The finalists for the Eclipse Awards, honoring accomplishments during the 2011 racing season, were released on Thursday.

2-year-old male
Creative Cause
Hansen
Union Rags

2-year-old female
Grace Hall
My Miss Aurelia
Stephanie’s Kitten

3-year-old male
Animal Kingdom
Caleb’s Posse
Shackleford

3-year-old female
It’s Tricky
Plum Pretty
Royal Delta

Older male
Acclamation
Game On Dude
Tizway

Older female
Awesome Maria
Blind Luck
Havre de Grace

Male sprinter
Amazombie
Caleb’s Posse
Regally Ready

Female sprinter
Hilda’s Passion
Musical Romance
Sassy Image

Male turf
Acclamation
Cape Blanco
St Nicholas Abbey

Female turf
Dubawi Heights
Perfect Shirl
Stacelita

Steeplechase
Black Jack Blues
Decoy Daddy
Tax Ruling

Owner
Midwest Thoroughbreds
Ken and Sarah Ramsey
Team Valor

Breeders
Adena Springs
Brereton Jones
Ken and Sarah Ramsey

Trainer
Bob Baffert
Bill Mott
Todd Pletcher

Jockey
Javier Castellano
Ramon Dominguez
John Velazquez

Apprentice jockey
Ryan Curatolo
Kyle Frey
Rosario Montanez

The biggest surprise, in my book, is that Animal Kingdom was named a finalist among 3-year-old males, rather than Stay Thirsty. In a season when the division was all over the place, Animal Kingdom’s powerful Kentucky Derby victory and hard-charging Preakness runner-up effort obviously continue to resonate with voters, even though the colt wasn’t able to compete past June. Stay Thirsty, despite faltering in some of the season’s major races, put together a yearlong campaign with a number of notable wins.

Let’s look at the resumes side by side:

Animal Kingdom
Won: Kentucky Derby (G1), Spiral Stakes (G3)
Second: Preakness Stakes (G1), allowance/optional
Season record: 5-2-2-0, $1,904,900

Stay Thirsty
Won: Travers Stakes (G1), Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), Gotham Stakes (G3)
Second: Belmont Stakes (G1)
Third: Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1)
Season record: 8-3-1-1, $1,325,000

Stay Thirsty’s unplaced efforts in the Derby and Classic, and his lack of a win outside New York, likely would cost him the divisional title; Caleb’s Posse and Shackleford are the clear frontrunners for the award. Still, one would think that this colt deserved to be a finalist. He picked up three Grade 1 wins or placings — including one against older horses — compared to two in the division for Animal Kingdom. He also has five total graded wins or placings to his rival’s three.

The Eclipse Awards will be presented Jan. 16 in a ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif.

One horse who we already know is being honored at the awards dinner is Rapid Redux, the most famous starter allowance runner in America. The gelding, who notched an incredible 22nd consecutive win on Wednesday at Laurel, will be presented with the Special Eclipse Award – an honor that’s bestowed when a horse’s accomplishments fall outside the usual parameters for the divisional awards. Rapid Redux scored 19 consecutive victories in 2011, tying a record for calendar-year wins.