Eclipse Balloting

So another year goes by, and yet again the fine folks who tally the votes and hand out the awards forgot to send me a ballot. What an unfortunate oversight - I really thought this was my year to earn some recognition in the industry. Perhaps 2009 will mark the arrival of my first ballot. In all seriousness, though, here is how I would vote for the awards -

Female Sprinter

Legitimately, this award comes down to two contestants - Patti and Hal Earnhardt's Indian Blessing (trained by B. Baffert) and Juddmonte Farm's Ventura (R. Frankel). A very strong case can be made for either, but I think a stronger case can be made for the Baffert-trainee. Indian Blessing won 5 of 8 starts, including 4 of 5 starts in races less than one mile. Those victories included the Grade 1 Test Stakes, the Grade 1 Prioress Stakes, the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom (against older competition), and hte Grade 2 Santa Ynez. Her only defeat in those 5 races was at the hands of Ventura in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, but Indian Blessing did manage to outrun the rest of her competitors that day to get 2nd. The case for Ventura hinges on ignoring her full campaign, and focusing on two races. Prior to the Breeders' Cup, Ventura would have been a logical contender for the 'Turf Female' award, as 5 of her 7 starts in 2008 were on the grass. She did win twice on the main track in sprints, those being the aformentioned Breeders' Cup and the Grade 2 Madison Stakes at Keeneland, but I just don't think those two races make her resume stronger than Indian Blessing's for this particular award. For third, I'm the nod to Intangaroo (G. Sherlock), who very quietly won 3 Grade 1 races in 2008, including the Santa Monica Handicap, the Humana Distaff, and the Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga. Her distant finish in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (6th) ultimately kept her from meriting more consideration.

1. Indian Blessing
2. Ventura
3. Intangaroo

Male Sprinter

This is yet another wide open division, and a handful at least merit serious consideration. The most talented sprinter to set foot on any track in 2008 was Midnight Lute (B. Baffert), however I have to go against the Breeders' Cup Sprint champion here. IEAH Stable's Benny the Bull (R. Dutrow) put together a great campaign, in which he won all 4 of his races. The campaign of Street Boss (B. Headley) also should not be forgotten. He won a pair of Grade 1 races, placed in two others, and also won a Grade 3 event. At the end of the day, however, I think Benny the Bull is the most deserving here. I'm not the type of person who would refuse to vote for a nominee after one big performance, but I simply feel that Benny the Bull was good enough in 2009 to overcome Midnight Lute's one big run. Plus it's important to not overlook the fact that Midnight Lute also bombed in the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien in his only other start of 2008. Benny the Bull won sprint stakes races at 4 different tracks - Gulfstream, Calder, Belmont, and Nad al Sheba, and was the Breeders' Cup Sprint favorite before his retirement due to injury. Midnight Lute was probably the best to set foot on a track in 2008, but didn't show it enough to merit the top billing here. Would also like to give a mention to Bear Stables' Fatal Bullet (R. Baker), Canada's Horse of the Year, who ran 2nd in the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

1. Benny the Bull
2. Midnight Lute
3. Street Boss

Juvenile Female

This one is definitely one of the awards that is an open and shut case. Stardom Bound, campaigned through her juvenile season in the silks of Charles Cono by Chris Paasch prior to being sold at Keeneland, won a trio of Grade 1 races including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, the Oak Leaf Stakes, and the DelMar Debutante. She should be a most unanimous winner. Behind her, it gets a bit tricky - the form of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies hasn't held up well, and both Sky Diva (S. Klesaris) and Dream Express (K. McPeek) struggled in their post-Breeders' Cup races. I also think Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf victor Maram (C. Brown) deserves some attention after putting together a 3 for 3 campaign that ended with wins in a Grade 3 race and a Breeders' Cup race.

1. Stardom Bound
2. Dream Express
3. Maram

Juvenile Male

I'm really not sure this one is as close as some are making it out to be. There are a myriad of top competitors, including Midshipman, campaigned in 2008 by Bob Baffert, Vineyard Haven, who was campaigned by Robert Frankel, as well as Grade 1 winners Square Eddie (D. O'Neill) and Street Hero (M. Cho). The top two are pretty much set to be Midshipman and Vineyard Haven, who combined to win 4 Grade 1 races, two each. I guess it comes down to the caliber of the victories. Midshipman won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and the DelMar Futurity, and in the process he defeated the likes of Square Eddie, Street Hero (twice), Coronet of a Baron, Munnings, and Terrain. He also lost a close decision to Street Hero in the Grade 1 Norfolk. Vineyard Haven won the Hopeful and Champagne Stakes, and in the process defeated Desert Party, Munnings (twice), Cribnote (twice), Hello Broadway, and Break Water Edison. In total, Midshipman defeated 3 Group/Grade 1 winners, while Vineyard Haven defeated none. That's the difference for me, right there. Midshipman beat better horses and showed up for the Breeders' Cup. I give Square Eddie the nod over Street Hero for 3rd.

1. Midshipman
2. Vineyard Haven
3. Square Eddie

Three-Year-Old Male

Big Brown. Not even close.

1. Big Brown
2. Colonel John
3. Raven's Pass

Three-Year-Old Female

Probably will end up being the closest vote of them all - it comes down to Brerton Jones' Proud Spell (L. Jones) and Godolphin's Music Note (S. Suroor). Each boast an incredible record that would be more than enough to win in most years. Proud Spell won a pair of Grade 1 races, the Kentucky Oaks and the Alabama Stakes (over Music Note), as well as a pair of Grade 2 races, the Fair Grounds Oaks and the Delaware Oaks. She ran third in both the Grade 1 Mother Goose (to Music Note; after being dq'd from 2nd) and the Grade 1 Ashland, and placed in both the Grade 2 Cotillion and the Grade 3 Silverbulletday. She hit the board in each of her 8 starts, all against graded competition, and took on the best fillies of her generation. Music Note, not to be outdone, won the Grade 1 Gazelle and the Grade 1 Mother Goose (against Proud Spell), as well as the Grade 1 CCA Oaks. She placed in the Grade 1 Alabama (to Proud Spell), and the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic. Differenting between the two is difficult. Music Note won more Grade 1 races (3 to 2), but Proud Spell won the biggest race for 3yo fillies, the Kentucky Oaks. Each defeated the other once. Music Note showed up in the Breeders' Cup, but didn't burst onto the graded stakes scene until June. Proud Spell skipped the Breeders' Cup, but ran each of her 8 starts against graded competition, starting in February. Neither has a true blemish or bad loss, however Proud Spell's loss to Seattle Smooth in the Cotillion hurts much more than Music Note's loss to Zenyatta and Cocoa Beach in the Breeders' Cup. In a toss-up this close, I'm inclined to go with Proud Spell because she danced more dances, but I won't be disappointed no matter who wins. It's impossible not to mention Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles (L. Jones) here, as she may have been the best of them all.

1. Proud Spell
2. Music Note
3. Eight Belles

Turf Female

Not a very difficult one - Augustin Stable's Forever Together (J. Sheppard) won 3 Grade 1 races, including the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, the First Lady Stakes, and the Diana Stakes. She also placed in the Grade 1 Just a Game at Belmont. She earned $1.8 million during her 7 race campaign. The pool behind her is quite jumbled. All of the following won one Grade 1 race and could merit the second spot - Cocoa Beach (S. Suroor), Dynaforce (W. Mott), Goldikova (F. Head), Mauralakana (C. Clement), and Wait a While (T. Pletcher). I'm tossing Cocoa Beach from consideration as she only ran once on the surface worldwide in 2008. I'm tossing Dynaforce for her 1 for 5 overall record. Mauralakana flatted out after winning a Grade 1, two Grade 2's, and a Grade 3 earlier in the year. She also placed in a Grade 1. Goldikova would be the runner-up to Zarkava in a "Worldwide Turf Female" contest, but her one race in the States wasn't enough to sway me.

1. Forever Together
2. Mauralakana (Fr)
3. Wait a While

Turf Male

I move to give this award to nobody. Please? If nobody deserves it, why hand it out for the sake of it. It's pretty bad when the leading contender is probably a European who made one start in the States, that being Ballymacoll Farm's Conduit (M. Stoute). The Breeders' Cup Turf winner was a Group 1 victor in Europe, but in most circumstances it's difficult to merit handing out an award to a European who made just one start here. This year may be the exception. I'm convinced that the most talented turf male in the United States is IEAH Stable's Kip Deville (R. Dutrow). Buuuut...he didn't show it too well in 2008. A one-time Grade 1 winner, Kip took the Makers Mark Mile in April, as well as the Grade 3 Poker Handicap in July, but ran 5th in the Woodbine Mile (CAN-Gr. I) before placing in the Breeders' Cup Mile. Nothing that he did in Hong Kong would make me any more inclined to vote for him, but it doesn't make me less inclined either. Marc Keller's Grand Couturier (R. Ribaudo) won a pair of Grade 1 races, including the Turf Classic at Belmont and Sword Dancer, but ran very poorly in the Grade 1 Man O War and Breeders' Cup Turf, where he was last of 11. But those 2 Grade 1 wins loom very, very large on his resume. Einstein (H. Pitts) is another with a resume deserving of consideration for this award. He went 6-3-2-0 on the turf in 2008, and those victories included scores in the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes. He placed in the Grade 1 Makers Mark Mile, and the Grade 2 Firecracker Stakes, but more importantly doesn't have the poor losses that blemish Grand Couturier's resume. At the end of the day, I begrudgingly give him the nod in this category, with the European second. Grand Couturier needed to do better more than twice.

1. Einstein (Brz)
2. Conduit (Ire)
3. Kip Deville

Older Female

This is probably the division where 1-3 are easiest to figure. Mr. & Mrs. Jerome Moss' Zenyatta (J. Shirreffs) danced every dance, won 4 Grade 1 races and 3 Grade 2 races, and beat all of her challengers for the award. Second comes down to Stronach Stable's Ginger Punch (R. Frankel) and Godolphin's Cocoa Beach (S. Suroor), but (and I may be choosing sentimentally here), I'm going with Ginger Punch for second and Cocoa Beach for third. Ginger Punch won 3 Grade 1 races, a Grade 2, placed in two more Grade 1 events, and also won the Sunshine Millions Distaff. She hit a wall at the end of the year, but her overall resume is quite outstanding. I also want to mention Hystericalady (J. Hollendorfer) in this post, even if there's nothing to say about her except she had a hell of a career.

1. Zenyatta
2. Ginger Punch
3. Cocoa Beach (Chi)

Older Male

No way Stonestreet's Curlin (S. Asmussen) doesn't merit top billing. He won 4 Grade 1 races, went undefeated on the dirt, and earned just south of $5.4 million in 7 starts. His choke-job in the Breeders' Cup can be forgiven due to the surface. Tracy Farmer's Commentator (N. Zito) deserves to be mentioned, as does Peter Vegso's Go Between (W. Mott), and William Deburgh's Heatseeker (J. Hollendorfer), who was Curlin's biggest threat prior to his retirement.

1. Curlin
2. Heatseeker (Ire)
3. Go Between

Apprentice Jockey

No real standouts in this category this year, but in 2008 we saw several apprentices who seem to have very bright futures. Pascacio "Paco" Lopez, a regular rider at Calder, led apprentices with 222 victories, and won the riding title for Calder's meet that ended October 19. Abel Mariano led all apprentices in earnings, and is second in victories with 189. Inez Karlsson ranks third in both categories.

1. Pascacio Lopez
2. Abel Mariano
3. Inez Karlsson

Breeder

And all of the usual suspects are back for another run at the Eclipse Award for top breeder. Stronach's Adena Springs leads the nation in categories of starters, winners, seconds, thirds, and earnings, with nearly $19 million. Top Adena-bred runners in 2008 included Ginger Punch, Fatal Bullet, and Sugar Swirl. It's tough to overcome a stable with such outstanding statistics, but Stonerside just may have the caliber of runners to do just that. Bob McNair's former operation ranks second in earnings and is well behind others in starters and winners, but bred Breeders' Cup Classic champion Raven's Pass and Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion Midshipman. They also won Grade 1 placed colt Cowboy Cal. I'll vote for Juddmonte Farms to be third, as their worldwide operation bred such top runners as Champs Elysees, Ventura, Monzante, and First Defence.

1. Stonerside Stable
2. Adena Springs
3. Juddmonte Farms

Owner

Gotta go with Mike Iavaronne and Richard Schiavo's International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc. (IEAH) as number one. Their stable included the caliber of runners like Big Brown, Benny the Bull, Kip Deville, Pure Clan, Court Vision, Frost Giant, Laragh, Ariege, and Acai. They're in a position to win as many as 3 or 4 Eclipse Awards, and have to be considered favorites in the Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding category, the Sprinter category, and also have an outside shot at Turf Male and perhaps even Horse of the Year with Big Brown. Frank Stronach's Stronach Stables had another excellent year, and currently leads the nation in winners and earnings, with Ahmed Zayat's Zayat Stables. Zayat was represented in the Kentucky Derby by Z Humor and Z Fortune. Might as well give Jess Jackson a shoutout here too, with his campaign of Curlin.

1. IEAH Stables
2. Stronach Stables
3. Stonestreet Stables, LLC

Trainer

What does one go with here? The best numbers or the best training job(s)? Rick Dutrow Jr. won less than a third of the races that Steve Asmussen did, and at the same time he pissed off the majority of racing fans through his brash and sometimes insulting statements. He did, however, do a heck of a job keeping Big Brown's feet together, and soliciting 5 spectacular victories out of the colt. He also campaigned Kip Deville, Frost Giant, and Benny the Bull. His win percentage is higher than Asmussens or Todd Pletcher's. Asmussen had a spectacular season, winning 601 races (and counting), has earned over $23 million this year, and has been represented by such runners as Curlin, Pyro, Zanjero, Z Fortune, and many other stakes horses. Pletcher, who had a down year in 2008, still deserves a mention. I'd be much more inclined to overlook Asmussen's sheer statistics, but I have trouble overlooking every time where Dutrow ran his mouth and embarrassed himself, his clients, and the sport of horse racing. Bob Baffert did an excellent job readying Midnight Lute for the Breeders' Cup, and also did a great job with Tough Tiz's Sis and Indian Blessing, among others.

1. Steve Asmussen
2. Rick Dutrow Jr.
3. Bob Baffert

Jockey

Velazquez. Gomez. Bejarano. Prado. Dominguez. Albarado...heck, it's difficult to even pick a handful of finalists for this category. Garrett Gomez leads the nation in earnings by about $7 million. Ramon Dominguez is the only mainstream rider with more than 300 victories. Rafael Bejarano is riding 21% winners. Gomez won 4 Breeders' Cup races, and at the end of the day, he's still the guy I'd want on a horse if I owned one, but Raffy Bejarano is getting close to that level. He's already elite, but he's poised to take the top spot from GoGo very soon. Edgar Prado has once agan put together a very nice year.

1. Garrett Gomez
2. Rafael Bejarano
3. Edgar Prado

Horse of the Year

Last but not least is the Horse of the Year category. And while I guess a case can be made for several of them, it definitely comes down to two. Those two being probably Older Female champion Zenyatta and probable Older Male champion and reigning Horse of the Year, Curlin. Each won 4 Grade 1 races, Zenyatta's being the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic, the Apple Blossom Handicap, the Vanity, and the Lady's Secret Stakes. She also won 3 Grade 2 races. Curlin's Grade 1 scores included the Dubai World Cup, the Stephen Foster, the Woodward, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. At times, Curlin was probably the most talented horse in the world, but I don't think that is the only basis of which this award should be given. Zenyatta towered over her competitors and showed up each and every start, against the best in her division - she beat Cocoa Beach, Tough Tiz's Sis, Ginger Punch, Music Note, and Hystericalady. She won on both the conventional dirt, and the synthetic tracks at Santa Anita, Hollywood, and DelMar. She refused to lose, and beat what is most likely one of the deepest fields we've ever seen in the Breeders' Cup Distaff/Ladies Classic. She never took on the males. Curlin, on the other hand, struggled a bit in the transition from the dirt to the turf and synthetics. He failed in the Breeders' Cup, and he struggled a bit after returning from Dubai. While the Distaff division in 2008 deep and talented, the older male division in 2008 was poor and subpar at best. It's easiest to give the award to the horse who surpassed $10,000,000 in career earnings in 2008, but the true Horse of the Year in 2008, the one that refused to lose, the one that showed adversity and handled multiple surfaces, the one that dominated her division and culminated it with a huge Breeders' Cup score, in my eyes, is Zenyatta.

1. Zenyatta
2. Curlin
3. Big Brown