RACHEL ALEXANDRA AWARDED ECLIPSE HORSE OF THE YEAR

Rachel Alexandra
(Photo : Science Blogs)

39th ECLIPSE AWARDS

Neither Zenyatta nor Rachel Alexandra were defeated on the racetrack in 2009 but last night at the annual Eclipse Awards staged at the prestigious Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, it was left to the ballot to deliver a decisive “Horse Of The Year” victory… 130 votes to 99… in favour of Rachel Alexandra over Zenyatta.

With the news that Zenyatta will remain in training for 2010, could we expect her to avenge this defeat in a mammoth racetrack showdown between filly and mare?

2009 ECLIPSE AWARD WINNERS

Horse Of The Year	RACHEL ALEXANDRA
Two-Year-Old-Male	LOOKIN AT LUCKY
Two-Year-Old-Filly	SHE BE WILD
Three-Year-Old-Male	SUMMER BIRD
Three-Year-Old-Filly	RACHEL ALEXANDRA
Older Male	GIO PONTI
Older Female	ZENYATTA
Female Sprinter	INFORMED DECISION
Male Sprinter	KODIAK KOWBOY
Male Turf Horse	GIO PONTI
Female Turf Horse	GOLDIKOVA
Steeplechase Horse	MIXED UP
Owner	GODOLPHIN RACING
Breeder	JUDDMONTE FARMS
Jockey	JULIEN LEPAROUX
Apprentice Jockey	CHRISTIAN SANTIAGO REYES
Trainer	STEVE ASMUSSEN

BOBBY FRANKEL : ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREATS

Bobby Frankel and Ginger Punch
(Photo : The Florida Horse/Slam)

OF BOBBY FRANKEL, HAPPY AND GINGER PUNCH

Few people in South Africa will know the late Bobby Frankel, but Americans will tell you, he was one of the all-time greats, and a rare inductee to their Hall of Fame, as a fabled trainer.

He passed away recently, and Mike Rogers (whom we deal with for Champion U.S. Breeders, Adena Springs and their founder, Frank Stronach) posted this piece on a man who clearly understood his priorities.

Leading up to the 2007 Breeders’ Cup at Monmouth Park, all of us in the Stronach Stable camp were excited at the prospect of Ginger Punch’s participation in the Ladies’ Classic. Five days out, I received a call from Bobby Frankel. In typical Bobby fashion, there was minimal small talk before he cut to the chase. He informed me that he would be unable to attend the Breeders’ Cup, going into detail regarding his dog Happy’s unfortunate medical condition and his decision to remain in California with her. My initial reaction was a simple “really?” Bobby asked me to respectfully relay the information to Mr. and Mrs. Stronach. I assured him that I would pass along the circumstances surrounding his decision to Frank and Frieda.

I immediately called Frank and relayed Bobby’s message. Frank’s response was identical to my own: “really?” Frank then requested that I get Bobby on the line so he could speak to him directly. I was apprehensive - my gut reaction was that the conversation would not go over very well with either of them.

I reached Bobby and told him that I had Frank on the line. It was easy to sense Bobby’s own apprehension with his simple, “Hi, Frank.” Following a pregnant pause, Frank said in the most caring voice, “Bobby, how’s your dog?” I gave a strong sigh of relief, and I’m certain Bobby did as well. Bobby went on to explain that his dog was not doing very well, and he was uncomfortable leaving her in California. After the two of them talked about Happy, Frank asked Bobby how Ginger Punch was doing. Bobby replied that she was ready to run the race of her life, and there was nothing more he could do for her. Frank finished the call, saying, AOK Bobby, you look after Happy and we’ll look after Ginger.”

I will always remember the feeling I had when I hung up after listening to two immensely successful, yet very misunderstood men. They each managed to show great respect for what was important to the other man.

Ginger Punch went on to run exactly as Bobby predicted. Her Breeders’ Cup victory was her crowning achievement and ultimately led to a coveted Eclipse Award. Happy lived a little while longer with Bobby close to her side, but ultimately succumbed to her illness. Bobby eventually acquired two new dogs. His choice of names was a very fitting tribute to one of the many champions that he trained during his remarkable Hall of Fame career: Ginger and Punch.

We will all miss him.

Mike Rogers

THE DEBATE RAGES : US HORSE OF THE YEAR

The Rachel Alexandra vs Zenyatta Debate
(Photo : Beat/Sporting Life/Dopacetic)

RACHEL ALEXANDRA vs ZENYATTA

It must be decades since the judges were faced with such a dilemma. The remarkable sweep-it-all-before-you 3-year-old filly, Rachel Alexandra, or the unbeaten (14 from 14) giant-killing Zenyatta. Who said the fillies are at a disadvantage? Here are a few views :

Barry Weisbord on Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra :
The sport of Thoroughbred racing takes a lot of criticism, much of it justified. While other sports crown their champions in a year-ending, on-the-field contest that is above debate, or announces their weekly rankings through an easy-to-follow and inarguable points system, racing relies upon a controversial and antiquated system of opinion polling among certain segments of the industry and routinely draws fire from both inside and outside the sport for doing so. I am talking, of course, about the annual vote for divisional champions and Horse of the Year. The controversy started before Zenyatta had even returned to the winner’s enclosure, with ESPN commentators giving their own opinions on who the winner should be, and polling the winning connections as to what they thought.

We do so many things wrong in racing. Wouldn’t it be great if we finally got this one right? Racing should give both of this year’s female stars “Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra” the lasting honor they each deserve by naming them each Horse of the Year.

Who was better? It is unfair to make people inside and outside of the industry make that choice. An ontrack meeting could have settled the issue. But without that meeting, it’s impossible to say.

Didn’t they both do everything they were asked to do every time they stepped onto the track? Are we really doing this filly, this mare - and their connections - justice by entering into a debate as to who was more successful, and choosing just one of them? The issue, really, is: where would our sport have been this year without either one of them?

Let’s stage a meaningful Eclipse Award night that honors them both.

This time, racing needs to get it right. They have called this the Year of the Girl in horse racing. Let’s do the right thing and make it the Year of the Girls.

Bob Baffert on Zenyatta :
“Amazing. Amazing. She’s as good as it gets. And the way the grandstand erupted, I couldn’t believe it. Everyone was cheering. Nobody wanted to leave. She made us feel good. She made us all feel good. It’s got to be the greatest moment in Breeders’ Cup history.”

Chip Woolley on Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra :
“They are both great, great, great individuals. Both of them have done things that are pretty much unprecedented in racing. It’s tough to separate them in a way, but Zenyatta’s race? The fans were truly blessed to be here to see the effort she put out and to see a race like that. At the same time, the fans have been blessed all year watching Rachel Alexandra perform, with running with the boys, traveling all over the country and running huge. She’s 8 for 8… she beat the boys three times. She’s done it all - run in the slop and on good racetracks. She did whatever was asked of her. She showed up, she beat the fillies by unprecedented margins; she beat the boys handily most of the time. It’s been a great year to watch the both of them.”

Richard Mandella on Zenyatta :
“How about Zenyatta? Isn’t she something? What a wonderful, wonderful thing she is for racing. We had a very good day of racing here before her, but her big finish took it from very good to great. She is so special. And I want to salute John Shirreffs for the training he did. We might have seen one of the great training jobs of all time there. I take off my cap to him. John and I have our differences over the politics of synthetic tracks [Mandella in favor, Shirreffs against], but when it comes to horsemanship, I’m with him all the way. He is very, very good at what he does, and he did an exceptional job with that mare. She’s a good thing for racing, and he is to be saluted for what he did.”

Paco Gonzalez on Zenyatta’s Classic win :
“I hope this will be a big shot in the arm for racing, what we need for the sport. That mare is a real racehorse. It was a wonderful thing the owners did. The people were so happy. It was a very big crowd, like the old days. People will always come to see good horses.”

Extracts from Thoroughbred Daily News

ALICE CHANDLER HONOURED WITH ECLIPSE AWARD

Alice Chandler
(Kentucky)

Alice Chandler, owner of Mill Ridge Farm, will receive an Eclipse Award of Merit for her lifetime achievements in horse racing at the 38th Eclipse Awards ceremony to be held at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach on 26 January 2009.

Alice Chandler, who is the daughter of Keeneland Association co-founder Hal Price Headley, established Mill Ridge Farm with just four mares following the death of her father in 1962. The Thoroughbred Daily News writes that one of those mares, Attica, produced the Sir Gaylord colt Sir Ivor in 1965, which was acquired by Arthur “Bull” Hancock on behalf of Raymond Guest for $42,000 as a yearling at Keeneland July in 1966. Sir Ivor went on to claim the Epsom Derby in 1968 as well as Horse of the Year in England. “Sir Ivor’s influence provided a major turning point in opening up the American market to the European market,” said Keeneland’s President and CEO Nick Nicholson. “It convinced foreign buyers that North American pedigrees could be adapted to European training methods and win Classic races.”

Since Sir Ivor, Mill Ridge Farm has bred, raced or sold the likes of 2001 Horse of the Year Point Given, 2005 Kentucky Derby hero Giacomo and Breeders’ Cup winners Artie Schiller, Sweet Catomine, Round Pond, Spain and Johar. Alice Chandler has been involved with many equine organizations including serving as chairman of the University of Kentucky Equine Research Foundation, as president of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, as a director of the Breeders’ Cup, Keeneland Association, Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association; and as a member of the Equine Drug Council and the Gluck Research Center.

She believes that it has been important for her to take an active leadership role in these important programmes and organizations.

“My father was a great man. He had five daughters before his first son. Horses have been my life. When I was eight-years-old, I rode my pony, Pal, from the farm up to Keeneland. It’s been a natural for me.”

“I am just thrilled to be honored with the Eclipse Award,” said Alice Chandler. “I have had a wonderful life with Thoroughbreds.”

ROBBY ALBARADO and CURLIN Ready for Dubai World Cup

Robby Albarado and Curlin (Sarah Andrew) Jockey Robby Albarado set out to achieve certain objectives when he made a decision to take up Thoroughbred racing at the age of 17. Win a Triple Crown race - check. Win a Breeders’ Cup race - check. And now, to win the G1 Dubai World Cup. Well, that race isn’t in the bag just yet, but the Louisiana native, who now calls Louisville home, will look to fulfill that dream this coming weekend when he pilots Horse of the Year Curlin (Smart Strike) in the $6-million centerpiece of a $21-million program.

Courtesy of Curlin, Robby Albarado soared to new heights in 2007, finishing second to Garrett Gomez in earnings with nearly $19.4 million and earning a spot on the Eclipse Award ballot.

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News