2021 Eclipse Award Ballot & Discussion

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Kasept

That's a curious critique from the voice that rightly advises players to not be overly results-oriented. I frequently use the 3rd place slot to show appreciation for candidates that won't have the numbers of perennial finalists Brown, Asmussen, Cox, Pletcher & Baffert. McCarthy became apparent to me as worth a nod when I realized he'd landed Ce Ce and Smooth Like Strait on my ballot. I own it happily. And isn't the whole exercise about merit-based favoritism?

There is a giant difference between handicapping and deciding awards. Maybe you should have Hot Rod Charlie ahead of Essential Quality because he ran a better race in the Belmont. Was Life as Good deserving of top Sprinter over Jackie's Warrior? He ran a better race in the Allen Jerkens. Smooth Like Strait, he was far and away my biggest bet BC weekend, had an absolute dream setup in the BC Mile....and still lost, yet somehow you have him third best turf horse, over a multiple Grade 1 winner, who ran a huge race to dead heat in the Turf Classic on Derby Day, despite an impossible trip, crushed in the Manhattan in arguably the single best performance all year in that division, and then almost overcame absurd conditions at Arlington. Apparently none of that matters when you can reward Smooth Like Strait, a very nice horse with not a great deal of overall accomplishments in 2021. Don't compare this to being result oriented, because in Domestic Spending's case, you have a clearly superior horse with more actual accomplishments.