The Awards Picture
It’s not technically the end of the year, but there’s little likely to happen in the next eight weeks that could shake up division standings now. With his Breeders’ Cup Classic win, Saint Liam is assured of the champion older horse and Horse of the Year honors, in whatever judgment scheme you prefer, whether it’s a points system like the Standings, or a voting system like the Eclipse Awards.
The other divisions will be ripe for debate: First Samurai vs. Stevie Wonderboy for two-year-old champion, for instance, or Flower Alley vs. Afleet Alex for three-year-old honors. The biggest fight looming will be over naming a champion sprinter. Lost in the Fog, Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Silver Train, and Vosburgh winner Taste of Paradise are likely finalists for the award. It seems bizarre that either Silver Train or Taste of Paradise could win the title over a horse that won eight straight (including five graded stakes) before losing, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen. You need only consider what’s been written about Lost in the Fog over the past couple of weeks to realize the strange fickleness of an awards system that relies solely on the subjective votes of racing media and officials. A week ago, there were quite a few who suggested Lost in the Fog could be Horse of the Year if he won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Since his seventh place finish on Saturday, the meme floating around seems to be that he might not even deserve sprint champion.
