Now that all the Eclipse Award ballots have been solid and the outcomes fed to the tabulators, it’s protected to unleash Steve Kornacki into the dialog. Greatest referred to as the nationwide election and ballot analyst for the household of NBC information programming, Kornacki is revving up for a wild and loopy yr, commencing with the Iowa Republican social gathering caucuses of Jan. 15, adopted by the New Hampshire main on Jan. 23.

Seemingly tireless, as if hooked to an IV power drink, Kornacki’s 2024 election prep didn’t cease him from cautious consideration of his 2023 Eclipse Award poll and its affect on the divisional champions and Horse of the 12 months.

Kornacki will get an Eclipse Award poll as a result of he’s a member in good standing of the Nationwide Turf Writers and Broadcasters Affiliation. His membership within the group was prompted by his addition to the NBC Sports activities telecasts of Triple Crown races in 2021, and he shall be again once more at his large board this yr for the Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve and the Preakness Stakes, “telestrating” with fingertip arrows and squiggles as he navigates historic betting traits and fluctuating odds.

Kornacki comes by his racing bona fides naturally. He was raised to be a fan by household who made positive locations akin to Rockingham Park and Suffolk Downs have been a part of a well-spent youth. He performs the races typically and handicaps with a system that defies scrutiny – a poor factor however his personal.

“I performed the Boxing Day card from Santa Anita,” Kornacki mentioned, referring to the Dec. 26 opening day program. “I didn’t get a lot out of it, although. Numerous favorites, and on these days I’m not going to do properly.”

As for his Eclipse Award poll, Kornacki confessed to tough decisions in three explicit classes: excellent coach, older dust male, and Horse of the 12 months. He was not alone. A casual sampling of public feedback from voters has discovered a hopper stuffed with names within the combine, particularly in these classes.

“I like speaking to of us about it, getting totally different opinions,” Kornacki mentioned. “It’s a enjoyable course of.

“Horse of the 12 months was clearly a slam dunk final yr with Flightline,” he famous. “This yr I went with Idiomatic, with Cody’s Want second and Elite Energy third. I may have simply put Cody’s Want first if he had dealt with the stretch-out (within the Whitney Stakes), and do one thing greater than what he did as much as a mile. Elite Energy, clearly, is a sensational sprinter. However that’s doing only one particular factor.

“What threw me to Idiomatic was, first, the variety of races she ran,” Kornacki mentioned. “To run 9 occasions throughout the yr, and win eight set her aside. After which there have been the variety of tracks and sorts of circumstances she handled. I assumed there was a breadth of accomplishment and consistency that was deserving of the title. Nowadays, when prime horses are inclined to run so sometimes, I believe there’s one thing to be mentioned about her form of file.”

Simply as residents of the Granite State shall be agonizing over their main ballots later this month, Kornacki stared lengthy and laborious on the 2023 class for excellent coach earlier than touchdown on Brad Cox, additionally the winner in 2020 and 2021.

“I’m nonetheless undecided I received it proper,” Kornacki mentioned, suggesting there’s by no means an accurate reply to knotty Eclipse Award questions. “There have been his 12 Grade 1s with 10 totally different horses, and but I used to be actually torn between Cox and Invoice Mott. Two of my three Horse of the 12 months votes went to Mott horses, and he had these three winners over the Breeders’ Cup weekend.

“I ended up swinging again to Cox, as a result of I did give Idiomatic Horse of the 12 months,” he mentioned. “That, mixed along with his stats, gave it to Cox by a nostril.”

As solely first-place votes decide the winners, third-place voters present a free house to make a press release or push a longshot.

“I assumed (coach) Rick Dutrow deserved a nod,” Kornacki mentioned. “To come back off a 10-year suspension like he did, and take over a horse like White Abarrio, who didn’t appear to have the ability to do something outdoors of Gulfstream Park, then flip him into what he grew to become in six months deserved some form of recognition. It additionally was a approach of at the very least acknowledging the unbelievable turnaround of White Abarrio, who I didn’t assume was essentially both Horse of the 12 months or older dust male materials.”

To a jaded voter of a number of many years, Kornacki’s enthusiasm for the duty is inspiring. He appears to convey the identical focus utilized to the second and third spots behind Arcangelo within the 3-year-old male Eclipse class that he does to the granular reporting of northern Georgia precincts late on a November election evening. (For the file, he went with Geaux Rocket Experience and Arabian Knight.)

“I don’t need to sound too hokey, however I take into account voting for Eclipse Awards an honor, a privilege, and a accountability,” he mentioned. “Once I received the flexibility to vote, it was an actual thrilling factor. I don’t need anybody to have a look at me from afar and say, ‘Oh, he simply shortly fills out a poll and will get again to his day job.’ I attempt to put the time in, going by way of the PPs and watching replays if mandatory, till I believe I’ve given every class the correct examine.”

Kornacki can also be an exception to the typical Eclipse Award voter who swims primarily in a Thoroughbred racing world. He finds himself typically questioned by mates and colleagues about his attachment to an endeavor that just lately has made the mistaken form of headlines.

“Sadly, between the raft of fatalities at Churchill Downs final yr and the terrible breakdowns of Maple Leaf Mel and New York Thunder at Saratoga, I heard, ‘What’s occurring with all these deaths?’ from rather a lot from non-racing followers,” Kornacki mentioned. “That’s the fact.

“I inform them statistically the numbers are entering into the precise path,” he mentioned. “I inform them these are animals that may run and compete for those who put them collectively in a area, and will take a mistaken step. I keep in mind going to a horse farm a couple of years in the past, admiring horses in their very own paddocks. We requested the person exhibiting us round in the event that they ever put two of them in a area to see who would win. He mentioned, ‘Are you loopy? They’d kill one another.’ That made an impression on me, simply how deep their aggressive instincts run.”

Kornacki is already compiling an inventory of 3-year-olds to observe because the 2024 Kentucky Derby path unfolds. He tuned Saturday’s San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita Park with curiosity – and on that very same day, the finalists for the Eclipse Award classes have been introduced.

“Each dialog I’ve with individuals appears to start out with, ‘Nicely, clearly Cody’s Want goes to win Horse of the 12 months,’“ Kornacki mentioned. “Then a number of these conversations find yourself with the individual telling me they’re voting for another person. So I’m questioning – if everyone is anticipating everyone else to do one thing they don’t truly do, what occurs then? There have been a number of election evening surprises.”