Division Rankings: My final Eclipse Awards ballot

With finalists determined in each category by voters’ top three selections, using a 10-5-1 point basis, we'll know on Saturday who's officially up for the 2019 Eclipse Awards. The winners, however, are determined solely by first-place votes. Last year, 249 of the 271 eligible voters submitted a ballot.

I take my responsibility as an Eclipse Award voter very seriously, following each division closely throughout the  season, weighing the accomplishments of all. I finalized my selections and submitted them once the final Grade 1 events of the year were run last Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

Before I get into my selections, I am often asked why racing's year-end championships are called the Eclipse Awards. For the casual fans, they are named after the great 18th century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age 5 and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies. Today, Eclipse appears in the pedigree of most Thoroughbreds you have come to know.

Below are some brief thoughts on each equine division.

Two-Year-Old Filly
1st - Bast, 2nd - British Idiom, 3rd - Donna Veloce

My selections here will likely be unpopular, but as I wrote a few weeks ago, Bast deserved a second look. Remember, it was the Bob Baffert-trained Bast who was the one to catch before the Breeders' Cup as the leader of the division. Bast chased a longshot leader near the pace and faded to third that day, beaten 1 3/4 lengths by British Idiom. But Bast came back and defeated Breeders' Cup runner-up Donna Veloce by a half-length in Los Alamitos' Starlet Stakes (G1). Donna Veloce had previously finished a neck back of British Idiom.

The entire body of work matters to me. Bast now accounts for three Grade 1 victories on the season which is tops in this division. This matters, and her connections should be applauded for running her back after the Breeders' Cup to give her a shot at the title.

Lastly, I believe that some horses are penalized too much for their losses in the Breeders’ Cup, especially in close Eclipse races. For the 2-year-olds, there are also several major races after the Breeders' Cup that do carry weight. If Bast were to receive strong support, it sends a message that the season isn’t over after the Breeders’ Cup.

Two-Year-Old Male
1st - Storm the Court, 2nd - Structor, 3rd - Eight Rings

In what was the toughest division to determine for me, I went with Storm the Court. The door was open for a few others after the Breeders' Cup, but no horse broke through. I have no argument with any voter who chose Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Structor; I just wasn't willing to put him at the top of my ballot. I settled on Eight Rings for my No. 3 in this division after considering several others.

Three-Year-Old Male
1st - Maximum Security, 2nd - Code of Honor, 3rd - Omaha Beach

The clear No. 1 for me was Maximum Security, who sat atop my rankings since early May. He closed out his season with two sublime wins over older horses and should easily win this Eclipse. Code of Honor earned my second spot over Omaha Beach on the basis of his Travers win and his Jockey Club Gold Cup "win." Of course, he was elevated to the top spot after a Vino Rosso's DQ. Those two races were bigger than any wins Omaha Beach had in 2019. 

The 2019 season for this division will be remembered for what it could have been for tough luck horses Maximum Security and Omaha Beach, who never did meet on the race track.

Three-Year-Old Filly
1st - Covfefe, 2nd - Serengeti Empress, 3rd - Guarana

Covfefe is the logical choice here given that none of the other more conventional two-turn type horses such as Guarana, Serengeti Empress, Street Band or Dunbar Road could assert themselves as the clear leader. Covfefe finished 5-for-6 on the season, and her Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint win will likely land her atop two divisions.

Serengeti Empress did enough for me to grab the No. 2 spot here. For starters, she ran a full season. The winner of the Kentucky Oaks, she ran a stellar race in the Breeders' Cup Distaff to be third and also showed her versatility by running a game runner-up to Covfefe sprinting in the Grade 1 Test at Saratoga.

Guarana ran only four times in 2019, but she did win two Grade 1 races. Her loss in the Cotillion really hurt her chances in this division as she had little room for error given her sparse schedule.

Older Dirt Male
1st - Mitole, 2nd - Vino Rosso, 3rd - McKinzie

Mitole gets the nod here over Vino Rosso. Mitole had the better 2019 and was the better horse. His four Grade 1 wins double that of Vino Rosso. If not for a loss in the Vanderbilt at Saratoga, Mitole could be Horse of the Year. 

Older Dirt Female
1st - Midnight Bisou, 2nd - Blue Prize, 3rd - Come Dancing

If Midnight Bisou isn't the unanimous choice here, there should be an investigation. She was outstanding in 2019, winning her first seven starts at five different tracks. A worthy Eclipse winner.

Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Blue Prize was No. 2 on my ballot. After losing her first three starts of the season, she won her last three.

Come Dancing gets the nod at No. 3 over Elate on the basis of an outstanding campaign, Breeders' Cup aside, that saw her win four of six graded stakes.

Male Sprinter
1st - Mitole, 2nd - Imperial Hint, 3rd - World of Trouble

In another division that should be unanimous, Mitole was nearly unbeatable in 2019. With Mitole, it wasn't just the wins, it was how he was winning. Strong and fast. Most certainly near the top of the best sprinters we have seen in the last 20 years.

Imperial Hint won two Grade 1 sprints and handed Mitole his only loss of the season at Saratoga in the Vanderbilt (G1). He was a clear No. 2 for me.

Before World of Trouble was retired, many thought he was the best sprinter in the country. He was 4-for-4 on the season and defeated Vino Rosso in the Carter (G1).

Female Sprinter
1st - Covfefe, 2nd - Come Dancing, 3rd - Belvoir Bay

Covfefe was quite simply the best 3-year-old filly sprinter we have seen since the advent of this Eclipse in 2007. She should be the unanimous choice here.

Come Dancing should be a clear second based on her four graded stakes wins, one of which was the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga. 

Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Belvoir Bay should see some support here and deserves to be a finalist.

Male Turf Horse
1st - Bricks and Mortar, 2nd - Arklow, 3rd - World of Trouble

Bricks and Mortar was simply outstanding in 2019. In a division that has lacked star power the last few years, this come-backing horse was a breath of fresh air. Capping off his unbeaten season with a win in the Breeders' Cup Turf, Bricks and Mortar will not only win this Eclipse, but also is the favorite for Horse of the Year.

Outside of Bricks and Mortar, no other horse in this division really stood out. Arklow gets my No. 2 slot here on the basis of his Grade 1 Turf Classic win at Belmont and his overall consistency. Outside of his Breeders' Cup Turf run where he finished sixth beaten only a little more than two lengths, he placed in all five of his graded stakes starts.

Word of Trouble only started twice on the turf in 2019 but he counted the Grade 1 Jaipur as one of his wins. With World of Trouble, you got the sense this was a special horse who, if he had stayed healthy, would have done special things. Regardless, given the lack of any other standout, I settled on him for the No. 3 on my ballot.

Female Turf Horse
1st - Sistercharlie, 2nd - Uni, 3rd - Got Stormy

Fans will be split on this division, but I was firmly behind Sistercharlie as my No. 1. Quite frankly, she had the slightly better season than Uni, in my opinion.

Sistercharlie won the Grade 1 Diana over a deep and accomplished field off of an eight-month layoff. She when wheeled back and won her second straight Beverly D. in a track-record time at Arlington. After her third Grade 1 in in the Flower Bowl, many considered the Eclipse sealed for Sistercharlie. But, her loss in the Breeders' Cup Filly & mare Turf, where she finished third with no real excuse, left the door open.

Two races later on the card, Uni won the Breeders' Cup Mile and vaulted herself into the Eclipse discussion. Winning her second Grade 1 race of 2019, Uni had won the First Lady (G1) at Keeneland prior to the Breeders' Cup.

In the Breeders' Cup, Mile Uni defeated fellow female Got Stormy, who has since returned to take the Grade 1 Matriarch. But in a race as close as this, I have to look deeper.

I felt that the Breeders' Cup Mile field was below average as that race usually goes. Also, Sistercharlie is the defending Eclipse winner, and in a race as close as this, ask yourself these questions: Did Sistercharlie do enough to lose her title? Or, did Uni do enough to take the title away? 

My answer to both is an emphatic no. So in this Eclipse race, the defending champion gets my vote because quite frankly, no other horse in the division did enough to dethrone her.

Got Stormy was a clear No. 3 here. In other seasons, her resume would have been good enough to win the Eclipse.

Horse of the Year
1st - Bricks and Mortar, 2nd - Mitole, 3rd - Midnight Bisou

Bricks and Mortar is the logical choice here and was my selection for the top spot. He won five Grade 1 events in his six races. Although I felt he beat up on a extremely weak group in his division, he still had to go out and get the job done.

Mitole was my clear No. 2 here on the basis of his outstanding season where he won six of seven starts, four of which were Grade 1s. If Mitole had not lost the Vanderbilt he would have been my Horse of the Year choice.

Midnight Bisou was my No. 3 choice here, getting the nod over Maximum Security. Midnight Bisou was a serious Horse of the Year contender heading into the Breeders' Cup. Her loss in the Distaff ended those chances, but her overall body of work in 2019 can't be overlooked. She is a deserving finalist.