THE ECLIPSE AWARD NOMINATIONS - Miami
American horse racing has been dominated, this year, by the Big Red Train, Point Given. The son of leading sire, Thunder Gulch, has been unanimously voted as the Eclipse Champion Three Year Old Colt. The other awards are trickier with the Horse of the Year looking as if it will go to either Point Given or last year's winner, Tiznow. The awards are being held in Florida this year.
As usual the awards are dominated by Breeders Cup winners and placegetters-early season performers tend to lose out sometimes wrongly. Nowhere is it more noticeable than in the male turf award. The unlucky loser being the recently retired Bienamado, undoubtedly for the greater part of the season the best turf horse in America til injury deprived him of Breeders Cup glory-and any chance of a title. Fantastic Light has had an excellent season but surely a horse who wins one race in the American calender should not be all but assured of the award.
Another case to mention is the sprinter award-Kona Gold was superb for the first part of the season showing form as good as most of the American sprinters of recent times but a dismal last two races deprived him of a say in the award. Another example is the three year old filly award-Golden Ballet was beaten once all season. Neither the daughter of Moscow Ballet nor her conqueror, Fleet Renee, are nominated. What is the point of the heavy early season racing if it counts for nothing in the Eclipse voting.
HORSE OF THE YEAR
Point Given
Tiznow
Johannesburg
TWO YEAR OLD FILLY
Tempera
Habibiti
You
TWO YEAR OLD COLT
Johannesburg
Siphonic
Officer
THREE YEAR OLD FILLY
Xtra Heat
Flute
Exogenous
THREE YEAR OLD COLT
Point Given
THREE YEAR AND UP TURF FEMALE
Banks Hill
Lailani
Tranquility Lake
THREE YEAR AND UP TURF MALE
Fantastic Light
Val Royal
With Anticipation
THREE YEAR AND UP SPRINT
Squirtle Squirt
Delaware Township
Xtra Heat
FOUR YEAR AND UP FEMALE
Gourmet Girl
Spain
Tranquility Lake
FOUR YEAR AND UP MALE
Tiznow
Lido Palace (CHI)
Sakhee
FOUR YEAR AND UP STEEPLECHASE
Lord Zada
Pompeyo (CHI)
Praise The Prince (NZ)
OUTSTANDING OWNER
Richard A. Englander
Juddmonte Farms
The Thoroughbred Corp.
OUTSTANDING BREEDER
Juddmonte Farms
Harry T. Mangurian Jr/ Mockingbird Farm
The Thoroughbred Corp.
OUTSTANDING TRAINER
Bob Baffert
Robert J. Frankel
Scott A. Lake
OUTSTANDING JOCKEY
Jerry Bailey
Ramon Dominguez
Laffit Pincay Jr.
John Velazquez
OUTSTANDING APPRENTICE JOCKEY
Julian Pimentel
Kris Prather
Hector Rosario Jr.
Jeremy Rose