Arkansan Willis Horton of Marshall made it two Eclipse awards in two years Saturday when he accepted the trophy for his now 3-year-old filly Take Charge Brandi, who was voted the nation's top 2-year-old filly by the nation's racing media.
A second Arkansan, Drayden Van Dyke, was named the nation's top apprentice jockey.
Horton said he fulfilled a goal stated a year ago when he accepted his first Eclipse Award when Will Take Charge was named the nation's top 3-year-old.
"I said last year I wanted to come back," Horton said. "Well, I'm back."
Take Charge Brand is trained by D. Wayne Lukas, who is stabled at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs but was not in attendance for the ceremony at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla.
"This has been the best two years of my life," Horton said. "We have rolled the gravy train and and we love it."
Take Charge Brandi has won 4 of 8 starts and earned $1.62 million but rose to prominence late in the year when she won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile fillies race at 61-1 odds and followed it up with victories in the Nov. 22 Princess Stakes at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., and the Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos on Dec. 13.
Van Dyke, 20, is a 2012 Lake Hamilton High School graduate who was born in Louisville, Ky., but he grew up in Hot Springs.
Van Dyke spent most of the year riding on the Southern California circuit and finished 31s overall in money earnings with $6.1 million. He won 192 races from 1,174 mounts.
Sports on 01/18/2015