JC / Railbird

HOF/Awards Archive

Another in Race for HOTY

It’s early in the year yet, but talk is already turning to the subject of who might win 2005 Horse of the Year. Afleet Alex is one of the names being bandied about, but Lost in the Fog is another contender, and after his dazzling win in the Stephen Foster, so is Saint Liam. (Courier-Journal)

Posted in HOF/Awards on June 19, 2005

All Over the Place

In case you haven’t had your fill of Eclipse Awards coverage yet, do check out Jay Hovdey’s account of the awards cereremony. “For a moment, it was 1952 all over again, and Richard Nixon was trying to save his political hide by playing down slush fund allegations and diverting attention with references to his wife’s ‘good Republican cloth coat’ and his daughter’s dog, Checkers. A few beats later, Merv Griffin appeared from out of a misty cloud of talk show nostalgia … Then, at some point John Wayne entered the hall, closely followed by Will Rogers, who between them provided a bedrock, down-home reality that felt like the whole place had suddenly become Kansas, circa 1948.” (Daily Racing Form)
Also: Photos, courtesy of the Blood-Horse.
Ken Ramsey’s apology for attempting to bribe another owner to scratch a horse from a race, an infraction he was punished for by the Kentucky racing board last week, reminded Bill Christine “that parties without party-poopers are hard to find.” (LA Times)
Bill Finley reports on the outcome of the Ghostzapper-Smarty Jones HOTY contest, and suggests that some votes for Ghostzapper may have been cast as payback for Smarty’s disappearance from the track. “Some voters might have chosen Ghostzapper because of the circumstances of Smarty Jones’s retirement after winning the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.” Some voters? I wonder who Finley’s talking about. (New York Times)

Posted in HOF/Awards on January 26, 2005

And the Winners Are …

Ghostzapper runs away with Horse of the Year, Azeri wins a third straight divisional title. No time for much commentary or linking this morning, so I’ll just say this: Afleet Alex wuz robbed in the 2-year-old male category, and I was pleased to see that two voters appreciated the merits of steeplechaser Tres Touche enough to write him in on their ballots.

Posted in HOF/Awards on January 25, 2005

Hottest HOTY Race in Years

For some fans, I suppose. “The anticipation for this year’s Eclipse Awards is the highest in years,” writes Ralph Siraco. “What makes this year’s racing Oscars so intriguing is the race for the gold trophy: Horse of the Year, 2004…. Although there have been many anticlimactic years in the past 33 announcements for the Horse of the Year Eclipse trophy, that will be far from the case this year.” Yes, which will win? The three-year-old with a whirlwind career who triumphed over other three-year-olds in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, or the four-year-old who ran four freakishly fast races? This may be the least compelling HOTY contest ever. (Las Vegas Sun)

Posted in HOF/Awards on January 11, 2005

Eclipse Finalists Announced

The finalists for this year’s Eclipse Awards were announced Wednesday afternoon. Ghostzapper was nominated in both the sprinter and older male categories and is one of two contenders for Horse of the Year (MSNBC). He wasn’t the only horse nominated for multiple honors: Kitten’s Joy and Ouija Board are also up for two each (LA Times). Many of the nominees have Texas ties (Star-Telegram), and unsurprisingly, quite a few have Kentucky roots (Courier-Journal).
Maryjean Wall wonders if the Eclipse Awards are for journalists to decide (Herald-Leader).
Past performances for the nominees are available at the Daily Racing Form.

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Posted in HOF/Awards on January 6, 2005

Achievement Over Hype

Don’t reward the cherry-pickers who avoided competition, says Gary West. “The Eclipse Award finalists will be announced Wednesday and the winners Jan. 24. The Eclipse Awards, of course, represent horse racing’s championships. But they also represent an opportunity to discourage the cowering opportunism and the premature retirements that have compromised competition, as well as the sport’s popularity, in recent years.” (Star-Telegram)

Posted in HOF/Awards on January 4, 2005

“With the Hollywood Futurity the only race left on the year that could have any impact on the Eclipse Awards, it’s not too early to divulge my votes for divisional champions and Horse of the Year,” writes Bill Finley. No big surprises: Finley likes Ghostzapper for Horse of the Year, Speightstown for Sprinter, and Sightseek for Older Filly or Mare. (ESPN)
Comment: I can’t get excited about Ghostzapper as HOTY. He only ran four — admittedly, very good — races this year. I wouldn’t vote for Smarty Jones either. He never raced against older horses and the Chapmans’ decision to retire him so early does rankle. I’d love to see Azeri or Funny Cide get the award. True, both have more losses than wins on their 2004 records, but both are also solid champions who delivered knock-out performances in races that reminded fans of what’s so thrilling and noble about the sport.

Posted in HOF/Awards on December 8, 2004