The Eclipse Awards aren’t known for their excitement, but we will spice things up by live blogging the event. Join us at 8 PM EST to ask questions and share your input! In the mean time, check out these two articles we have published about the event. You can catch the event on HRTV and we will detail every moment of the action for you.
2011 Eclipse Award Selections
January 5, 2012 By 1 Comment
2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta
2011 was a year of pure mediocrity, but we did see diamonds in the rough. Animal Kingdom ran off to win the Kentucky Derby; Havre de Grace beat the boys in the Woodward; and Hansen stayed undefeated in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. All three of those horses could potential be rewarded with horse racing’s versions of an Oscar; the Eclipse Award.
The Eclipse Awards ceremony has a bad reputation, but it could improve with ESPN’s Jeannine Edwards hosting the event this year. We can only hope so anyway. The ceremony has been dreadful to watch, but the awards are truly important.
Horse of the Year
2011 was a year of inconsistency, but Game on Dude provided the best resume and most consistent performances. The gritty gelding is my choice in this category. Check out this post from last month to learn why: 2011 Horse of the Year? Game On Dude.
Two-Year-Old Colt
The first time I saw Hansen in the past performances of the Kentucky Cup Juvenile, I thought to myself that I could beat this colt. He won that Turfway race by just over 13 lengths and was never challenged while leading from start to finish. I’m always one to be skeptical of stakes horses that haven’t done anything yet, but Hansen quickly won me over. He rewarded my confidence with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, once again leading from the beginning until the end. Keep in mind that Hansen has never been in any place but first at every point of his three races. His triumph on Championship Saturday means he ought to get the trophy. Others would pick Union Rags, but that one had a chance to run past him and couldn’t do it.
Two-Year-Old Filly
There isn’t much controversy here. My Miss Aurelia went a perfect four for four with wins in the Frizette and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. No other filly accomplished anything close to what she did. George Bolton and Stonestreet Stables get another trophy for their collection.
Three-Year-Old Male
There is an argument for Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, but I’ve got to give the award to Caleb’s Posse. He was the only sophomore other than The Factor to win two Grade 1 races. Caleb’s Posse gave us one of the best races of 2011 when he ran down Uncle Mo on the wire in the King’s Bishop. He dispatched a strong field with a powerful late move in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and that put him over the top. He also owns wins in the Amsterdam Stakes, Ohio Derby and Smarty Jones Stakes.
Three-Year-Old Female
Royal Delta couldn’t always find her stride. She was a live wire blowing the competition away one race and finishing up the track in the next. That was only for part of the year as she found her best stride to win the Alabama Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic. It’s Tricky and Plum Pretty both put together nice campaigns, but in the end, Royal Delta proved best of all.
Older Male Horse
Have to take Game On Dude by default as he is my choice for Horse of the Year. See above for my reasoning. Honorable mention to Met Mile winner Tizway.
Older Female Horse
Havre de Grace gave the competition a coup de grâce with her Woodward win. She also smashed a decent group in the Apple Blossom and gave us a thrilling runner up effort in the Delaware Handicap behind Blind Luck. Had that filly stayed right she might have given her a run for her money.
Sprinter
Caleb’s Posse never lost around a single turn and proved much the best against older horses in the Breeders’ Cup. Throw in a great win in the King’s Bishop and I’ve got to pick him over Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Amazombie. That one didn’t have as good of a campaign prior to Championship Saturday and in my mind their wins offset. Therefore, Caleb’s Posse, with the better resume prior to the Breeders’ Cup, gets the award.
Female Sprinter
This is a tough division and really could be a coin flip. When my coin landed it told me that Sassy Image was the pick. She won the Humana Distaff and Princess Rooney, both Grade 1 races. She also took the Grade 3 Winning Colors Stakes. Hilda’s Passion, winner of the Ballerina, and Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Musical Romance also deserve big looks.
Male Turf Horse
When Cape Blanco came to America, the betting public overlooked him and instead made Gio Ponti a heavy favorite in the Man O’ War. Cape Blanco made them pay by registering an easy victory and won again in the Arlington Million next out. He completed the Grade 1 hat trick with a tough as nails victory in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. Others will argue with Acclamation, but that one faced much softer competition in California.
Female Turf Horse
Stacelita is going to be the favorite in this spot, but I prefer Never Retreat. She won five times in 2011 with all five wins coming in graded stakes company. That’s over twice as many wins as her main rival for this award. Never Retreat capped her season by dispatching a very strong field in Keeneland’s Grade 1 First Lady Stakes. She peppered in losses between her victories, but I appreciate the fact that Team Block got her to the races eleven times during her final campaign as a racehorse. She deserves it and I hope she gets it.
Outstanding Owner
There are a couple of ways you could go here, but the excellence of Team Valor International stands out in my eyes. Barry Irwin’s crew took America’s favorite race, the Kentucky Derby, along with other important races like the Del Mar Oaks, Ballston Spa Handicap and With Anticipation Stakes. They finished 10th in earnings while starting just 78 horses compared to an average of 365 for the rest of the top 10. On the year they won 16 total stakes races with nine of them being graded stakes races.
Outstanding Breeder
Ken and Sarah Ramsey had a splendid year thanks to their sire Kitten’s Joy. The Eclipse Award winning sire produced many great horses with perhaps the best being Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies champ Stephanie’s Kitten. On the whole, the Ramseys bred 13 black type winners and were topped only by Adena Springs who started nearly twice as many horses.
Outstanding Trainer
This is one of the easiest choices of all; Bill Mott. The trainer has won more races than anyone in the history of historic Churchill Downs. He added two more victories on Breeders Cup weekend when Royal Delta won the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic and Drosselmeyer fired past them all to take the Breeders’ Cup Classic. His 2011 win percentage of 17% is right with the best of them as are his earnings of $10,731,249. This will be his third time taking the award. The previous two wins came in 1995 and 1996.
Outstanding Jockey
2011 was the year of John Velazquez. He finished second in earnings at $18,622,964 while reaching the winners circle 248 times. Among those wins were nine Grade 1 victories like the Kentucky Derby, Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Clark Handicap. Like trainer Bill Mott, this will be the third Eclipse Award for Johnny V. He won previously in 2004 and 2005.
Outstanding Apprentice Jockey
Irad Ortiz won 151 races while contesting one of the toughest jockey colonies in America; New York. His mounts raked in $2,861,274. This guy is a serious rider and will blossom into one of the best in the business if he continues to progress. I will be watching him closely.
Who are your picks for horse racing’s version of the Academy Awards? Share your Eclipse Award picks below by leaving a comment!
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2011 Horse of the Year? Game On Dude
November 10, 2011 By 3 Comments
Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Curlin, Invasor, Saint Liam and Ghostzapper.
Those are the last six horses given the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. You wont find an animal in 2011 that is comparable or even close to any of them.
I cant recall a year that had such parity in graded stakes racing as the year 2011. A truly top older horse never emerged.
The debate for 2011 Horse of the Year is a rather lame one and I love the way Charles Dickey, trainer of Flat Out, put it. Quite candidly, Dickey said, “I don’t think there is one.”, when asked about Horse of the Year by Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form.
Even though, based on the lofty standards of the past, no one truly deserves to be called Horse of the Year, we still have to make a choice and so I will give my two cents.
One of my best hits this year came in the Metropolitan Mile where I nailed the winner, Tizway. The exacta, which I cold decked, paid $378. Tizway ran a very quick race going faster than Quality Road did a year prior and posting the best time since Langfuhr in 1997. Times are always relative to how a track is playing at any given moment, but that is still impressive.
After the Met Mile, Tizway won the Whitney Handicap. He looked poised to take the Jockey Club Gold Cup and make a big run at the Breeders Cup Classic, but in the end he couldn’t stay healthy. Just days before the race he sustained a strain of the suspensory ligament of his left foreleg.
It is also worth noting that Tizway finished third in a very contentious edition of the Charles Town Classic in April.
I can’t like Tizway on the basis of two Grade 1 wins even though they were very strong. Had he done more earlier in his 2011 campaign or stayed healthy and hit the board in the Classic, I might have taken him.
Next, we have the filly, Havre de Grace. She toyed with her competition to win the prestigious Apple Blossom Handicap. That win was wedged between two Grade 3 victories.
Her next big race was in the Delaware Handicap where the lass engaged in one of the best stretch duels in the history of horse racing with her arch rival Blind Luck. She narrowly missed. Then the connections tried the boys in the Woodward. She thrashed a strong group including future Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Flat Out there.
Her penultimate race was the Beldame Invitational where she rocked a field that included next out Ladies Classic winner Royal Delta.
Things were setting up for her to be Horse of the Year, but she failed in the Breeders Cup Classic. She finished fourth in that race. She had a very strong 2011 campaign to be sure, and I cant argue with those that say she deserves it, but she isn’t my pick.
My selection for 2011 Horse of the Year is none other than Game On Dude. The hard working front running gelding put together the strongest campaign this year. Bob Baffert and Chantal Sutherland did great things with the son of Awesome Again.
Game On Dude’s second race of the year was a huge victory in the Santa Anita Handicap where he narrowly defeated Setsuko and put away Twirling Candy. After that he was second in a very deep and contentious Charles Town Classic that included the likes of Tizway, Acclamation, Tackleberry, Rule and Awesome Gem.
The Hollywood Gold Cup was a classic race this year and Game On Dude finished second in it. He had forged ahead to the lead after besting Game On Dude, only to be nipped by stablemate First Dude.
Game On Dude’s second big win of 2011 was in the Goodwood where he set grueling fractions and drew away with a fair amount of ease. It looked as if he would do the same in his last start, the Breeders Cup Classic, but Drosselmeyer closed furiously to run him down. Game On Dude also owns head to head wins over Tizway, Havre de Grace and Acclamation.
Given all that he has done with wins in the Santa Anita Handicap and Goodwood Stakes along with excellent second place finishes in the Charles Town and Breeders Cup Classic, Game On Dude is the most deserving candidate for Horse of the Year. However, it may be more appropriate to simply vacate the award for 2011.
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Gradedstakes.com Eclipse Awards Ballot
December 28, 2010 By 6 Comments
The above photo is of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. This years Eclipse Awards are every bit as exciting as last year when she took the top spot. I didn’t get a vote, but if I did here are the horses I would’ve selected. Let’s take a look!
Two-Year-Old Male: Uncle Mo wins this in an open and shut case. The son of Indian Charlie only raced three times, but won emphatically in each start. His Breeders Cup Juvenile victory is one of the most incredible I’ve ever seen. It will be exciting to see how he fares in 2011.
Two-Year-Old Female: Awesome Feather did everything asked of her in 6 starts this year. She capped it with a Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies win. Other interesting horses include Position Limit and Turbulent Descent. All three will be strong contenders in 2011, but the Breeders Cup winner gets the nod for the Eclipse Award.
Three-Year-Old Male: Lookin At Lucky has to take this on virtue of his wins in the Preakness Stakes and Haskell Invitational. The son of Smart Strike has one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen. The other horse here is Eskendereya. He only raced 3 times before retiring due to injury, but his win in the Wood Memorial was one of the most impressive performances I’ve ever seen by a sophomore runner.
Three-Year-Old Female: Blind Luck seems to know where the wire is. She won three races by a nose and another by a neck this year. Her best wins came in the Las Virgenes, Kentucky Oaks and Alabama Stakes. She was purchased for a measly $11k in 2008. Her rival, Havre de Grace, gets an honorable mention.
Older Horse: This division is another open and shut case in favor of Blame. He is the only horse to ever beat the legendary Zenyatta and he did so in the Breeders Cup Classic. I love his style of galloping horses down. He is a truly a throwback.
Older Female: Zenyatta gets this one for the third consecutive year. Relax ladies, she won’t be around to win it next year. You will get your chance.
Male Sprinter: This division is the first one with some room for debate. Even though I picked Breeders Cup Sprint winner Big Drama to win that race, I do think others deserve consideration. My selection for this award is Majesticperfection. He won the head to head matchup with Big Drama and won twice as many races in total. He is one of the best sprinters I’ve seen in many years and its a damn shame he was injured and forced to retire. Smiling Tiger had a great year winning two Grade 1 races and missing a third by a nose.
Female Sprinter: This was a tough pick, but I went with Dubai Majesty over Franny Freud. The latter had her season ended by an injury after taking the Prioress. Dubai Majesty finished her year with a win in the Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. That put her over the top.
Male Turf Horse: It was a pretty sorry year for this division. I’ll give the nod to Champ Pegasus on virtue of his runner up performance in the Breeders Cup Turf. Rosario was bold to put him on the lead as this horse closed from 19 back to win a race earlier this year. His best win came in the Clement L. Hirsch. Most will probably go with Gio Ponti here and he deserves a look after running behind Goldikova in the Breeders Cup Mile.
Female Turf Horse: This is an easy pick. Although Goldikova only raced once in North America she deserves the award. The filly looked like she had a rocket in her rear end as she vaulted past them all in the Breeders Cup Mile. It was one of the best efforts all year and by FAR the best from this division. The ill fated Tuscan Evening gets an honorable mention for going a perfect 6 for 6.
Horse of the Year: Please refer to this post.
Trainer: Todd Pletcher wins this one in a rout. He took the Kentucky Derby and won much more money than any other trainer. He also took more Grade 1 races and more graded races overall. Bob Baffert, John Sadler, John Sheriffs and Steve Asmussen deserve mentions. Among the lower tier trainers Jamie Ness and Joe Woodard both had great years. Pletcher is the reigning king though.
Jockey: Although he didn’t win as many graded races as some, Ramon Dominguez is very deserving of this award. He rides circles around most of the New York colony and won more money than any other jockey this year. Dominguez is a great tactician and extremely underrated.
Apprentice: I don’t have a very strong opinion here, but I’ll go with top money earner and wins leader Omar Moreno. The young rider’s life is finally looking up after living through a civil war as a child. Click here to read more.
Owner: Jerry and Ann Moss deserve this one for keeping Zenyatta around. They did what was good for the game and we owe them a debt that can never be repaid. This award would be a good start though.
Stallion: I don’t have an opinion in this category, but Malibu Moon and Distorted Humor were 1-2 in wins earnings.
So there you have it, my picks for the 2010 Eclipse Awards. Official results will be released on January 17, 2011. Feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts. I’d love to discuss the topic and hear what you think!
Zenyatta poll update
December 28, 2010 By 3 Comments
In a recent post making my case for Zenyatta to be Horse of the Year I posed the question to my readers asking who they would choose. The results have been quite astounding. A whopping 95% visitors to this website favor Zenyatta over Breeders Cup Classic winner Blame. There were a total of 118 votes.
It’s important to stress that this is an unscientific poll, but the results are still a bit surprising. I thought the voting would be much more even. Stay tuned to this website for my picks in other divisions.
Results for Horse of the Year voting will be announced at the Eclipse Awards Ceremony on Janauary 17, 2011.
2010 Horse of the Year: Zenyatta
November 10, 2010 By 9 Comments
Loading ...Never before have I felt so conflicted about who should win Horse of the Year. Regular visitors of this site may recall that in 2009 I went with Rachel Alexandra. In my eyes, and in the eyes of the voters, her resume was far more impressive than Zenyatta’s.
However, I have a new outlook on things this year.
Zenyatta did what no other horse has done by winning 19 races in a row. If not for a poor trip in the Breeders Cup Classic, she would have retired undefeated and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Fans from all across the nation ventured to racetracks in order to catch a glimpse of the towering mare.
Handle soared at Churchill Downs in horse betting on the Breeders Cup. This was without a doubt because of the interest in the daughter of Street Cry. I had friends with absolutely no interest in racing talking to me about Zenyatta, and asking questions about racing in general. This is the kind of boost that racing has been desperately seeking for years.
Let’s not forget the buzz surrounding “Rachel Alexandra vs Zenyatta” early in the year. Although it never happened, it had everyone talking. That includes major news outlets that otherwise wouldn’t be covering thoroughbred horse racing.
Did Zenyatta beat much on the track this year? The answer is unequivocally no. This is easily explained though. She was scaring everyone away. Would YOU want to run against an unbeaten mare that beat the boys in the biggest race of the year in 2009? I don’t think so. In my eyes, you can’t hold the fact that she didn’t beat much against her.
The “other” horse in this argument is Blame. The son of Arch improved with every start in 2010. Everyone doubted him as he was second choice behind Battle Plan in the Foster Handicap, Quality Road in the Whitney Handicap, and Zenyatta in the Classic. Despite being the underdog, he won all three of those races.
Trainer Al Stall is one of my favorites and one of the best in the business. The same goes for jockey Garrett Gomez. I feel bad for not picking Blame, but I truly feel Zenyatta deserves it. He is more deserving than Zenyatta was last year. Sadly, someone must lose out.
When I go to my class reunion in 20 years nobody is going to remember a horse called Blame. Sad, but true. Quite a few will remember the mare Zenyatta who embodied “Girl Power” like no other horse, OR person could.
The Mosses went out on a limb by keeping her in training. This award is the perfect way to thank them for being great owners and doing what is good for the sport. It would set an example for future owners who may think of retiring a superstar prematurely. Perhaps they will think back to Jerry and Ann Moss and follow in ther footsteps.
She deserves it, and this is coming from a big time fan of Rachel Alexandra and longtime doubter turned believer. Zenyatta should be Horse of the Year.
There Can Only Be One: Horse of the Year
November 15, 2009 By 2 Comments
As much as everyone, myself included, would like to see Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta share Horse of the Year honors, it is very unlikely to happen. Both would have to recieve the same amount of votes. Each will go out a winner in their respective divisions though.
My pick for Horse of the Year has to be Rachel Alexandra. Without taking anything away from Zenyatta, I feel that Rachel Alexandra was the best horse to race this year. She won the Kentucky Oaks in a romp. Then she took the Preakness in her first win over the boys. After that she crushed the competition in the Mother Goose, breaking the stakes record that had stood since 1994 in race that has been contested at the current distance since 1959. She wasn’t being urged at the end of the race and if Calvin Borel had gone to work on her she would’ve easily broke Secretariat’s track record (I wasn’t able to find Big Red’s time, but I’m 90% sure he owns the record).
Her easy win in the Haskell Stakes over Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird was breath taking. She dominated that field from start to finish and was a very easy winner. As if beating the boys twice wasn’t good enough, Jess Jackson put the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro in to face older males in the Woodward. While she wasn’t an easy winner, Rachel Alexandra become the first three-year-old fillies to beat older males in a Grade 1 race. The field wasn’t too bad either thanks to the entries of Grade 1 winners Macho Again and Bullsbay.
All in all Rachel won 5 different Grade 1 races and found the winners circle at 7 different tracks this year. She won on tracks labeled fast and sloppy and from distances of 8 furlongs to 9 furlongs. She beat the boys three times and never lost in 9 trips to the track in 2009.
This filly has been absolutely stunning all year. Even if she doesn’t win Horse of the Year this time around she will almost surely take it in 2010. I look forward to watching her become the first filly to win the Breeders Cup Classic at Churchill Downs next year. Who is your pick? Let me know by leaving a comment.
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