Live Oak Plantation’s World Approval, the 2017 Ricoh Woodbine Mile winner trained by Mark Casse, was named Champion Male Turf Horse at the 47th Annual Eclipse Awards at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida on Thursday evening while Gun Runner took home Horse of the Year honours.

The Eclipse Awards, honouring excellence in North American Thoroughbred racing, presented by The Stronach Group, Daily Racing Form and the Breeders’ Cup, are voted on by the NTRA, Daily Racing Form (DRF) and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB).

Owned and bred in Ocala, Florida by Live Oak’s Charlotte Weber, World Approval closed out a $2 million season in 2017 with three consecutive victories in Grade 1 stakes, including the Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga, the Ricoh Woodbine Mile at Woodbine and Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar — the latter two with jockey John Velazquez aboard.

World Approval also earned back-to-back stakes wins in the EG Vodka Turf Classic at Tampa Bay and Grade 2 Longines Dixie Stakes at Pimlico early in his six-race, five-year-old campaign. The striking Northern Afleet-Win Approval gelding is a half-brother to Live Oak’s Miesque’s Approval, who was named Champion Grass Horse in 2006.

Miesque’s Approval stands at Scott Bros, and produced the likes of Gr2 winners Judicial and J’s Outsider, as well as Gr1 Vodacom July placed Eton Square amongst others.

Noble Tune’s War Front juvenile half-brother, the handsome $2,6million weanling purchase owned by Coolmore, followed his half-brothers Honor Code and Noble Tune’s racing style to come from behind and push his way through to the front to win the Qatar Juvenile Sprint over 1000m on the turf.

Noble Tune’s sire the grey Unbridled’s Song, was represented with a winner when Gr1 winner Forever Unbridled took the Breeders Cup Distaff.

She is a full sister to Gr1 winner, Unbridled Forever, and not forgetting other recent Breeders Cup winners in Arrogate and Liam’s Map.

Declarationofpeace is trained by Aiden O’Brien and participated in the curtain raiser to the Breeders Cup after winning in Ireland just under a month ago. He won his debut by six lengths.

Noble Tune’s first crop of two year olds will be hitting the racetracks soon in South Africa, whilst Lane’s End have announced that their AP Indy half-brother, twice Gr1 winner Honor Code will again stand for a fee of $40 000 this season.

Crusade’s half-sister Seventh Heaven was given the tough ask against the boys in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Turf over 2400m on firm going where she finished in fifth place – Highland Reel was third, whilst Flower Alley’s son finished behind her.

She finished fourth in the Breeders Cup last year – the twice Gr1 winning filly who defeated the great Found also ran second in Dubai this year, where she finished second in the Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic and the only filly in the race.

Flying The Flag’s full sister, Irish 2YO Champion Filly of her year and recent Gr1 winner at Chantilly on Arc Day, Rhododendron was courageous to finish second in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Filly And Mare Turf over 1800m after encountering traffic.

She was beaten by half a length to a daughter who shares a sire with Summerhill resident sire Willow Magic, Wuheida by Dubawi. Lady Eli finished towards the end of the field.

Miesque’s Approval’s grey half-brother, the gelding World Approval emulated his half-brother by winning the Gr1 Breeders Cup Mile on Turf. Miesque’s Approval is well related – himself America’s Turf Horse Of The Year, his other grey half-brother is Gr3 winner Za Approval and Gr2 winner, Revved Up.

This is the fourth Gr1 win for World Approval to date. Miesque’s Approval, the sire of Gr2 winners J’s Outsider and Judicial, exported Gr1 placed and Gr3 winner Eton Square, as well as the likes of Putney Flyer and Approval Rating.

On the international news front, Golden Sword will be represented by his full brother at the race that stops the nation [Australia], the Melbourne Cup. Kindling currently has odds of 10/1.

Live Oak Plantation’s homebred World Approval has been knocking on the door at the top level and broke through July 3 for his first Grade 1 win in the $300,000 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park. World Approval is a half-brother to Gr1 Breeders Cup winner Miesque’s Approval standing at Scott Bros.

Third by 2 1/4 lengths last time out in the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Stakes (gr. IT) June 11 and second by a neck in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT) May 7, the Northern Afleet gelding got a perfect trip under first-time jockey Florent Geroux and scored a clear victory in the 1 3/8-mile United Nations for trainer Mark Casse.

World Approval stalked longshot pacesetter Cement Clement as he set fractions of :24.29, :50.21, and 1:14.72 through six furlongs, moved to the front in the third and final turn, and held off a late drive by Money Multiplier to secure the win by 1 1/4 lengths. Favored Wake Forest, last-out winner of the Man o’ War Stakes (gr. IT), checked in third.

“We sat the perfect trip,” Geroux said. “On paper it looked like (Cement Clement) would be going to the lead, so we let him set the pace for us. The only question was whether he could go that far, since this was his first time going that much distance, but he showed he can do it and he did it well. When I asked him at the quarter pole, he responded nicely.”

The final time for the 1 3/8 miles was 2:14.66 on turf rated good and World Approval paid $7.40 to win.

Bred in Florida out of the With Approval mare Win Approval, World Approval also has victories in the 2015 Saranac Stakes (gr. IIIT) and American Derby (gr. IIIT) on his record, and has $853,450 in earnings.

The mare has also produced multiple Graded Stakes winner in America, Za Approval.

Miesque’s Approval, a leading sire on Polytrack, has produced the likes of Graded Stakes Winners’ Judical, J’S Outside and Eton Square.