Division rankings: New names and Eclipse thoughts

Back after a break where I was able to recharge my batteries and gear up for the upcoming season, I’m eager to embrace whatever unfolds.

With numerous horses from 2023 now retired, specifically from last year’s 3-year-old male division, the spotlight is poised on fresh names in the weeks and months ahead.

As always, I look forward to each week and the rankings below, but also to the ensuing discussions with you, the fans, that accompany them. Together, we will meticulously track each division's progress relative to the year-end Eclipse Awards, ultimately providing insight into which horse from each division deserves recognition when the season concludes.

Before diving into my thoughts on the recent Eclipse voting outcomes, let's take a look at my first division rankings of the year.

Older dirt males

1. White Abarrio. The Breeders' Cup Classic winner from last season is scheduled to make his first start this season in the Group 1 Saudi Cup later this month. Can he continue his dramatic form reversal?

2. National Treasure. His Pegasus World Cup (G1) win reaffirms what he showed in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, that he has matured into a serious horse. Likely will target the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) for his next start, a refreshing optic for a U.S.-based horse to skip to the overseas dollars and instead stay stateside to run.

3. Saudi Crown. Dominant in the Louisiana Stakes (G3) last month and now will head to the Saudi Cup. He will aim to defeat White Abarrio, who defeated him by more than 12 lengths in the Breeders' Cup Classic last fall.

4. Señor Buscador. In the best form of his career now at age 6. Runner-up to National Treasure in the Pegasus, he will head to the Saudi Cup next.

5. Arabian Knight. Finished a good fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic, beaten 2 1/2 lengths. Was all heart in winning the Pacific Classic (G1) over older horses and fellow 3-year-olds before the Breeders' Cup Classic. One of the few top 3-year-olds to return at age 4.

Next 5: Disarm, Bright Future, Angel of Empire, Newgrange, Slow Down Andy

Older dirt females

1. Idiomatic. Gutsy winner of the Breeders' Cup Distaff, she returns as defending champion of this division after having won the Eclipse. Finished 8-for-9 in 2023, a tally that includes three Grade 1 wins.

2. Pretty Mischievous. The 3-year-old female Eclipse winner from 2023, this gal returns in 2024.

3. Randomized. Runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Distaff as a 3-year-old, she came on late at the end of last season. Scored in the Beldame (G2) over older for her second graded-stakes win before the Distaff, and last summer she won the Alabama (G1). Could be a serious player in this division.

4. Adare Manor. Simply was not good enough in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, finishing seventh but beaten by only three lengths. Dominated her division in California before the Breeders' Cup, winning five of six races. Back for more this season.

5. Desert Dawn. Won the La Cañada (G3) in her first start of 2024, and that's good enough to bump her here. She has won or placed in 11 graded stakes in her career.

Next 5: Bellamore, Comparative, Xigera, Wet Paint, Vahva

3-year-old males

1. Nysos. Unbeaten now in three starts, this son of Nyquist has the look of a superstar. Still a long way to go, but certainly is the leader of this division at the moment. Love the move by his owners to stick with their trainer and avoid the circus of the Kentucky Derby.
2. Muth. Made his 3-year-old debut last month and impressed to win going away in the San Vicente (G2). Last season at age 2 he was second best in the Breeders' Cup and won the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita. Will run next at Oaklawn in the Rebel (G2) on Feb. 24.
3. Hades. Surprised in the Holy Bull (G3), running his record to 3-for-3. Still, the race came back with slow figures, and I wonder how good the horses are who finished behind him.

4. Fierceness. Ran a really dull third in his 3-year-old debut last week in the Holy Bull, where he had no excuses when well beaten by Hades. The Eclipse winner from last season as the top 2-year-old, his resume is lacking consistency. He has two career wins, and in the race after each he ran a clunker. Will be overbet wherever he runs next.

5. Just a Touch. I have never ranked a horse this high off of one start, but here we are. This guy was dominant last out in the slop at Fair Grounds and in my opinion could be the best of the bunch on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Next 10: Track Phantom, Mystik Dan, Domestic Product, Locked, Timberlake, Just Steel, Wine Me Up, Nutella Fella, Dornoch, Prince of Monaco

3-year-old females

1. Just F Y I. Looked very good winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and then won the Eclipse as the top 2-year-old female. So she starts here at No. 1, but who knows how she will run at age 3.

2. Tamara. Disappointed as favorite in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies but was found afterward to have a cracked splint bone. This daughter of Beholder won the Del Mar Debutante (G1) rather easily in her start before the Breeders' Cup. She is back jogging but like Just F Y I, she is a wildcard at age 3.

3. Candied. Won the Alcibiades (G1) in her second career start , defeating Brightwork, among others. Finished third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

4. Hard to Justify. 3-for-3 on the grass and defeated all comers in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

5. Jody's Pride. Runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last season, her only loss in three starts. She will return in the Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream on March 2.

Next 5: R Harper Rose, Kopion, Chatalas, Intricate, Life Talk

Turf males

1. Casa Creed. Beaten by only a half-length in the Breeders' Cup Mile, this guy was never off the board in 2023, going 2-for-5 with one Grade 1 win. He will return in Saudi Arabia in the same race where he was runner-up last year, the Turf Sprint (G3).

2. I'm Very Busy. Runner-up in the Pegasus Turf, it was his first start since a runner-up effort in the Hill Prince (G2) last November at age 3. Trained by Chad Brown, he could contend in a wide-open division.

3. Program Trading. Won the Hollywood Derby (G1) in his last start in December. Now age 4, he should be even better.

4. Gold Phoenix. Had an up and down 2023, which saw him win three grades stakes, one of which was the Kilroe Mile (G1). But he was also off the board in four graded stakes. One of those, the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1), was a nice performance as he finished fourth, beaten by only a little over two lengths.

5. Exaulted. He was a tough-luck runner-up last time out in the Del Mar Mile (G2) last September, but before that he was 4-for-4 since being moved to grass from dirt. One of those wins was the Shoemaker Mile (G1).

Next 5: Easter, Never Explain, Goliad, Hong Kong Harry, Annapolis

Turf females

1. In Italian. Robbed of the Eclipse Award last season, she starts on top this season. She had two Grade 1 wins last season and narrowly missed in two others.

2. Didia. The winner of the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2) a couple of weeks ago, she won two graded stakes last season and was 10th in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

3. Gina Romantica. She made only four starts in 2023 but scored a big win in the First Lady (G1) and then finished a very good fourth last out in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

4. Moira. She won only once in 2023, but she was very good in all of her starts. Last out she finished third in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. She was in the money in stakes in all six of her starts in 2023.

5. Bellabel. Won the Megahertz (G3) last week in her first start since late 2022. She was in the money with one win in three graded stakes in 2022, so perhaps she can be a player in this division.

Next 5: War Like Goddess, Surprisingly, Alpha Bella, Surge Capacity, Ruby Nell

Male sprinters

1. Speed Boat Beach. He inherits the top spot here with Elite Power and Gunite now retired. After finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint last November he scored a facile win in the Malibu (G1) at Santa Anita in late December.

2. The Chosen Vron. Fifth in last November's Breeders' Cup Sprint (g1), he had won eight straight previously. He's won his last two, both listed stakes at Del Mar and Santa Anita, and has won 15 of his 20 career starts.

3. Hoist the Gold. His connections tried to stretch him out last time in the Pegasus World Cup (G1), but that experiment failed as he faded to finish fourth. Won the Cigar Mile (G2) last fall.

4. Nakatomi. Finished a good third in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) last fall and placed in three other graded sprint stakes in 2023. Returns this weekend in the listed Pelican Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

5. Skelly. Won the King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn in his first start of 2024. Last season he was 6-for-7, which included the Count Fleet (G3) as his only graded stakes win. Major contender in this division.

Next 5:  Tejano Twist, Raise Cain, Sibelius, Super Chow, Nobals

Perplexing Eclipse votes cast

Year after year, we have complaints regarding the Eclipse voting outcomes. Whether it's a deserving horse missing out on the Eclipse or questioning the rationale behind individual voters' choices, it prompts reflection on the legitimacy of their voting privileges.

In the 11 equine categories, my choice for the Eclipse won in only seven. For context, in 2022 my vote won in 10 of the 11 categories.

It's become evident to me that we should establish a system mandating that a horse must compete in North America at least three times to qualify for an Eclipse nomination.

Inspiral surpassed In Italian for the Eclipse with an unsettlingly significant gap in votes: 110 first-place votes compared to 50 for In Italian. Inspiral's North American presence amounted to a mere 1 minute and 59 seconds during a single race in 2023. She won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf by a neck, and only seven lengths separated the entire 12-horse field at the finish line.

Voters overlooked the previous 10 months of racing, during which In Italian scored victories in two Grade 1 events and narrowly missed out on two others as runner-up. Essentially, it seems that nothing holds weight until the final month or two of the season. It’s also possible that the majority of voters simply don't follow racing beyond Breeders’ Cup weekend or possibly during the Triple Crown events. That’s unfortunate.

Auguste Rodin, like Inspiral, competed only once in North America, winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Shockingly, some Eclipse voters cast their votes for Auguste Rodin as horse of the year. Keep in mind, this horse didn’t win the Cartier horse of the year title overseas, yet after one single race here is voted for our horse of the year? Six voters took this path. How do they still retain their voting privileges?

Enough is enough; it's time to enforce the three-race requirement.

Moving on, other notable mentions cannot go unaddressed.

Practical Move received a vote for horse of the year. This voting privilege should be revoked immediately.

I am genuinely curious about the thought process behind the voter who chose Speed Boat Beach over Elite Power for the male sprint Eclipse. Similarly, the same scrutiny applies to the voter who favored Pretty Mischievous for the female sprint Eclipse or the one who supported Kirstenbosch. Kirstenbosch? Are we serious here? Kirstenbosch had a record of 2-for-10 during the season, with those two wins coming in Grade 3 events.

How can we permit voters to cast their ballots who obviously don’t take the privilege seriously? There are several other perplexing choices that, frankly, are embarrassing. Informed fans recognize this, and it undermines the credibility of the award.

Another issue is the pronounced bias towards the late season; it's as though the first six months of racing are disregarded. Despite the extensive coverage of major Grade 1 events in the winter and spring, the majority of voters appear to overlook them by season's end. In my view, that's simply laziness.

Many now refer to the Eclipse Awards as the “Breeders’ Cup awards” because of the extreme late-season bias. My hope is that we can eventually conduct a year-end vote devoid of the shenanigans we currently see.