Eclipse opinion: Epicenter has led Taiba every step of the way
The debate about whether Epicenter or Taiba should receive the Eclipse Award as the nation’s leading 3-year-old male began as soon as Taiba won the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Monday.
Taiba, under a vigorous ride from Hall of Famer Mike Smith, emerged as a solid 4 1/4-length victor, giving him three Grade 1 victories to one for Epicenter. And the back and forth began.
It will be argued by this veteran voter that support for Taiba is short-sighted and misguided. The Eclipse Award is about a season-long body of work and how horses acquitted themselves against the stiffest competition in the most prominent races offered for 3-year-olds at classic distances.
It is not about “What have you done for me lately?” It should not be about which horse has the last word and, for me, I will not be swayed by the seven-furlong Malibu and the relative lightweights that the winner dispatched. Runner-up Forbidden Kingdom, in his start before the Malibu, ran third in a Nov. 20 allowance optional claimer at Del Mar. Hoist the Gold endured his ninth consecutive defeat when he came in third in the Malibu. And there was nothing special about the final time of 1:21.75.
The race records and the earnings of the two horses for the season tell an important tale. Epicenter was a model of consistency, racing eight times with four wins and three runner-up efforts to bank $2,810,000 for Winchell Thoroughbreds. He can hardly be blamed for the lone time he failed to hit the board, which occurred when he suffered a career-ending injury in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Taiba closed with almost $1 million less in earnings at $1,956,200 for Zedan Racing Stables. Like his rival, he won four starts but with one second and one third. He had relatively little to show for his season until he took down two of the lesser Grade 1s on the calendar, the Sept. 24 Pennsylvania Derby and the Malibu, typically an afterthought for major players.
Epicenter has been ahead of Taiba every step of the way. He placed second in the Jan. 22 Lecomte (G3) and won the Feb. 19 Risen Star, both at Fair Grounds, while Taiba, unraced at 2, continued to be on the sidelines. Taiba broke his maiden in his long-awaited debut on March 5 at Santa Anita, while Epicenter was working toward a 2 1/2-length decision in the Louisiana Derby later that month. The Risen Star, Louisiana Derby and July 30 Jim Dandy provided the Not This Time colt with three Grade 2 successes. Those carry some weight.
To me, what matters more than anything is how a 3-year-old performs in the spring classics and the Travers (G1), celebrated as the “mid-summer Derby.” Epicenter did everything but win when he narrowly missed against 80-1 Rich Strike in one of the flukiest editions of the Kentucky Derby.
Taiba was never a factor in the Derby after being transferred from Hall of Famer Bob Baffert to trainer Tim Yakteen to make him eligible to run. The son of Gun Runner was unable to follow up on his Santa Anita Derby (G1) triumph. He came in 12th, dusted by 17 3/4 lengths.
While Taiba was recovering from that misadventure in the most important race of all, Epicenter and his trainer, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, took on the two-week turnaround for the Preakness to run second.
After Taiba missed by a head to Cyberknife in the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park, Epicenter trounced ultra-game Cyberknife by 5 1/4 lengths in the Travers at Saratoga.
Need we say more?