The Eclipse Award deadline for voting is Tuesday. But I went all in already, so I will share my vote in each division.
Sports Columns
Most folks look at Jan. 1 as the start of the New Year. In horse racing, our New Year starts Dec. 26 with opening day at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
If you never have seen California Chrome race in person, he will be making his final local start in the Winter Challenge Stakes on Saturday at Los Alamitos.
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club concluded a successful Bing Crosby meet last Sunday. On closing day at any racetrack, all carryover pools must be paid out including the Pick 6.
The Claiming Crown is copied after the Breeders’ Cup, but as the name says, it is for horses that have run in a claiming race.
It must be a sign of greatness when a trainer can win this country’s richest race three years in a row and all anyone can talk about is about is his horse.
Phil Georgeff is in the Guinness Book of World Records for calling 96,131 horse races. The reason the number is so high is he called thoroughbred races in the daytime and harness races at night for many years.
My first two highlights from the Breeders’ Cup on Saturday were the Classic and Distaff. Both races delivered all that we hoped for as far as drama and suspense.
Thirteen Breeders’ Cup races will be run Friday and Saturday with combined purses of $28.5 million. Championships in almost every division will be settled on the track.
Some of the country’s best horse racing minds will be in Las Vegas next week offering Breeders’ Cup advice at free handicapping seminars.
I always found it fascinating that the verbiage in politics refers quite often to horse racing. I was reminded of that again Thursday while watching the presidential debate coverage.
No two days in the sport are bigger than the Breeders’ Cup. My suggestion is make sure you build up a large enough bankroll so you can take some shots at making a nice score.
There are 10 more Grade 1 prep races this weekend at Belmont Park, Keeneland and Santa Anita. The five stakes at Keeneland offer full fields. But the four races at Belmont Park drew six horses each, and only five entered the Santa Anita Sprint Championship.
Over the next two weekends, most of the Breeders’ Cup probables will prep in a major stakes. On Saturday, Santa Anita will offer five Grade 1 preps and Belmont Park three.
Parx Racing offers the $1-million Cotillion and the $1.25-million Pennsylvania Derby on Saturday. A win would go far in deciding who the champion 3-year-olds are this season.
