The Eclipse Awards were created in 1971 to recognize outstanding achievements in North America by Thoroughbreds and individuals.

The three organizations responsible for determining Eclipse Award recipients are the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

To help celebrate 50 years of the Eclipse Awards, the NTRA recently announced that voting is under way at www.NTRA.com in the NTRA Eclipse 50 contest, which asks fans to select their Top 10 Eclipse Award equine champions, along with one top trainer and one top jockey, from the past 50 years.

One of the contest participants will be chosen to win a trip for two to Lexington, Ky., and spend the day at the races at Keeneland Race Course, tour the Four Roses Bourbon Distillery and visit historic Spendthrift Farm. Spendthrift is home to Into Mischief, sire of Authentic, winner of this year’s Grade I Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic and widely considered the favorite to be voted 2020 Horse of the Year.

The Eclipse 50 ballot consists of 10 horses, one trainer and one jockey from each of the past five decades as selected by a panel of media, racing historians and others.

Fans may enter the Eclipse 50 contest one time per valid name, email address and phone number at https://www.ntra.com/fanvote/. Voting will conclude on Monday, Jan. 25.

The 2020 Eclipse Award recipients will be announced Jan. 28 on TVG, Racetrack Television Network and various streaming outlets. The winning Eclipse 50 contest entry also will be revealed, plus the Top 10 Eclipse Award champions, top trainer and top jockey from the past 50 years.

I had the honor of being one of the 42 Eclipse 50 panelists. As such, I was asked to select 10 Eclipse Award champions for each decade during the last 50 years, plus one jockey and one trainer for each decade.

From time to time in recent years for Xpressbet.com, I have listed my continually updated Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th and 21st Centuries to have raced in North America. I relied on the work I already had done in constructing that Top 100 list when deciding which 10 horses to vote for in each of the past five decades for the Eclipse 50 contest.

These are the horses, trainers and jockeys listed on the Eclipse 50 contest ballot, decade by decade:

1971-1979

Horses:
Ack Ack
Affirmed
Forego
Riva Ridge
Ruffian
Seattle Slew
Secretariat
Shuvee
Spectacular Bid
Susan’s Girl

Trainer: Laz Barrera
Jockey: Laffit Pincay Jr.

1980-1989

Horses: 
All Along
Alysheba
Easy Goer
Ferdinand
Genuine Risk
John Henry
Lady’s Secret
Personal Ensign
Spectacular Bid
Sunday Silence

Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Angel Cordero Jr.

1990-1999

Horses:
A.P. Indy
Cigar
Holy Bull
Inside Information
Paseana
Serena’s Song
Silverbulletday
Silver Charm
Skip Away
Unbridled

Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Jerry Bailey

2000-2009

Horses:
Azeri
Curlin
Ghostzapper
Goldikova
Ouiji Board
Point Given
Rachel Alexandra
Smarty Jones
Tiznow
Zenyatta

Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez

2010-2019

Horses:
American Pharoah
Beholder
California Chrome
Goldikova
Gun Runner
Justify
Royal Delta
Songbird
Wise Dan
Zenyatta

Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Javier Castellano

MY TOP 10 DURING THE ECLIPSE AWARDS ERA

If I were to fill out an Eclipse 50 ballot, my Top 10 would be the same horses in the same order as they are ranked on my current list of Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th and 21st Centuries to have raced in North America:

1. Secretariat
2. Spectacular Bid
3. Seattle Slew
4. Affirmed
5. Ruffian
6. Forego
7. American Pharoah
8. John Henry
9. Zenyatta
10. Sunday Silence

My choice for trainer is Bob Baffert. Why? He has trained two Triple Crown winners during the Eclipse Awards era. Not only that, you will note that of the trainers in the Eclipse Award contest, Baffert is the only one who appears on the ballot twice -- for the decades 1990-1999 and 2010-2019 --which in itself is pretty darn remarkable.

My choice for jockey is Laffit Pincay Jr. Why? Because in my opinion, he is the greatest jockey of all time, edging Bill Shoemaker in a photo finish.

According to Keith Chamblin, the NTRA’s chief operating officer, in terms of the Top 10 equine champions, No. 1 definitely will be named on Jan. 28, while the entire Top 10 probably will be revealed from 10th to 1st.

I think Secretariat should be the No. 1 equine champion during the Eclipse Awards era. I will be surprised if he is not.

I have Zenyatta at No. 9, but my expectation is that she probably will rank much higher in the Eclipse 50 contest in terms of votes received from the general public due to her tremendous popularity.

Beyond my own Top 10 from the Eclipse Awards era, below is a list of my next 40 horses in the same order as they appear on my current list of Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th and 21st Centuries to have raced in North America:

11. Cigar
12. Justify
13. Alydar
14. Easy Goer
15. Alysheba
16. Curlin
17. Arrogate
18. Shared Belief
19. California Chrome
20. Personal Ensign
21. All Along
22. Wise Dan
23. Ack Ack
24. Rachel Alexandra
25. Dahlia
26. Riva Ridge
27. Shuvee
28. Holy Bull
29. Precisonist
30. Ghostzapper
31. Tiznow
32. Skip Away
33. Sham
34. Point Given
35. Inside Information
36. Gun Runner
37. Lady’s Secret
38. Azeri
39. Beholder
40. Smarty Jones
41. Genuine Risk
42. Landaluce
43. A.P. Indy
44. Authentic
45. Susan’s Girl
46. Silver Charm
47. Go for Wand
48. Rags to Riches
49. Slew o’ Gold
50. Exceller

Below is a list of the pre-Eclipse Awards era horses in the same order as they appear on my current list of Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th and 21st Centuries to have raced in North America:

1. Man o’ War
2. Citation
3. Kelso
4. Native Dancer
5. Dr. Fager
6. Count Fleet
7. Swaps
8. Phar Lap
9. Buckpasser
10. Damascus
11. Round Table
12. Seabiscuit
13. War Admiral
14. Tom Fool
15. Colin
16. Regret
17. Exterminator
18. Whirlaway
19. Nashua
20. Bold Ruler
21. Equipoise
22. Gallant Fox
23. Sysonby
24. Gallant Man
25. Assault
26. Armed
27. Sir Barton
28. Northern Dancer
29. Omaha
30. Discovery
31. Majestic Prince
32. Arts and Letters
33. Pan Zareta
34. Stymie
35. Challedon
36. Busher
37. Gallorette
38. Noor
39. Coaltown
40. Sword Dancer
41. Grey Lag
42. Devil Diver
43. Zev
44. Twilight Tear
45. Native Diver
46. Ta Wee
47. Twenty Grand
48. Alsab
49. Cicada
50. Bald Eagle

Below is my complete up-to-date list of Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th and 21st Centuries to have raced in North America (in parentheses, when applicable, is where the horse ranked on The Blood-Horse’s list of the Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century):

1. Man o’ War (1)
2. Secretariat* (2)
3. Citation* (3)
4. Kelso (4)
5. Spectacular Bid (10)
6. Native Dancer (7)
7. Dr. Fager (6)
8. Seattle Slew* (9)
9. Count Fleet* (5)
10. Affirmed* (12)
11. Ruffian (35)
12. Swaps (20)
13. Phar Lap (22)
14. Forego (8)
15. American Pharoah*
16. Buckpasser (14)
17. Damascus (16)
18. Round Table (17)
19. Seabiscuit (25)
20. War Admiral* (13)
21. Tom Fool (11)
22. Colin (15)
23. John Henry (23)
24. Zenyatta
25. Regret (71)
26. Exterminator (29)
27. Whirlaway* (26)
28. Sunday Silence (31)
29. Cigar
30. Justify*
31. Nashua (24)
32. Alydar (27)
33. Easy Goer (34)
34. Alysheba (42)
35. Curlin
36. Arrogate
37. Shared Belief
38. California Chrome
39. Bold Ruler (19)
40. Personal Ensign (48)
41. All Along (68)
42. Wise Dan
43. Equipoise (21)
44. Gallant Fox* (28)
45. Sysonby (30)
46. Gallant Man (36)
47. Assault* (33)
48. Armed (39)
49. Sir Barton* (49)
50. Northern Dancer (43)
51. Omaha* (61)
52. Ack Ack (44)
53. Discovery (37)
54. Majestic Prince (46)
55. Arts and Letters (67)
56. Pan Zareta
57. Rachel Alexandra
58. Stymie (41)
59. Challedon (38)
60. Busher (40)
61. Gallorette (45)
62. Noor (69)
63. Coaltown (47)
64. Sword Dancer (53)
65. Grey Lag (54)
66. Devil Diver (55)
67. Dahlia (50)
68. Zev (56)
69. Twilight Tear (59)
70. Riva Ridge (57)
71. Native Diver (60)
72. Ta Wee (80)
73. Shuvee (70)
74. Holy Bull (64)
75. Precisionist
76. Ghostzapper
77. Twenty Grand (52)
78. Tiznow
79. Skip Away (32)
80. Sham
81. Alsab (65)
82. Point Given
83. Inside Information
84. Gun Runner
85. Lady’s Secret (76)
86. Azeri
87. Beholder
88. Smarty Jones
89. Genuine Risk (91)
90. Landaluce
91. A.P Indy
92. Authentic
93. Susan’s Girl (51)
94. Silver Charm (63)
95. Cicada (62)
96. Go for Wand (72)
97. Rags to Riches
98. Slew o’ Gold (58)
99. Bald Eagle (74)
100. Exceller (96)

*Triple Crown winner

PANELISTS WHO DETERMINED NTRA CONTEST FINALISTS

In addition to yours truly, the panelists who determined the final horses, trainers and jockeys to appear on the Eclipse 50 contest ballot were Edward L. Bowen, Charlsie Cantey, Adam Coglianese, Irwin Cohen, Steven Crist, Dora Delgado, Tom Durkin, Bob Ehalt, Bill Finley, Tracy Gantz, Jim Gluckson, Amy Gregory, Tom Hammond, Evan Hammonds, Gregory Harbut, Steve Haskin, Charles Hayward, Jay Hovdey, Alicia Hughes, Dave Johnson, Jonathon Kinchen, Cate Masterson, Tom Law, Tim Layden, Amy Owens, Ray Paulick, Tom Pedulla, Mike Penna, Jay Privman, William “Billy” Reed, Jennie Rees, Ramiro Restrepo, Tom Robbins, Peter Rotondo, Andy Sterling, Ellis Star, Todd Schrupp, Mary Simon, Lynne Snierson, Denise Steffanus and Sonny Taylor.