JC / Railbird

HOF/Awards Archive

More on HOTY

And all the other Eclipse awards: Bill Christine makes a convincing case for Ghostzapper (LA Times), and Steven Crist shows off his ballot. (Daily Racing Form).

Posted in HOF/Awards on December 24, 2004

And HOTY Goes to …

Smarty Jones, says Pohla Smith at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Paul Daley, at the Lowell Sun, is a little less decisive, making cases for both Smarty and Ghostzapper.

Posted in HOF/Awards on December 19, 2004

Finley’s Picks

“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

No Phony Champions

As Eclipse award voting season begins, Dick Jerardi can’t take any more positivity. “I am here to make sure the negative has a voice. Wilko? I mean, really. Wilko?” (Daily Racing Form)

Posted in HOF/Awards on November 18, 2004