Posts Tagged ‘bertram firestone’
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
By Ray Paulick
Eclipse Award voters can be unpredictable when it comes to the outstanding owner category. Since there is no definition for the awards, voters can choose between owners whose stables were deep in talent, winning major races throughout the year; those who piled up wins and purses in lower level races with massive operations; or endearing owners with one big horse.
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Klein in the 1980s, Allen Paulson in the 1990s, and Juddmonte Farms in the current decade represent the stables that competed at the top level with multiple stakes horses. Dan Lasater in the 1970s, John Franks in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and Richard Englander and Mike Gill since 2000 were voted Eclipse Awards by winning a bundle of money and races. Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Firestone (Genuine Risk, 1980), Dotsam Stable (John Henry, 1981), Francis Genter (Unbridled, 1990), Carolyn Hine (Skip Away, 1997), and Lael Stables (Barbaro, 2006) picked up Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner by virtue of one big horse.
The finalists for outstanding owner of 2009 represent two of those three types of stables. Godolphin and Juddmonte were among the leaders in American Graded Stakes victories, while Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss raced Horse of the Year finalist Zenyatta (they also campaigned a Grade 2 and Grade 3 winner).
It’s interesting that the Mosses were finalists as the owners of Zenyatta, but not making the top three in balloting was Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stable, which owns Zenyatta’s chief rival in Horse of the Year voting, Rachel Alexandra, in partnership with Harold McCormick.
Does that suggest Zenyatta is favored to win Horse of the Year over Rachel Alexandra? I don’t think so. In my opinion, the Mosses are more popular among voters than Jackson, who thumbed his nose at the Breeders’ Cup because it was run on a synthetic track at Santa Anita Park. Zenyatta not only ran in the Breeders’ Cup (admittedly it was at her home track), but took on colts in the Classic and became the first filly or mare to win that race. Earlier in the year, however, Jackson took some calculated risks with his star 3-year-old filly, running her against colts on three occasions, including the Woodward against older horses in her eighth and final start of the year.
Voters failed to make Jackson a finalist in 2007 or 2008, either, when Curlin was voted Horse of the Year. Do I see a trend here?
Interestingly, Dolphus Morrison, the breeder of Rachel Alexandra, is a finalist in the outstanding breeder category (along with Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs and Juddmonte Farms), despite her being the only American Graded Stakes winner of 2009 that he bred.
I make Rachel Alexandra a slight favorite to win Horse of the Year over Zenyatta.
Based on numbers, Godolphin should be favored to win the outstanding owner Eclipse. Sheikh Mohammed has won one previous outstanding owner award in 2006, sharing it with Lael Stables after they each received 110 votes.
Of course, I would have made IEAH the favorite to win the 2008 outstanding owner Eclipse Award, but Stronach Stable won by a single vote even though IEAH far outpaced Stronach in American Graded Stakes wins.
Godolphin was represented by nine American Graded Stakes winners of 2009, including six Grade 1 winners. Juddmonte had four American Graded Stakes winners, three of which won Grade 1 events. Juddmonte far outpaced Godolphin by money won ($6,525,818 to $3,768,896), finishing second in the money standings behind Mike Gill, who operates a large claiming stable. Juddmonte had 116 starters in 2009 compared with 67 for Godolphin. Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley Stable earned $4,977,513 in purses from 343 starts, so the combination of Godolphin and Darley won $8.7 million.
There is a scenario for the Mosses to win as outstanding owner. Perhaps the voters who cast their ballot for the owner who had the best year winning big races will be divided between Godolphin and Juddmonte. Those who in the past have supported the owners of one big horse may align themselves behind the Mosses.
Stranger things have happened.
Tags: allen paulson, American Graded Stakes Standings, Barbaro, bertram firestone, Carolyn Hine, Curlin, Dotsam Stable, eclipse award, Eugene Klein, Francis Gentner, genuine risk, godolphin racing, harold mccormick, Jerry S. Moss, jess jackson, John Franks, John Henry, Juddmonte Farms, Keeneland, lael stables, mike gill, Paulick Report, Rachel Alexandra, Ray Paulick, Richard Englander, Skip Away, Stonerside Stable, Unbridled, zenyatta
Posted in Rachel Alexandra, eclipse awards, zenyatta | 7 Comments »
Saturday, August 9th, 2008
By Ray Paulick
Spirit One took the early lead when Einstein broke poorly, then led all the way to win the Arlington Million under jockey Ioritz Mendizabal, holding off favored Archipenko to by three-quarters of a length, with Mount Nelson third, giving Europeans a sweep of the top three positions in the $1-million race.
Spirit One, owned and bred in France by Kamel Chehboub, is a 4-year-old by Anabaa Blue. He is trained by veteran Philippe Demercastel, and was making his first career start outside of France. The Million was his fifth win from 18 starts.The win gives Spirit One an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf because the Million is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge "Win and You’re In" race, but Chehboub would have to pay a supplement ary fee to get his horse into the race. He would not commit to supplementing in a post-race interview on ESPN.
Time of the race for 1 1/4 miles on firm turf was 2:02.17 after fractions of :24.66, :48.57, 1:12.40 and 1:37.40. Spirit One paid $29.40 for the win on a $2 bet.
Archipenko might have been the best horse in the MIllion, but he was pinned down on the inside for most of the stretch run and unable to get free until late under jockey Kevin Shea.
Following the top three across the finish were Silverfoot, Einstein, Stream Cat and Cloudy’s Knight.
EARLIER IN THE DAY, Robert Scarborough’s French-bred Mauralakana closed down the stretch to win the 1 3/16-mile Beverly D, a Grade 1 race with a $750,000 purse, by 1 ¼ lengths. Communique finished a fast-closing second, with Toque de Queda third and pacesetter dreaming of Anna fourth in the field of nine fillies and mares.
Time of the race was 1:55.18, more than two seconds slower than the track record. Fractions were :24.27, :48.64, 1:12.71, and 1:37.04.
Mauralakana, a 5-year-old by Muhtathir, has been trained by Christophe Clemente since Scarborough bought her out of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale last year for $900,000. Prior to that, Mauralakana was trained by Patrick Biancone, who has been suspended since last fall when investigators found the prohibited painkiller Cobra venom is in barn at Keeneland.
“The Breeders’ Cup is her destiny,” Scarborough told ESPN after the race. Mauralakana finished seventh in the 2006 Filly and Mare Turf, but on the strength of five wins and one second from six starts this year she will be among the favorites for that race in 2008. She came into the Beverly D off three consecutive wins in the Mairzy Doates at Calder in April, the Sheepshead Bay Handicap in May and the New York in June, the latter two races Grade 2 events at Belmont Park. Mauralakana $6.80 on a $2 wager.
MR. AND MRS. BERTRAM FIRESTONE’S WINCHESTER blasted his 3-year-old rivals in the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes, getting a ground-saving ride from Rene Douglas, taking the advantage from pacesetter Tizdejavu just before turning for home, then drawing off to win the Grade 1 race easily by 7 ¼ lengths. The Theatrical colt covered the 1 ¼ miles on firm turf in 2:01.76.
Trained by the globe-trotting Irish conditioner Dermot Weld, Winchester paid $17 for the win, his second in six lifetime starts – all in Ireland. He was coming of a seventh-place finish in the Irish Derby June 29. Another colt making his U.S. debut, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Plan, finished second as the second choice, with favored Tizdejavu hanging on for third after setting fractions of :25.38, :49.64, 1:13.84, and 1:37.39.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
Tags: arlington million, Arlington Park, bertram firestone, beverly d, christophe clemente, dermot weld, Horse Racing, mauralakana, patrick biancone, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, robert scarborough, secretariat stakes, winchester
Posted in Arlington Park | 2 Comments »
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