Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum’s international Godolphin operation had another powerhouse year and is a finalist for another Eclipse Award, further cementing its position as one of the elite outfits of the modern era. The operation won the Eclipse for outstanding breeder in 2012 under its Darley name. Darley also tied with Lael Stable for outstanding owner of 2006, and Godolphin was honored in that category in 2009 and 2012.

George Strawbridge Jr., 82, is seeking his first Eclipse Award as outstanding breeder, and has a strong case thanks to breeding Bricks and Mortar, a five-time Grade 1 winner who is one of the finalists for Horse of the Year and a heavy favorite to be honored as champion turf male. The Giant’s Causeway horse, sold as a yearling to Klaravich Stable and William Lawrence, is out of Beyond the Waves, a French stakes winner whom Strawbridge co-bred and campaigned.

Got Stormy has seemingly never met a turf course she did not like.

A 4-year-old filly in 2019, Got Stormy won half of her eight starts through the year, with the victories coming from coast to coast. In the races she did not win, Got Stormy was second or third on four different courses.

Her consistency has made her a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding turf female of 2019.

:: Full list of 2019 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

Not many horses win six races in their careers, let alone six stakes.

What Sistercharlie achieved in the last half of 2018 and through the summer and early fall of 2019 was exceptional – six consecutive Grade 1 stakes wins for fillies and mares on turf.

Sistercharlie was beaten in her final start of 2019, a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 2. For her three Grade 1 wins earlier in the year, Sistercharlie has been recognized as a finalist for the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding turf female of 2019.

A month before the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 2, the partnership that owns Uni spent $100,000 for a supplemental nomination to the famous race.

The hefty fee turned out to be a heckuva 10-1 bet. For her win in the BC Mile, Uni earned $1.1 million.

Uni ran arguably the best race of her remarkable career to win the BC Mile against a field largely consisting of males. The victory secured her place among the finalists for the Eclipse Award for the nation’s outstanding turf female of 2019.

Midnight Bisou’s 2019 campaign of sustained excellence stretched from late January to early November, from coast to coast. She did not win them all, but she sure came close.

Midnight Bisou won seven of eight starts, finished second once, raced at six tracks in five states and emerged as more than just the leader of the filly and mare division. In fact, she emerged as one of the nation’s top horses regardless of gender, age, footing, or distance.

Come Dancing had been fairly productive in prior years, but there was no reason to expect her to become an Eclipse Awards finalist prior to her 5-year-old season of 2019.

And yet Come Dancing reached unforeseen heights, recording an eye-popping Beyer Speed Figure while also becoming a Grade 1 winner and millionaire for her owner-breeder, the Blue Devil Racing Stable of Marc Holliday and James O’Reilly.

Even after one start as a 2-year-old, Covfefe was something of a celebrity. After all, she was named in recognition of the social-media craze that resulted in May 2017, when President Trump inexplicably tweeted the made-up word.

But Covfefe, the Thoroughbred, didn’t just settle for fame by name. Her feats as one of the world’s fastest Thoroughbreds have earned her a notoriety entirely unrelated to the Trump gaffe, and that’s a good thing.

If a book were to be written about Belvoir Bay, most readers would consider it implausible.

Belvoir Bay suffered serious burns and smoke inhalation as one of many horses lost for several days in the aftermath of the tragic Lilac Fire that ravaged San Luis Rey Downs in December 2017. A little less than two years later, she was a Breeders’ Cup winner and a finalist for the Eclipse Award as female sprinter of 2019.

No way, right?

It’s all true.

A revised “wait for it” running style was the key to success for Blue Prize in 2019. It was also the theme of her campaign – start slow and finish fast.

After losing her first three starts of the year, Blue Prize turned it on late by winning her final three starts, including the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita. Combined with her second victory in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland, Blue Prize ended the season 3 for 6 and as an Eclipse finalist as outstanding older dirt female.