The PR paid off.

On Monday, Curlin was named the Eclipse Award Horse of the Year for the second year in a row.

No doubt he was aided by parades, gifts of specially-labeled wine (pictured), his owner’s never-ending praise, and the excuse that Curlin lost the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic because of a “false surface.”

The Curlin wine was sent just in time for Eclipse Award voting season with a DVD and card “signed” by owners Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke. Jackson is owner of the Kendall-Jackson winery, thus the choice of gift.

Here are the final vote tallies for all categories. The Male Sprinter, Male Turf, Owner, and Breeder categories were points of great contention. The Photography winner was also much-debated.

One category that wasn’t debated as much but really stands out to me is the Jockey category. Garrett Gomez, 210 votes, to Rafael Bejarano’s 11 votes!? Bejarano’s sweep of all five riding titles in the Southern California racing schedule is a rare feat. He also had more wins, places, and shows than “Go-Go.” Every meet that Bejarano and Gomez rode against each other, “Raffy” came out on top. Though Gomez had more earnings, I can’t help but feel that the bias towards Breeders’ Cup winners propelled Gomez to such a runaway win, especially from the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) voting bloc, which includes Breeders’ Cup Ltd. He won four out of 14 races and the Shoemaker Award for outstanding jockey of the event.

For a different look at the Eclipse Awards, I recommend Ray Paulick’s live blog.

-Marcie Heacox

Just when you thought you had escaped all of the election hullabaloo, the real horse race begins.

In this off time of year between the Breeders’ Cup and Kentucky Derby preps, perhaps the most exciting and lasting topic is the battle for the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year.

Three horses – Big Brown, Curlin, and Zenyatta – have emerged as the no-brainer finalists, but it has come down to the latter two.

Curlin is the incumbent as the 2007 Horse of the Year, and his challenger is the undefeated filly Zenyatta.

This weekend the race for voters reaches its crescendo.

The Zenyatta camp is taking a grassroots approach, handing out signed posters and throwing a parade at Hollywood Park, in her home state of California.

Curlin is bringing his battle to the swing state of Kentucky, making a second special appearance at Churchill Downs.

The polls show a virtual neck and neck tie between the two, with writers and fans alike splitting the vote.

With the bank and possible auto industry bailouts, many are concerned that Curlin may use his more than $10 million in earnings to bail another group - his former co-owners, who donated thousands of dollars to his primary campaign.

Zenyatta’s weakness is her lack of foreign policy experience. Six of her seven starts in 2008 have been in California, with a brief yet successful foray in Arkansas. The Zenyatta camp has tried to remedy this by choosing European Horse of the Year Zarkava as her vice presidential running mate, but political action committees have been running vicious attack ads calling Zarkava a “cheese-eating surrender monkey”.

Big Brown is the third-party candidate, but his health is a major concern. With multiple hoof injuries, voters are worried how the “lame duck” will hold up to the rigors of the Horse of the Year title.

WHO GETS YOUR VOTE, AND WHY?

Note: This entry is meant in jest.

-by Marcie Heacox

Santa Anita was, well…Santa Anita.

Beautiful mountains, beautiful foliage, beautiful architecture, and, of course, beautiful horses. There were quite a few beautiful people, too.

The facility has many nooks and crannies able to handle a Breeders’ Cup-size crowd. Betting lines were short, for the most part, though food shortages became a problem at several eating outlets.

The litter of losing tickets is a pest tracks will likely never be rid of, but extra employees were on hand to pick them up during the races.

On Friday and especially Saturday, the paddock was a colorful mass of unmoving human bodies with the occasional horse head or two poking up into the camera’s field of vision. The crowded conditions were not aided by the Breeders’ Cup blockade on the top steps of the saddling barn.

As horses returned after each Breeders’ Cup race, a solid wall of photographers would fan out perpendicular to the rail to get shots of the winners and losers as they galloped and trotted back to be unsaddled.

For many fans, the highlight of both days was Zenyatta’s win in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (formerly known as the Distaff). She remained undefeated in nine career starts, seven in 2008.

On Saturday, 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin was cheered throughout his time in front of the public. Fans claimed their spots in the paddock and garden areas to catch a glimpse of him, before the Breeders’ Cup Turf was even run. Turf winner Conduit was forced to step off the path back to the receiving barn and circle in a small grassy area as fans lined the path the Classic contenders took to the walking ring. It seemed that race was forgotten as soon as it was “Curlin time.”

Approaching the Classic, very few spots remained on the entire outside track rail, from the tip of the Clubhouse to the top of the stretch entering the stable area.

As Curlin jogged in the post parade with his faithful pony friend Pancho, the crowd let out a roar, section by section. As he made his move for the lead in the final turn of the race, adrenaline levels spiked.

Unfortunately, Curlin was not able to sustain his rally, with European turf milers Raven’s Pass and Henrythenavigator, and locally-based Tiago passing him before the end.

Pin-drop.

In the post-race trophy presentations, the area surrounding the winners’ circle was full with fans and paparazzi hoping to get a view of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor Kurt Russell, and the effervescent Italian jockey Frankie Dettori. Likely the most well-known jockey in the world, Dettori always puts on a show with his famous flying dismounts and general enthusiasm. A group of English fans happily sang his theme song.

As expected, traffic was slow exiting the track. It is unavoidable with such a large mass of people in an already crowded area.

There was much to reminisce on while sitting bumper-to-bumper. The overall event went well, with memorable performances and few problems. There were likely many people who instantly blamed the synthetic Pro-Ride surface for Curlin’s loss and some of the Europeans’ victories. Many of those same people probably had their mind set before the races were even run.

Betting handle, attendance, and TV ratings were up compared to the 2007 Breeders’ Cup at Monmouth Park.

The biggest boast, though, is that no horses were injured. The Pro-Ride and turf tracks played fast, and SAFE. The headlines in the news the next days were not accompanied by a gruesome photo and indictment of the sport, but a celebration of horse racing at its best.

It was a great championship weekend at “The Great Race Place,” and it’s all coming back next year.

-Marcie Heacox

The morning hangout, Clocker’s Corner, is full of horsemen and fans alike. Television crews have horse spotters bantering back and forth by walkie-talkie. The wait for a breakfast burrito at the Clocker’s Corner to-go counter is half an hour. Santa Anita Park is spruced up with new flowers, paint, boards, drainage grates, parking lines, temporary seats and tents - whathaveyou. A classic prancing horse statue has greeted visitors to the paddock gardens throughout the meet, and, most obvious of all, the color purple is unavoidable.

Purple signs, banners, flowers, saddling numbers, jackets, credential cards, hats, saddlecloths…We are lucky they did not paint the Seabiscuit statue purple.

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships, of which purple is the official color, are already at Santa Anita Park in full force. At the end of each October, one lucky track gets to host the largest gathering of star horses, jockeys, trainers, owners, etc. in the entire year. Oak Tree at Santa Anita has the honor of hosting two consecutive Breeders’ Cups (2008 and 2009), and the first synthetic surface Cup. There are also several new races this year, expanded from 11 to 14.

Though Big Brown is out, 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, the sensational Zenyatta, and many other domestic and foreign stars will race this Friday and Saturday to determine year-end titles in each division.

Visit this address for daily workout and schooling photos leading up to the big days.

Visit http://www.breederscup.com/ for event info.

Seven grade 1 races were run over the weekend at Oak Tree at Santa Anita as final preps for the Breeders’ Cup on October 24 and 25. Six were on Saturday.

Red Giant and Wait A While swept Saturday’s turf stakes for trainer Todd Pletcher. In the Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship S. (Gr. I), Red Giant held off Out of Control and set a NEW WORLD RECORD of 1:57:16 (aided by a fast pace and a section of downhill running). Wait A While, who held off a sustained challenge from Vacare, won the Yellow Ribbon S. (Gr. I) for the second time. She also won in 2006 when she was named the Eclipse Award winner for Champion 3-year-old Filly. Jockey John Velasquez got his 3,999th career win. With a great record on firm turf, Wait A While should be a formidable foe in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (Gr. I).

Cost of Freedom, a recent $50,000 claim by John Sadler, won his first graded stakes race in the Ancient Title S. (Gr. I), with a fast final time of 1:07.53. He held off favored Street Boss, whose breeding rights were recently sold to Darley. (Speaking of $50,000 Cal-bred claimers…recently-retired fan favorite LAVA MAN is to parade before fans on Breeders’ Cup Saturday. See the last part of this video).

Stardom Bound, a beautiful filly from the first crop of sire Tapit, won the Oak Leaf S. (Gr. I) as the favorite, bucking concerns over an earlier kick from a pony. Much like Zenyatta, she bided her time at the back of the pack and mowed them down near the end with a walloping stride. In fact, jockey Mike Smith, who also rides Zenyatta, called her his “baby Zenyatta.” Though physically very narrow, Stardom Bound has a very strong stride and should be the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (Gr. I).

The horse who got the loudest rouse from the crowd was Zenyatta. Though she may not receive the publicity of a Triple Crown colt or Horse of the Year (ala Big Brown and Curlin), racing fans know she is just as special. In the paddock for the Lady’s Secret S. (Gr. I), Zenyatta kept stretching her legs straight out forward, as if trying to paw the ground. In the post parade, she continued doing that and mixed in other odd hops, skips, and jumps. She exhibited some of the same behavior before her lackluster win in the Vanity (Gr. I) at Hollywood Park. Once they broke from the gate, however, she got back to her effortless style of running and made it look all too easy, as he is wont to do. In the tiny, four-horse field, many thought that talented frontrunner Hystericalady had a chance to wire the race on the lead, but jockey Mike Smith kept Zenyatta close and when they came into the stretch it was clear that Zenyatta was just too good to be beat. John Shirreffs is the winning trainer, and Jerry and Ann Moss are the winning owners.

Well Armed won the highlighted stakes of the day, the $500,000 Goodwood S. (Gr. I). Defending champion Tiago was second, and Albertus Maximus was third. Owners Bill and Susan Casner of Winstar Farms, LLC were on hand in the winners’ circle. They will now have two sons of Tiznow with a strong chance in the Breeders’ Cup, the other being 3-year-old Colonel John.

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On Sunday, Street Hero won the Norfolk S. (Gr. I) for breeder, owner, and trainer Myung Kwon Cho, who has only five horses in his barn. Street Hero held off horses from heavy hitters such as Bob Baffert (Midshipman, second, and Del Conte, fourth), Todd Pletcher (Silent Valor, fifth), and Doug O’Neill (Azul Leon, sixth, and Liturgical, ninth). Cho said, “This is the best day of my life…This is my biggest win, and I’ve been training around 17 years.” It could be the best weekend of his life. Saturday, his filly Palacio de Amor ran second in the Oak Leaf (Gr. I).

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John Velasquez was approaching 4,000 career wins on Saturday, but did not reach the milestone until his return to Belmont on Sunday. Garrett Gomez, however, scored his 3,000th career victory on Sunday in the Oak Tree Mile (Gr. II) aboard Hyperbaric.

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The on-track attendance for Saturday was a disappointing 17,789. Belmont Park, which hosted five grade 1’s on the same day, had about half as many attend on a wet and muddy day to see Curlin break the North American earnings record. Also at Oak Tree on Saturday, the guaranteed $1 million Pick Six pool did not reach its mark. The weather was very hot and dry, but is it the main excuse? The six grade 1 races held at Oak Tree on Saturday was a North American record for a non-Breeders’ Cup day. Considering the star power and increased importance of the preps with Santa Anita as the 2008 and 2009 host site for the Breeders’ Cup, it is a surprise that there weren’t more attendees. Also, the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Day’s low cost of attendance and giveaway made it enticing when compared side-by-side with the Breeders’ Cup itself.

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As the Daily Racing Form reported, the new Pro-Ride surface is having heat issues. The first five days of the Oak Tree meeting have been unusually hot. According to several different assistant starters, the track temperature was 180 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday, opening day, and 145 degrees on Saturday. Let’s hope that the horses don’t feel this through the outer keratin layers of their hooves, and the rubber soles on humans’ shoes don’t start melting!

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The King has entered the building. 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin has arrived on Santa Anita grounds to train over the surface in advance of a possible showdown with Big Brown in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (Gr. I). On Saturday he set a new North American earnings record of $10,246,800 by winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Gr. I) at Belmont Park in New York. Wednesday will be the first day he is likely to hit the Pro-Ride track, the object of his trainer and owner’s concern.

For each foreign prospect for this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita it seems there is an American star that is not showing up. In a disappointing trend, east-coast trainers are not willing or leery of sending their top horses because of uncertainty over the new Pro-Ride synthetic surface that will be installed at Santa Anita.

Kentucky Oaks (Gr. I) winner Proud Spell will not come, as announced by her trainer Larry Jones after her victory in the Alabama Stakes (Gr. I) on Saturday. Steve Haskin writes that by “defeating Music Note by a head after a stirring stretch duel, Proud Spell now can earn an Eclipse Award without having to go to the Breeders’ Cup, which is what Jones had been hoping to achieve.” Proud Spell’s win puts her even with Music Note in number of grade 1 wins this year, and they have taken turns beating each other. Proud Spell also has two grade 2 wins, but if Music Note can win a couple more grade 1’s this year, including the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, she could very easily be voted champion three-year-old filly over Proud Spell. Jones says, “I just can’t see them settling it on an artificial surface and using [the Breeders’ Cup] as the one-race measure.” The Breeders’ Cup has become increasingly important as a voting measure, with several European horses being named turf champion off of only that one North American race. It would be hasty for Eclipse Award voters to suddenly decide that the Breeders’ Cup isn’t important, simply because the main track surface is different than in the past. Dirt surfaces can be very different as well. Until we see how the new Pro-Ride surface plays at the beginning of the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meet, nothing can be concluded.

The elephant missing from the room is 2007 Horse of the Year and 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Curlin. Owner Jess Jackson has been in the news the past week offering challenges to race Big Brown at various east coast dirt venues, but Big Brown’s connections already have a plan laid out and it includes the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Curlin is highly unlikely to show for North America’s richest race. If Jackson was brave enough to consider Europe’s top race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe over turf, Pro-Ride is not that far of a stretch. He should be applauded for trying new things, but it would be nice if he didn’t stop at two surfaces.

Pyro, an early sensation on the Triple Crown trail this year, has already been ruled out of any start over a synthetic surface because of his miserable failure on Keeneland’s Polytrack in the Bluegrass Stakes (Gr. I). He is trained by Steve Asmussen, the same trainer as Curlin.

Trainers Nick Zito and Bobby Frankel are both noncommital with their star horses. The details are in this Daily Racing Form article. Zito is reluctant to send Commentator for the Classic. Whether or not 2007 Distaff champion Ginger Punch runs is up to Frankel, who leaves some hope by saying, “But if she’s all right I’m probably going to run. You’ve got to try.”

Remember, not all synthetics are the same. Some generalize and call all synthetics “Poly”, but it is incorrect to group them all as one under a commercial name. Polytrack is considered by many to be closer to turf than dirt, but Cushion Track and the Pro-Ride mix at Santa Anita have been fair and have seen many of the same dirt stars win. Now that Del Mar has begun watering their track, it is not as slow and tiring as in 2007, and horses can win from anywhere in the field. The pure Pro-Ride is still waiting to be unveiled, but if it is similar to the mix that was in place at the last Santa Anita meet, it should be fast, fair, and SAFE.

Four weeks are now passed since the build up to the Triple Crown collapse of Big Brown and if anything has come out of that, we know that horses are not machines and have the propensity to throw a “Clunker” sometimes.  The good news there is that Big Brown is training well and is being pointed for the Haskell Invitational in early August.  Just a little historical note, there was a Triple Crown hopeful in 2002 that ran poorly in the Belmont named War Emblem that made this same move and…won the Haskell in his next start.

But frankly, in light of the recent retirement of Southern California “Star” Heatseeker and the fact that Lava Man seems to be just a step slower than last year, we DO have Curlin as a national star.  2007 Horse of the Year, Curlin is undefeated so far this year, capturing the Jaguar Trophy, The Dubai World Cup, and the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill.

This morning, Curlin worked 7 Furlongs on the Turf at Churchill Downs, an effort that allowed his connections to see how he feels on the Turf.  There has been talk that the Prix l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse in France is the end goal for the year (NOT THE BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC AT OAK TREE).  Curlin’s next start then may be on turf with the Arlington Handicap at Arlington Park or the Man ‘O War at Belmont Park as two possibilities for the turf debut.  In discussing his charge’s next start, trainer Steve Asmussen said,

“We have to see if he can compete at the same level—a nice work is not a graded stake.  If he can compete at his level on the turf and we get the race that we expect, we will map out how to win the Arc with him.”

Both the Man ‘O War and The Arlington Handicap are July 12 so in two weeks we may see Curlin, our latest hero, run.

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On Monday, May 26, 2008, the 9 yo gelding, Perfect Drift will make his seasonal debut in the Shoemaker Mile at Hollywood Park.  I can remember watching this horse run in the 2002 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont.  And similar to the great John Henry, Perfect Drift continues to race competitvely at a ripe old age.

So there are two important points here.  First, the geldings in our business allow us to watch and cheer and develop a following since they will have no value in the breeding shed.   It was great that the connections of Curln decided to race him at four but we are already getting prepped that this year will be it for him and also for the rising star, Big Brown. Second, perhaps we are gelding the wrong horses!  Could Perfect Drift have replicated his soundness that allows him to be considered for a Grade 1 as a nine-year-old? 

Brilliant speed and precocity sell horses.  Perfect Drift was good enough to get to the Derby at 3 but really didn’t blossom until he was an older handicap horse.  Thus he is not the model horse that breeders and consignors look for. Perhaps he was able to overcome his rivals at a later stage of life because they were also late bloomers without brilliant speed.  Or perhaps he progressed at a slower rate, staying sound, and reaching the peak performance level at 4, 5 and 6.