The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers Association (NTWA) and Daily Racing Form (DRF) today announced the finalists for the 2005 Eclipse Awards, voted on and presented by the three organizations in recognition of excellence in Thoroughbred racing. Winners in all categories will be announced at the 35th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, to be held Monday, January 23 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The Eclipse Awards finalists (in alphabetical order) are:

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Triple Crown Productions began accepting nominations to the three races of the Triple Crown on Tuesday, but for the first time in 19 years, the nomination form does not include language promising a $5 million bonus to a horse who sweeps all three races.

The bonus, first implemented in 1987, is in limbo because Triple Crown Productions has not signed an overall sponsor to the three-race series. A previous 10-year sponsorship agreement with Visa USA, the credit-card company, expired last year and was not renewed.

Helen "Penny" Chenery, the owner of the late Horse of the Year Secretariat and a contributor to numerous Thoroughbred causes, has been selected to receive the Eclipse Award of Merit, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced on Wednesday.

The NTRA also announced that NBC Sports has been awarded two Eclipse Awards, one for a live racing broadcast of the 2005 Preakness Stakes and the other for a television feature about the owners of Afleet Alex, Cash Is King Stable, during the network's broadcast of the Kentucky Derby.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association reached an agreement with the state on Friday for a $30 million bailout to keep racing going through 2006 which not only allows the association to avoid bankruptcy, but will also expedite two projects that NYRA management deems key to the future success of New York racing.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Officials from the state and the New York Racing Association as of late Thursday afternoon still had not reached agreement on a $30 million deal that would keep the association operational in 2006 and prevent it from having to file for bankruptcy.

NYRA officials said they were "cautiously optimistic" that an agreement could be reached by Friday, but they wanted to see the final details in writing before committing to a deal. NYRA will not file for bankruptcy on Friday as it had threatened to do, according to Bill Nader, NYRA's senior vice president.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association and Gov. George Pataki are close to agreeing to a $30 million deal that would bail out the racing association from its current financial crisis and keep it from filing for bankruptcy.

NYRA officials thought they had a deal completed Tuesday night, NYRA president Charles Hayward said Wednesday afternoon, but "in working out the details there's been some further discussions necessary."

Dr. Gary Wilson, chief veterinarian for the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority and an outspoken critic of the authority, was fired Dec. 23, said Chuck Wolf, a spokesman for Kentucky state government's Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet, which oversees the authority. His tenure as chief veterinarian lasted less than six months. He was hired in July to replace Dr. Mitzi Fisher, who had resigned the post.

Sirius Satellite Radio has won the media Eclipse Award in the audio and multi-media Internet category for its live coverage of the 2005 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced Wednesday. The NTRA also announced that WAVE 3 TV in Louisville has won the media Eclipse Award for local television for its pre- and post-race coverage of the Kentucky Derby on May 7 from Churchill Downs.

Youbet.com, the online account-wagering company, has reached an agreement with Magna Entertainment Corp. to simulcast races from all of Magna's tracks during 2006. Youbet's customers can now watch and wager on races from Magna-owned tracks, which include Santa Anita, Gulfstream Park, Laurel Park, Pimlico, Golden Gate Fields, and Lone Star Park.

The agreement was reached Friday and took effect Monday with the start of the Santa Anita meeting. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Maryland-based trainer Ronald Cartwright, 75, retired Monday after more than 40 years in the sport. Among Cartwright's best runners were the graded-stakes winners Miss Slewpy and Mz. Zill Bear. . . . Kay Bullitt, a Thoroughbred breeder and Wimbledon tennis champion, died Friday in Louisville, Ky., at age 91. Bullitt and her husband, the late Thomas Bullitt, owned Oxmoor Farm near Louisville, and she won the Wimbledon doubles championship in 1934 and 1936. . . . Racing was canceled at Mountaineer Race Track on Tuesday because of unsafe track conditions.