The Scar-Face and The Jewel

First Dude will have to wait for yet another day for his chance to step into the winners circle after the tough-luck colt finished 4^th as the favorite in the Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park. At odds of 27-1 Tackleberry led the Classic field on a merry chase and after fighting off a challenge from Duke of Mischief in early stretch, spurted away from the field to win by 2 ¼ lengths. The winner returned a whopping $56.60.

Caracortado is back to the top of his game and looking good. Racing in 5^th for most of the trip behind The Usual Q. T. and Jeranimo, Caracortado began to make his move around the far turn at the same moment as The Usual Q. T. Presious Passion began fading quickly after setting all the fractions on the front end as The Usual Q. T. flew into the stretch with Caracortado moving up quickly to his outside. Down the stretch those two battled it out with Caracortado swiftly seizing control of the lead and powering home to defeat a stubborn The Usual Q. T. by ¾ of a length.

This could be a start to a strong 2011 campaign for the 4-year-old gelding who has proven the ability to run well over just about every surface. Trainer Mike Machowsky stated after the race that he would like to explore the options available to his runner where surface is concerned. The two immediate options right now are the March 5^th Santa Anita Handicap (gr.1)on the dirt and the Frank Kilroe Mile (gr.1) on the turf. Speaking of his long term plans Machowsky said, “He’s a gelding and I want him racing with us for a long time.” Sounds good to me, we could use some longevity with our start athletes. Here’s to hoping Caracortado become s a force to be reckoned with on all surfaces and sticks around in the upper echelons of racing for years to come.

[caption id="attachment_1070" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Evening Jewel ©Benoitphoto.com"][/caption]

There will be no retirement for Evening Jewel after her impressive victory in the Sunshine Millions Distaff on January 29^th. In the days leading up to the race trainer Jim Cassidy dropped hints that the talented 4-year-old filly might be retired if she did not perform well after finishing off the board in her only other 2011 start. Owner Marilyn Braley tearfully established that her start filly will continue to race in 2011.

In a tightly bunched field of 9 fillies, Evening Jewel dropped much farther off the pace than usual while sitting patiently towards the back of the pack third to last. Up front Briecat led the field through modest fractions down the backstretch as they began to spread out. With less than a half mile to go Evening Jewel began to pick up the pace, moving up along the rail until she was only 4 lengths from the lead. Coming off the turn Briecat was all out to hold off Amazing but Evening Jewel was gaining more and more momentum. Blazing into the stretch she angled out four wide, swinging around Amazing and Briecat to take control of the lead. Under strong right handed urging Evening Jewel flashed under the wire, the winner half a length over a gritty Amazing who nosed out the late closing Ultra Blend for second place.

Zito Dials the Correct Number: Dialed In, Switch and Pomeroy's Pistol

Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito may have been the topic of some skepticism and outright derision when he entered maiden winner Dialed In in the Holy Bull Stakes but after Sunday’s outcome he has emerged a genius.

Facing an experienced and far more accomplished field of runners in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes, 3-year-old colt Dialed In with jockey Julein Leparoux in the irons turned the race into a rout. Dropping well back of the field after the break, Dialed In was content to sit far off the pace set by Black N Beauty and Ribo Bibo. Rating just off the pace was Mucho Macho Man in perfect striking position while Sweet Ducky was moving well just behind. Coming off the turn Mucho Macho Man briefly took the lead before succumbing to the rally of Sweet and Ducky while from far back Dialed In came closing like an express train. Moving up on the rail Dialed In flew into the stretch and found the inside path blocked by the frontrunners. Leparoux guided him to the outside to make his bid as they charged down the homestretch and Dialed In Responded emphatically. Grinding his way forward inch by inch, it appeared he might just make it to the wire in front by a hair. With the finish looming close he suddenly switched gears and mowed down the remaining few frontrunners, bursting to the lead under a vigorous hand ride to win going away by 1 ½ lengths in a solid time of 1:35.19 for the one turn mile.

Sweet Ducky fought off Gourmet Dinner for second while Mucho Macho Man finished fourth.

With a performance like this Dialed In will certainly earn his way towards the top of many Derby lists and with the $240,000 in graded earnings he has pretty much assured himself a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

Trainer Nick Zito was exuberant after the race saying, “He’s very special, I’ve never had a horse do this, go from a maiden special race to jump in and win a race like the Holy Bull.”

Now undefeated in just two starts, Dialed In finds himself with the most impressive Derby prep win of the year so far but there are still many questions left to answer. Chief among those questions is whether or not the gifted colt can win going two turns in a classic distance race.

[caption id="attachment_1065" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Switch"][/caption]

Switch certainly didn’t leave any doubt as to who will be leading the filly and mare sprint ranks this year as the 4-year-old filly absolutely demolished her opposition in the Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita, winning her second consecutive Grade 1 race by more than 3 lengths Sunday.

Always in contention while sitting just off the pace, Switch glided up on the outside of horses navigating the turn and took the lead halfway around without the slightest encouragement from jockey Joel Rosario. Sweeping off the turn already a length clear of the field, Switch rolled down the stretch increasing her advantage with casual ease, needing only slight urging from Rosario until she was 3 ½ lengths clear and coasting under the line.

The 7 furlong Santa Monica marks her 5^th win in 12 lifetime starts and Switch is now perfectly positioned to mount a powerful 2011 campaign. Trainer John Sadler stated after the race that he plans on running the talented filly 6 or 7 times this year.

Pomeroys Pistol took advantage of a swift front-running pace to post a wire to wire upset in the Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park Sunday, defeating highly touted Dancinginherdreams and Grade 1 winner R Heat Lightning.

In her first start since winning the Pocahontas Stakes in late October, Dancinginherdreams turned in an impressive performance in the Forward Gal after being handed the worst of it that left her just ¾ of a length short at the wire.

Falling far off the pace shortly after the break, Dancinginherdreams swept into the turn 6 or 7 wide and mounted a furious rally to catch the leaders. Charging hard down the grandstand side the striking gray filly steadily ate away at Pomeroys Pistol’s lead but fell short at the wire. It was a promising performance she turned in after only two lifetime starts and should sharpen her up nicely for a comeback in the Davona Dale Stakes on February 26^th if that is her connections plan.

The winner was resolute in holding off the Grade 2 winning Dancininherdreams but appeared tired in the final strides to the wire. She started the year with a second place finish in the Old Hat Stakes (gr.3) over Gulfstreams strip and fully used that familiarity to her advantage, now some time will be given before a decision is made on whether to run in the Davona Dale or give her more time to recuperate.

The Big 3: Holy Bull, Forward Gal and Santa Monica

The Holy Bull Stakes (gr.3) marks the beginning of the major Kentucky Derby prep races this year and the field of nine promising 3-year-olds lining up for their chance to win a shot at Classic glory is a relatively competitive field.

With probably race favorite Boys At Tosconova passing the Holy Bull in favor of later races, the prestigious contest is left wide open for any number of talented young colts to step up and take a leading role.

Mucho Macho Man has been training like a champion coming into the race, his January 23^rd 5 furlong work came in an excellent time of :59 flat. Last year Mucho Macho Man finished second behind leading Kentucky Derby candidate To Honor and Serve in the Grade 2 Nashua and Remsen Stakes.

Gourmet Dinner enters off a 4^th place finish in the Cashcall Futurity (gr.1) after winning the Delta Jackpot (gr.3). The late-closing Trippi colt will most likely get a solid pace to close into in the Holy Bull.

Dialed In and Black N Beauty both take a huge step up in class in the Holy Bull. Dialed In has won only one race to date, that coming in a 6 ½ furlong test. Black N Beauty won a 1 mile allowance race over Gulfstream‘s main track in early January by more than 2 lengths.

The field is completed by Major Gain, Printing Press, Ribo Bobo, Leave of Absence and Sweet Ducky. Major Gain won the Arlington-Washington Futurity  (gr.3) in September on Polytrack and finished third in the Kentucky Jockey Club (gr.2) and Churchill Downs. This will be the colt’s second race on dirt.

Ribo Bobo and Sweet Ducky are the only other stakes winners in the field.

Mucho Macho Man looks like the most improved colt in the field and should step up nicely here. After running against To Honor and Serve twice he gets a nice class break as well, the advantage is all his.

[caption id="attachment_1055" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Dancinginherdreams"][/caption]

Dancinginherdreams is the kind of filly that makes you think anything is possible with her career. Last year the almost pure white filly went undefeated in two starts including a win in the Pocahontas Stakes (gr. II) in late October by more than 5 lengths after being geared down in the stretch. She employs a powerful come-from behind running style and returns for her 2010 debut in the Forward Gal Stakes (gr.2)at Gulfstream Park against a tough competitor in R Heat Lightning.

R Heat Lightning last finished second to Champion 2 Year Old Filly Awesome Feather in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and sported a 2010 record of 2 wins in five starts with 3 seconds. Included in her resume was a win in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes by 4 lengths.

I think this race is pretty much just a two horse race between the main contenders. Most of the time when I’m writing about a race I keep my winning choices somewhat toned down and try to instead present each of the contenders equally, citing their accomplishments and proven abilities. This time I’m going out on a limb.

I think Dancinginherdreams is going to be one of the best sophomore fillies of the year, in fact I think she and Kathmanblu will, health and circumstance permitting, become the two leading fillies in the nation at year’s end. That being said I think Dancinginherdreams is easily the class of the Forward Gal and will add yet another feather to her cap at day’s end.

[caption id="attachment_1056" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Switch"][/caption]

Switch begins her 2010 campaign in the Santa Monica Stakes (gr.1) just one month after impressively taking the Grade 1 La Brea for 3-year-old fillies on December 26^th. After facing the likes of Zenyatta and Dubai Majesty last year, the field in the Santa Monica looks to be completely at the now 4-year-old filly’s mercy.

Mona de Momma, Sweet August Moon, Pinkarella and Pica Slew will present the biggest challenges to Switch. Both Pica Slew and Sweet August Moon are graded stakes winners in their own right and consistently run against stakes caliber competition.

Mona de Momma enters off a win in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff on May 1^st and will be the biggest question mark in the field. With such a long layoff it is hard to say where exactly she is mentally and physically, but she still enters off 2 straight graded stakes wins and should be taken as a serious threat.

It’s a pretty classy field set for this year’s Santa Monica and several fillies enter off good, long-term consistent form. All that being said, Switch should throttle this field.

The Sunshine Millions: From Gulfstream to Santa Anita

Last year’s tough-luck, hard-knocking 3-year-old colt, First Dude is set to make his 4-year-old debut in the Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream Park Saturday. After a high profile, if somewhat frustrating campaign in 2010 that saw him place in multiple Grade 1 stakes, First Dude is poised to start his 4-year-old season with a bang if he wins the Classic. The talented colt enters off an 8^th place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs in November and will run without blinkers for the first time since the Haskell Invitational.

Duke of Mischief and Birdrun will lineup against First Dude in the Classic as well as the 8-year-old veteran Dry Martini. Duke of Mischief had a turbulent campaign last year, winning 3 graded stakes and finishing the year off with two consecutive losses, the last coming after disqualification in the Clark Handicap (gr.1).

Birdrun posted a 4 ½ length upset over Duke of Mischief in the Carl Rose, 13 days before the Clark Handicap, and then earned a 105 Beyer at Belmont Park after winning a third-level optional claiming race.

Dry Martini hasn’t won since the Surburban in 2009 but he placed second behind Quality Road in that one’s powerful Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

First Dude was one of my favorite runners last year and I really hope he’ll be able to break out with a well deserved win in the Classic. A win here would set First Dude up nicely for a powerful 4-year-old campaign.

It’s now or never for Evening Jewel in the Sunshine Millions Distaff. According to trainer Jim Cassidy Evening Jewel, a 2010 Eclipse Award finalist for Champion 3 Year Old Filly, may be retired if she does not run well on Saturday.

In 2010 Evening Jewel was one of the nation’s premier sophomore fillies after winning the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes, finishing second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks by a nose and winning three consecutive graded turf stakes including the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. In her last start Evening Jewel finished a disappointing 5^th in the Monrovia Handicap (gr.3), a performance that did not surprise Cassidy who said bad weather had forced the filly to miss crucial training.

Stakes winner Briecat should provide the biggest challenge to Evening Jewel as well as stakes placed runners Amazing and All Due Respect. If Evening Jewel is anything like the Evening Jewel of 2010 she should run away with an easy win in the Distaff on Saturday.

Amen Hallelujah is back after more than 7 months away from the races as the favorite in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Sprint. One of the top 3-year-old fillies of 2010 after wins in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez and Davona Dale, Amen Hallelujah has been recuperating from ankle issues that cropped up after her second place finish in the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes.

Facing Amen Hallelujah is a field that includes Grade 1 winner Jessica Is Back. Jessica Is Back enters the Filly and Mare Sprint off two consecutive unplaced efforts, a 9^th place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and a 7^th place finish in the Sugar Swirl Stakes last out.

Amen Hallelujah and Jessica Is Back may be the class of the field but it is by no means a two horse race with stakes winners Belle of the Hall, My Irish Girl and Wildcat Heiress. If her works are any indication, Amen Hallelujah should be in tip top shape for her return to action.

[caption id="attachment_1048" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Presious Passion"][/caption]

The Sunshine Millions Turf at Santa Anita has come up as one of the strongest turf races of the year so far and it’s no wonder. Entered in the sparkling event are Graded Stakes winners Jeranimo, The Usual Q. T. and Caracortado as well as multiple Grade 1 winner Presious Passion and the talented Soul Candy.

The Usual Q. T. has lost his last four starts including a 3^rd in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes behind Jeranimo and a 3^rd place finish behind Goldikova in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Jeranimo along with The Usual Q. T. shares an advantage of already having run, and won, over Santa Anita’s turf. He won multiple graded stakes on both synthetic and turf last year and enters the Turf in excellent form.

Presious Passion is perhaps best remembered as the horse who almost won the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Turf after setting blazing fractions and opening up daylight on the field only to lose by a neck to defending champion Conduit. The 8-year-old’s form has been declining of late and he has only 1 win in 7 starts since his Breeder’s Cup performance.

Caracortado enters the Turf off a 3^rd place finish behind Twirling Candy and Smiling Tiger in the Malibu Stakes after encountering some traffic problems. Trainer Mike Machowsky has been touting his horse ever since the Malibu, expressing confidence in his abilities ever since the Malibu and stating that he expects a very good effort from the 4-year-old gelding.

My personal favorite in this race is Presious Passion and although he doesn’t seem to be quite his old self in recent months I never pick against the old veteran. It’s a very strong field and will no doubt set the tone for much of the turf division going into the rest of the year. Soul Candy is the most intriguing runner in the field and could prove to be a wild card.

Check back tomorrow night for a review of the Holy Bull, Forward Gal and Santa Monica Stakes. Enjoy your Saturday races until then and may all your horses win!

Weekly Random Racing Bits: WRRB

Today marks the first day of a new weekly post I have decided to write entitled Weekly Random Racing Bits, or WRRB for short. Each Thursday I will publish my WRRB covering, in no particular order, some of the past week’s racing and industry news. I hope it will be an enjoyable and informative post that will generate lots of feedback and conversation from readers. So without further ado, here is your Thursday “Weekly - double R – B”!

On Friday January 21^st at Gulfstream Park promising three-year-old colt Soldat won not only his allowance race by 10 ¾ lengths, he also won himself a spot on almost everyone’s Kentucky Derby watch lists. His next goal is the Fountain Of Youth Stakes where his mettle will be tested against much tougher competition.

Mucho Macho Man strutted his best stuff on the track at Gulfstream Park Sunday, blazing five furlongs in :59 flat while Black N Beauty breezed a half mile in :49. Both colts are pointing towards the Holy Bull Stakes (Gr.3) January 30^th.

Hopeful Stakes (gr.1) winner Boys At Tosconova will bypass the Holy Bull Stakes this Sunday after missing some training. Trainer Rick Dutrow made the announcement on Wednesday stating that there was nothing wrong with the colt but that it would be “Stupid to rush him.” Even without Boys At Tosconova the Holy Bull Stakes is shaping up to be the strongest Derby prep of the year so far.

On Sunday It Tiz made quick work of her first outing on the Santa Anita turf in the Megahertz Stakes, winning by half a length at odds of 8-1. Race favorite Éclair de Lune, winner of last year’s Grade 1 Beverly D Stakes at Arlington, failed to mount a serious rally in the race, finishing 4^th.

Stradivinsky confirmed his favored status in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint on Sunday when the 8-year-old gelding with jockey Julien Leparoux up registered the 14^th win of his career. The 1 ¼ length win was the 5^th win in Stradivinsky’s last 7 starts.

[caption id="attachment_1041" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Kathmanblu"][/caption]

Kathmanblu validated the confidence of her legions of fans on Saturday when she won her 3-year-old debut in striking fashion, taking the Sweetest Chant Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths with disdainful ease.  With the win Kathmanblu is off to a great start in her sophomore year and continues to be one of the favorites for her early May goal, Kentucky Oaks.

7-year-old Euroears capped off another fantastic week for trainer Bob Baffert when he captured the Palos Verdes Stakes (gr.2) over Smiling Tiger on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Wilkinson is the newest face on the Kentucky Derby trail after a gritty win in the Lecomte Stakes (gr.3) at Fair Grounds. In a year with several strong and consistent candidates stomping the trail it remains to be seen exactly where this young colt rates on the list but so far I really like this horse. He doesn’t stack up to Uncle Mo, To Honor and Serve, Tapizar or Boy At Tosconova yet by a long shot, but he shares the same last name as my piano teacher and best friend. That must count for something right?

Gran Estreno is like a fine wine, the longer he runs the better he seems to get. With his Colonel E. R. Bradley Handicap (gr.3) triumph on Saturday he improved his record to three wins in his last four starts.

The least talked about stakes victory of the week was surely Bouquet Booth’s Silverbulletday Stakes win. Turning in a very game effort, 3-year-old filly Bouquet Booth fought off Daisy Divine at the wire after having opened up 1 ¼ lengths on the field in the stretch, to win by a neck for her second consecutive stakes victory and third consecutive victory overall.

Calibrachoa is the newest weapon in owner Mike Repole’s arsenal. After beind claimed last year, the 4-year-old Calibrachoa has already become a two-time stakes winner for Repole going undefeated in both starts for his new owner. On Saturday Calibrachoa determinedly held off Independence War to win the Toboggan Stakes (gr.3) by half a length.

Martin Garcia is back to racing in the United States after clearing up some trouble with an expired visa. First-call rider for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert before leaving the country 2 ½ months ago, Martin Garcia returns to riding today at Santa Anita.

[caption id="attachment_1042" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Uncle Mo"][/caption]

Undefeated 2-year-old Eclipse Champion and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victor Uncle Mo has been assigned high weight of 128 pounds for the 2010 Experimental Free Handicap, the highest assignment of any juvenile since Favorite Trick received 128 in 1997.

And last, but certainly not least, the celebrated 3-time Champion Older Mare and 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta is booked for her first mating with young sire Bernardini. An unexpected and somewhat skeptically received announcement.

Enjoy the week ahead and may all your horses win!

Zenyatta and Bernardini: Recipe for Success?

2010 Horse of the Year, three time Champion Older Mare and one of California’s all-time most popular race mares, Zenyatta is booked to Bernardini. After months of speculation among fans, bloggers and professionals alike, owners Jerry and Ann Moss finally announced their breeding decision.

The announcement of Bernardini as the popular mare’s first mating came as somewhat of a surprise since Zenyatta has been residing at Lanes End Farm in near Versailles Kentucky where established leading sires A. P. Indy and Smart Strike were considered two of the mare’s most likely mating possibilities.

Bernardini, the Champion 3-Year-Old Male of 2006 after compiling wins in the Preakness,

[caption id="attachment_1036" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Bernardini"][/caption]

Jockey Club Gold Cup, Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes, stands at Darley Stud along with Zenyatta’s sire, Street Cry. In 2010 Bernardini, a son of A. P. Indy, led the freshman sire list by number of stakes winner and group/graded winners to get his career at stud off to a rousing start.

In explaining their choice, David Ingordo, advisor to the Mosses, stated that “There were physical reasons, the two complement each other,” he said, “and there were pedigree reasons, the two complement each other. Everybody agreed.”

Was this the best stallion option for Zenyatta, or should the Mosses have chosen an older, more established stallion with a proven track record?

One thing is for sure, there will be no lack of stamina in Zenyatta’s first foals’ pedigree.

Horse Racing Fantasy Contest: DerbyDreamer.com

It’s called DerbyDreamer.com, the contest is a battle of wit, intuition and knowledge. For the winners, wealth is the reward.

Ok, maybe that was a little dramatic but basically it’s the truth. DerbyDreamer.com is a premier fantasy horse racing contest that provides fans, bettors and industry insiders alike the opportunity to test their skills at handicapping and choosing winners in a monthly contest.

It’s a 3 step process: sign up, create a stable and earn points. Sign up costs only $12 dollars for the first 3 stables you create, after that each stable registered under the same account costs $10. You can create as many stables as you wish with each individual stable winning points on the leaderboard.

Each stable consists of 18 horses and 5 jockeys. You can choose from more than 400 horses currently in training and more than 150 of the nation’s most prominent jockeys to add to your stable.

Each month you can activate 12 horses and 3 jockeys that will gain points according to how they place in their races. The player with the most points at the end of each month will be rewarded a total of $2,500.

Features such as workout information, entries and results are all included in the sidebar of your account page as well as a calendar to view workouts, entries and results. You can also do individual searches on any of your horses to see recent information on them such as workouts, entries and race results.

For anyone looking for a relatively low maintenance, fun and informative outlet for their horse racing passions DerbyDreamer.com is well worth the $12 sign up. Click on the link below to visit DerbyDreamer.com and discover for yourself all the ins and outs of the game and be prepared to become addicted.

DerbyDreamer.com

Review: The Weekend's Biggest Performances

If you had to choose between the Sweetest Chant Stakes, Palos Verdes Stakes, LeComte Stakes and Soldat’s Allowance win which performance would you call the most impressive?

When last we saw Kathmanblu she was flashing across the finish line at Churchill Downs, more than 8 lengths ahead of her closest rival in the Golden Rod Stakes. That performance had her placed on everyone’s Kentucky Oaks radar and trainer Kenny McPeek made it clear that it was his star filly’s goal to run in the spring classic. On Saturday, January 22^nd, Kathmanblu did absolutely nothing to sway those aspirations, giving McPeek and thousands of fans a huge boost of confidence with a sparkling victory in the Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Breaking cleanly from the gate in the Sweetest Chant, Kathmanblu was held well off the pace by jockey Julien Leparoux in 5^th position into the first turn and down the backstretch. On the front end War Prospector was winging it over the turf, opening up an 8 length lead down the backside. Approaching the final turn Leparoux got to work on Kathmanblu who responded immediately, moving up on the outside to edge into fourth position. Halfway around the turn Kathmanblu rushed up to third right off the flank of Excited, both fillies closing in quickly on War Prospector. Into the stretch Kathmanblu surged to the lead , opening up two lengths on Excited in a matter of strides. The final margin of victory was 1 ¼ lengths in a hand ride as Leparoux wrapped up on his filly approaching the wire, coasting under the line with ears pricked, the easiest of winners.

This filly makes running look fun and easy. Now she just needs to stay solid and healthy through early May to prove her worth in the Oaks.

Is it just me or does it looks like this year is shaping up to be the year of trainer Bob Baffert? On Saturday Bob Baffert sent out Euroears to capture a dazzling edition of the Palos Verdes Stakes (gr. 2) at Santa Anita Park. Breaking from the gate like a rocket, the 7-year-old athlete surged to the lead, outrunning heavily favored Smiling Tiger to the front end. From there it was pretty much over as Euroears blazed the way with sizzling fractions of :21.56 for the first quarter and :43.47 for the opening half. Entering the stretch  Euroears continued to pour it on, outrunning Captain Cherokee to the wire by 2 ¼ lengths in a winning time of 1:07.23 for the six furlongs.

A very impressive performance for sure especially when you looks at the fractions he set throughout the run. The Santa Anita main track has been playing extremely fast this meet with multiple records falling in the first month so it’s hard to gauge how much is the actual horse's ability and how much is the tracks contribution. Regardless of those factors Euroears turned in a strong performance and will not go off as a 9-1 shot anytime soon again.

Wilkinson is the newest face on the Triple Crown trail and personally I think it’s a pretty good addition to the already

[caption id="attachment_1018" align="alignright" width="298" caption="Wilkinson"][/caption]

talent-laden roster. Entering the Lecomte off a second place finish behind race favorite Justin Philips, Wilkinson showed incredible strength and determination to turn almost certain defeat into a rousing victory.

Pants On Fire lead the field almost gate to wire in the Lecomte, breaking like a shot and seizing the lead down the backstretch while Wilkinson rated just off the pace in fourth. Coming off the turn it was Pants On Fire still holding the lead and running strong with Wilkinson moving into second place on the rail. As they entered the homestretch jockey Garrett Gomez began working on Wilkinson, urging him on for all he was worth, just a length behind Pants On Fire. Inch by inch he worked his way up to Pants On Fire’s flank but seemed to be struggling to gain more ground. With just a matter of strides left to reach the wire Wilkinson suddenly found a new gear and rushed to the lead, winning by a head over Pants On Fire. Past the wire he galloped out more than a length ahead of his rival, looking fresh and full of run.

When a horse shows that much grit this early on in the year I take notice. He may not have beat a stellar field in the Lecomte but it was solid the way he looked in winning tells me he wants to go longer and is capable of giving some top sophomores a run for their money.

[caption id="attachment_1022" align="alignleft" width="265" caption="Soldat"][/caption]

It may not have been a Graded Stakes race or even a plain old ungraded stakes race, but when 3-year-old colt Soldat ran away from the field in the 9^th race at Gulfstream Park on Friday to win by more than 10 lengths, it was a stakes caliber winning performance. A performance that has now pushed the colt squarely into the Kentucky Derby trail spotlight.

Last year Soldat won the Grade 3 With Anticipation Stakes before finishing a weakening second in the Pilgrim Stakes (gr.3) over a yielding turf. In his next start Soldat turned in a gritty second place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf behind Pluck after fighting through on the rail to briefly gain the lead.

After his striking 9 furlong allowance victory on a sloppy track Soldat proved he is just as capable of handling the dirt as he is the turf. Now he just needs to prove himself over a dry track against a stronger field and he should get just that in his next planned start, the Fountain of Youth Stakes.

The colt earned an impressive 102 Beyer for his victory at Gulfstream. He has good speed, is able to run on dirt and turf and can go 9 furlongs with ease. Sounds good so far, I can’t wait to see him step up in the Fountain of Youth.

Miesque Dies at 27 - Weekend Stakes

[caption id="attachment_1011" align="alignleft" width="330" caption="Miesque"][/caption]

Two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner and international champion Miesque died at the age of 27 on Thursday. A 9 time champion in both Europe and the United Staes, Miesque made history as the first horse to ever win two consecutive Breeders’ Cup races. Freddy Head rode the champion race mare in all but 1 of her 16 career races, with a record of 12 wins, 10 of which came in Grade/Group 1 stakes races. Aside from being a resplendent athlete on the track, Miesque became almost as good a broodmare. Her offspring included the major international sire Kingmambo as well as French Champion East of the Moon. Two more of her offspring, Miesque’s Son and Mingun became Group 3 winners.

Miesque’s was a life lived to the fullest, a stunningly well rounded example of just how good the thoroughbred racehorse can become. Though I was not old enough to witness her slender in person I bid a fond farewell to one of the greatest, most influential female turf runners in history and to her unending legacy of achievement.

 

 

 

Kathmanblu, one of the nation’s leading juvenile fillies last year, is set to make her 3-year-old debut in the Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream Park Saturday. In her last start Kathmanblu, entering off a troubled third place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, romped to victory in the Golden Rod Stakes by more than 8 lengths. While she has showed great promise on the dirt, Kathmanblu has also proved herself very effective on the turf as well with a four length victory in the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland last year. There is a chance the turf could come up wet for the Sweetest Chant in which case it would most likely be moved from the turf to the main track. In spite of her proven dirt abilities, trainer Kenny McPeek has said it is unlikely he will run the filly if the management is forced to move the race to the dirt track.

 

 

Smiling Tiger was last seen finishing a determined second by a nose to Twirling Candy in the Malibu Stakes (gr.1) after a furious stretch battle that saw both horses break the track record set by Spectacular Bid 30 years ago. Prior to his impressive performance in the Malibu Smiling Tiger finished a very respectable third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint behind Big Drama after bobbling at the break. One month after his Malibu performance Smiling Tiger looks to get the new year started off with a victory in the Palos Verdes Stakes (gr.2) at Santa Anita Saturday. Cutting back to 6 furlongs from the 7 furlong distance of the Malibu, Smiling Tiger will be a heavy favorite to win his 2011 debut.

Ventana is the only other graded stakes winner entered. Trained by Bob Baffert the 5-year-old colt has not started since finishing 4^th in the Churchill Downs Stakes (gr.2) in early May but has been training lights out for the Palos Verde.

Euroears, Captain Cherokee, Gata Go Win, Hunch and Don Tito complete the field.

 

 

Who’s looking forward to the Jan. 30^th Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes? The race has already become the most anticipated 3-year-old Kentucky Derby prep of the year so far with high quality colts like Boys At Tosconova, Gourmet Dinner, Mucho Macho Man and Black N Beauty. Now the highly regarded colt Dialed In has tossed his hat into the ring, making the lineup even more interesting. This is the kind of race that sets the blood boiling and starts the real Derby fever.

Derby Dozen: 1st of 5

For the second consecutive year Steve Munday of WirePlayers.com has organized a group of bloggers to compile a Derby Dozen. A poll that reflects where our rankings have placed the colts/geldings we believe will have a chance on the first Saturday in May.

Enjoy and feel free to share any thoughts you might have on the Dozen! My apologies if the format looks awkward, I couldn't figure out how to post the original Google format.

WirePlayers Derby Dozen Volume I - 19 Jan 2011 : Sheet1

 

.		Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Comments

. 1 UNCLE MO Todd Pletcher John Velazquez "Forget energy drinks, this undefeated Champion 2-year-old runs on cheese puffs!" . Sire - Indian Charlie Brian Appleton - Rail Runner . Last Race: 1st - G1 BC Juvenile Votes (1st) 129 (9) "Despite winning the juvenile Eclipse, it's still too early say if Uncle Mo is a great horse. But it's definitely not to early say Mike Repole is a great owner." . - Steve Munday . 2 TO HONOR AND SERVE Bill Mott John Velazquez "Bill Mott is too good a trainer never to have finished better than 8th in the Derby." . Sire - Bernadini - Brian Zipse of Horse Racing Nation . Last Race: 1st - G2 Remsen S. 102 (1) "I dunno why but whenever I hear this horse's name I feel like I should be standing at attention or something." . - Steve Munday . 3 BOYS AT TOSCONOVA Rick Dutrow Ramon Dominguez "Dutrow in Derby spotlight again? He'll make Rex Ryan look like a wall flower." . Sire - Officer - Tony Bada Bing - A Leg Up . Last Race: 2nd - G1 BC Juvenile 75 (0) "Well I'll say this much, Ramon's got a better shot at winning the KY Derby on Boys At Tosconova than he did on Homeboykris." . - Steve Munday . 4 TAPIZAR Steve Asmussen Garett Gomez "I ran faster than Indian Firewater AND Always a Princess. Tap that!" . Sire - Tapit - Tencentcielo - Giving My Ten Cents . Last Race: 1st - G3 Sham S. 64 (0) "For a horse that wins on the front end, Asmussen chose the right place to bank some graded cash." . - Steve Munday . 5 SANTIVA Eddie Kenneally Shaun Bridgmohan "Up until last year, the KY Jockey Club wasn't considered a key prep for the Derby. Can' knock his race, even though it was a maiden win, he did beat a quality field." . Sire - Giant's Causeway - Derek Brown . Last Race: 1st - G2 KY Jockey Club S. 44 (0) "With a win in the KY Jockey Club Stakes, Santiva proved he's on par with Super Saver. That means he's probably good for one more career victory." . - Steve Munday

. 6 BRETHREN Todd Pletcher Garrett Gomez "What would a Derby Dozen poll be without a Winstar or a Distorted Humor?" . Sire - Distorted Humor - The Turk . Last Race: 1st - 8f $61K Allowance (CD) 41 (1) "If Pletcher wants to win the 2011 Derby, he oughta consider getting Calvin up on one of his prospects." . - Steve Munday . 7 COMMA TO THE TOP Peter Miller Corey Nakatani "More aptly named: 'Asterisk in the Futurity.'" . Sire - Bwana Charlie - Rob - Amatuercapper . Last Race: 1st - G1 CashCall Futurity 39 (0) "T. Pletch overheard telling P. Mil that he'll never be a big time trainer without a decent blacksmith." . - Steve Munday . 8 JAYCITO Bob Baffert Mike Smith "The good news is he has already run 10 furlongs at Churchill, the bad news is that race was only 8.5 furlongs." . Sire - Victory Gallop - Brian Zipse of Horse Racing Nation . Last Race: 7th - G1 BC Juvenile 33 (0) "Well Mike, welcome back to reality buddy." . - Steve Munday . 9 ASTROLOGY Steve Asmussen Garett Gomez "Was a Scorpio, now I'm a Virgo? Really?" . Sire - A.P. Indy - Gene Kershner of EquiSpace . Last Race: 2nd - G2 KY Jockey Club S. 32 (0) "Before getting too excited, remember, this horse got beat by Sweet Ducky & Curlinello at Monmouth. No, I'm not bitter." . - Steve Munday . 10 PREMIER PEGASUS Myung Kwon Cho Alonso Quinonez "C'mon PrePeg, start working already! I don't know how long I can hold them off!" . Sire - Fusiachi Pegasus - Tencentcielo - Giving My Ten Cents . Last Race: 1st - G3 Hollywood Prevue S. 31 (0) "Considered starting an office pool on how long before Quinonez loses his mount to a money rider. Then remembered, nobody in my office likes horse racing. . - Steve Munday

. 11 MUCHO MACHO MAN Kathy Ritvo Eibar Coa "Points toward a stacked Holy Bull Stakes at month's end." . Sire - Macho Uno - Tony Bada Bing - A Leg Up . Last Race: 2nd - G2 Remsen S. 22 (0) "Reminds me of a cheesy song by the Village People and he's ridden by none other than Eibar Coa. What's not to like? Plenty!" . - Steve Munday . 12 DIALED IN Nick Zito Julien Leparoux "Interesting as the distances increase." . Sire - Mineshaft - Jessica Paquette . Last Race: 1st - $48K 6.5f MSW (CD) 21 (0) "This is my KY Derby pick. Why you ask? Simply refer to horses ranked 1 - 11 above." . - Steve Munday . Also receiving votes: Stay Thirsty (20), Gourmet Dinner (18), JP's Gusto (17), Rogue Romance (17), Biondetti (15), The Factor (13), Rustler Hustler (11), Mountain Town (11), Tiz Blessed (9), Cool Blue Red Hot (8), Monzon (8), Leave of Abscence (7), Decisive Moment (7), Kathmanblu (6), Heavenly Descent (5), Lauburu (5), Caleb's Posse (5), Awesome Patriot (4), Depeche Chat (4), Clubhouse Ride (3), Pluck (3), Manicero (3), Wilkinson (2), Heron Lake (2), Shadow Warrior (1), Archarcharch (1), Indian Winter (1), Black N Beauty (1)

Zenyatta Wins Horse of the Year!

History has been made, the names set in stone, the champions have all been crowned and one of the most popular and talented race mares in history has been awarded the most prestigious honor in American thoroughbred horse racing.

It was all celebration and rejoicing at the 40^th Eclipse Awards Monday night, especially when Horse of the Year winner was announced. After it was all said and done there were virtually no surprises in the Eclipse Award voting.

Undefeated juvenile’s Unlce Mo and Awesome Feather both were runaway winners in their respective categories as Champion 2-Year-Old Male and Female.

Zenyatta was one vote away from being a unanimous choice for Champion Older Female as she took home the trophy for the third consecutive year. You have to wonder who that one voter was and what in the world they were thinking voting against Zenyatta.

Blame was a unanimous choice for Champion Older Male off his Breeders’ Cup Classic victory while Champion Male Turf Horse was won for the second straight year by Gio Ponti.

Big Drama seized the Male Sprinter award while Dubai Majesty took Female Sprinter, both wins helped along by their Breeders’ Cup victories in November.

For the second year in a row European super-mare Goldikova ran away with the Champion Female Turf Horse award based off her third consecutive Breeders’ Cup Mile win.

The two lucky winners in the sophomore category were no surprise as Blind Luck and Lookin At Lucky each snagged an easy win for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly and Male respectively.

For the 7^th time Adena Springs walked away with a win in the Breeders category while trainer Todd Pletcher received his 5^th Eclipse trophy after a banner year that saw him lead all trainers in earnings as well as win the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and 3 Breeders’ Cup races.

Ramon Dominguez won his first award as Champion Jockey while Omar Moreno won Apprentice Jockey who earned more than twice that of his closest rival for the award.

WinStar Farm won the Eclipse Award for outstanding owner after winning the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes with two different runners.

 

[caption id="attachment_996" align="alignleft" width="480" caption="Zenyatta: Horse of the Year"][/caption]

After finishing second for two straight years in Horse of the Year voting, Champion Older Female Zenyatta finally won racing’s most prestigious award. Mere minutes after becoming Champion Older Female for the third consecutive year, the wildly popular race mare became 2010 Horse of the Year, beating out Older Male Champion and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Blame. The win marks the first time in history that the Horse of the Year award has been won by female runners in consecutive years. The 2009 award went to Champion filly Rachel Alexandra.

Zenyatta is now happily retired to Lanes End where she awaits her first breeding. She retired with 19 wins from 20 starts, the only blemish on her record coming in a heart-breaking nose loss to Blame in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic. She holds the record for the most consecutive Grade 1 wins at 9, a record that is likely to stand for a long time.

It was the one prize that had eluded her and now Zenyatta’s legacy is complete. This is beyond a doubt one of the most popular Horse of the Year wins in the history of the Eclipse Awards , not to mention one of the most hotly contested.

 

Congratulations to all the winners and their connections!

Chalk and Track Records

“Hmm…what is this stuff? It tastes kind of…different, not too good actually…is it?...Oh! It’s Chalk!” I was warned, shown the evidence and ignored the signs like the bad handicapper I am. Always a Princess will forever be remembered as the winner of the 2011 El Encino Stakes (gr.2), the filly that successfully thwarted Blind Luck’s 2011 debut with style.

Over Santa Anita’s brand new, seriously speed favoring, dirt track, the field of 5 sprang from the gates at the break with heavy favorite, and probably 3-year-old Champion Filly of 2010, Blind Luck taking up her customary position in the rear. Champagne d’Oro immediately seized the lead with Always a Princess glued to her flank. Blazing fractions of :22.38, :45.41 and 1:08.72, the pair continued to lead the way, distancing themselves from the rest of the field.

Entering the final turn Always a Princess began to move up on the outside of Chapagne d’Oro, looking strong and fresh, from more than 10 lengths off the lead Blind Luck began to kick into high gear. Into the stretch and Always a Princess sped for the wire, opening up more than a length on Champangne d’Oro while Blind Luck swung wide off the turn, switching leads twice while entering the stretch. Always a Princess continued to open up on the field, Blind Luck appeared hopelessly beaten, struggling to stay on one lead and pass Champagne d’Oro for second place.

Past the wire it was Always a Princess in front by 3 ½ lengths. Blind Luck finally found her best stride but was too late, over taking Champagne d’Oro in a matter of strides for second place and gunning for the winner.

The clearly speed-biased dirt track at Santa Anita certainly helped Always a Princess defeat Blind Luck with ease but there is no denying she turned in a wonderful performance.  Blind Luck has now lost her last three starts, finishing second in all three. It may not have been the best start for her 2011 campaign but the way she was closing at the end proves she has lost none of her old spark. I fully expect to see her back to her winning ways this year as good as ever.

Always a Princess deserves much credit for her flawless victory over such a classy filly as Blind Luck but it is hard to gage exactly how dominant wins over Santa Anita’s blazing fast surface really are. Only time will tell.

Big Drama is quickly gaining a very respected name for himself in the older male sprinting category. Coming fresh off a

dominating victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr.1) in early November, Big Drama kept the ball rolling in the Mr. Prospector (gr.3) at Gulfstream Park and may have even sped things up.

Bolting from the gate Big Drama immediately grabbed the lead with last year’s My Prospector winner, Custom for Carlos, a short nose to his inside. Halfway to the first turn Big Drama edged one length clear of Custom for Carlos. He blazed the half in :44.43 as Custom for Carlos came back to him. Off the turn the two colts ran head and head and for a little while it appeared as if they were going to duel it out to the wire. But Big Drama had other ideas. With vigorous shaking of the reins, jockey Eibar Coa roused Big Drama and the two coasted away from Custom for Carlos, cruising under the line 4 lengths the best in a new track record time of 1:08.12 for the 6 furlongs.

Big Drama is favored to win the Eclipse Award as Champion Male Sprinter of 2010 and it appears he is off to a great start to win another in 2011.

The Eclipse Awards: Crowning the Champions

It’s that time of year once again. After months of debate, speculation and anxiety, one glittering champion shall be honored with the highest achievement in American thoroughbred horse racing, the Horse of the Year award. Virtually all categories have unusually heavy favorites this year with the exception of a few. Two year old male and female, three year old male and female, champion older male and female and champion male and female sprinter categories are virtual locks. Only Turf Male, Turf Female and Horse of the Year are up for major debate and of the three Horse of the Year takes the spotlight once again by a virtual land-slide. Who will win Horse of the Year? Zenyatta or Blame?

Last year was beyond a doubt one of the most hotly contested Horse of the Year battles in history and this year is giving last a year’s contest a run for its money.

Two-Year-Old Male: A vote against Uncle Mo in this category is quite simply a crime and an ignorant vote. Uncle Mo

[caption id="attachment_981" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Uncle Mo"][/caption]

completed one of the most impressive juvenile campaigns seen in years during 2010 by closing out the year with blazing fast victories in the Champagne Stakes (gr.1) and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr.1). He is undefeated, talented, incredibly fast, able to win gate-to-wire or rating off the pace and is the heavy winter book favorite for the Kentucky Derby. He has many racing fans and experts alike wondering at a Triple Crown attempt, me included, my only worry is that his two planned starts prior to the Kentucky Derby will not be enough to prepare him for the Triple Crown rigors.

Two-Year-Old Female: Awesome Feather is yet another contestant almost certain to win her category and after putting together a fantastic campaign of 6 wins in 6 starts she is well deserving of the honor. A dominating win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr.1) was what sealed the deal for the gifted filly. Prior to her 2 ¼ length Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies win Awesome Feather completed a thorough thrashing of all opponents in winning the Florida Stallion Series, taking all 3 races by a total of 17 lengths. Unfortunately Awesome Feather’s immediate racing future is in question after she suffered a slight tendon injury that will keep her away from the races indefinitely and most likely force her to miss the Kentucky Oaks.

Three-Year-Old Male: Who else but Lookin At Lucky? In a year that was plagued by inconsistent performances early on from many of the leading sophomore males, Lookin At Lucky remained consistently brilliant all year, winning the Rebel Stakes (gr.2), Preakness Stakes (gr.1), Haskell Invitational (gr.1) and Indiana Derby (gr.2). If Lookin At Lucky wins Champion Three Year Old Male he will become the first horse to since Spectacular Bid in 1978-79 to win Champion Two Year Old Male and Champion Three Year Old Male consecutive years.

Three-Year-Old Female: In my humble opinion Blind Luck completed the most ambitious and impressive campaign of

[caption id="attachment_982" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Blind Luck"][/caption]

all Eclipse Award finalists save for international Champion and superstar Goldikova. In 2010 Blind Luck took consistency to a whole new level in the game of racing, winning 3 Grade 1 races, the Kentucky Oaks, Alabama Stakes and Las Virgenes. Out of 9 starts Blind Luck won 5 races, finished second three times, twice by a nose and only once finished third.  Racing from state to state, Blind Luck faced every challenge head on, almost always coming out on top. Behind every great horse there is most certainly a great opponent who forces them to the very limit of their abilities. In the case of Blind Luck there were two such opponents, Havre de Grace and Evening Jewel.

Turf Male: In what I consider to be the biggest snub of the Eclipse Awards nominations, Paddy O’Prado, the gifted son of El Prado, was completely shut out of the Male Turf Horse ballot where he undoubtedly would have found much support for a win. Gio Ponti, despite having a rather dull campaign compared to the amazing season he had in 2009, is the most obvious choice to win this award among the 3 horses nominated.

Turf Female: After becoming the only horse in history to win 3 Breeders’ Cup races, not to mention in consecutive

[caption id="attachment_983" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Goldikova"][/caption]

years, super star Goldikova is once again favored to win this award off her single start in the US. That single start came in the form of an explosive win in the Breeders’ Cup Mile against a stellar field of international males. It was the third straight year that Godikova made the long trek from Europe to the United States to contest the prestigious race and the third straight year she came away victorious. The other two nominees for the award are Proviso and ill-fated Tuscan Evening. Tuscan Evening was riding a white-hot 6 race winning streak in 2010, including a victory in the Grade 1 Gamely, before dying of a heart attack on August 8^th. Proviso is the most likely challenger to Goldikova for the award after winning 4 straight Grade 1 turf races before finishing 7th behind Goldikova in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Male Sprinter: Big Drama most likely sewed up the Eclipse Award with his front-running Breeders’ Cup Sprint victory. His 2010 record stands at 3 wins in 5 starts with two seconds, both in Grade 1 races. Majesticperfection could make things interesting after going undefeated in 4 starts in 2010. Included in his win column was a victory in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga, a race in which Big Drama finished second.

Female Sprinter: Dubai Majesty is almost certain to win here after her impressive Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint victory. She tallied up an impressive 11 starts in 2010 with 4 wins and 4 seconds.

Older Male: Blame, no need to explain this one.

Older Female: Zenyatta, enough said.

Horse of the Year: For Zenyatta, this is a make it or break it in the Horse of the Year category, she either wins now or

[caption id="attachment_984" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Blame (right) & Zenyatta (left)"][/caption]

never. After finishing second in the voting two consecutive years, 2008 to Curlin and 2009 to Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta once again finds herself on uncertain ground. The previously undefeated superstar mare has attained unheard of fame and popularity in the thoroughbred horse racing world due to her extremely charismatic personality, fan-friendly connections and 19 race winning streak. She entered 2010 with a single goal in mind; a repeat win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Unfortunately for Zenyatta, owners Jerry and Ann Moss along with trainer John Shirreffs mapped out an extremely conservative campaign for the great mare, winning 5 Grade 1 races with her, all in races restricted to females. Sadly Zenyatta received the only loss of her storied career in the final and biggest race of her career, the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Blame will forever be remembered for one thing: Becoming the first and only horse to beat Zenyatta. Wins in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster and Whitney Handicap, the later over the very talented Quality Road, propelled Blame to the forefront of the Older Male ranks in 2010 but after finishing in a distant second to Haynesfield in the Jockey Club Gold Cup many people had doubts about his ability to handle Zenyatta in the Classic.

[caption id="attachment_985" align="alignleft" width="298" caption="Zenyatta"][/caption]

In what will certainly go down as a race for the ages, Zenyatta and Blame laid it all out on the track in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Zenyatta made one of the single greatest runs in history when coming from more than 20 lengths out of it to just miss winning by a neck. Blame courageously held on to win over what many consider to be one of the greatest mares in racing history.

I’m usually all about Horse of the Year being settled on the track but things were different for me this year. Both contenders are worthy of the win and Blame won it on the track but Zenyatta won the bigger battle, she won the people. It sounds almost too cliché to use, but the hearts of almost every single fan in attendance and every fan glued to their TV set on Breeders’ Cup day belonged to Zenyatta.

Convincing arguments can be made for both Blame and Zenyatta but ask yourself this; 20 years from now when someone asks who the “big horse” of 2010 was only one answer is possible, Zenyatta. There are no rules about what a horse has to do to win Horse of the Year except one; it’s all in the title.

May the best horse win![polldaddy poll=4386677]

Blind Luck: Return to Action

January 16^th the Grade 2 El Encino Stakes heralds the return of Blind Luck, 2010’s best 3-year-old-filly and heavy favorite to win an Eclipse Award for her 2010 heroics.

Blind Luck beyond a doubt will be the most anticipated performer of the weekend. After her stellar, tough-as-nails campaign in 2010 that saw the 3-year-old filly win a slew of races across the country that included Grade 1 wins in the Kentucky Oaks, Las Virgenes, Oak Leaf and Alabama Stakes as well as winning the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes and Delaware Oaks. Now she returns as a 4-year-old looking to maintain her dominance over her generation as well as establishing herself as a leading older female runner.

In her last start Blind Luck finished second to Unrivalled Belle in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (Gr.1) as the favorite after failing to catch Unrivalled Belle with her patented late run. A filly small in stature, Blind Luck more than makes up for her physical shortcomings when her running abilities are on display. She is as consistent and brilliant as they come and if she performs anywhere close to her form from last year fans should be in for a treat.

More t come later…[polldaddy poll=4380917]