HORSE RACING : One Man’s View of Eclipse Awards

Ballots for the Eclipse Awards have been sent out, and most of the winners will be announced Jan. 8.

Here are one reporter’s choices for the deserving recipients:

BEST 2-YEAR-OLD COLT OR GELDING--Rhythm. He won three of five races, capped by the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, which he took in his first try around two turns. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Rhythm, Summer Squall, Red Ransom and Magical Mile get together last month in Florida.

BEST 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY--Go For Wand. Stella Madrid was the front-runner for the Eclipse before her consecutive losses in the Breeders’ Cup and the Hollywood Starlet, so why not pick the filly that won the Breeders’ Cup? If Dominant Dancer is able to make it to the post, then defeat the boys in the Hollywood Futurity Sunday, she might get some support. Don’t expect her to knock off Grand Canyon, Single Dawn, Silver Ending, Farma Way and others, however.

BEST 3-YEAR-OLD COLT OR GELDING--Sunday Silence. This is an open-and-shut case. He won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, beating Easy Goer in three of their four meetings. He also is the horse of the year.

BEST 3-YEAR-OLD FILLY--Open Mind. She tailed off in the latter part of the year, but it’s hard to ignore that long win streak and all those stakes successes.

BEST OLDER HORSE--Blushing John. Allen Paulson’s son of Blushing Groom won the Pimlico Special, the Razorback Handicap and the Hollywood Gold Cup, and gave Sunday Silence and Easy Goer a scare in the Breeders’ Cup. There wasn’t much depth in this division, but Blushing John won five of 10 starts this year and earned more than $1.2 million.

BEST FILLY OR MARE--Bayakoa. This is the easiest choice of all, and she will be unanimous. All the 5-year-old Argentine mare did was take nine of 11 races, winning at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, Keeneland, Belmont Park and finally, Gulfstream, where she rewarded owner Frank Whitham’s sportsmanship with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Whitham went ahead and supplemented her for $120,000 even though she could have stayed home and still won the Eclipse.

BEST MALE GRASS HORSE--Steinlen. Wayne Lukas’ 6-year-old son of Habitat finished the year with five successive victories, topped by the Arlington Million and the Breeders’ Cup Mile. He was able to win on both firm and soft going and at distances ranging from a mile to 1 1/4 miles.

BEST FEMALE GRASS HORSE--Brown Bess. Claire Marine seemed to have this one locked up, but she went sour in the Las Palmas Handicap and the Yellow Ribbon Stakes. Northern California’s queen has shown she can compete anywhere. The 7-year-old mare won five of nine races and the only loss in her last six starts on the turf was against males in the Golden Gate Handicap.

BEST SPRINTER--Safely Kept. Dancing Spree beat her by a whisker in the Breeders’ Cup, but Safely Kept did more over the course of the year. She arrived in Florida unbeaten in eight starts in 1989 and was unlucky not to make it nine for nine.

JOCKEY--Kent Desormeaux. There are better riders in the nation, and the majority of his victories came in the minor leagues, but it would be difficult to ignore a teen-ager who broke Chris McCarron’s record for most winners in one year and who is on target to reach 600.

TRAINER--Charlie Whittingham. He did a masterful job with Sunday Silence, but there were plenty of other big victories for the man who shows no signs of slowing down at 76.

OWNER--Clover Racing Stable. The group headed by Jeff Siegel and Barry Irwin had a dream year. They won the Santa Anita Handicap with 50-1 shot Martial Law, upset Sunday Silence with Prized in the Swaps Stakes, then won the Breeders’ Cup Turf with Prized in his first appearance on the grass. There were numerous other added-money wins and stakes placings with thoroughbreds such as Political Ambition, Hot Option, Galba and Nediym.

Missing from the list is the apprentice rider category, because there is no preference.