Champion 3 Year Old Filly

[Calzone Lord]

It was a game gesture by the owner of Princess of Sylmar, and you hate to see it backfire like it did, but Beholder has to be voted champion 3yo filly.

It seemed the only reason Princess of Sylmar was even entered, is because of some groundswell among some media, and fans on the Internet suggesting that she had some kind of case for Horse of the Year.

There should be three pieces of criteria to determine a champion -- and in the following order:

1.) Hypothetical handicap based on 2013 form.

2.) Quality of best performances throughout the season

3.) Overall season record, with emphasis placed on success at the Grade 1 level.


In a hypothetical handicap race on Jan 1st of 2014, based only on 2013 form, Beholder would be asked to carry a higher weight than Princess of Sylmar. The two head-to-head meetings in the Kentucky Oaks and Breeders Cup Distaff underline that fact.

Factors two and three are pretty close to a wash. Both of them own 4 Grade 1 wins in 2013 and possess a similar level of ability.

Objectively, Beholder is the champion 3-year-old filly.

Unfortunately, the gameness and good sportsmanship of Princess of Sylmar's owner allowed Beholder to 'steal it in the final 30 seconds of a round' to use a boxing analogy.