2012 TURF AWARDS
JANUARY 4, 2013
It might not have the overwrought drama of the fiscal cliff, but the
deadline has come for the sixth annual Reilly Turf Awards.
Rather than have the most notable events (and non-events) of 2012 suffer the
tender mercies of sequestration, I must step up and make the tough decisions for
my offbeat “year in review” piece.
As the Empress/Kaiserin/Tsarina of these awards, I have decreed that a horse
may be honored in only one category. Nearly every category warrants honorees in
three divisions, representing the International (I), domestic Turf (T) and Filly
and Mare Turf (F/M T) scenes, respectively.
The page lengths keep mounting as my entitlements spiral out of control, but
not to worry — I’ll just keep raising my word-count ceiling.
In an overdue reform, links to race videos have been incorporated, for your
viewing pleasure.
So without further pomp and circumstance, the accolades are:
World’s Best Turf Performer: FRANKEL becomes the first two-time winner
On a more serious note, let’s remember how fortunate we were to see him on a
Frankel made a swift recovery, enabling him to make his winning reappearance
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The result was the same. The imperious Frankel bolted up by seven lengths in the 1
5/16-mile prize sponsored by his owner/breeder, the
Juddmonte International, and in his grand finale in the 1 1/4-mile
Champion
Stakes, he dispatched the redoubtable Cirrus des Aigles — on the very boggy
ground that favored his rival. The miserable conditions only served to enhance
Frankel’s stature, and he bowed out a perfect 14-for-14. His entire racing
career was a soul-stirring tribute to two legendary horsemen: the late Bobby
Frankel, his namesake, and Sir Henry Cecil, whose masterful care brought the
best out of this brilliant colt.
Race with the Most Mayhem that Didn’t Involve a Tragedy
I — ORFEVRE threw away his chances in the
Hanshin Daishoten
with an unbelievable display of impetuosity. Then for an added thrill, in part
two of his circus act, the Japanese superstar nearly won despite it all.
T — Once again the two-year-olds in the
Bourbon
Stakes served up an eventful stretch run, with REALLY SHARP swerving
out and causing a wild chain reaction of interference. Thankfully no one’s eye
got put out, but Really Sharp was rightly disqualified for his waywardness. TWO MONTHS RENT had his saddle slip in the
Virginia Derby,
and jockey Julian Pimentel did well to defuse the situation while sitting
upright, 19th-century style.
F/M T — The
Sheepshead Bay
was marred by two different incidents at the start, in the wrong kind of magical
mystery tour. As MYSTICAL STAR popped her
gate open a nanosecond before the actual break, and reared straight up, an
assistant starter restrained her neighbor MAGICAL CAT, thus preventing her from
breaking with the rest of the field. Magical Cat never recovered and was
declared a non-starter. Mystical Star somehow made up a ton of ground to finish
third, but was disqualified and placed last for her pains. The stewards held
that she technically anticipated the start and therefore had to be demoted.
Never mind that she was trailing by many lengths early, hardly making her
gate-crashing an “advantage.”
Most Lethal Surprise I — Even SOLEMIA‘s trainer, Carlos Laffon-Parias, admitted that he was
T — KING DAVID, who had never won outside of claiming company, was
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F/M T — BETTER LUCKY, rated just below the top sophomore turf fillies,
appeared ambitiously spotted when taking on her elders in the
Matriarch.
The Godolphin brain trust and trainer Tom Albertrani knew a lot more than we
armchair observers, however, and the 35-1 chance turned in the performance of
her life.
Most Inspired Ride That Made a Difference I — WAS won only one race in 2012, but it was the
F/M T — Hayley Turner launched a perfectly-timed challenge on I’M A DREAMER in
T — Garrett Gomez made a split-second decision to change plans and let SLIM SHADEY set the pace in the
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Most Frustrating Trip
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F/M T — THE FUGUE, who was nearly brought down in the Oaks at Epsom,
endured sit-and-suffer syndrome in the
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
Once finally finding a glimmer of daylight on the inside, the John Gosden filly
still looked a bit intimidated as she warily drew closer. This was not her
typical virtuoso finish by any means, and we would probably have seen her
best kick if she’d been able to get to the outside.
I — IMPERIAL MONARCH wasn’t the only hard-luck story in a rugby-type of race
in the Prix du Jockey Club (French
Derby), but the way he rallied from his poor position marks him out as
perhaps the unluckiest of the lot. On the other hand, the wasted trip to
Chantilly might have served Coolmore right for swerving the Epsom Derby with
him. Imperial Monarch should have lined up against his vaunted stablemate
Camelot there. One month later, Imperial Monarch had a more enjoyable visit to
France for the
Grand Prix de Paris,
where he made all the running and held on in a messy finish. There it was
MAIN SEQUENCE‘s turn to agonize in traffic before crossing the wire a
maddening fourth. DUNTLE was a victim in the
Matron
Stakes at Leopardstown. First buried in traffic, she did well to muscle her
way out in the stretch and outkicked Chachamaidee to prevail in a photo. But her
hard-earned success was surprisingly taken away by the stewards. Duntle was
disqualified for causing interference with her bold grab for running room,
supposedly inconveniencing Chachamaidee, but it looked like a harsh verdict to
me.
Most Mysterious Fizzle to a Promising Campaign
T — When GET STORMY rolled to his third career Grade 1 title in the
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F/M T — ARUNA capped a strong 2011 with a sneakily-good fifth in the Filly &
Mare Turf, so she promised much going into 2012. That impression was only
confirmed by her victory in the eventful
Sheepshead Bay, but it proved
ephemeral. Aruna’s form tailed off, and she was dispatched to the Niarchos family’s
broodmare band.
Most Tantalizing What-Might-Have Been
I — Europe’s three-year-old colt milers weren’t much to write home about,
perhaps because the best of them never made it back to the racecourse. The
unbeaten HARBOUR WATCH, a smashing two-year-old of 2011, catapulted himself into
early favoritism for the Two Thousand Guineas. But a series of setbacks
prevented him from running at three, and he finally gave up and retired to stud.
Trainer Richard Hannon had compared Harbour Watch to Canford Cliffs, and if he
were anywhere close to that assessment, he could have run the table against his
own age group. DANEDREAM was denied her opportunity for a title defense in the
Arc in a bombshell development: she was marooned when a horse at her Cologne
base came down with swamp fever, causing officials to impose a quarantine. Judging by
how Danedream had previously sluiced through bad ground in Germany, she should
have had no problem with the heavy going on Arc Day, and she might have been
robbed of an epic performance.
T — FAMOUS NAME was a tremendous performer at Leopardstown, where he
won a boatload of stakes over his lengthy career. So I’ve never
understood why he didn’t attempt the Arlington Million, a race that appeared to
suit him well, and might have been his best chance to garner an elusive
Grade/Group 1 title. Given his trustworthy connections — Juddmonte Farms and
Dermot Weld — there must have been a compelling reason why he never made the
trip to Chicago. To my untrained eye from afar, though, it’s difficult to shake the sense
of a missed opportunity for this grand old servant.
F/M T — Although this division doesn’t afford the same level of “what-if”
pain, I have to wonder whether NAHRAIN would have fared better without adding
blinkers for the Breeders’ Cup. She had edged Zagora in their prior meeting in
the
Flower Bowl, albeit in circumstances that did Zagora no favors. Nahrain
might not have repeated that performance in their rematch at Santa Anita in any
event, but the headgear turned out to be a counterproductive move.
Most Crushing Piece of News
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T — Champion older male ACCLAMATION overcame early-season setbacks to score
a dynamic three-peat in the
Charles
Whittingham, and followed up with another successful title defense in the
Eddie Read,
only to take his seven-race win streak to the sidelines. The
California-bred was missing the Breeders’ Cup for the second straight year, but
it was perhaps even more disappointing this time, since he would have raced on
his home course at Santa Anita. Can Acclamation really return from stud duty in
2013, and stay sound enough, to try again? DESERT BLANC was on the upswing for
Chad Brown, as evidenced in the
Manhattan, but was subsequently diagnosed with a tendon injury and retired
to stud.
I — SAONOIS was the story of a lifetime for his unlikely connections
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T — DHAAMER‘s romp in the
Sunset
Handicap was a get-well present personally delivered to trainer Mike
Mitchell, who was attending the races for the first time since undergoing
surgery to remove a brain tumor. Adding to the poignant scene, the winning
jockey was Mitchell’s soon-to-be son-in-law, Julien Leparoux, who was
celebrating his 29th birthday.
F/M T — The filly IRISH MISSION defeated males in the
Breeders’
Stakes in a satisfying result for trainer Mark Frostad. No longer training
for Sam-Son Farm, Frostad saw Irish Mission beat a Sam-Son colt in Aldous Snow.
In a further twist, Irish Mission was herself bred by Sam-Son Farm, but sold for
$375,000 as a yearling. She was also emulating her granddam, 1987 Breeders’
winner Hangin on a Star. KISSABLE connected in the
Waya for incoming Hall of Famers Roger Attfield and John Velazquez, just
four days before their induction at the Saratoga shrine.
Comeback Player of the Year
I — HAY LIST returned from death’s door to give Black Caviar a tussle
in the Lightning
Stakes. With only a barrier trial in the way of a prep, Hay List had not
raced since suffering from a serious leg infection that knocked him out for nine
months. But the top-class sprinter showed that he retained all of his speed and
zest, and he forced Black Caviar to pull out a little something extra to collar
him. Hay List came back to capture the
Newmarket
Handicap under the formidable top weight of 129 pounds before sustaining
further setbacks, including colic and knee surgeries. Now he is building up
toward another comeback for trainer John McNair. In a superb training
performance by Dermot Weld, RITE OF PASSAGE, who had raced only once
since taking the 2010 Ascot Gold Cup, returned from a 17-month layoff to land
the
British
Champions Long Distance Cup. SNOW FAIRY recovered from a severe
tendon injury to win a hot renewal of the
Prix Jean
Romanet, only to test positive for the anti-inflammatory medication that had
failed to clear her system. Yet she stayed sound for one more outstanding race,
besting males in the
Irish
Champion Stakes, before being sidelined with a different setback.
Most Dramatic Improver
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F/M T — Aga Khan castoff SIYOUMA, who was purchased by Robert
Jeffcock primarily for her broodmare potential, paid rapid dividends on the
racecourse. For new trainer Francois Doumen, she placed in the Prix Corrida and
Falmouth before striking top form in the fall with back-to-back wins in the Sun
Chariot and
E.P. Taylor.
I — LORD KANALOA began the year as just a Grade 3-winning sprinter in
Japan, but ended it as one of the world’s absolute best speedsters. Since just
being mugged on the line in the Centaur Stakes, the super-consistent son of King
Kamehameha garnered the Sprinters
Stakes and blew away a competitive field in the
Hong Kong Sprint
by 2 1/2 lengths, one of the bigger margins in recent years. Never worse than
third from 12 career starts, Lord Kanaloa is eligible to make an even bigger
splash in the new year. EUROPA POINT might not be a household name
outside of South Africa, but the Mike de Kock filly catapulted herself into
Highveld Horse of the Year honors in an 18-day timespan. As an Irish-bred, the
daughter of Rock of Gibraltar was six months behind the development curve of her
South African-bred rivals, so de Kock nursed her along through her conditions.
Europa Point responded by going on a tear. Once ready to take on the big guns,
she scored a quick Group 1 double in the Empress
Club over distaffers and the
President’s
Champions Challenge over males, her sixth consecutive victory.
Most Notable Senior Citizens
I — The Hong Kong-based JOY AND FUN was still going strong as a
nine-year-old, winning the
Chairman’s Sprint Prize, placing in both the Centenary Sprint Cup and the Al
Quoz Sprint, and finishing a remarkable fourth in the Hong Kong Sprint in his
first start off a nearly six-month layoff. Australia’s ALCOPOP was
arguably in the form of his life at the age of eight. After two close runner-up
efforts in the Caulfield Stakes and Caulfield Cup, he got up in time in the
Mackinnon,
and concluded 2012 with an honorable third in the Hong Kong Cup. MUFHASA
won his second New Zealand Horse of the Year title for his exploits as a
seven-year-old, including a plunder of Australia’s
Futurity.
Since turning eight on Southern Hemisphere time, Mufhasa has pocketed his 10th
career Group 1 win in the Windsor Park Plate (aka the Horlicks) in September,
and the venerable gelding just collected his 20th career win in the Manawatu
Challenge. The Australian-bred ORTENSIA, a seven-year-old mare by
Northern Hemisphere reckoning, defeated males in the Al Quoz
Sprint and successfully invaded England to take Goodwood’s King George and
the
Nunthorpe.
T — The 10-year-old MUSKETIER outdueled his seven-year-old stablemate
SIMMARD in an all-geriatric finish to the
Singspiel.
Simmard was no slouch himself, having previously won the Mac
Diarmida and
Louisville
Handicap. And the eight-year-old RAHYSTRADA compiled a fine season,
highlighted by his second trophy in the
Arlington Handicap and a dead-heat third in the Arlington Million.
Horses I Kept Getting Wrong
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I — I had the opposite problem evaluating CARLTON HOUSE, whom I
consistently overrated. It wasn’t simply a case of an American groveling at the
feet of a Royal colorbearer; rather, given the talent he displayed at three,
this beautifully-bred son of Street Cry was entitled to develop into a top-class
older horse for Sir Michael Stoute. Carlton House’s smart reappearance in the
Brigadier Gerard raised my hopes still further, but in vain. The move to
Australia could work wonders for him, as for other Europeans who have been a
touch below the best at home. CITYSCAPE was another I fell for too hard.
I was more cautiously optimistic than convinced of him going into the
Dubai Duty
Free, so when he destroyed the field in course-record time, I was certain
that this was just the beginning. Alas, the Juddmonte veteran didn’t win again,
but he did place behind the likes of Wise Dan and Excelebration.
Best Campaign without a Grade/Group 1 Score
I — VERXINA had the misfortune to play the role of Alydar in the 2012
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T — The three-year-old SILVER MAX looked like a Grade 1 horse in the
making during his six-race winning skein, including the
Transylvania,
American Turf,
Arlington Classic, Oliver and
Virginia Derby.
But he was possibly past his peak by the time he tried the Secretariat, and was
well and truly over the top when flopping in the Shadwell Turf Mile.
F/M T — CENTRE COURT was among the elite three-year-old turf fillies,
as evidenced by her victories in the
Regret and
Lake George,
but most emphatically of all in the
Mrs. Revere. Her only Grade 1 tilt was the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup,
where she had no hope of catching a loose-on-the-lead Dayatthespa. But with the
benefit of hindsight, Centre Court might have had a better Grade 1 shot in the
Garden City. After all, Centre Court had beaten the Garden City top two, Samitar
and Somali Lemonade, in their previous meetings.
Good Citizenship Award
I — The New Zealand-based OCEAN PARK, in the frame in 11 of 12 career
starts, won four straight Group 1s during the recently-concluded Southern
Hemisphere Spring — the
Cox Plate,
Caulfield
Stakes,
Underwood Stakes and
Hawkes Bay
(Makfi) Challenge. Ocean Park now has global ambitions, beginning with the
Dubai Duty Free before venturing to Europe. South African Horse of the Year
VARIETY CLUB, sporting a 16-11-3-1 mark, doesn’t know how to run a bad race.
His only two losses of 2012 were commendable seconds early in the year, when
just robbed late in the Queen’s Plate and when outstayed by the classy Jackson
in the 1 1/4-mile Cape Derby. Since then, Variety Club has been unbeatable, with
his highlight reel including the
Gold
Challenge and a smooth score in the Green Point last out.
T — DATA LINK was compromised by poor trips a couple of times, but
when the McGaughey pupil had a sensible passage, he did his best to answer the
call. Along in the final strides to earn his first stakes coup in the
Maker’s 46
Mile, the War Front colt later ran down Get Stormy to set a course record in
the
Monmouth Stakes, finished a game second under top weight in the Bernard
Baruch Handicap, and ended the season on a high note with a 2 1/4-length score
in the
Citation
Handicap.
Most Daring Front-Running Tour de Force |
I — Aidan O’Brien’s HOMECOMING QUEEN had the profile of a mere
pacemaker for her favored stablemate Maybe in the
One
Thousand Guineas at Newmarket, but the 25-1 shot just kept opening up on the
field until she was nine lengths clear at the wire. Although the three-quarter
sister to Dylan Thomas flopped in her two subsequent starts before retirement,
she will go down as one of the biggest-margin winners of the fillies’ classic.
F/M T — TAPITSFLY turned in a brilliant, wire-to-wire performance in
Best Escape from Traffic
I — SUPER EASY‘s hopes of a sweep in Singapore’s Triple Crown looked
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T — SUMMER FRONT was trapped in deep stretch in the
Hill Prince,
but Ramon Dominguez was able to extricate him, and the Christophe Clement
sophomore flew late to win a bit cozily. Unfortunately, he was unable to do the
same when again bottled up in the Jamaica.
F/M T — Fans of STEPHANIE’S KITTEN, a luckless fourth in the
Lake George
when hemmed in, experienced a sickening sense of deja vu in the
Lake Placid.
This time, however, Saratoga was not to be the graveyard of favorites. John
Velazquez helped Stephanie to escape in time, and she finished with a flourish
to score a deserved victory.
Most Explosive Rally I — For sheer visual impact, GREAT HEAVENS‘ late charge in the
T — Although it’s almost a year old already, CARACORTADO‘s
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F/M T — ZAGORA‘s trademark has always been her strong late kick, but
perhaps her most devastating performance came in the
Ballston Spa,
where her acceleration carried her to a new course record of 1:39 for 1 1/16
miles on Saratoga’s inner turf. The Chad Brown mare also flaunted her turn of
foot in the 2012
Gallorette,
Endeavour,
Hillsborough and, of course, the
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
Most Riveting Stretch Duel
T — Although not terribly significant in the overall scheme of things, the
F/M T — ROMACACA showed similar tenacity in the
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Most Heroic Performance in Defeat
I — NATHANIEL came ever so close to scoring a rare repeat victory in
T — MR. COMMONS warrants this honor for breaking the course record in
F/M T — QUIET OASIS did it the hard way in the
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Bravest Performance in Victory
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T — The
American Derby
wasn’t a vintage renewal, but COZZETTI‘s fearless threading of an almost
non-existent needle rescued it from oblivion.
F/M T — BOBINA unleashed a powerful rally into contention in the
Senorita
and was dueling for the lead when she bobbled just before the wire. But Bobina
stretched for the win, only to break down catastrophically passing the wire. She
literally gave her life to remain unbeaten from just three starts.
Special Award for Historic Accomplishment
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Most Arrogant Dominance
T — WISE DAN never had a challenge on the turf. Summarily disposing
of his rivals in the
Fourstardave,
Woodbine
Mile and
Shadwell Turf Mile, he didn’t get much more of a workout in the
Breeders’ Cup Mile, where he made a course-record 1:31.78 look like an
afternoon stroll. In the process, he dismantled Europeans the caliber of
Excelebration and Moonlight Cloud. The triple-surface threat also set a record
on Keeneland’s Polytrack when running away with the Ben Ali in his 2012 debut,
and his only reverse was by a mere head in the Stephen Foster, after a less than
great trip.
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F/M T — LADY OF SHAMROCK was a class apart among Southern
California’s three-year-old turf fillies, easily accounting for the
American
Oaks and
Del Mar Oaks as well as
the
Providencia
and China Doll. Her fall campaign went awry because of illness, but she still
ran an excellent fifth in the Filly & Mare Turf, and is one to look forward to
in 2013. MARKETING MIX was professional all year, but her most
scintillating success came in the
Rodeo Drive, where she broke the race wide open at the top of the stretch.
Lifetime Achievement Award — MONTJEU, who died in March of
At stud, Montjeu has sired an amazing four Derby winners in seven years — Motivator, Authorized, Pour Moi
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His St Nicholas Abbey, an unbeaten champion at two, had his classic campaign
derailed by injury, but has made up for lost time by becoming a highweight older
horse with a 2011 Breeders’ Cup Turf trophy and consecutive wins in the
Coronation Cup. Montmartre, who suffered a career-ending injury after his romp
in the 2008 Grand Prix de Paris, was another outstanding son that we might not
have ever seen at his peak. Montjeu’s influence has also penetrated Australia
and New Zealand. Aside from his raft of Southern Hemisphere-bred celebrities,
his Irish-bred son Green Moon landed the 2012 Melbourne Cup, and as an entire,
has a stallion career in his future.
This marks the third straight year that Sadler’s Wells has factored in the
Lifetime Achievement Award. The 2010 honoree, Singspiel, was his paternal
grandson, while Sadler’s Wells himself won the posthumous award in 2011.