Preparing to get to work at Teruya Yoshida's Shadai Farm in Japan, Bricks and Mortar had been named 2019 Horse of the Year at the 49th annual Eclipse Awards dinner at Gulfstream Park.
The son of Giant’s Causeway also won Male Turf horse of the year. The Chad Brown-trainee went through the year undefeated in six starts, five at the elite level, including the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Bred by George Strawbridge Jnr, Bricks and Mortar is the fifth stakes performer produced by the stakes-winning Ocean Crest mare Beyond the Waves.
The 82yo Strawbridge was also honoured with the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Breeder, while Chad Brown earned his fourth consecutive Eclipse as Outstanding Trainer.
The 3yo Into Mischief filly Covfefe was named Champion 3yo Filly and Champion Female Sprinter, the first to earn both awards in the same season.
The headline-grabbing Maximum Security was named Champion 3yo Male.
The son of New Year’s Day was famously demoted by the stewards after passing the post first in the Kentucky Derby. He had a trio of Grade 1 wins in the Florida Derby, Haskell Invitational Stakes and the Cigar Mile Handicap.
Curlin’s Breeders' Cup Classic hero Vino Rosso was honoured as the Champion Older Dirt Male.
More Than Ready’s champion daughter Uni earned the Eclipse Award for Female Turf Horse following wins in the First Lady Stakes and Breeders' Cup Mile and the 6yo mare will be out for more success in 2020.
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Del Mar Futurity winner Storm The Court (Count Vision) earned the 2-year-old Male Eclipse Award.
British Idiom, a daughter of the Tapit stallion Flashback, walked off with the Eclipse Award as top Juvenile Filly. She won the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes by 6 1/2-lengths and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in an undefeated three-start season.
The Eclipse Award for Older Dirt Female went to the Steve Asmussen-trained Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) who won seven consecutive graded stakes including the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap and Ogden Phipps Stakes and closed out the year by finishing second to Blue Prize in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.
