Division Rankings: This Eclipse voter has made up his mind

We made it.

After 51 weeks of these Division Rankings we have finally gotten to the best part – taking what we all have learned during the season and determining which horses are most deserving of the year-end Eclipse Awards.

We'll find out next week who officially is up for the 2022 Eclipse Awards, with finalists determined in each category by voters’ top three selections, using a 10-5-1 point basis. The winners, however, are determined solely by first-place votes.

As my most loyal readers know, I take my responsibility as an Eclipse award voter very seriously, carefully following each division through the entire season, weighing the accomplishments of all.

I finalized my selections and submitted them after the final Grade 1 events of the year were run Monday at Santa Anita Park.

Below are my thoughts on each equine division and my votes. I can answer any questions in the comments section below regarding my selections. I want to be fully transparent, so bear with some of my long-winded explanations.

One last thing. For me, when voting for the equine portion of the Eclipse awards, the human connections play no part whatsoever in my selection process. It is all about the horses and only the horses for me. So please, any bias – good or bad – for any human connections to any horse should be set aside when voting responsibly for these Eclipse Awards.

With that, let’s get started.

2-year-old filly

1st, Wonder Wheel; 2nd, Leave No Trace; 3rd, Hoosier Philly

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Wonder Wheel most certainly will be a landslide winner here. She won four of her five starts this season and avenged her only loss, the Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga to Leave No Trace, by defeating that rival in the Breeders’ Cup.

Leave No Trace was my No. 1 heading into the Breeders’ Cup, and she performed well as the clear runner-up. She was 2-for-4 on the season, never off the board. She is the clear No. 2 on my ballot.

My third slot was somewhat difficult. I was going to go with And Tell Me Nolies based on her graded wins out west. But her poor Breeders' Cup showing left me with the feeling that the group out west was a notch below what we saw east of the Mississippi. With that thought in mind, I went with the late bloomer, Hoosier Philly. She was 3-for-3 on the season and dominated in her only graded stakes try, the Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill Downs.

2-year-old male

1st, Forte; 2nd, Cave Rock; 3rd, National Treasure
Easy choice here as Forte defeated the pro tem leader of this division before the Breeders' Cup, Cave Rock, in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Forte quietly racked up three grade 1 wins – a lot for a 2-year-old in this era of racing. Overall, Forte was four-for-five on the season.

Cave Rock was my No. 2 here. He was unbeaten and untested in three starts before his Breeders’ Cup runner-up effort.

National Treasure was the logical choice for me here at No. 3. He was runner-up to Cave Rock out west and then was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in his third career start.

3-year-old male

1st, Epicenter; 2nd, Taiba; 3rd, Cyberknife

For some reason this divisional Eclipse became a debate in the last several weeks, albeit a somewhat fabricated debate by much of the media.

For me the choice was clear. Epicenter has held down the No. 1 spot in these rankings every week since late March, and he did nothing to lose that position. Epicenter got my vote because he was the best in this division in 2022. As an Eclipse voter you need to dive deeper than just looking at the numbers, you have to watch the races. Give it the old-fashioned eye test, and if you did that, Epicenter was your choice.

In the seven races Epicenter finished, he lost to a grand total of three horses, Before the Kentucky Derby he won the Risen Star (G2) and Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds. After his runner-up finishes in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness he was freshened for Saratoga, where he swept the two biggest races for this division, the Jim Dandy (G2) and Travers (G1) with resounding wins in both. He finished the season with a 8: 4-3-0 record.

Taiba gets the slight nod over Cyberknife for No. 2 on my ballot. Since Taiba is the horse that some have stated should be given consideration for this Eclipse, let me explain my thought process on this. Very simply, if the connections of Taiba wanted the Eclipse, they should have run in the most important race this division had to offer in the second half of the season, the Travers. Instead they skipped that race after their Haskell runner-up to Cyberknife and waited for the Pennsylvania Derby (G1). Interestingly, Cyberknife’s connections knew how pivotal that Travers would be for the Eclipse, and they chose to run in the Travers and the Pennsylvania Derby.

When I presented my case to a member of the media, they made a bizarre statement: that I should “know why he didn’t run in the Travers and not make a buffoonish accusation like that.” It was an obvious reference to the suspension the New York Racing Association imposed on Tabia’s trainer Bob Baffert as to why Taiba didn’t run in the Travers.

But Baffert was banned from the Kentucky Derby, and Taiba ran there under a different trainer. That argument doesn’t hold water with me. Look, I’m a Taiba fan, but I am calling it as I see it. Another inevitable question that will be asked of me is what about Taiba’s Malibu win a few days back, giving him his third Grade 1 win? You mean the sprint race he won over the same cast he beat in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) in April? Nice win for sure, but that win doesn’t push Taiba past Epicenter.

Here is an interesting fact:

In the Eclipse Award era, which dates to 1971, every single Eclipse winner has crossed the wire as one of the top three in a Triple Crown race, won the Travers or won the Breeders’ Cup Classic. There is no in-between. All 51 Eclipse winners from this division have met that criteria.

No. 3 on my ballot is Cyberknife. If I am being honest, Cyberknife is somewhat ignored here, but he shouldn’t be. He quietly put together an outstanding season. Think about the debate had he beaten older and won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile instead of finishing runner-up? He defeated Taiba in the Haskell but then lost to that rival in the Pennsylvania Derby. But remember, Cyberknife ran in the Travers between those two races while Taiba sat on the bench. Overall he finished the season with a 9: 4-2-1 record.

Note: Only three horses occupied the No. 1 spot in this division this season: Corniche, Forbidden Kingdom, and Epicenter.

3-year-old filly

1st, Nest; 2nd, Secret Oath; 3rd, Echo Zulu

Nest is the obvious choice here because of her strong second half of the season. Being off the board against older competition in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff doesn’t take away from a very good season. With three Grade 1 wins and record of 9: 6-1-1, she will win this Eclipse. 

If we handed out Eclipse awards for the first half of the season, Secret Oath would have been the easy winner. A winner of the Kentucky Oaks (G1) where she defeated Nest, her only losses were to males in the Arkansas Derby (G1) and Preakness. She was 0-for-4 in the second half of the season, finishing behind Nest in three of those races. Still, her early-season exploits aren’t forgotten by me. She finished with a 11: 4-2-2 record in 2022.

Echo Zulu started this season as No. 1 in this division and after physical setbacks finished her season well with a runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint against older.

Note: Three horses held the top spot in this division in 2022, Nest, Secret Oath and Echo Zulu.

Older dirt male

1st; Flightline; 2nd, Olympiad; 3rd, Life Is Good

No matter which side of the fence you are in regarding the lack of starts Flightline had, there can be little doubt about how dominant he was when he ran. Short or long, it is not a stretch to write that Flightline was one of the best horses we have seen in the Breeders' Cup era. Do I like to award an Eclipse to a horse with only three starts? No. But we have no choice here. He was that much better than the rest.

In a normal season, Olympiad would be the winner of the Eclipse in this division and horse of the year. Runner-up to Flightline in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Olympiad won five graded stakes in 2022. Overall, his record was 8: 6-1-0.

It’s ironic that with all the big wins Life Is Good had in his career, he will be most remembered for his valiant try in the Breeders’ Cup Classic where he finished fifth. He left it all on the track when trying to take the race to Flightline and was the only other horse in the race trying to win it.

Note: Five horses held the No. 1 spot in this division this season, Knicks Go, Life Is Good, Country Grammer, Olympiad and Flightline.

Older dirt female

1st, Malathaat; 2nd, Clairiere; 3rd, Blue Stripe

This division was very close. About as close as the finish of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, which that saw Malathaat prevail by a nose over Blue Stripe and Clairiere another nose back in third. Malathaat got my vote for this Eclipse, but their overall résumés were very close. Malathaat finished 4-for-6 on the season with three grade 1 wins.

The only horse to defeat Malathaat in 2022 was Clairiere, and she did it twice. Leader of this division in the first half, Clairiere came very close to reclaiming the top spot she held.

Blue Stripe was the leader of this division out west, but few thought she could compete with the top two in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Had she been on the lucky side of the nose finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, there would have been no denying her the Eclipse. 

Note: Three horses held the No. 1 spot here this season, Letruska, Clairiere and Malathaat.

Male Sprinter

1st, Jackie's Warrior; 2nd, Cody's Wish; 3rd, Elite Power

Jackie’s Warrior gets my vote in this division for the second year in a row. He was dominant in the first four starts of the season, winning all of them and that included two Grade 1 events. He built up so much equity with his huge divisional lead that he was able to withstand losses in his last two starts of the season, a second in the Forego (G1) to Cody’s Wish, and a third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint to Elite Power.  So often voters discount what horses do prior to the fall months, ignoring the majority of the racing season, but not this voter. His four graded sprint-stakes wins were the most in this division.

Cody’s Wish prevails over Elite Power in my No. 2 spot here. But in no way shape or form can a horse with only one start at a sprint distance win this Eclipse. If the connections of Cody’s Wish wanted the sprint Eclipse, they should have run in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, where another win over Jackie’s Warrior would have tilted my vote his way. I get it, the back story for this horse tugs at fans emotions, but that should be set aside by voters who should be voting on the entire body of work for the entire 2022 season.

Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Elite Power is No. 3 on my ballot. To Elite Power supporters, let me explain my thought process. He made only two sprint stakes starts, winning them both. But to anyone who criticizes a couple of the fields Jackie’s Warrior beat, you have to do the same to the historically weak Vosburgh (G2) field Elite Power defeated in October before his Breeders’ Cup triumph. So for me, it was too little too late for Elite Power because of the equity Jackie’s Warrior had built. Bottom line, he won his first stakes less than 30 days before the Breeders’ Cup.

The Eclipse Awards are about the entire season. If the voters continue to weigh the Breeders’ Cup so heavily over the what horses do the previous 10 months, we might as well just rename the Eclipse Awards as the Breeders’ Cup awards. No other sport would give the MVP to a player who showed up for the last month or two of the season. Yes, the Breeders' Cup is a supposed year-end championship, but let's be real, the horses don't know it's a year-end championship so I ignore that championship banter. This is why the entire season matters.

Note: Jackie's Warrior led this division from the first week of the year until the last. 

Female sprinter

1st, Goodnight Olive; 2nd, Echo Zulu; 3rd, Obligatory

This division was muddled for most of the season but gained clarity over the last couple of months as Goodnight Olive won what were arguably the two most important sprint stakes this division has to offer, the Ballerina (G1) at Saratoga, and the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. She was my choice here despite her scarce resume before August. The difference in this division as opposed to the male sprint division was that no horse in this division asserted themselves for the first seven months of the season.

I went out on a limb and chose Echo Zulu in my No. 2 spot. No, her résumé isn’t as strong as some others, but she was very good when she raced. Runner-up to Goodnight Olive in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, Echo Zulu won two graded stakes in 2022.

Obligatory got the nod in my No. 3 spot. She won the most important race this division has to offer in the first half of the season, the Derby City Distaff (G1), but was beaten by Goodnight Olive in her final two starts of 2022.

Note: Three horses held the top spot here this season, Edgeway, Obligatory and Goodnight Olive.

Male turf horse

1st, Modern Games; 2nd, Rebel's Romance; 3rd, Count Again 

To say the U.S. turf male division had a down year is an understatement. Not one horse won more than one Grade 1 turf race over a mile in this country. Only one horse won multiple Grade 1 events at all in this country, and both of those wins by Count Again came at a mile in the first half of the season. What does this all mean? It means I had to do something I don’t like to do unless my hand is forced: vote for a European-based grass horse who runs in the U.S. only one time, in the Breeders’ Cup.

Modern Games narrowly gets my vote here over Rebel’s Romance. Yes, I know Modern Games ran in North America twice, winning a somewhat weak Woodbine Mile (G1) in mid-September, but he showed he was best by a wide margin at the mile distance in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. So, although he was only 1-for-5 in his other starts, all overseas, he likely will win this Eclipse because, as I wrote above, no horse based in the U.S. came even remotely close to controlling this division. Modern Games finished 2022 with a 7: 3-2-1 record.

When diving into these résumés, I seriously considered placing Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Rebel’s Romance at the top of my ballot. I mean, why not? Since our hand is forced, this guy’s résumé is just as good as Modern Games, maybe better. He won five of his seven starts, and his last three all came in Group or Grade 1 events.

Count Again hasn’t run since the end of May and was off the board in his only start outside of California. But he was 3-for-4 on the season with those aforementioned two grade 1 wins.

Note: Five horses held the No. 1 spot here this season, Domestic Spending, Colonel Liam, Golden Pal, Count Again and Modern Games.

Female turf horse

1st, Regal Glory; 2nd, War Like Goddess; 3rd - In Italian

At the conclusion of the Breeders’ Cup, one could have gone with any one of the top three I have listed here above. But then the connections of Regal Glory decided to think outside of the box and send her to California to try to bag one of the last remaining Grade 1 events this division had to offer. Remember, Regal Glory was tops in this division through the first half of the season after winning all three of her starts, two of which were Grade 1. But the second half of her season she ran twice against males, losing both. Sandwiched between those was a runner-up finish to In Italian at Keeneland. But given how close this division was between these three, shipping to California to win a third Grade 1 at the end of the season could be enough to land her the Eclipse. Not only did Regal Glory win the Matriarch a few weeks ago, she dominated with what was perhaps the best race by any in this division this season.

War Like Goddess didn’t face either Regal Glory or In Italian, nor did her résumé stack up to those. But I think we can all agree that War Like Goddess was the best U.S.-based long distance grass horse of either gender. Her win in the Joe Hirsch (G1) over males was the first for a female since All Along in 1983. She finished third against the males in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and won two graded stakes earlier this season.

In Italian ran well in all seven of her starts this season, winning four times. She split her two meetings with Regal Glory and ran a very good second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. I can’t fault any voter for choosing In Italian for the Eclipse.

Note: Only two horses were No. 1 here this season, War Like Goddess and Regal Glory.

Horse of the Year

1st, Flightline; 2nd, Olympiad; 3rd, Epicenter