Goldikova and Godolphin land Eclipse Awards 

USA: Europe enjoyed significant success at the 39^th annual Eclipse Awards ceremony on Monday night when dual Breeders' Cup Mile-winner Goldikova was voted the overwhelming winner in the female turf horse category.

Godolphin, who had such a wonderful second half of the season in the US, received the award as outstanding owner while Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte operation was honoured as leading breeder at a gala dinner in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

"It is a brilliant result for everyone at Godolphin to win such a major award in the US," said trainer Saeed Bin Suroor.

"We enjoyed a very good 2009, with highlights including some excellent big-race victories at Saratoga and the success of Vale Of York at the Breeders’ Cup.

"I am hopeful that our horses will continue to run so well this year."

Godolphin's racing manager Simon Crisford added: ‘It is a great honour for Godolphin to win the Eclipse Award. We had a fantastic year in the US and we were well represented in all the big races.

“It is a super result for the Godolphin team.”

Eclipse Awards are determined by votes of members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the National Turf Writers Association and the Daily Racing Form.

The Freddie Head-trained Goldikova, back in training this term with an eye on an historic third successive victory in the Breeders' Cup Mile, received 172 votes in the female turf category, polling 131 more than the runner-up Ventura.

The daughter of Anabaa is the latest in a long line of European-trained horses to pick up this particular gong, following the likes of Pebbles, Miesque and Ouija Board.

Other equine award winners included Rachel Alexandra, who received every one of 232 first-place votes cast in the three-year-old filly category, while Zenyatta received all but one vote among the older females.

Grade 1 winner Icon Project received the vote from the lone dissenter.

Gio Ponti, the horse who finished second to Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic, scooped both the older male and male turf horse awards, easily beating the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Conduit in the latter division.

Top three-year-old male was Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, who completed a trinity of major New York races with victories in the Travers Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

In the human categories, Godolphin's US branch fought off Zenyatta's owners Jerry and Ann Moss to land the owners' award by five votes, 61 to 56.

The Dubai team has been honoured after a late-season spree in which they claimed nine Grade 1 events after the start of August, among them the Breeders' Cup Juvenile with Vale Of York, runner-up to Kentucky Derby favourite Lookin At Lucky in the two-year-old male category.

Rachel Alexandra's trainer Steve Asmussen repeated last year's victory as outstanding trainer after a year in which he broke his own world record for races won with 650 victories.

Julien Leparoux, champion apprentice for 2006, lost the money-earnings title among US-based jockeys to Garrett Gomez only with the final race of 2009 at Santa Anita.

However, Leparoux gained his revenge with a runaway success in the Eclipse ballot.

Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms earned a clear-cut victory to gain their fifth victory as outstanding breeder after successes in 1995 and 2001-03.

The Juddmonte award broke a five-year monopoly by Frank Stronach's Adena Springs, who finished second ahead of Rachel Alexandra's breeder Dolphus Morrison.

Midday, Ventura and Champs Elysees were among Grade 1 victors in 2009 for the Juddmonte operation, whose US arm is based in Lexington.

There is also likely to have been a popular vote in memory of the late, much loved Bobby Frankel, Juddmonte's US trainer who died in November after a long battle with cancer.

The winner of the award of merit, voted on by a panel of representatives from the three presenting organisations, was Will Farish of Lane's End Farm.

The winner of the award of merit was Will Farish of Lane's End Farm and Monique Koehler, founder of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation for rescued racehorses, was given a special award to honour her individual contribution to racing.

ECLIPSE AWARD WINNERS 2009

Horse of the year: Rachel Alexandra

Two-Year-Old Male: Lookin At Lucky

Two-Year-Old Filly: She Be Wild

Three-Year-Old Male: Summer Bird

Three-Year-Old Filly:  Rachel Alexandra

Older Male:  Gio Ponti

Older Female: Zenyatta

Female Sprinter: Informed Decision

Male Sprinter:  Kodiak Kowboy

Male Turf Horse: Gio Ponti

Female Turf Horse: Goldikova

Steeplechase Horse: Mixed Up

Owner: Godolphin Racing

Breeder:  Juddmonte Farms

Jockey: Julien Leparoux

Apprentice Jockey: Christian Santiago Reyes

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Award of Merit: William S Farish

Special Award: Monique Koehler

BREAKDOWN OF FIRST-PLACE VOTES

Horse of the year

Rachel Alexandra 130, Zenyatta 99

Two-Year-Old Male

Lookin At Lucky 209, Vale Of York 17, Buddy's Saint 2, Noble's Promise 2, D'Funnybone 1, Jackson Bend 1

Two-Year-Old Filly

She Be Wild 171, Blind Luck 41, Hot Dixie Chick 17, Awesome Maria 1, Biofuel 1, Tapitsfly 1

Three-Year-Old Male

Summer Bird 225, Mine That Bird 4, Blame 1, I Want Revenge 1, no vote 1 

Three-Year-Old Filly

Rachel Alexandra 232

Older Male

Gio Ponti 184, Einstein 18, Kodiak Kowboy 16, Macho Again 5, Furthest Land 2, Rail Trip 2, Well Armed 1, voter abstentions 4 

Older Female

Zenyatta 231, Icon Project 1

Female Sprinter

Informed Decision 222, Ventura 6, Game Face 1, Indian Blessing 1, Music Note 1, Diamondrella 1

Male Sprinter

Kodiak Kowboy 118, Zensational 54, Dancing in Silks 43, Fabulous Strike 9, California Flag 6, Vineyard Haven 1, voter abstentions 1 

Male Turf Horse

Gio Ponti 206, Conduit 22,Presious Passion 3, Court Vision 1  

Female Turf Horse

Goldikova 172, Ventura 41, Magical Fantasy 7, Midday 7, Pure Clan 3, Forever Together 1, voter abstentions 1

Steeplechase Horse

Mixed Up 209, Red Letter Day 3, voter abstentions 20

Outstanding Owner

Godolphin Racing 61, Mr and Mrs Jerome S Moss 56, Juddmonte Farms 40, WinStar Farm 38, Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick 15, Augustin Stables 7, Michael Gill 6, Darley Stable 3, Zayat Stables 2, Heiligbrodt Racing Stables 1, Midwest Thoroughbreds 1, voter abstentions 2  

Outstanding Breeder

Juddmonte Farms 157, Adena Springs 44, Dolphus Morrison 16, Maverick Productions Ltd 3, WinStar Farm 3, Eugene Melnyk 2, Darley Stable 1, voter abstentions 6

Outstanding Trainer

Steve Asmussen 130, John Shirreffs 57, Jonathan Sheppard 19, Bob Baffert10, Saeed Bin Suroor 5, Bobby Frankel 4, Jerry Hollendorfer 2, Hal Wiggins 2, Todd Pletcher 2, voter abstentions 1

Outstanding Jockey

Julien Leparoux 122, Garrett Gomez 46, Ramon Dominguez 45, Calvin Borel 13, Mike Smith 3, Kent Desormeaux 2, Russell Baze 1

Apprentice Jockey

Christian Santiago Reyes 93, Luis Saez 48, Luis Batista 47, Inez Karlsson 8, Michael Straight 4, Omar Moreno 3, Jose Vega 3, Tony Maragh 2, Casey Papineau 1, Angel Serpa 1, voter abstentions 21, no vote 1