2017 Eclipse Award Ballot & Discussion

[Kasept]

2017 Eclipse Awards

Horse of the Year: Gun Runner

Two-Year-Old Male: Good Magic
Two-Year-Old Filly: Caledonia Road

Three-Year-Old Male: West Coast
Three-Year-Old Filly: Abel Tasman

Older Dirt Male: Gun Runner
Older Dirt Female: Forever Unbridled

Male Sprinter: Roy H.
Female Sprinter: Unique Bella

Male Turf Horse: World Approval
Female Turf Horse: Lady Eli
Steeplechase Horse: Scorpiancer

Owner: Juddmonte
Breeder: Clearsky Farms

Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Apprentice Jockey: Evin Roman

Trainer: Chad Brown

[elturko]

Just wanted say Steve , you deserve ☝️ of those, just got done watching tvg.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by elturko

Just wanted say Steve , you deserve ☝️ of those, just got done watching tvg.

Thank you. I appreciate the sentiment and should take the opportunity to say how kind it was of Ray Arsenault to include me in his speech.

[Kasept]

The tallies below represent only first-place votes from members of the consolidated voting entities, NTRA, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

Voter participation rate: 250/269= 92.9%

Two-Year-Old Male (Name, First-Place Votes)
Good Magic, 131; Bolt d’Oro, 113; Catholic Boy, 3; Firenze Fire, 1; Mendelssohn, 1; Solomini, 1.

Two-Year-Old Filly
Caledonia, Road, 161; Rushing Fall, 68; Moonshine Memories, 17; Dream Tree, 2; Dream It Is, 1; Road to Victory, 1.

Three-Year-Old Male
West Coast, 229; Always Dreaming, 14; Battle of Midway, 5; Irap, 1; Mastery, 1.

Three-Year-Old Filly
Abel Tasman, 244; Unique Bella, 5; Elate, 1.

Older Dirt Male
Gun Runner, 247; Arrogate, 3.

Older Dirt Female
Forever Unbridled, 237; Songbird, 8; Stellar Wind, 4; Voter Abstentions, 1.

Male Sprinter
Roy H, 241; Imperial Hint, 5; Drefong, 1; Mind Your Biscuits, 1; Stormy Liberal, 1; Voter Abstentions, 1.

Female Sprinter
Unique Bella, 90, Paulassilverlining, 60; Ami’s Mesa, 41; Bar of Gold, 36; Lady Aurelia, 8; By the Moon, 5; American Gal, 3; Finley’sluckycharm, 1; Voter Abstentions, 6.

Male Turf Horse
World Approval, 211; Beach Patrol 20; Talismanic (GB), 11; Highland Reel (IRE), 8.

Female Turf Horse
Lady Eli, 203; Wuheida (GB), 33; Off Limits, 12; Cambodia, 1; La Coronel, 1.

Steeplechase Horse
Scorpiancer (IRE), 92; All the Way Jose, 70; Mr. Hot Stuff, 35; Modem (GB), 7; Diplomat, 4; Swansea Mile (IRE), 3; Voter Abstentions, 39.

Owner
Juddmonte Farms, 143; Winchell Thoroughbreds, 31; Godolphin Racing, 21; Sol Kumin, Head of Plains, Sheep Pond Partners, 19; Klaravich Stables, Inc., and William H. Lawrence, 11; Calumet Farm, 7; End Zone Athletics, 3; Charles Fipke, 2; Coolmore, 1; e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, 1; Fox Hill Farm, 1; Live Oak Plantation, 1; John Oxley, 1; Stonestreet Stables, 1; Voter Abstentions, 7.

Breeder
Clearsky Farms, 141; WinStar Farm, 72; Charles Fipke, 8; Belisu Stables, 7; Live Oak Stud, 6; Godolphin Racing/Darley, 4; Brereton C. Jones, 3; Adena Springs, 1; Calumet Farm, 1; Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, 1; Voter Abstentions, 6.

Trainer
Chad Brown, 215; Bob Baffert, 16; Steve Asmussen, 13; Mark Casse, 2; Todd Pletcher, 2; Voter Abstentions, 2.

Jockey
Jose Ortiz, 189; Mike Smith, 45; Irad Ortiz, Jr.,10; Javier Castellano, 4; Voter Abstentions, 2.

Apprentice Jockey
Evin Roman, 232; Katie Clawson, 4; Jenn Miller, 1. Voter Abstentions, 13.

Horse of the Year
Gun Runner, 248; Arrogate, 2

[knickslions2]

So who were the two jackals that voted arrogate horse of the year? Their voting privileges should be taken away

[-BT-]

Originally Posted by knickslions2

So who were the two jackals that voted arrogate horse of the year? Their voting privileges should be taken away

one of them probably posts often in the selections forum.

-bt-

[casp0555]

Originally Posted by -BT-

one of them probably posts often in the selections forum.

-bt-

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by knickslions2

So who were the two jackals that voted arrogate horse of the year? Their voting privileges should be taken away

I'm not gonna hate on that, I just wouldn't vote the same way. Sure, Arrogate's year fell apart but it still includes the 2017 Pegasus and the Dubai World Cup, the latter a truly jaw dropping performance (and that's in the context of Arrogate's other races), one that got him ranked #1 in the world. They knew Gun Runner was a shoo-in. Turning Arrogate out might've resulted in a different BCC (and you know Bob could get him back in shape even if he did still hate Del Mar). He wins that race, they go Arrogate for HOY in a landslide. A sentimental vote for the better horse with a bad year who finished the year as the top ranked racehorse isn't so bad.

[richard burch]

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

I'm not gonna hate on that, I just wouldn't vote the same way. Sure, Arrogate's year fell apart but it still includes the 2017 Pegasus and the Dubai World Cup, the latter a truly jaw dropping performance (and that's in the context of Arrogate's other races), one that got him ranked #1 in the world. They knew Gun Runner was a shoo-in. Turning Arrogate out might've resulted in a different BCC (and you know Bob could get him back in shape even if he did still hate Del Mar). He wins that race, they go Arrogate for HOY in a landslide. A sentimental vote for the better horse with a bad year who finished the year as the top ranked racehorse isn't so bad.

True....but the right horse won. Congrats to Team Gun Runner!

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by knickslions2

So who were the two jackals that voted arrogate horse of the year? Their voting privileges should be taken away

I found the votes for Irap and Mastery more dumbfounding.

Anyway, it's nice that no horse (or entity) was edged out in any category. All the winners won decisively.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Dunbar

I found the votes for Irap and Mastery more dumbfounding.

Anyway, it's nice that no horse (or entity) was edged out in any category. All the winners won decisively.

It depends on how you look at it. If you’re looking for most accomplished, Mastery shouldn’t get a vote. But if you follow a different way of thinking, the one that says you vote for the best horse of all those that are qualified, it’s not hard to see why Mastery would get votes. He looked like he was going to be really good. In my opinion, a vote for him wouldn’t be much different than voting for Singspiel. He won the award as top turf horse and didn’t win a single race in this country.