Eclipse Awards 2016 Video

Someone on YouTube uploaded a Reader's Digest version of the hours-long awards last night:




YouTube link


I hope this stays up and does not get taken down.

Here is the photo of AP "accepting" his award:

No Doubt American Pharoah Will Be Horse of the Year

Almost always the Triple Crown winner gets HOTY honors. He has won the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Male and his owners/breeders won the Eclipse for outstanding breeder.

While a bigger celebration is expected later tonight, American Pharoah took care of business the evening of Jan. 16 at the Eclipse Awards, taking honors in the 3-year-old male division.

Zayat Stable's Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was the unanimous choice as champion 3-year-old Jan. 16 in ceremonies at Gulfstream Park.

Brought back in 2015 by trainer Bob Baffert from an injury that prevented him from competing in the 2014 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I), the Zayat Stables homebred (who had been named champion 2-year-old male despite missing the Juvenile) won grade I races at Oaklawn Park,Churchill Downs, Pimlico Race Course, Belmont Park, Monmouth Park, and Keeneland, often traveling back and forth from his Southern California base. Asked whether he'd ever sent another horse that many miles, Baffert replied, "No. Nobody has.

Live stream is here.

Yes, American Pharoah got Horse of the Year. He was "presented" with the trophy earlier this week at Coolmore Stud.

If SI Didn't Pick AP, At Least AP Did

At least Associated Press gave American Pharoah the recognition he deserved as his sweep of this year's Triple Crown series got picked as "sports story of the year."

Details:

Eighty-two ballots were submitted from U.S. editors and news directors. Voters were asked to rank the top five sports stories of the year, with the first-place story receiving five points, the second-place story four points and so on.

He deserved it.

SI Didn't Let American Pharoah Go Empty-Handed

As a consolation prize of sorts, and in an attempt to placate the widespread outrage over American Pharoah being passed over for "Sportsperson of the Year," Sports Illustrated did honor AP and his connections with an "Achievement of the Year" article.

It's better than nothing, I guess. Many people are upset over the AP snub, which may be a tempest in a pisspot, but you can't really blame them. What AP did this year was worthy of some kind of notice.

It is a nice article, worthy of bookmarking.

It's Serena Williams Over American Pharoah

for "Sportsperson" of the Year in Sports Illustrated's annual award.

I think Team AP deserved the award, but if any person was deserving of this award, it is Serena Williams. She is a superb athlete, probably the greatest female tennis player of all time, and one of the greatest athletes in any sport.

She deserved that award much more than Jackie Stewart did, I can tell you that.

I wasn't surprised because if Secretariat, the greatest racehorse who ever lived, didn't get the award, SI surely wasn't going to give it to American Pharoah.

I wonder if the magazine will have a separate "readers' choice" award for AP.

Will Sports Illustrated Once Again Shaft Horse Racing

and give its "Sportsman of the Year" to somebody else? That is what that magazine did back in 1973, when it shafted Secretariat, the greatest racehorse of all time, in favor of race car driver Jackie Stewart, who was great in his sport, but the reason for his getting the award over Big Red was NOT deserved.

American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, handily won the readers' poll for sportsman of the year, but what really counts is what the editors think.

The editors will announce their choice tomorrow on the Today show and on its website.

Edit: At least one billboard says that indeed he won the award:

42 Years and Counting I Have Carried a Grudge Against Sports Illustrated

I have absolutely no confidence American Pharoah and his connections will win the magazine's Sportsman of the Year. It just doesn't matter to that magazine, a magazine that gave Secretariat the shaft in 1973 in favor of a race car driver few people remember today.

So far AP is second in the voting, behind the KC Royals.

It Looks Like I Have Something For My Bucket List

I hope someday to return to the Lexington, Kentucky, area and get a chance to see the latest TC winner, American Pharoah. Just a couple of weeks into retirement, and he is being inundated with visitors, which will happen until he dies.

He is not only getting the spotlight, but also his sire, PioneeroftheNile, and his grandsire, Empire Maker are getting attention from the public. Empire Maker had been at stud in Japan, but he is returning back to the United States:

Perhaps the most exciting change related to the “Pharoah Effect” was the repatriation of grandsire Empire Maker (Unbridled). The Belmont Stakes winner was the best racing son of his famous dam Toussaud (dam of four G1 winners) and was one of the trio of classic winners by his Kentucky Derby-winning sire Unbridled.

There was some surprise when the stallion was sold to the Japan Bloodstock Breeders Association, but there may have been even more when Empire Maker was purchased for return to the States by Haras Don Alberto and Gainesway Farm.

A grand-looking stallion with proven ability to get big-race winners and now to sire important stallions, Empire Maker will again be available to American breeders for the 2016 season, when his stud fee will be $100,000 at Gainesway.

Secretariat Got the Sportsman of the Year Shaft From SI,

so I am not optimistic the magazine will give the award to American Pharoah.

Some out there are squeamish a horse would be given an award that supposedly belongs to HUMAN endeavors.

Remember if you will Secretariat, the greatest of them all, got passed over in favor of race car driver Jackie Stewart in one of the worst oversights ever. I NEVER forgave SI for doing that, but they had a blind spot with regard to this horse. When Big Red won the Kentucky Derby in record time, do you think SI would put him on the cover? No. Instead the magazine editors put Olympian Mark Spitz and his new wife on the cover (they are still together). The magazine rectified this oversight a couple of weeks later with a cover story. As for Sportsman of the Year, Stewart got the award simply because he retired from a dangerous sport. Not that many people remember Stewart today outside of car racing circles--EVERYBODY remembers Secretariat.

Not holding my breath they will honor AP if they shafted the greatest horse in racing history previously.


For fun, here is a representative response of the selection of Jackie Stewart.

American Pharoah: Career In Review

Let's take a look at all of AP's 11 races in his career.

For the record, AP won on EIGHT different tracks on dry surfaces and in the slop. The only thing he didn't try was the turf.

The tracks where he won are the following:

Del Mar
Santa Anita
Oaklawn Park
Churchill Downs
Pimlico
Belmont Park
Monmouth Park
Keeneland



Maiden race. Like Secretariat, this is the only time the horse was off the board:




Del Mar Futurity:




FrontRunner Stakes:




Rebel Stakes:





Arkansas Derby:





Kentucky Derby:




Preakness:





Belmont Stakes:





Haskell Invitational:




Travers Stakes:





Breeders' Cup Classic:

Breeders' Cup Classic Results: American Pharoah Did It

The only Triple Crown winner eligible to win the Breeders' Cup Classic EASILY beat a bang-up field including Honor Code, Tonalist, Keen Ice (who beat him in the Travers), and Frosted in this year's Breeders' Cup Classic. He controlled the pace just as he did in the Belmont, leading from wire to wire in Keeneland.


He won by about six lengths. Effinex (who somehow got that name past the Jockey Club) came in second, and Honor Code came in third.

More:

American Pharoah set the pace and pulled away with ease in the stretch to take the 1 1/4-mile dirt test. Zayat Stables' homebred son of Pioneerof the Nile set fractions of :23.99, :47.40, and 1:11.21 through six furlongs, while Effinex provided mild pressure on the backstretch. The leader, however, had no challengers leaving the far turn.

Now it is off to Ashford Stud.

Video:

The Graveyard of Favorites Continues--American Pharoah Lost the Travers

Although American Pharoah gave it his best, I felt he had too many races and should have had a longer layoff from his huge win in the Haskell. My doubts were proven today when he got caught near the wire by Keen Ice, with Frosted third.

Frosted looked like he had AP going into the far turn, but he faded.

This was AP's first loss since his first race.

Saratoga is infamous as being the graveyard of favorites. However, AP was not beaten by a longshot who nobody had ever heard of but a very credible horse. Keen Ice was in this year's Triple Crown races.

This race has no effect on Horse of the Year. AP has it in the bag.

The race, from TVG:

American Pharoah Did It Again

American Pharoah cruised easily over Keen Ice and Upstart in this year's Haskell Invitational. Jockey Victor Espinoza eased him the last eighth of the mile so as to not use him up for any future race.

The race:

American Pharoah at Churchill Downs

Triple Crown winner American Pharoah made a public appearance at Churchill Downs yesterday:

Photo of the Day: American Pharoah

Trainer Bob Baffert invited the media to meet and pet the new Triple Crown winner:

Preakness Stakes Results

American Pharoah has easily, easily won the Preakness Stakes in the slop. Tale of Verve was second and Divining Rod was third. The time was 1:58.46, way off the record set by Secretariat in 1973.

The winner took the race by seven lengths.

On to the Belmont Stakes.

I hope he takes the Triple Crown. He won this race so easily. He's the 35th horse to win the Derby-Preakness double.

American Pharoah is the first two-year-old champion since Spectacular Bid way back in 1979 to have a shot at the Triple Crown.

Of course Bid should have won the Triple Crown but for a lousy jockey's handling in the Belmont.


The race:



Impressive indeed. The question is how much this race and the Derby take out of him.

Preakness Stakes 2015

Live streaming of the race can be found here if a TV isn't available.

Fortunately, I now can watch it on the television thanks to the dish being moved to a spot where the trees won't be a problem.

As expected, American Pharoah is the favorite for today's race.

And more:

At the beginning of the week, American Pharoah was a 5-6 favorite to win the second leg of the Triple Crown, but the colt moved up slightly to a 10-13 favorite after drawing the rail position on Wednesday.

Saturday morning, American Pharoah remained the odds-on favorite at 5-7.

The top three finishers at the Kentucky Derby—American Pharoah, Firing Line, which came in second, and Dortmund, which finished third—will all compete in the Preakness.

The "experts" for the most part have picked the favorite to win today.

American Pharoah is now the even money favorite. It is pouring down rain at Pimlico, the first time I have ever seen it that bad in over 50 years in watching the race but sloppy tracks can undo Derby winners (think Riva Ridge in 1972). The favorite, however, has won on a sloppy track.

Eight horses are in the field.

For 42 Years I Have Heard the Same Refrain

I would hear about this horse or that horse being crowned the next Secretariat. Lots of pretenders to the crown. There were some who really were good, even great, such as Seattle Slew, Affirmed, and Spectacular Bid. However, the next Secretariat will never, ever happen, no matter how good American Pharoah turns out to be.

Secretariat was a genetic freak. Only because of factors out of his control did he ever lose a race. He never should have been beat.

The fact his heart was enormous, his hind legs were ramrod straight, and his hindquarters were like a quarter horse's prove he was unique. His sensational races, especially during the Triple Crown series of 1973, with stakes records in all three races that still stand today (two still are track records all these years later), proves there would never be another one like him.

There wasn't one like him before, and there will never be another one like him again.

How privileged I was to see him in the flesh some ten weeks before he died, in 1989, and got a lock of his mane for a souvenir.

That was the closest I will ever get to greatness.

Kentucky Derby 2015 Results

It was Baffert vs. Baffert with a little Gary Stevens thrown in as two-year-old champion and favorite American Pharoah, the horse with misspelled name, has won this year's Kentucky Derby. Victor Espinoza is his jockey, making it Espinoza's second consecutive win. He rode California Chrome to victory last year.

You can read more about the winning jockey here.

Firing Line, ridden by 52-year-old Gary Stevens, came in second. Undefeated Dortmund came in third.

The time was 2:03.02. It was no threat to Secretariat's 42-year-old record.

The race: