Havre de Grace clearly best horse of 2011
Eclipse Award voters have had it hard the last three years choosing Horse of the Year. Zenyatta always had the resume in yearly competition with Curlin (2008), Rachel Alexandra (2009) and Blame (2010).
In 2011, there were a lot of good horses but none with the greatness shown by an easy choice for Horse of the Year: Havre de Grace.
Havre de Grace dominated her older filly and mare division in winning three Grade 1 stakes. Trainer Larry Jones then had the courage to face males twice in winning the Woodward at Belmont Park and a close-up fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Jones managed Havre de Grace brilliantly in resting her twice during a season divided into three segments. She should have plenty of gas left in the tank for 2012.
My votes in other divisions: Hansen (2-year-old colt or gelding); My Miss Aurelia (2-year-old filly); Animal Kingdom (3-year-old colt or gelding); Royal Delta (3-year-old filly); Drosselmeyer (older male); Havre de Grace (older female); Amazombie (male sprinter); Musical Romance (female sprinter); Cape Blanco (older turf male); Perfect Shirl (older turf female); and Black Jack Blues (steeplechase).
My votes in human categories: Ramon Dominguez (jockey); Bill Mott (trainer); Team Valor (owner); Ryan Curatolo (apprentice jockey); Adena Springs (breeder).
Special Eclipse Awards will be bestowed upon Cot Campbell of Dogwood Stable and Rapid Redux for a record-setting 22-race win streak.
Of note, there were 267 voters for the Eclipse Awards, a solid increase due to the acceptance of broadcast media into the National Turf Writers Association. But 19 people didn’t vote. That bothers me because it is a privilege to vote and should not be taken lightly.
The Eclipse Awards will be Jan. 16 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
■ ECONOMIC INDICATORS — Pari-mutuel wagering in December was up 17.8 percent, the first monthly increase in nearly four years. Multiple tracks showed increases, and I surmise lowering takeout and tweaking the wagering products had something to do with it.
■ MUNOZ MISSED — Popular Orleans race book manager Randi Munoz died last week at age 49. She was well liked and respected by horseplayers. Her legacy will be the Coast handicapping tournaments that provided the blueprint that many others have followed.
■ RAPID REDUX WINS AGAIN — Rapid Redux made it 22 wins in a row Wednesday at Maryland’s Laurel Park. The win coincides with earning an Eclipse Award of Merit. This record might never be broken considering that most thoroughbred horses don’t even start 22 times in a career.
Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick.