Superfectablog v3.0 » Gio Ponti

Bow Ties Are Cool

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:12:22 +0000

In a season lacking a standout 3-year-old, and with stalwart Gio Ponti not having found his best form, Havre de Grace and Blind Luck have been making their own headlines. Both fillies have stellar resumes in their own rights: Blind Luck’s many wins include the Kentucky Oaks, the Alabama, the Vanity and the Del Cap, while Havre de Grace counts (among others) the Cotillion, the Apple Blossom and now, of course, the Woodward. Blind Luck holds the edge when the two have faced off, but it’s been apparent for some time now that both should expand their horizons. Havre de Grace is the second female winner of the Woodward, though her win seemed almost effortless compared to Rachel Alexandra’s all-out drive – hopefully that bodes well for the rest of the season. Trainer Larry Jones and owner Rick Porter (he of the trademark red jacket and bow tie) confirmed in the winner’s circle that they aren’t planning on ducking any future competition – Havre de Grace may end up being entered in both the Breeders’ Cup Classic as well as the ~~Distaff~~ Ladies’ Classic. She will likely have to face her arch-rival Blind Luck again before November, however, as both may end up in the Beldame. But let’s rewind a bit – it’s interesting to compare the two fillies’ careers to this point.

As a member of the ill-fated Saint Liam’s single crop of foals, Havre de Grace was no bargain on paper – she cost $380,000 as a yearling – but she has more than justified her purchase price by never running out of the money; capturing the same G1 race her sire is almost an added bonus at this point. By contrast, Blind Luck cost a mere $11,000 as a yearling, and she went unsold a year later. Her sire, the underrated, half-blind Pollard’s Vision, is still bargain-priced (and very much alive); while it’s tempting to imagine what he might produce with some more ‘fashionable’ mares, Blind Luck’s pedigree is one of the things that makes her so interesting – I always like to see some Broad Brush in there.

The two began their careers on opposite coasts, with Havre de Grace running well at Delaware Park (though she made her sole 2-year-old start fairly late in the year); Blind Luck began in California, mostly under the tutelage of Jerry Hollendorfer, with a solid 2-year-old career that was capped off with an unlucky third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The rivalry kicked off in earnest last summer, when Blind Luck just bested Havre de Grace three times in a row, then they finished 2-3 in the Breeders’ Cup ~~Distaff~~ Ladies’ Classic. This year their first meeting was at Oaklawn, with Blind Luck taking the Azeri. More recently, their thrilling Del Cap (and one really must credit both fillies when describing this year’s race) is probably going to be unchallenged for the best race of the year. Of course, if both Blind Luck and Havre de Grace make the Beldame, that title could be in jeopardy; imagine what we’ve got in store if both millionaire fillies stay healthy for Breeders’ Cup weekend (regardless of which of the marquee races they wind up in).

While there is much to look forward to (including the inevitable Horse of the Year discussion), it’s well worth relishing the moment – Jones and Porter certainly were doing just that, and they deserved it after the Eight Belles tragedy. And for the fans, it’s a rare enough thing to witness such an exciting rivalry – there are certainly shades of Sunday Silence-Easy Goer in the Blind Luck-Havre de Grace matchup, and it’s entirely possible that we will eventually consider them as a set, much like Affirmed and Alydar.

Finally, if someone could persuade Rick Porter to wear a fez with his bow tie, I would be most grateful. The world needs more horse racing/geek crossover, and he’s already halfway there.

2011 Belmont Stakes: On the Record

admin — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:35:35 +0000

While there is no Triple Crown on the line, this is one of the more interesting renewals of my favorite Classic. It’s notable this year for having more than one horse in the field who is actually bred to go the 1 ½ mile distance; in some recent Belmonts, the race seems to have fallen to whomever could best hold on and grind it out. While I think we are still some ways away from witnessing a sea change in American breeding preferences, it’s an encouraging sign – and I think we have exciting Saratoga and Breeders’ Cup seasons to look forward to.

And it’s always good fun to see the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winners face off (especially when the winning margin was so slight in the second race), so it’s great that both Animal Kingdom and Shackleford are moving forward and looking well (and hey, their brothers are barn-mates). But they are hardly the only horses running at Belmont Park on Saturday – Belmont Stakes day is often something of an early preview for Breeders’ Cup day(s), and the other major races are well worth watching:

Acorn
It’s always nice to see Bobby Flay with a horse in a big race, and his filly Her Smile has very attractive morning line odds – of course, the last time I backed her she was well-beaten. Her odds are also not surprising given Turbulent Descent’s presence here; it’s tough to see her losing, but, of course, that’s why they run.

True North
The brothers Dutrow each have a horse here; Rick has D’Funnybone, while Tony has This Ones for Phil; both horses are owned by Paul Pompa. Trappe Shot looks strong here, as does Calibrachoa, but I like longshot Khan of Khans – how can you not like a horse with such a Shatnerian name?

Woody Stephens
It’s coming up a bit light this year, but we have another family set of trainers here: the great Allen Jerkins has Bold Warrior, while son Jimmy has favored Arch Traveler. Jerkins junior seems to have the edge in this race.

Woodford Reserve
This should be good fun; Gio Ponti is back Stateside, but this is no easy welcome home; Prince Will I Am is here, as is Viscount Nelson, who has, of late, finally figured out how to win. But the real story should be Gio Ponti – he’s done so much in his career, and is still in training at 6, which is something that can be said of very few stallions. He should be getting a lot of press coverage, but alas, we still can’t seem to warm to turf horses who (mostly) stick to turf in the US; I hope he comes back with a win.

And so, of course, to the big race -

PP	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	ML odds
1	Master of Hounds	Garrett Gomez	Aidan O’Brien	10-1
While he’s had to endure a lot of international travel, I’m glad to see him here; the distance should be ideal for him.
2	Stay Thirsty	Javier Castellano	Todd Pletcher	20-1
I can’t get very excited about him; perhaps I just don’t like Vitamin Water. His odds may stay attractive, though…
3	Ruler On Ice	Jose Valdivia, Jr.	Kelly Breen	20-1
Looks like a solid G2/G3 competitor; can’t see him wanting the distance.
4	Santiva	Sean Bridgmohan	Eddie Kenneally	15-1
Doesn’t have a bad pedigree for this race, but has been very inconsistent.
5	Brilliant Speed	Joel Rosario	Tom Albertrani	15-1
Has a turf pedigree with some stamina, and didn’t seem to mind the dirt at Churchill Downs.
6	Nehro	Corey Nakatani	Steve Asmussen	4-1
I like this horse very much, but suspect he doesn’t want to go quite this far. However, he seems to have a lot of heart, and I would not be surprised to see him finish second or third – he’s had a good rest since the Derby.
7	Monzon	Jose Lezcano	Ignacio Correas, IV	30-1
MD-bred winner of the Count Fleet is flying under the radar here, but it’s a big step up in class.
8	Prime Cut	Edgar Prado	Neil Howard	15-1
He seems a better fit for a mile or slightly longer race; this seems beyond him.
9	Animal Kingdom	Johnny Velazquez	Graham Motion	2-1
Even without his Derby win and tough Preakness second, he would have been my choice here. Factoring those in (and the fact that he doesn’t seem like a tired horse), he’s my pick. No real worries about the post position – it worked for Afleet Alex.
10	Mucho Macho Man	Ramon Dominguez	Kathy Ritvo	10-1
I expect his odds to drop, though I wonder about the distance for him; I don’t think we’ve seen his best yet, but we may have to wait until later in the summer for that.
11	Isn’t He Perfect	Rajiv Maragh	Doodnauth Shivmangal	30-1
Can’t see it happening.
12	Shackleford	Jesus Castanon	Dale Romans	9/2
It’s wonderful to see a potential rivalry shaping up here with Animal Kingdom. He’s got some stamina influences from his dam’s side, although his pedigree doesn’t scream ‘Belmont’ (unlike Animal Kingdom and Master of Hounds). Still, I expect a good effort, even though with his running style, the wide post affects him more than it might some of the others.

Predictions: 1) Animal Kingdom 2) Master of Hounds 3) Nehro 4) Shackleford

Obligatory Annual Horse of the Year Post

admin — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:09:50 +0000

Annual award or longue durée importance?

I know, I know, I’ve said before that Horse of the Year really doesn’t matter – and from an Annales School perspective, that is very much the case. The fact remains that people beyond the core constituency of horse racing insiders and fans will remember Zenyatta – and wonder who Blame was (if his name come up at all – which it very well could, if he’s a success at stud) – but they are not the ones voting for the annual honor. Neither am I, of course – but I’ve still got an opinion.

On the one hand, we should not overlook Blame’s accomplishments (though overlooked they were indeed as they occurred – good luck finding the Stephen Foster or even the Jockey Club Gold Cup, in which Blame was second, on television unless you’re really looking for it); one could argue that by giving more weight to races outside the Triple Crown – particularly ones that once had more resonance – it’s good for the sport as a whole. But the same point could be made about many of Zenyatta’s races – and she’s got a much larger collection of G1 wins to show for her efforts. If one of the goals is to reward owners who keep their horses racing beyond age 3, both Blame and Zenyatta fit the bill (although both were late bloomers) – but it seems a shame to then praise the removal of a horse from the racing scene who had just started to show off his true capabilities. One wonders if he would have been whisked off to stud with a third-place finish – or if Blame would have been burnishing his breeding resume at the track for a little while longer in that instance. After all, the wonderful Gio Ponti is coming back again – and his body of work is considerably more impressive.

As for Zenyatta, a Horse of the Year award might be viewed as something of a lifetime achievement honor – but that’s not a problem in my view. I argued last year that (prior to the Breeders’ Cup), her campaign had been overly cautious, while Rachel Alexandra was taking on all comers (except, perhaps, for one very large mare). I would have been quite happy for them to share the award, but this year, I can’t really see any reason to spend much time considering anyone apart from Zenyatta. It would have been entirely understandable to see her retire after last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, perfect record intact – but the fact that her connections were willing to bring her back again, and to participate in a thoughtful discussion on her place in the sport with the wider media – deserves special recognition. After a particularly difficult few years – the breakdowns of Barbaro and Eight Belles, the general Bridge-and-Tunnelness of the Big Brown crowd that kept the horse largely a footnote - Zenyatta’s return this year gave the sport a positive face once more – both equine and human.

I do wonder if a tougher series of races would have had Zenyatta more tuned up for the Classic this year – but it’s just an idle curiosity. Her place in history was already assured by her brace of G1 wins and, of course, especially by her Breeders’ Cup performances – all of them. She gets my would-be vote for Horse of the Year – and here’s hoping those who can actually exercise the option agree.

Of course, if they do not, it’s of no great importance, as the racing history gods have already spoken – do you see a Blame Breyer?

Breeders’ Cup 2010: Parting Thoughts

admin — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:55:04 +0000

High point: Goldikova's hat-trick

As we’ve already covered the Friday races, we’ll just reiterate these two points:

Do not cross Calvin Borel. Do feel free to pitch a reality TV show in which he becomes a boxer or MMA star – it may be wrong, but it would be a guilty pleasure. #jockeyfight

Life At Ten: luckily, she is doing well now. Is there more to the story? So it would seem.

Moving swiftly on to Saturday’s races…

Was there an issue with the turf course that led to Rough Sailing’s demise in the Juvenile Turf? If so, was it something identified by Workforce’s connections, who elected to scratch him, rather than run in the Turf – or was the apparently slippery nature brought about by their continual complaints that it was too firm? Or did the horse simply take a bad step? In any event, was anything done to ensure the safety of the other horses and jockeys who were to run over the same course later in the day, or was the lack of further accidents simply a happy accident?

It was good to see Big Drama take the Sprint – a talented horse who was finally put in the correct category – we’ll later get to some others who were not.

Chamberlain Bridge was another feel-good winner in the Turf Sprint – as much for coming from Penn National to win a Breeders’ Cup race as for our account balance.

The Great ESPN Breeders’ Cup/College Football Fail of 2010: this isn’t hard, folks – you just need a plan. The iPad app was actually fantastic for this sort of emergency (and so much better than the web site), but I should not have had to dash off to fetch it.

Uncle Mo certainly looked impressive in the Juvenile – it’s a shame his plan for next year is to have two starts, then to be out with a mild injury he picks up just before the Derby as a result of not racing enough.

Goldikova cubed! Huzzah! C’est magnifique! For those Europeans who think we in North America have been overlooking the great mare’s accomplishments, rest assurred she has a fanbase here as well – one that is thrilled to know she will be coming back next year to go for a fourpeat. Bring it! Let’s also give a special shout-out to a very game Gio Ponti in second place – it’s not his fault he keeps running into ladymonsters in the Breeders’ Cup.

The Dirt Mile had Quality Road’s name all over it – an interesting betting race, at his absolutely ideal distance – and one he was not entered in. It’s handy he’s retired now, so he won’t need to have a neon sign made that attaches to his bridle that declares I DO NOT WANT TO GO MUCH BEYOND A MILE, THANKS. One wonders whether he would have also excelled at turf miles (or sprints), given the Antipodean half of his pedigree – but we’ll never know. Still, having been on the Triple Crown trail and thrown a fit in the gate before last year’s Classic has probably given him a higher profile with the general public than Blame, who only seems to be mentioned in conjunction with Zenyatta – does that count for something?

After the increasingly annoying will-he-or-won’t-he-scratch game that took place before the Turf, Workforce is headed back to Europe – but luckily, he will be staying in training. Perhaps he’ll deign to run in the Turf next year. In any event, it was lovely to see Frankie Dettori’s Flying Dismount^TM – but imagine what Paddy O’Prado might have done in the race. Winning or finishing in the money would have been much more impressive than his Classic appearance – and even if Workforce had run, Paddy would still have been in with a fine shot. Next year? We should also recall the race as the final hurrah for Mine That Bird – not just a flukey Derby winner, but a top-rated 2-year-old before that who, apparently, just wasn’t that into D. Wayne Lukas. A side note: where was Chantal Sutherland?

We’ve already done our reasonably serious essayist bit on Zenyatta and Blame, so do check it out if you have not yet stopped by – and if you’d like a little light comedy on who should be Horse of the Year (if you’re into that sort of thing), check out this DRF blog which suggests you consider Uncle Mo, with his three lifetime starts, because that’s so similar to the time Secretariat was Horse of the Year at 2.

Enjoy!

2010 Belmont Undercard

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:15:27 +0000

Is Gio Ponti still on Dubai time?

First, the bad news – last year’s Belmont champ Summer Bird has been retired. It’s particularly unfortunate, as he seemed to be coming into his own toward the end of last season, just before the injury. Given the economy and the timing of his retirement (he’s essentially missed the North American breeding season), it seems that he legitimately did not heal properly and was poised for a comeback; it’s a shame. I’m still very grateful to him for making my experience at the Belmont last year a remuneratively-rewarding one – hopefully, he’ll enjoy his retirement.

In better news, the Belmont always has an interesting undercard, and while this may not be the starriest ever, it’s got some solid competition – here’s our take on each stakes race:

Woody Stephens
While the big names in this race may have been pointed to Triple Crown races earlier in the season, they’ve all found their place as talented sprinters. D’Funnybone and Discreetly Mine could both find the winner’s circle, but I like Eightyfiveinafifty – if he can remember which way to run.

Just A Game
While everyone has low prices on the morning line, including the interesting Phola and Cherokee Queen, I think Proviso and My Princess Jess will be the first two across the line.

True North
While Custom for Carlos looks tough here, it’s a fairly open race. I’m backing Bribon to win.

Acorn
It’s part of the Triple Tiara – again! And it’s a tough group of fillies: Amen Hallelujah is a deserving favorite, Tidal Pool has proven useful and I am a fan of the longish morning line odds on Crisp. Tanda could also pull a mild upset, but I suspect it will be Amen Hallelujah, followed closely by Crisp.

Manhattan
Gio Ponti, a horse who deserves considerably more coverage than he receives, is back in action in what looks like the most interesting race on the card (sorry, Featured Race!), with seven G1 winners in the lineup. This is no easy spot for him, though – his last race was the Dubai World Cup, and beyond the Dubai jinx, he’s probably not as fit as he might be. That leaves room for Court Vision and Take the Points, although I’m somewhat partial to Grand Couturier, who will be ridden by ‘Jockey Stud‘ Alan Garcia. Still, we should see Gio Ponti move forward, even if he’s not back in top form this time out.

Check back shortly for our Belmont Stakes analysis…

Eskendereya and Much Else

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:55:56 +0000

Eskendereya gets a paycheck for someone

We finally had a weekend of real Derby preps! Eskendereya put in the fine performance we expected to see last week – and then some. His runaway win in the Fountain of Youth earned a 106 Beyer – the highest by a 3-year-old so far this season, and his bandwagon seems to have picked up at least a few passengers. Buddy’s Saint has no real chance to show off – he was bumped around considerably before the first turn, and essentially taken out of the race. Meanwhile, the ongoing legal tussle between Fifth Third Bank and Eskendereya’s owner, Ahmed Zayat, continues apace – but it would seem that Eskendereya’s win was good for somebody, somewhere in that tangle.

While not as visually impressive, Bob Baffert’s second-stringer, Conveyance, took the Southwest in style; Lookin At Lucky is still a few weeks off from his 3-year-old debut, but Baffert should feel quite confident that, barring injury, he’s got at least one Derby horse in the barn. Dublin was a close second in the Southwest, with blog favorite Cardiff Giant in third. Conveyance and Cardiff Giant have finished in the top three in two Derby preps, now, and Dublin seems to be moving forward – the California contingent looks strong (at least from this late February vantage point).

Discreetly Mine also marked himself as one to watch in the Risen Star, while D’Funnybone and A Little Warm went one-two in the Hutcheson. Like Eskendereya, Discreetly Mine is trained by Todd Pletcher, who also had a win over the weekend in the El Camino Real derby with Connemara – that’s one way to kick off a ten-day suspension!

But the 3-year-old fillies are at work as well – Christine Daae worked a bullet at Gulfstream today, and Bickersons and Amen Hallelujah are aiming to take her on in the Davona Dale on Saturday. There is much to look forward to in their division.

Things did not go as expected in Older Horse Land – Friesan Fire and Gio Ponti both missed out on the winner’s circle. Friesan Fire battled with General Quarters in the stretch of the Mineshaft, but both were outrun by Stonehouse, a little-heralded 6-year-old with 10 wins out of 38 starts (and another 11 finishes in the money). General Quarters managed to hang on for second (which seems to have become his preferred finish), but Friesan Fire ended up fourth behind Giant Oak. Things did not go as expected for Gio Ponti either – he acted up in the gate and ended up second (by a nose) to Karelian at Tampa Bay Downs. However, as it’s his first race after a bit of a layoff, the fact that he still managed to pick up a check is encouraging – this race was more of a prep than a ‘must win’ for him.

Finally, there’s some entirely awesome news – yes, there will be Apple Blossom trading cards. I can see some quality eBay time in my future as a result of this announcement. For all Apple Blossom news, continue to check out the official website, but also visit the coolest horse racing tumblr site (well, OK, the only horse racing tumblr site) I’ve ever seen: RA-Zen hell blog. It’s all good.

Three-Year-Olds & Thumbs Up

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:12:11 +0000

Gaining 100 pounds can be good for some

Road to the Roses kicks off this weekend, and while I have no idea why the Turf Paradise Derby and the El Camino Real Derby are scoring races (although at least the latter is graded), the rest should be very interesting indeed.

First up is the Hutcheson at Gulfstream Park, which includes a little potential owner/trainer/owner drama. You may recall that Paul Pompa sold most of Big Brown to IEAH, and that his participation in the horse’s career seemed more marginal after that (not surprising, given the amount of cash involved). He’s back this time with D’Funnybone, trained by Rick Dutrow. Also trained by Rick Dutrow is British-bred Radiohead – now (mostly) owned by IEAH. As neither horse excelled in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, it’s hard to separate the two at this point – so I am more interested in A Little Warm and Wildcat Frankie, despite the opportunity Radiohead presents to continually drop in lyrics. Will the Karma Police be on hand if things go all ‘Jersey Shore?’

Also at Gulfstream, the Fountain of Youth features the hyped Buddy’s Saint as well as Jackson Bend. Eskendereya and Aikenite are both horses I would enjoy watching much more if they were not trained by Todd Pletcher, which essentially guarantees that one of them will finish last in the Derby. But despite the jinx, I have a lot of time for Eskendereya and expect to see a good performance from him.

Moving to the Fair Grounds, the Risen Star has also attracted an interesting lineup. I’m not sold on Ron the Greek yet; it will curious to see how he takes on Tempted to Tapit and Drosselmeyer. If nothing else, Tempted to Tapit will be carrying the banner for the Jockey Club’s inability to identify modern slang. One presumes they at least recognized Drosselmeyer’s name from their ballet season tickets.

While it won’t ‘count’ for Road to the Roses, the Southwest is back on at Oaklawn Park for this Saturday with the same field – post positions are a bit different, but it should still be a good test for Dublin, Dryfly, Conveyance and, of course, Cardiff Giant.

Oaklawn is to be commended not only for pulling the Rachel Alexandra-Zenyatta Apple Blossom together, but also for actually marketing the event with a decent website and Twitter account. The news that they’ll be opening the infield for the sold-out race is equally encouraging – it’s nice that someone in this industry actually gets how to do this. Here’s hoping for an announcement about a traditional media partner in the very near future. And given that both mares had great workouts yesterday (Rachel Alexandra looks pretty fabulous in today’s picture), it seems that we’re all systems go – for now.

But there’s another top older horse at work, too – although in this case he’s flying somewhat under the radar. Gio Ponti is making his 2010 debut on turf in the Tampa Bay Stakes with a view toward the Dubai World Cup. He’s the overwhelming standout in the field, so it should be an easy return to racing for the 5-year-old.

Remember to update your active horses (I find it too shameful to call them Power Horses this year)!

Finally, in parting, please enjoy this link to a photo of Zarkava and her Dalakhani filly. It’s like an adorable basket of kittens, only better – no need to feed them!

Tuesday Metapost

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:03:56 +0000

Gabby's Golden Gal

Perhaps the most exciting race of the previous weekend was the Santa Monica – somehow, Gabby’s Golden Gal went off at 11-1 odds. Granted, she did not show much in her final effort as a 3-year-old (and first race since a disappointing effort in July), finishing a distant seventh behind Evita Argentina in the La Brea, but the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro easily turned the tables – this time, Evita Argentina was the far-off seventh, and Gabby’s Golden Gal was

back in the winner’s circle. Runner-up Proviso, who has finished respectably behind the likes of Goldikova and Zarkava, is still looking for her first US win, but she certainly bears watching this year – as does this entire division.

Of course, Medaglia d’Oro had another filly in action this past weekend – just not in a race. On Sunday, Rachel Alexandra had her first workout since winning the Woodward. It was just a gallop, and she’s still some way off from entering a race, but it was still very encouraging to see her back on the official worktab.

Neither Rachel Alexandra nor Zenyatta appears in the current list of Dubai World Cup nominations (PDF) – but either one could be added later this month. Gio Ponti looms large as the very early favorite, but other notable names among the nominations include Zenyatta’s stablemate, Life Is Sweet, Friesan Fire, Quality Road, Weekend Hussler, Dar Re Mi and second-most-expensive-horse ever, Jalil (to name just a few).

The Sunshine Millions ended with a media-friendly storyline (largely ignored, unsurprisingly, except by the LA Daily

News) – hard-knocking older horse and tough older jockey steal win in big-money race. The older horse in question, Bold Chieftain, keeps making money the hard way – finishing in the money often, and managing some nice wins along the way. The same is true of his jockey, Russell Baze; we may not see him in the headlines very frequently, but he holds the world record for career victories. Both achievements would be worth highlighting.

Over to the 3-year-olds for a moment – we’re pleased to once again be included in the Paulick Derby Index – although please note that this first installment is based on very little data!

Finally, next weekend, Quality Road headlines the Donn Handicap – check back later in the week for more…

Eclipse Awards: Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta And The Rest

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:32:00 +0000

Last night, they handed out a few awards for horse racing – you may have heard a bit about it.

2-year-old male: Lookin at Lucky
As per usual with the juvenile awards, there was no surprise here. His three G1 wins sealed the deal, and he looks to improve this year. We’ll soon find out if he likes real dirt, but trainer Bob Baffert seems quite happy with things thus far.

2-year-old filly: She Be Wild
While this category had a little more competition, She Be Wild has a good backstory – former claimer, unwanted at auction wins four out of five, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Both dirt and turf could be in her future – versatility FTW!

Turf Male: Gio Ponti
A well-deserved bit of recognition for a horse who showed up just about everywhere – but who truly excelled on the grass. And the night was just beginning for him…

Turf Female: Goldikova
While I respect the notion that the Eclipse Award winner should have more than one start in the US, I am quite happy to toss that guideline out when the horse in question is as overwhelmingly superior as Goldikova is. Her repeat of Miesque’s back-to-back Mile victories, under the tutelage of Miesque’s former jockey, Freddie Head, completes an undeniably satisfying circuit – and the news that she’s aiming to capture a third Breeders’ Cup victory this year should certainly be rewarded. Given the excitement over Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, it may be difficult to recall that the opportunity to see a horse of Goldikova’s caliber is rare indeed – and it should be celebrated.

Steeplechaser: Mixed Up
How often does a 10-year-old PA-bred win an Eclipse Award? And hey, he doesn’t even take Lasix. These are Good Things.

Breeder: Juddmonte Farms
These awards tend to follow the money, and it’s certainly hard to argue with Juddmonte’s success in producing top-level horses. There were a few stray votes for Dolphus Morrison for breeding Rachel Alexandra – even if he did not want to truly unleash her talents.

Female Sprinter: Informed Decision
The overwhelming pick of her division (although one has to assume that Ventura’s positioning in both this category and the Turf Female category may have hurt her chances), Informed Decision won at nearly every track she visited, under a variety of conditions – and the best news is that she’ll be back later this spring to extend her winning streak.

Male Sprinter: Kodiak Kowboy
Although he had a respectable career as a 2 and 3-year-old, Kodiak Kowboy truly had the chance to prove himself as a 4-year-old, winning as a sprinter and miler. He goes to stud with a solid record of achievement.

3-year-old Male: Summer Bird
This was a no-brainer – but I am quite curious to know who cast the single vote for I Want Revenge. Trainer Tim Ice reiterated that we should be seeing him back on the track later this year; let’s hope his recovery continues in such an encouraging fashion.

3-year-old Female: Rachel Alexandra
The great filly took home the least-suspenseful award of the night – it was also the sole unanimous award (but more on that in a moment). Owner Jess Jackson’s acceptance speech was thoughtful, but at something approaching seven minutes, it could have used some judicious editing. But given that the award winners can’t speak for themselves, we can allow a little indulgence.

Owner: Godolphin Racing
This was one of the most competitive awards, with only five votes separating the winner from Jerry and Ann Moss. But as in the case of the Breeder category, the Eclipse voters tend to recognize revenue – but the narrow margin of victory demonstrates that there is also a desire to reward owners with a more personal touch.

Trainer: Steven Asmussen
Once again, you cannot argue with the numbers – or his great good fortune in having Rachel Alexandra drop into his lap (although her original trainer, Hal Wiggins, also received a few votes). While I may not be a fan of his record of medication violations, his staff clearly loves the horses they work with, so the award is as much an acknowledgement of their hard work.

Older Male: Gio Ponti
A double on the night for the versatile 4-year-old was clearly in the offing; as much as I love Einstein, based on this year’s wins, it had to go to Gio Ponti. He’s still flying under the radar in the eyes of the general public, and even the racing press sometimes overlooks his accomplishments, so it was entirely justified that he be doubly rewarded. The Blood-Horse points out that he is the first horse to win this award without a win on traditional dirt – so it’s particularly interesting. His future plans may involve the Dubai World Cup – that could end up a very competitive race indeed.

Older Female: Zenyatta
While this was another foregone conclusion, there was a single (protest?) vote from someone at the Daily Racing Form for Icon Project – presumably the backstory there will be revealed at some point. While I still believe she should have been crowned Horse of the Year last year, the news that she will return to the track this year means she may finally get to take home that honor; in any case, winning two consecutive Eclipse Awards and making history in the Breeders’ Cup Classic is certainly enough to consider without worrying about Horse of the Year – yet.

Apprentice Jockey: Christian Santiago Reyes
Further proof that Puerto Rico knows what it’s doing when it trains jockeys, this 19-year-old has a bright future – he would be wise to study the next winner.

Jockey: Julien Leparoux
It’s hard to imagine he won the Eclipse for Apprentice only four years ago – it seems he’s had nothing but success since arriving in the US. Clearly, the title of his Facebook fan group is on the right track.

Horse of the Year: Rachel Alexandra
In the end, it wasn’t even close: the votes were 130 to 99. That in no way reflects poorly on Zenyatta’s accomplishments – it simply honors the fact that during the past racing season, Rachel Alexandra had more opportunities to show off her immense talent, in a wider variety of venues – she won for her efforts throughout the year, not for a single race (regardless of how impressive that race may have been). But as I have said before, while Horse of the Year honors are important to some, a firm place in history means more in the long run. If we are lucky enough to see Rachel Alexandra take on Zenyatta, that would be tremendous – I’d like to see a Best of Five race series at a variety of different tracks. The difficulty will be getting other horses (male or female) into the gate to fill a race – but someone should certainly be working to set that up. Any takers?

Hello 2010, Goodbye (again), Lava Man

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:44:00 +0000

While things are slowly gearing up in Florida and racing continues apace in California, one horse will most definitely be absent – Lava Man has been re-retired after his disheartening comeback race last month. His connections have remained true to their word that he would only remain in training if he could compete at the highest level, and so it’s back to the farm for the 9-year-old gelding. Whether he will remain in California or head to Kentucky Horse Park has yet to be determined.

Age has not stopped Cloudy’s Knight, however, despite the fact that he is Lava Man’s elder by a year – he was in the winner’s circle again on Boxing Day in the G2 W. L. McKnight Handicap at Gulfstream. Usual stalwart Presious Passion was barely a factor in the race, but he’ll be back later this winter – Cloudy’s Knight will have a break until the spring, and then he too will return to the track.

Gio Ponti is aiming to make his 2010 debut sometime in February, with a view toward the Dubai World Cup; there’s no official word yet on whether Rachel Alexandra may be Dubai-bound as well, but she’s been back galloping, with real works coming next month.

Newly-four Quality Road demonstrated that he’s learned how to behave at the gate – now that he’s a grownup 4-year-old, he handled things quite professionally in the Hal’s Hope (and one could argue that the mile distance suited him well). He may use the Donn Handicap as a route to Dubai – although I’d prefer to see him in the Godolphin Mile, rather than the World Cup.

For those interested in what the 3-year-olds are up to, it’s a bit too early to predict things – but it’s certainly encouraging to hear that Take Control, offspring of two former Horses of the Year, won his career debut (back when he was just a 2-year-old, last week). It’s easy to set the bar very high indeed when the parents in question are Azeri and A.P. Indy, and we have no real idea what sort of company he’ll be keeping as his career gets going, but it’s certainly a move forward for the Bob Baffert trainee.

We’re still a few weeks away from some of the season’s major races, but planning is very much underway – welcome to 2010!