Chad Brown said he’d be wearing his tuxedo, just in case. As a first-time finalist for outstanding trainer, Brown figures it’s best to put a good foot forward Saturday night at Gulfstream Park when the industry convenes for the Eclipse Awards dinner, advertised as black tie optional at $400 a pop.
“It’s not something you set out to do, win an Eclipse Award,” said Brown, 36. “I’m not even sure how the voting works. I don’t know, do I even have a shot?”
In case anyone hasn’t noticed, the Kentucky Derby is upon us. There is a Kentucky Derby future book well under way. Hopeful 3-year-olds from the foal crop of 2012 are busy racking up eligibility points for the 141st running on May 2. Milliners hired by Yum! Brands, the Derby’s corporate sponsor, already are mulling over improvements to last year’s hat designs made from Pizza Hut boxes.
Last Tuesday, two Halls of Fame were in the news. Their approaches to the issue of determining candidates’ worthiness for enshrinement could not have been more different.
The Baseball Hall of Fame announced the election of four new members – Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz – each of whom met the requirement of being named on at least 75 percent of the ballots. Among those who missed the cut were Roger Clemens (37.5 percent) and Barry Bonds (36.8 percent).
Hats off to the 29 horses and 14 individuals who separated themselves from the crowd in 2014 and ended up Eclipse Award finalists, as announced far and wide Wednesday.
At this point, and for purposes of harmless publicity, they all shall be considered equal under the Eclipse Award banner, even though some are certainly more equal than others. If you don’t think so, check out the seating chart for the dinner at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 17.
For a while there on New Year’s Eve, it looked as if Russell Baze would end his 13th championship season on a meek note after a second straight racing day without a winner.
To be fair, it had happened to Baze before, going 50 whole hours without winning a race, although no one could remember exactly when. For more than 20 years, there has been a machine-like quality to the performances of Baze, a numbing reliability that puts him more in the category of a public utility than a cog in a gambling apparatus. Water running? Lights on? Baze in front? Okay, life goes on.
Eclipse Award ballots are due at 2 p.m. Sunday. Here’s how mine looks as of New Year’s Day in the 12 equine categories:
Steeplechaser: 1. Demonstrative; 2. Divine Fortune; 3. Makari. In a division with just six Grade 1 events, Demonstrative won three of them, and Divine Fortune won two. Demonstrative came out on top in three of their five head-to-head meetings. (Just imagine how much better the sport would be if the best of any of the flat-racing divisions squared off so often.)
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and all that New Year’s jazz? Maybe, but for a writer it’s hard to outrun what has been committed to print, digitally or otherwise. And so, in the spirit of mopping up the memorable residue of 2014, here are a few stones this reporter tossed into the communal pool over the past dozen months.
Is there any chance 2015 can be as fascinating as 2014?
The answer obviously will be determined over time, but, given what we know about the top horses that will be running in 2015, the possibility for another phenomenal year is there.
Christmas was not so merry this season for the people closest to the Ireland’s Coolmore breeding operation. Earlier this week they lost High Chaparral, a 15-year-old stallion who was still at the height of his procreative powers.
