TWO months of debate turned into one night of domination. Triple Crown winner Justify won Horse of the Year honours by a wide margin over Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Accelerate at the Eclipse Awards at the 48th Annual Eclipse Awards Ceremony at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida on Thursday evening.

Since November, thoroughbred racing’s water-cooler, tack-room, bar-stool conversations - or perhaps it was just the internet - spun a Horse of the Year debate between undefeated Justify and leading older horse Accelerate. They never met on the racetrack, but they did clash in the ballot box. Sort of.

In results announced Thursday night at the Eclipse Awards ceremony, Justify received 191 of the possible 249 first-place votes to outpace Accelerate, who received 54. Monomoy Girl (two) and Enable (one) also received first-place votes.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters announced that Justify, who became horse racing’s 13th Triple Crown winner by sweeping the three-year-old classics of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, was voted the 2018 Horse of the Year.

The Eclipse Awards, honouring excellence in North American thoroughbred racing, presented by The Stronach Group, Daily Racing Form and the Breeders’ Cup, are voted on by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers And Broadcasters.

Owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International, Starlight Racing and Head of Plains Partners and trained by Bob Baffert, Justify was also voted the unanimous three-year-old champion, garnering all 249 votes.

He was undefeated in six career starts, including the Santa Anita Derby and his Triple Crown sweep. He was retired in July of last year.

A chesnut son of Scat Daddy out of Stage Magic by 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, Justify was bred in Kentucky by John Gunther, who was also voted Outstanding Breeder of 2018.

Justify becomes the third Horse of the Year to be trained by Baffert, who also trained 2015 Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and the 2001 winner Point Given.

UNBELIEVABLE

“I’m so proud of Justify and I’m happy to see he is being rewarded for his unbelievable accomplishments in his run up to the Triple Crown.”

Baffert said: “I’ve had the great fortune to be around some of the most talented horses and what Justify was able to do in such a short amount of time still takes my breath away.

“He is truly a horse for the ages and deserves his place among racing’s elite. I’m grateful to WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Bloodstock for sending this horse to me to train. It has been an honour and privilege and a hell of a lot of fun to be part of his story.”

Ireland was represented with the crowning of Irish-bred Sistercharlie as champion turf mare. The daughter of Myboycharlie won four of five starts in 2019, garnering four Grade 1 stakes, including the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November.

Owned by Peter Brant and trained by Chad Brown, Sistercharlie edged Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Enable by just 11 votes. It was the closest margin of the night - funny, this debate never came up at the water cooler.

In other awards on Thursday, the Baffert-trained Game Winner was named Champion Two-Year-Old Male for owners Gary and Mary West. Trainer Peter Miller saddled two Eclipse Award winners: Roy H repeated as Champion Male Sprinter and Stormy Liberal claimed the Champion Male Turf Horse title.

Irish-breds earned votes in other divisions. Newspaperofrecord, the undefeated two-year-old turf star finished second for two-year-old filly champion. Magical earned one inexplicable vote behind Monomoy Girl’s 247 votes in the three-year-old filly division. Glorious Empire, claimer turned Grade 1 stakes horse, collected 43 votes to finish third for male turf champion and Grand National winner Jury Duty wound up on 12 ballots but didn’t match former Gordon Elliott-trained Zanjabeel in the steeplechase division. Chad Brown, trainer of Sistercharlie, won the Outstanding Trainer award for the third consecutive year.

Hronis Racing LLC, which campaigned Accelerate to the Champion Older Dirt Male title, won the Outstanding Owner Award. Irad Ortiz Jr., who led all riders in wins with 346 and total earnings of more than $27 million was named Champion Jockey.