Discussion and debate about the 2025 Eclipse Awards are featured on the first 2026 episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Sara Elbadwi of Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association, Steve Kornacki of NBC News and Sports, Jessica Paquette from Parx and two-time Eclipse Award-winning writer John Scheinman from Baltimore get together in a panel discussion going in-depth on every championship category.

Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty may be the leading candidate for horse of the year, but did Breeders' Cup Classic victor Forever Young do enough in his one U.S. appearance to change voters' minds? The panel talks about that possibility and the potential backlash against connections for holding Sovereignty out of the Preakness Stakes.

There are plenty of clashing opinions and even a discussion about contentious abstentions from the votes for the steeplechase horse and apprentice jockey.

Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park also weigh in with their overarching views of the Eclipse Awards, including ideas on how they ought to be changed.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com.