Coady Photography

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote that “there are no second acts in American lives,” but Caleb’s Posse certainly proved him wrong in 2011.

Travis Lindquist/Getty Images

It was not until exactly seven days before the Kentucky Derby that Animal Kingdom was signed, sealed, and delivered for the race.

Bob Coglianese

To merely look at Shackleford’s win percentage in 2011 would be missing the point. Fortunately, Eclipse Award voters didn’t miss.

Shigeki Kikkawa

Not every good 2-year-old who raced in Southern California in 2011 resided in Bob Baffert’s barn.

Favorites didn’t exactly perform on cue during the 2011 Breeders’ Cup, winning just four of the 15 races. Only one of the nine favorites came through on Saturday of the two-day BC weekend at Churchill Downs, and that was a gelding named Regally Ready, whose convincing triumph in the $1 million BC Turf Sprint was enough to make him an Eclipse Award finalist in a division normally reserved for dirt runners.

Patrick Lang/Lang Photography

Much like the boy-band Hanson became in 1997 with its improbable hit song MMMBop, the nearly white Thoroughbred Hansen became an overnight sensation with a blowout maiden victory late in the evening of Sept. 9 at Turfway Park.

The colt’s connections hope the horse has more staying power than did the band.

Barbara D. Livingston

In music, Katy Perry sings about the one that got away.

The good ones – the real good ones – have the uncanny knack of revealing themselves early. Such was the case with My Miss Aurelia.

Michael Amoruso

It pays Grace Hall a high compliment that she is an Eclipse Award finalist in the 2-year-old filly division considering that her connections simply wanted to lay the foundation for her to fulfill her considerable potential at 3.

Dynaformer–Fantastic Find, by Mr. Prospector. The bloodlines shout destiny, championship, quality, Eclipse Award even.

But in this category? At this age?