AndyScoggin Awards 2014

Here are the winners of the second annual AndyScoggin Awards that are given to recognize the best performances and performers in graded stakes races at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga. The Scoggies are New York racing’s equivalent to the Eclipse Awards. To be considered for a Scoggy Award a horse has to have won at least one graded stakes race at a NYRA track.

Two-Year-Old Male – This first division was a very hard choice for the AndyScoggin committee. Competitive Edge made a great impression in his two starts at Saratoga. Both his maiden win and his Hopeful (G1) victory were terrific, but his season ended early after a hairline fracture was found in his left front leg. Daredevil won the Champagne in style while earning a hefty juvenile BSF of 107. However, his Breeders’ Cup 11^th place finish was a disappointment. Thus, the Scoggy will go to Blofeld, who is unbeaten in three starts including the Futurity (G2) and the Nashua (G2). Blofeld is currently ranked number two in my NY Kentucky Derby Contenders List.

Two-Year-Old Female – This juvenile division was made especially tough because there is not separate award for turf runners and this year Lady Eli went unbeaten in three starts with wins in the Miss Grillo (G3) at Belmont and in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf (G1). On the dirt Fashion Alert was the early leader in this group, but later Condo Commando won the Spinaway (G1) and the Demoiselle (G2). However, the Breeders’ Cup win is enough to give the Scoggy to Lady Eli.

Three-Year-Old Male – This year’s crop of three-year-old males is one of the best in many years and that makes the choice for the Scoggy in this division a bit tricky. Bayern ran in New York only once and his win in the Woody Stephens (G2) was dazzling. We all know that after that win he went on to do very impressive things. California Chrome, who has become the favorite for the Eclipse in this division, did not win a graded stake in New York.

Thus, I ended up with Tonalist as the AndyScoggin Award winner because he won the Belmont Stakes, New York’s most important race for this division, and he beat older horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). In addition he was victorious in Peter Pan (G2) and finished third in the Travers and second in the Jim Dandy.

Three-Year-Old Female – Untapable ran only once in New York when she won the Mother Goose easily, but her total campaign was one of the best in the country in any division. Her victories in the Kentucky Oaks and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff were two of the most impressive performances of the year. Although Stopchargingmaria won both of the other major races in this division at Saratoga, the Coaching Club American Oaks and the Alabama, she is a very distant runner-up to Untapable.

Older Dirt Male – Palace Malice began his 2014 in March with grade two wins in the South. When racing returned to Belmont Park in the spring Palace Malice did his best running. He recorded two of the highest Beyer Figures of the year in New York when he won the Westchester 112 BSF and the Met Mile 111 BSF.

Older Dirt Female – In the first half of the year Close Hatches was in a class by herself. Her wins at Oaklawn Park and in the Ogden Phipps and the Personal Ensign were tour-de-forces. Even though she fell out of form in her final two starts of 2014, no other older female could come close to the quality wins of Close Hatches.

Male Sprinter – This award came down to Private Zone and Palace. Private Zone did his best running at the end of the year with wins in the Vosburgh (G1) and the Cigar Mile (G1) and a game third place in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Palace had three big wins in the True North (G2), the Vanderbilt (G1), and the Forego (G1). The Scoggy will go to Palace. It is fine if you prefer Private Zone because I like him, too.

Female Sprinter – There were a lot of different winners of one graded stake in this division, only Sweet Reason and Artemis Agrotera won two. Artemis took the Ballerina (G1) and the Gallant Bloom (G2). Sweet Reason won the Acorn (G1) and the Test (G1). With an edge in grade one victories, Sweet Reason gets the Scoggy.

Turf Male – Main Sequence was another Scoggy winner that required no debate. He dominated New York’s turf with wins in the Sword Dancer (G1) and the Turf Classic (G1). Main Sequence saved the best for last when he won the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), a race that most felt would be dominated by a supposedly superior group of European runners.

Turf Female – This grass group was completely wide open because no horse was able to win more than one of the graded races in New York and Dayatthespa was not one of them. The grade one winners were: Coffee Clique in the Just A Game, Minorette in the Belmont Oaks, Somali Lemonade in the Diana, and Stephanie’s Kitten in the Flower Bowl. Coffee Clique and Somali Lemonade each won another graded race outside of New York. The Scoggy goes to Coffee Clique, who was unbeaten in three tries in 2014.

Horse of the Year – As easy as the New York Horse of the Year decision was last year in picking Princess of Sylmar, it was a most difficult choice this year. The first decision the committee made was to eliminate horses that had only one win in New York. That ruled out Untapable and Bayern, two horses who went on do great things in the Breeders’ Cup. As you know Main Sequence has been a favorite horse of mine all year. His two grade one wins in New York led to his amazing Breeders’ Cup win.

The AndyScoggin Award for Horse of the Year goes to Tonalist because he had the best body of work on the New York tracks. He won the Belmont Stakes, the biggest NYRA race, and then the storied Jockey Club Gold Cup. Throw in the Peter Pan and the third place finish in the Travers and the decision had to be made for the Christophe Clement runner.

 

Jockey – Irad Ortiz Jr. is the Top Jockey. In 2014 he won 16 graded stakes races, including his first Breeders’ Cup win in the Juvenile Filly Turf aboard Lady Eli. Ortiz is currently third in the country in earnings and third in the number of wins. He won the jockey race at the Belmont Park fall meeting and shared the spring title with Javier Castellano. He finished second at Saratoga after tying Castellano with just a couple of days left.

Trainer – Ultimately the Top Trainer decision was easy, but it was a year where a couple of different names garnered serious consideration. First there was Christophe Clement who, as always, won more than his share of races on the turf. This year, however, he masterfully led Tonalist to be the leading horse on the dirt in New York. Jimmy Jerkens had an amazing revival with his relatively small stable when he won the Travers with V. E. Day and the Wood Memorial and the Jim Dandy with Wicked Strong.