Winners

  • Curlin- He was absolutely the best horse, and in his smashing Classic win, he sewed up Horse of the Year and Three Year Old Champion honors. We thought he was special in the Spring, and he has been ultra consistent all year, never finishing worse than third. It is a shame there isn’t runner up awards though, because Hard Spun is also incredible. We got to see him up close Saturday, and he is one gorgeous animal. Street Sense also was game, and you really can’t hold it against any horse that lost yesterday, because the track was so sloppy. We obviously did not see Street at his best, nor Lawyer Ron. It is ashame that yesterday’s weather determined so many awards, but a champion can and should be able to run on all types of track conditions, and Curlin without a doubt is a deserving Horse of the Year.
  • War Pass- Well, the two year old honors are all sewed up with both favorites, War Pass and Indian Blessing winning their respective races. Can’t wait to see War Pass next year on the Triple Crown path, as he seems to be really something special. Of course, the added distance could always be a problem next year, but for now, we will just enjoy his win.
  • English Channel and Todd Pletcher- So Todd wins one with the forgotten horse. English Channel always gives his all, and certainly gave that and more Saturday. He gave Pletcher his only Breeders Cup win Saturday, and probably will finally win an Eclipse award- maybe even two. He certainly deserves best Turf Horse, but he may even win Older Horse.
  • Octave- Have to hand it to the little grey filly, she is a tough, classy competitor. Though she didn’t win, she was clearly the best three year old filly in the race. If it were not for Rags to Riches, Octave would have a real shot at an Eclipse award. She never finishes off the board, and always tries gamely. To see her up close, makes her even more special, because the other fillies dwarf her. Watching her brings back memories of another great, grey filly who just got better with age; Lady’s Secret.
  • Bobby Frankel- He had faith in Ginger Punch and she rewarded that faith yesterday. She beat a tough group of ladies, in a remarkable stretch run, and just may have earned herself an Eclipse award. Also, have to love Frankel for his devotion to his sick dog. He missed the race because of the dog, and even Ginger’s win couldn’t cheer him up. Gotta love a man, who loves any animal that much.
  • Calvin Borel- Though he didn’t win yesterday, he wins the kindness award. Is there anyone nicer on the track than Borel? He seemed genuinely choked up at the paddock love yesterday, and always had time to stop and talk to the fans and sign autographs. He is a true gift to the sport.
  • Midnight Lute- Everyone said he was a seven furlong specialist, but he proved them all wrong yesterday. Bob Baffert had him ready for six furlongs, and he blew them all away. Baffert had high praise indeed for his Lute, as he put him up in the top five he has ever trained. That is surely, some lofty company, and Lute deserves to be there.
  • Supplementals- Bettors better take notice when a horse is supplemented to the Breeders Cup. All of them ran well yesterday. Kip Deville won the Mile, Excellent Art finished second, Ginger Punch won the Distaff, and Lahudood won the Filly and Mare Turf.
  • Smart Strike and Lane’s End- What a day for this farm and their stallion. His one son wins the three million dollar Turf, and then Curlin takes the five million dollar Classic. This is one sire who will surely be in high demand next year, and rightfully so. Not only are English Channel and Curlin champions, but they have no soundness issues. English Channel retires at five perfectly sound, and today that is a wonderful thing indeed.

Losers

  • ESPN- Not only do their ‘experts’ never pick a winner, but the way they handled George Washington’s death was plain shameful. It was barely a blip on their radar, and they went so far to say at the very end, it was a great day of racing. I am sorry great days don’t include the death of a horse that was to England, what Street Sense and Curlin are to us. They made the decision to gloss over George’s death which is sad because we should treat our vistiors far better than what they got from us.
  • Nashoba’s Key- She didn’t like the soft turf, and may have proved that she really is a one course kind of horse, and that is fast and firm. She ran well, but not well enough to finish top three. Her unbeaten record is broken, and she may have lost an Eclipse award that was hers to lose.
  • Simply Perfect- That is one horse, that ran like she had never been in a race before. She tried to take the lead, and then blew the turn and went wide, almost colliding with the track pony before the jockey finally stopped her and wisely took her out of the race.
  • Danehill- Not a good day to be this sire, as his son George Washington broke down, and his daughter, Simply Perfect ran like a green two year old.
  • Monmouth Park- The biggest day of its life, and the Breeders Cup take falls twenty percent from last year.
  • The Europeans- In many years past, they have come over and done very well in our Cup. This year their best, Dylan Thomas didn’t fire, and the only light of their day was their mare Lahudood. She has been running in the United States since June, however, and proved that you have to be doing that in order to win at the Breeders Cup. Until next year anyway.
  • Aiden O’Brien, Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier- For whatever reason, they decided to enter George Washington in the Classic, even though he didn’t do well last year on dirt, wasn’t doing well at all this year, and never has excelled past a mile. Hard to figure out what they felt was in his favor on this sloppy, nasty track. His jockey also deserves a big thumbs down for not pulling him up earlier, when it was apparent to us watching the race in the stands that he was tired and struggling with the track in the race’s final stages.