The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female Horse is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor awarded annually to a filly or mare, four years old and up, for performances on dirt and main track racing surfaces. In 1971, it became part of the Eclipse Awards program as the award for Champion Older Female Horse.
In 1936 both the Turf & Sports Digest magazine and Daily Racing Form (DRF) began naming an annual champion. Starting in 1950, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations (TRA) began naming its own champion. The following list provides the name of the horses chosen by both of these organizations. Whenever there were different champions named, the horses are listed side-by-side with the one chosen as champion by the Daily Racing Form noted with the letters (DRF), the one chosen by the Thoroughbred Racing Associations by the letters (TRA) and the one chosen by Turf and Sports Digest by the letters (TSD).
Prior to 1971 this award was referred to as "Champion Female Handicap Horse" or "Champion Handicap Mare". The Daily Racing Form version was open to any female horse, and was given to some Champions at the age of three, such as Tosmah, Twilight Tear and Busher.
Champions from 1887 through 1935 were selected retrospectively by a panel of experts as published by The Blood-Horse magazine.
In 2015, the Daily Racing Form, the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, and the National Turf Writers Association decided that the award would be renamed and awarded to older female horses proficient in dirt and main track races.
Honorees
Eclipse Award for Champion Older Dirt Female
Daily Racing Form, Turf & Sport Digest and Thoroughbred Racing Association Awards
Daily Racing Form and Turf & Sport Digest Awards
| Year |
Horse |
Age | Trainer |
Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Bewitch | 4 | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm |
| 1948 | Conniver | 4 | William Post | Harry La Montagne |
| 1947 | But Why Not | 3 | Max Hirsch | King Ranch |
| 1946 | Gallorette | 4 | Edward A. Christmas | William L. Brann |
| 1945 | Busher | 3 | George M. Odom | Louis B. Mayer |
| 1944 | Twilight Tear | 3 | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm |
| 1943 | Mar-Kell | 4 | Ben A. Jones | Calumet Farm |
| 1942 | Vagrancy | 3 | James E. Fitzsimmons | Belair Stud |
| 1941 | Fairy Chant | 4 | Richard E. Handlen | William du Pont Jr. |
| 1940 | War Plumage | 4 | Howard Oots | James Cox Brady Jr. |
| 1939 | Lady Maryland | 5 | not found | Gustave Ring |
| 1938 | Esposa | 6 | Matthew P. Brady | William Ziegler Jr. |
| 1938 | Marica | 5 | Howard Wells | Thomas D. Taggart |
| 1937 | Esposa | 5 | Matthew P. Brady | William Ziegler Jr. |
| 1936 | Myrtlewood | 4 | Ray Kindred | Brownell Combs |
The Blood-Horse retrospective champions
| Year |
Horse |
Age | Trainer |
Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Late Date | 6 | Aaron Frost | Brentwood Stable |
| 1935 | Some Pomp | 4 | Bert B. Williams | Calumet Farm |
| 1934 | Advising Anna | 4 | Jack Howard | Mrs. Anna Howard |
| 1933 | Rambour | 5 | Preston M. Burch | Preston M. Burch |
| 1932 | Tred Avon | 4 | William Irvine | Sylvester W. Labrot |
| 1931 | Valenciennes | 4 | Willie Knapp | Fannie Hertz |
| 1930 | Lady Broadcast | 4 | John M. Goode | Roger Caldwell |
| 1929 | Bateau | 4 | Scott P. Harlan | Walter M. Jeffords |
| 1928 | Black Maria | 5 | William H. Karrick | William R. Coe |
| 1927 | Black Maria | 4 | William H. Karrick | William R. Coe |
| 1926 | Princess Doreen | 5 | Kay Spence | Audley Farm Stable |
| 1925 | Princess Doreen | 4 | Kay Spence | Audley Farm Stable |
| 1924 | Chacolet | 6 | Will Buford | Hal Price Headley |
| 1923 | Chacolet | 5 | Will Buford | Hal Price Headley |
| 1922 | Careful | 4 | Eugene Wayland | Walter J. Salmon, Sr. |
| 1921 | My Dear | 4 | Fred Musante | Fred Musante |
| 1920 | Milkmaid | 4 | H. Guy Bedwell | J. K. L. Ross |
References
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Hegarty, Matt (February 19, 2015). "Eclipse Awards: Turfers no longer eligible in older-male, older-female categories". drf.com. Daily Racing Form. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- "Unitas won't pass buck". Altus Times-Democrat. November 23, 1966. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- "Minute sports page". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 27, 1964. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- "Native Dancer Horse-of-Year". Times-News. November 27, 1954. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- "Horse Champion list completed". Tuscaloosa News. December 4, 1952. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
- The Eclipse Awards at the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of America, Inc.
- The Bloodhorse.com Champion's history charts
- American Champion Older Female Horse at Thoroughbred Heritage