One month before the Breeders’ Cup, trainer Bob Baffert knew that Splendora could handle the bright lights.

By convincing her connections that she was ready, Baffert was offering a bold vote of confidence for a 4-year-old filly who had never won in graded stakes company. But with a Hall of Fame trainer in her corner, it was only so surprising when she hustled forward from fifth under jockey Flavien Prat and surged past stablemate Hope Road to win the Grade 1 PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint by 4 3/4 lengths.

WinStar Farm, one of the most prolific breeding and stallion operations in Kentucky, was led on the track in 2025 by a multi-generation homebred who showed off the strength of the program’s bloodlines and stallion roster. The outfit, which owns three prior Eclipse Awards – as outstanding owner in 2010 and outstanding breeder in 2016 and 2020 – is again a finalist for outstanding breeder for these accomplishments.

Pietro Moran racked up enough wins and earnings in 2025 to get the nod as an Eclipse Award finalist for North America’s outstanding apprentice jockey, but one victory stood out – the $1 million King’s Plate.

Moran guided Mansetti to a front-running win in Canada’s premier race for 3-year-olds, which is held at Woodbine. That’s where Moran finished second in the overall standings last year, and the success lifted the rider to a 2025 record of 140 wins from 863 starts for mount earnings of $6,083,835. Moran’s numbers were tops among all North American-based apprentices in 2025.

Yedsit Hazlewood continued Maryland’s rich tradition of showcasing young riding talent, as the Laurel Park title winner has been voted an Eclipse Award finalist for outstanding apprentice jockey of 2025.

Hazlewood ranked as North America’s second-leading apprentice in both wins and mount earnings last year. He compiled a record of 131 wins from 570 starts, earning $4,263,751.

Don Alberto Corp., which already had a good deal of success at its base in Chile, purchased its U.S. farm in 2013. In less than a dozen years, the international outfit, headed by principals Liliana Solari and her son Carlos Heller, has done what a number of solely U.S.-based operations have sought to do for generations. The farm bred its first American classic winner in 2023 and in 2025 struck with its second, Eclipse Award finalist Journalism.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum’s international Godolphin operation is yet again a finalist for both the Eclipse Award for outstanding owner and outstanding breeder, looking to sweep for the fifth consecutive year after breakthrough accomplishments.

Christopher Elliott had a family reputation to uphold when he launched his riding career, as he is the son of a Kentucky Derby-winning jockey in Stewart Elliott.

Safe to say, he has done the name proud.

It was no surprise to see She Feels Pretty among the nation’s leading turf females in 2025. She has been at the top of her class since her 2-year-old season in 2023.

She Feels Pretty won 3 of 5 starts in 2025 and was second in her two losses, including a half-length defeat in the Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

For the entirety of her campaign, She Feels Pretty is a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s champion female turf horse.

It was not fake news to say Journalism was alive and well and thriving in the United States in 2025.

Journalism had a robust eight-race, well-traveled, and very successful campaign, winning three Grade 1 stakes – highlighted by a dramatic Preakness victory – and finishing second in both the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. His accomplishments earned him a spot as a finalist for the Eclipse Award in the 3-year-old male division.

Shisospicy was red-hot in 2025. The front-running gray won four stakes and made history by becoming the first 3-year-old filly to win the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Her gate-to-wire win produced the biggest margin in the 18-year history of the race.

The 2 1/2-length win capped an ambitious campaign by Shisospicy, an Eclipse Award finalist as champion 3-year-old filly, female sprinter, and female turf horse.