipse and Blue Moon epitomizes that notion day in and day out.
The 2024 Eclipse Hall of Fame Class runs 3-deep:
ANISETTE flew into rarified air for Eclipse in 2023 and 2024, capturing all 3 Grade 1 races for fillies and mares on the turf in California and notching 2 other Grade 2 events as well, all to the tune of just shy of $1 million in purses. Anisette’s Graded glory came in the Grade 2 San Clemente at Del Mar; the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks; the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita; the Grade 1 Gamely at Santa Anita; and the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon at Del Mar. A resume for the ages! A modest Euro private pluck, Anisette exhibited a unique brilliance over an extended period of time, displaying remarkable consistency at the sport’s very highest level. A special, special filly, Anisette was masterfully trained by Leonard Powell and ridden by Umberto Rispoli, visiting the Winners’ Circle time and again as not only an Eclipse legend, but earning herself a massive fan following by virtue of her smallish stature, but humongous heart, turn of foot and overall aura. A $1.8 million sale for Eclipse at Fasig-Tipton’s “Night of the Stars,” Anisette is now a broodmare in Europe and will be bred to the best of the best across The Pond.
QUEEN GODDESS carried the Eclipse colors with pride for the better part of 2 seasons with her crowning moment coming when she wired the field in the Grade 1, $250,000 American Oaks, joining her fellow Hall of Fame inductee, Anisette, as the 2 #EclipseFillies to take home that esteemed title. Having been a private purchase off a debut 2nd just 4 months prior to her Grade 1 glory, Queen Goddess would go on to notch 3 more Graded heats, including the $600,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf, at Gulfstream park, the Santa Ana and the Robert J. Frankel to triple up on Graded wins at The Great Race Place for trainer, Michael McCarthy. When all was said and done, Queen Goddess approached the $900,000 earnings mark with 6 wins and a handful of Graded placings. A $1.5 million sale for Eclipse at Fasig-Tipton’s “Night of the Stars,” Queen Goddess is now a broodmare in Japan, joining a harem of other Hall of Fame #EclipseFillies such as Curalina, Speech, Illuminant, Paved, Red Lark and Vibrance.
SPEAKING SCOUT is a true rags to riches story, earning his way into Eclipse’s Hall of Fame the hard way. A paltry $2,000 yearling, Speaking Scout was bird-dogged by Eclipse out of a 2nd-place finish in his debut at age 2 at Colonial Downs and sent to trainer Graham Motion. Scout was presented as a partnership opportunity restricted to Newcomers who had never owned a horse with Eclipse before. Of Speaking Scout’s 4 wins, his high water mark came in the Grade 1, $400,000 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar, a euphoric achievement for a jubilant partnership consisting of Newcomers to the Eclipse program. Speaking Scout also took down the Hawthorne Derby and placed in the Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf. A blue collar boy, Speaking Scout won over the hearts of his partners and fans and ranks as perhaps the most unlikely of Eclipse colorbearers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
To take a stroll down Memory Lane to remember the all-time greats to rep the Eclipse team, click on this link for access to all horses enshrined in our Hall of Fame:
https://eclipsetbpartners.com/about/hall-of-fame/
Now, as they say, that’s all turf history and let’s go out onto the playing field and make 2025 our best season ever!
Believe Big!