Despite the overwhelming popularity of the Triple Crown series, the national racing media continued the trend of rewarding the sport's best older horses over the star 3-year-olds in year-end honors as Saint Liam beat out Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Afleet Alex for the 2005 Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year last night.
Saint Liam, a 5-year-old trained by Richard Dutrow Jr. , won four Grade I races last year -- the Breeders' Cup Classic, Woodward, Stephen Foster Handicap and Santa Anita Handicap -- on his way to earning $4,456,995. Retired after his final race of the year, Saint Liam earned 194 first-place votes in Eclipse balloting by members of the National Turf Writers Association, Daily Racing Form and National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Afleet Alex, whose near fall and recovery at the top of the stretch in the Preakness electrified the racing world, earned the Eclipse as top 3-year-old. Like the even more popular Smarty Jones the year before, however, Afleet Alex was retired before having faced older horses.
In other voting, Ashado won the older female division, her second Eclipse Award. Ashado won three Grade I races for trainer Todd Pletcher last year in her 4-year-old campaign.
For the second straight year, Pletcher, whose horses had nearly $20.3 million in earnings, easily won the Eclipse for best trainer.
Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Stevie Wonderboy , the early favorite to win this year's Kentucky Derby, took honors as best 2-year-old male. Folklore , winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, earned the Eclipse for 2-year-old female.
In the closest balloting, Leroidesanimaux nipped Artie Schiller , 119 to 116, in the male turf division. Artie Schiller defeated Leroidesanimaux by three quarters of a length in the Breeders' Cup Mile, but the latter was compromised that day by a hoof injury. Before the race, Leroidesanimaux was undefeated in three starts.
Three-year-old Lost in the Fog was named top sprinter; Smuggler top 3-year-old female; Saint Liam top older male; Intercontinental top female turf horse; McDynamo top steeplechaser; Michael Gill top owner; and John Velazquez top jockey.
-- John Scheinman - Washington Post
Saint Liam, a 5-year-old trained by Richard Dutrow Jr. , won four Grade I races last year -- the Breeders' Cup Classic, Woodward, Stephen Foster Handicap and Santa Anita Handicap -- on his way to earning $4,456,995. Retired after his final race of the year, Saint Liam earned 194 first-place votes in Eclipse balloting by members of the National Turf Writers Association, Daily Racing Form and National Thoroughbred Racing Association.
Afleet Alex, whose near fall and recovery at the top of the stretch in the Preakness electrified the racing world, earned the Eclipse as top 3-year-old. Like the even more popular Smarty Jones the year before, however, Afleet Alex was retired before having faced older horses.
In other voting, Ashado won the older female division, her second Eclipse Award. Ashado won three Grade I races for trainer Todd Pletcher last year in her 4-year-old campaign.
For the second straight year, Pletcher, whose horses had nearly $20.3 million in earnings, easily won the Eclipse for best trainer.
Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Stevie Wonderboy , the early favorite to win this year's Kentucky Derby, took honors as best 2-year-old male. Folklore , winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, earned the Eclipse for 2-year-old female.
In the closest balloting, Leroidesanimaux nipped Artie Schiller , 119 to 116, in the male turf division. Artie Schiller defeated Leroidesanimaux by three quarters of a length in the Breeders' Cup Mile, but the latter was compromised that day by a hoof injury. Before the race, Leroidesanimaux was undefeated in three starts.
Three-year-old Lost in the Fog was named top sprinter; Smuggler top 3-year-old female; Saint Liam top older male; Intercontinental top female turf horse; McDynamo top steeplechaser; Michael Gill top owner; and John Velazquez top jockey.
-- John Scheinman - Washington Post
