Watchmaker: La Verdad lacks credentials for Eclipse win

I didn’t vote for every single winner announced at the Eclipse Awards ceremony Saturday evening. I diverged from popular opinion in three of the 17 equine and human categories I was able to vote for, but I don’t have a real gripe about any of Saturday night’s winners, with the exception of La Verdad.

Now, let me stress up front that I have absolutely nothing against La Verdad or her connections. La Verdad did not beat me out of a big pick four or anything like that. And even if she did, I know to put stuff like that aside for what I consider to be the solemn duty of voting for our great sport’s champions. Truth be told, La Verdad was third on my ballot in her category. But I do have something against horses who fail to win even one Grade 1 event over the year walking away with a title, as was the case with La Verdad in the female sprint division.

La Verdad had a terrific 2015. She won three Grade 2 stakes and one Grade 3 and was good from the start of her campaign in April through October. But La Verdad made only one attempt at a Grade 1 event all year, and that was in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. And in that race, Wavell Avenue blew past La Verdad like she was tied to the sixteenth pole to win going away.

It also should be noted that while Wavell Avenue did not sport the body of work in 2015 that La Verdad did, she did face La Verdad twice. Wavell Avenue finished a diminishing half-length behind La Verdad when second in the Gallant Bloom and beat her by almost two lengths in the Breeders’ Cup.

In La Verdad’s defense, there aren’t a lot of Grade 1 events available to older female sprinters. By my count, there are only the Madison, Humana Distaff, and Ballerina, in addition to the BC Filly and Mare Sprint. However, that should make it all the more incumbent on an older female with designs on this divisional championship to win one of those four races, and it should be a mark against her when she does not. Otherwise, why bother with a graded stakes system?

This actually leads to a broader debate over whether a division that offers few Grade 1 opportunities and can be won by a horse who fails to win even one Grade 1 event is worthy of its own Eclipse Award. But that genie can’t – and probably shouldn’t – be put back in the bottle.

** Although it seems like the number of them was down this year, there still were, as always, some completely indefensible Eclipse Award votes from people who apparently don’t have the proper respect for the process. Beyond the obvious silliness like the voter who thought Catch a Glimpse was a better choice for champion 2-year-old filly than Songbird, among the most egregious that jumped out at me were:

Someone somehow thought Curvy’s E. P. Taylor win was better than anything Tepin, Found, and Stephanie’s Kitten had to offer in the female turf division.
The male turf division was a scramble, but how does Chiropractor’s narrow win over straight 3-year-olds in the Hollywood Derby merit a first place vote?

Mongolian Saturday did win the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (in an upset), but I would like to meet the person who thought he was a better choice for champion male sprinter than Runhappy. On second thought, I don’t think I would.

One voter thought Pedro Monterrey Jr. was more worthy of the jockey title than Javier Castellano. I kid you not.

** Speaking of male sprinter, I wish we could see X Y Jet against male sprint champion Runhappy right now because X Y Jet is currently in form so freakish that it’s hard to describe.

X Y Jet’s Sunshine Millions Sprint romp Saturday was his fourth straight victory, and I think it was even better than his 9 1/4-length romp in last month’s Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes. Not only did X Y Jet clear some pretty rapid speed horses Saturday after missing his break, but when he did clear, he went right to a rail on the main track at Gulfstream that was decidedly dead for the third straight racing day. Yet despite running on clearly the worst part of the track, X Y Jet still won by more than four lengths in just a half-second under the track record.

** Mo Tom continues to improve, and his win in the Lecomte was visually impressive. But it was over suspect competition, and I need to see better from him before I consider him a top-tier Derby prospect.

** I’m less reserved about International Star. I really liked his victory in the Louisiana Handicap over the vastly improved Eagle. We just now have to see him run like that at a track other than Fair Grounds.