The AndyScoggin Award Winners Are …

 

Here are the winners of the first annual AndyScoggin Awards that are given to honor the best performances and performers in graded stakes races at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga.

 

 

 

The Envelopes please …

 

Two Year-Old Male: Although many feel that Honor Code has the brightest future as a three year-old, the AndyScoggin Award for Top Juvenile goes to Havana. His win in the Champagne where he beat Honor Code, combined with his second place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile was all he needed to take down the Scoggy.

Two Year-Old Filly: Sweet Reason had one of the most eye-catching come from behind wins in her maiden Saratoga win. She backed that up with a win in the Spinaway, a second in the Frizette, and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Three Year-Old Male: This division came down to a decision between Palace Malice, the Belmont Stakes winner, and Will Take Charge, who won the Travers. PM did add New York’s Jim Dandy. In this case, however, Will Take Charge’s narrow loss in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and win over Game On Dude in the Clark gave him the AndyScoggin Award.

Older Male: Wins in the Westchester, Suburban, and Cigar Mile that included the first and third highest Beyer Speed Figures of the year in New York made Flat Out one of the easiest choices for an AndyScoggin Award.

Older Female: Although Royal Delta did not repeat her great campaign of 2012, she did have two graded stakes wins outside of New York in addition to the Personal Ensign. This was enough to win the AndyScoggin Award.

Male Sprinter: In a division where several horses won a single graded sprint it was a tough choice for the Scoggy. Forty Tales, however, won two graded sprints in New York, lest we forget his victory in the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs.

Female Sprinter: The award goes to Dance to Bristol. The four year-old filly began her campaign in February and she ran virtually every month the rest of the year winning five stakes races, three of them were graded events in New York. She peaked in August with a win in the Ballerina (G1). Even though Cluster of Stars beat her in the Gallant Bloom it was not enough to take the Scoggy from Dance to Bristol.

Turf Male: All of the nominees had just one graded stakes win in New York. Big Blue Kitten, Point of Entry, and Little Mike each took one of the big grade ones, regardless the Scoggy has to go to Wise Dan because of a body of work that will likely earn him multiple Eclipse Awards for this year.

Turf Female: This category was the equivalent of a unanimous vote. Laughing won three graded stakes, two of them were grade ones to make this decision simple.

Three Year-Old Filly and Horse of the Year: When you think about the amazing horses that won stakes races in New York this year, including Eclipse Award winners, it is says a lot that the Horse of the Year on the New York circuit was an easy choice. This filly won five NYRA stakes races including three graded races and that alone was enough. The long shot victory in the Kentucky Oaks was just icing on the cake for AndyScoggin’s NY Horse of the Year, Princess of Sylmar. Congratulations to owner Ed Stanco and his partners at King of Prussia Stable, who welcomed all of us into their barn.

Jockey: Joel Rosario may have won the Kentucky Derby and the Dubai World Cup in the same year and John Velazquez may have led the nation in graded stakes victories. However, day in and day out Javier Castellano was the best jockey in New York and this earns him the Top Jockey award.

Trainer: In 2013 David Jacobson broke the New York record for most training wins in a year and D. Wayne Lukas had some great victories at Saratoga in his amazing comeback. The Scoggy goes to Todd Pletcher because he dominated the big races here in New York and around the country. Also he trained the New York Horse of the Year, Princess of Sylmar.