Day, Van Berg Surprise Eclipse Award Winners

Pat Day and Jack Van Berg were surprise winners of Eclipse Awards as 1984’s top jockey and trainer, respectively, and John Henry, the golden gelding, won his sixth Eclipse Award Tuesday.

Two horses, Swale and Eillo, were honored posthumously.

Swale, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, who died a week after the June 9 Belmont, was voted 3-year-old of the year. Eillo, winner of the Nov. 10 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, who died of colic in December, was named champion sprinter.

Day, who rode 400 winners including Wild Again in his upset victory over Slew o’ Gold in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, was named Jockey of the Year over leading money-winner Chris McCarron, while 16-year-old Wesley Ward, who rode in New York and New Jersey, was voted champion apprentice jockey.

Van Berg, the trainer of Preakness winner Gate Dancer, saddled 258 winners in 1984 but had not been prominently mentioned in pre-voting speculation.

The champion owner for the second straight year was John Franks, who led the nation in wins, 172, and money earned, $3,148,232. Claiborne Farm was named top breeder, and C.V. Whitney was voted a special Eclipse Award for his years of distinguished service.

Slew o’ Gold, who missed an unbeaten year when he lost in the controversial Breeders’ Cup Classic before being retired to stud, won his second straight divisional award. The 4-year-old colt was named best older male horse after winning five of six starts and earning a single-year record of $2,267,944.

In becoming the oldest horse to win an Eclipse Award, 9-year-old John Henry took his fourth male grass championship with six wins, one second and a third in nine starts for $2,336,650, which boosted his career hearings to $6,597,947. That sum is more than $3 million ahead of Slew o’ Gold, racing’s second biggest money-winner.

The other Eclipse Awards won by John Henry, who is owned by Sam Rubin, were for best older horse and Horse of the Year in 1980. The only winner of more Eclipse Awards was another gelding, Forego, who collected eight.

John Henry also is a contender with Slew o’ Gold for Horse of the Year, which will be announced at the Eclipse Awards dinner Feb. 8 in Los Angeles.

All of the other Eclipse Award winners were announced Tuesday, based on voting by members of the National Turf Writers Assn., the Daily Racing Form and racing secretaries of Thoroughbred Racing Assn.’s member tracks.

Each of the three groups voted separately, with each vote worth 10 points. All of the division champions received the maximum 30 points each.

The other Eclipse Award winners were Chief’s Crown, 2-year-old colt; Outstandingly, 2-year-old filly; Life’s Magic, 3-year-old filly; Princess Rooney, older filly or mare, and Royal Heroine, female turf horse.

Flatterer was named champion steeplechase horse by a special committee for the second straight year. Second was Census.

The other runners-up were Saratoga Six, 2-year-old colt; Folk Art, 2-year-old filly; Gate Dancer, 3-year-old colt; Miss Oceana, 3-year-old filly; Wild Again, older male horse; Heatherten, older filly or mare; Majesty’s Prince, male turf horse; Sabin, female turf horse, and Track Barron, sprinter.