Eclipse Awards ceremony moved to week of Pegasus World Cup
The 2018 Eclipse Awards ceremony will be held at Gulfstream Park in South Florida on Jan. 25, a Thursday, as part of a move to align the event with the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, the administrators of the ceremony announced on Friday.
Although the ceremony was traditionally held on a Monday in the past, the ceremony in recent years has been held at Gulfstream Park on a Saturday, and this will be the first time the event has been held on a Thursday. Gulfstream Park is owned by The Stronach Group, which was founded by Frank Stronach, a billionaire owner-breeder who has won multiple Eclipse Awards.
The Pegasus World Cup, which was held for the first time this year, is scheduled for Jan. 27 at Gulfstream next year, two days after the Eclipse Awards. The Stronach Group recently announced that the company would add $4 million of the company’s money to the purse of the race next year, deepening the company’s commitment to raising the profile of the race.
Under the race’s unique structure, The Stronach Group will once again this year attempt to sell 12 shares in the race for $1 million each that will give the slot owners the right to start a horse, with each starter guaranteed to receive $650,000 in purse money regardless of finish position. The inaugural Pegasus attracted Arrogate and California Chrome, the one-two finishers in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“The Stronach Group has created an important, world-class race that will regularly attract Eclipse Awards finalists, including Horse of the Year candidates,” said Alex Waldrop, the chief executive of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which administers the awards. “Together we are building a multi-day celebration of champions that will make South Florida the only place to be for racing fans and industry players during the last week of January.”