Flashback: Tie votes at the 1978 Eclipse Awards

The coveted Eclipse Awards date to 1971, created through the merger of previously separate voting blocs to unify the crowning of America’s champion racehorses. Nearly 50 years later, it’s safe to say the goal has been achieved. Gone are the days of each voting bloc announcing its own list of champions, which frequently produced conflicting winners.

Under the Eclipse Award banner, tie votes have been rare. Indeed, since 1971, only two equine categories have ever produced ambiguous results. Incredibly, both of these dead-heat finishes occurred in 1978, one of the most competitive seasons the sport has ever seen.

The Horse of the Year vote attracted most of the attention. In a battle of Triple Crown winners, Affirmed won Horse of the Year honors over Seattle Slew, accumulating 90 1/2 votes compared with the 78 1/4 secured by his older rival.

But Affirmed’s victory was described as “unanimous” by the press because in 1978, Eclipse Award ballots were counted differently than they are today. Three groups of voters — representing the National Turf Writers Association, the Daily Racing Form and the Thoroughbred Racing Association — were asked to cast their individual ballots. Thereafter, a system not unlike the U.S. Electoral Collage determined the winners.

"Voting is done by each of the three groups separately and then each group’s vote counts as five points for first, three for second, and one for third,” explained Associated Press sports writer Ed Schuyler Jr. in the Paducah, Ky., The Paducah Sun in 1978.

Most of the time, this approach produced clear-cut winners. But in 1978, two Eclipse Award categories were so wide open at the end of the season that the system fractured in a thoroughly unexpected manner.

The first category of confusion was champion sprinter. Before the creation of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in 1984, American racing lacked a well-defined sprint division, and the award frequently was bestowed upon capable routers fast enough to cut back in distance and win a sprint or two during the course of the year. The 1978 season presented two viable contenders, both of them better known as conquerors of 1977 Triple Crown champion Seattle Slew than as sensational sprinters.

J.O. Tobin, famous for handing Seattle Slew his first defeat in the 1977 Swaps (G1), was clearly the more accomplished of the duo overall. In 11 starts in 1978, J.O. Tobin demonstrated his quality against tough competition running long, most notably cruising to victory in the 1 1/16-mile Californian (G1). But he also showed serious sprinting speed, crisscrossing the country to win the 7-furlong Los Angeles Handicap (G2) at Hollywood Park and the 7-furlong Tom Fool Handicap at Belmont Park.

His primary rival for the Eclipse Award was Dr. Patches, who out-fought Seattle Slew to win the 1978 Paterson Handicap (G3) racing 1 1/8 miles. The 4-year-old gelding went only 2-for-5 sprinting during the 1978 season, but he picked the right moment to step up with a winning effort. Dueling with reigning champion sprinter What a Summer in the 7-furlong Vosburgh (G2) — then as prestigious a sprint as you could find in North America — Dr. Patches battled to victory by three-quarters of a length, albeit while receiving seven pounds from What a Summer.

The champion 2-year-old filly category was similarly wide open. It’s In the Air was arguably the most accomplished, finishing first or second in all eight of her starts. After spending the summer at Arlington Park, when she dominated the Mademoiselle Stakes and Arlington-Washington Lassie (G2), It’s in the Air wrapped up the season with a runner-up effort in the Frizette (G1) and a victory in the Oak Leaf (G2).

It was a productive campaign, but It’s in the Air failed to win a Grade 1 race, prompting some voters to favor Candy Eclair. While the breadth of her campaign wasn’t as impressive, Candy Eclair did go undefeated in five starts, posting easy victories in the Brigantine Stakes and Mermaid Stakes before wiring the prestigious Selima (G1) by 1 1/2 lengths.

Since 2003, the Eclipse Awards have been determined by a straight counting of the ballots — whichever horse receives the highest number of first-place votes is declared the winner. Had such a strategy been in place for 1978, the champion sprinter and champion 2-year-old filly categories might have produced close, but clear winners.

However, a more surprising outcome occurred under the rules of 1978. Dr. Patches and It’s in the Air each were favored by two of the three voting groups, giving them 10 points apiece. J.O. Tobin and Candy Eclair finished second in the first two polls, accumulating 6 points apiece.

But J.O. Tobin and Candy Eclair managed to turn the tables in the final group, climbing to 11 points each. And both Dr. Patches and It’s in the Air slipped to third place in the final group, settling with — you guessed it — 11 points apiece.

Thus, Dr. Patches and J.O. Tobin went down in history as co-champion sprinters, while It’s in the Air and Candy Eclair shared champion 2-year-old filly honors. The following year, the Eclipse Awards were revised to eliminate the tiered points system, instead giving each group a single first-place vote to cast for the horse of their choice. Had this system been in place for 1978, Dr. Patches and It’s in the Air would have stood alone as division champions. Instead, history was made.

Looking back on the 1978 season, which of the co-champions would you have voted for?

J. Keeler Johnson is a writer, videographer, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite. You can follow him on Twitter at @J_Keelerman.