The Eclipse Awards to be handed out Saturday night at Gulfstream Park are all the same size, and only the statue for Horse of the Year is plated gold. But for argument’s sake, let’s say there are champions, then there are champions. As an exercise in contentious nostalgia, here are one fan’s selections as the all-time greatest in each of the categories since the Eclipse Awards were first presented in 1971.

For those who value local knowledge, there have been six runnings of the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park, with number seven poised for Friday and Saturday. They have had a few things in common – the mountains, forest fires, early post times, Arnold Schwarzenegger – and each Santa Anita version has presented the seven original Breeders’ Cup races, plus a few extras in recent years. All this makes for lively conversation over drinks at Nola’s new Santa Anita clubhouse bar since everyone has got their Santa Anita favorites among those six. These are mine:

ELMONT, N.Y. – Eblouissante, the younger half-sister to champion Zenyatta, worked a solid five furlongs in 1:01.44 on Monday at Belmont Park, and trainer John Shirreffs believes his filly is one work away from a return to the races.

Eblouissante has not raced since winning a first-level allowance event on Jan. 17 at Santa Anita, her second victory in as many starts.

Champion Zenyatta has been confirmed in foal to young Claiborne Farm sire War Front, for what would be her third foal. The 9-year-old Street Cry mare was scanned at 37 days in foal Friday.

Eric Kronfeld, best known for breeding 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta, died May 15 following a battle with cancer. He was 71.

Kronfeld, owner of a New York-based investment company, became involved with the racing industry in 1975 with the purchase of two horses in England. Among his initial successes was Mrs. Penny, a $40,000 yearling purchase who was named champion 2-year-old filly in England in 1979. The following year, she took the 3-year-old filly title after winning the French Oaks.

A full brother to 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta was foaled April 9 at Coolmore's Ashford Stud near Versailles, Ky.

The Street Cry colt is out of the winning Kris S. mare Vertigineux, Kentucky's Broodmare of the Year in 2008. The mare was privately purchased by Coolmore from breeder Eric Kronfeld in the fall of 2008.

"He's a good-quality bay colt, both mare and foal are doing well," Ashford Stud manager Dermot Ryan said.

Champion Zenyatta delivered her second foal, a colt by popular commercial sire Tapit, late the night of Monday, April 1 at Lane's End Farm in Versailles, Ky.

The chestnut colt was foaled at 11:47 p.m. Eastern time. He shares a birthday with his dam, who was foaled April 1, 2004.

The colt, estimated at 145 pounds, was on his feet by 12:18 a.m. and was nursing within the hour, according to information posted on Zenyatta's official website. 

Multiple Grade 1 winner Balance, a half-sister to champion Zenyatta, will be among the mares in Frankel's first book this spring.

According to Headley Bell of Mill Ridge Farm, where Balance is boarded for John and Jerry Amerman, the 10-year-old Thunder Gulch mare safely arrived in Newmarket, England on Jan. 13.

Thoroughbred breeding activity continued its decline in 2012, but there were plenty of happy highlights, starting with what amounted to a pair of royal births.

I have no idea why people talk to me. During telephone conversations I am curt, ill-humored, and interrupt frequently, then hang up without saying thank you or goodbye. On those rare occasions I descend from this ivory tower (executive columnist – never forget that) I engage with racetrackers on the level of a highway patrolman who’s just pulled you over for a bad tail light.