THOROUGHBRED RACING : A.P. Indy Eclipses the ’92 Field

Wanting to get a jump on the Christmas rush, here is one man’s opinion on the Eclipse Awards:

2-Year-Old Colt or Gelding--Gilded Time. An easy selection, the Timeless Moment colt went unbeaten and capped his year with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Although there is a lot of doubt about his ability to handle 1 1/4 miles, the Kentucky Derby distance, he proved himself the top 2-year-old and was quite a bargain at $80,000.

2-Year-Old Filly--Eliza. Another easy choice. The half-sister to Dinard lost only once in five starts, and that was because she came back too quickly (10 days) after breaking her maiden in her debut.

3-Year-Old Colt or Gelding--A.P. Indy. He missed the Kentucky Derby and Preakness because of an injury, but after watching him win the Belmont, many say he would have swept the Triple Crown if he had been healthy. The $2.9-million yearling also handled the older horses, when he won the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

3-Year-Old Filly--Saratoga Dew. In a wide-open division, the Cormorant filly gets the edge, despite her flop in the Breeders’ Cup, because she won eight of 11 starts. A case can also be made for Turnback The Alarm, who won the Mother Goose and Coaching Club American Oaks during the summer; and Magical Maiden, who won three of nine starts, but was off the board only once.

Older Filly Or Mare--Paseana. Ron McAnally’s latest Argentine star had a two-race lull in the Pacific Classic and Spinster, but she bounced back to her best form in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The 5-year-old Ahmad mare won seven of nine, and the good news is that she is expected to be back in 1993.

Male Grass Horse--Sky Classic. The 5-year-old son of Nijinsky II was upset by Fraise in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, but he was the best in this division throughout the year. He had five victories and three seconds from nine starts and defeated Fraise in two of their three meetings.

Female Grass Horse--Let’s reserve judgment until after the $400,000 Matriarch on Nov. 29 at Hollywood Park. The Grade I race could bring together Super Staff, Kostroma and Flawlessly, the three top contenders.

Sprinter--Thirty Slews. Rubiano is considered a cinch to win this honor, but the fact is Thirty Slews beat him in their only meeting against the best sprint field assembled all year Oct. 31 at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Bob Baffert did a splendid job readying the 5-year-old son of Slewpy for the Breeders’ Cup, and the gelding’s victory didn’t come because of an imagined track bias the Daily Racing Form’s Mark Hopkins wrote about after the Breeders’ Cup. He won because he is a quality sprinter and, all things being equal, he would beat Rubiano more times than not, going six furlongs.

Trainer--Ron McAnally. The 1991 winner deserves it again this year for the job he has done with another talented barn, topped by the likes of Paseana, Ibero, Sea Cadet and Super Staff. Lightly regarded when she arrived from England, Super Staff has developed into a leading Eclipse candidate after consecutive victories over Flawlessly.

Jockey--Eddie Delahoussaye. At 41, Delahoussaye is certainly overdue for an Eclipse, much like he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Delahoussaye has been consistent throughout the year, and his rides aboard A.P. Indy in the Belmont and Breeders’ Cup Classic were masterpieces.

Owner--Allen and Madeleine Paulson. After having little luck earlier in the year, the Paulsons’ fortunes have changed in recent months. They won Breeders’ Cup races with Eliza and Fraise and, in the 2-year-old colt Stuka, they have a promising prospect for next year’s Kentucky Derby.

Horse of the Year--A.P. Indy. A decision is pending on whether he will be back for his 4-year-old season, but the son of Seattle Slew did about everything that was asked in 1992. Any one who wanted to vote for Best Pal would not receive an argument from me, and let’s hope he and A.P. Indy return next year so they can get together.

Robert P. Strub, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Santa Anita Operating Company and the Los Angeles Turf Club, Inc., is suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Strub informed the board of directors of his condition, but he intends to continue as CEO. Associated with Santa Anita since 1945, Strub is also vice-chairman of Santa Anita Realty Enterprises Inc., which owns Santa Anita Park and other properties.

Golden Pheasant, who was scheduled to defend his title in the Japan Cup next week, won’t because of a muscle strain he suffered while finishing fourth in the Carleton F. Burke Handicap on Nov. 9 at Santa Anita.

A 6-year-old son of Caro, Golden Pheasant will go to stud in Japan for owner Zenya Yoshida. He has seven victories in 22 starts and earnings of $2,502,495.

Horse Racing Notes

La Spia’s comeback was put on hold for a second time Wednesday. Idle since finishing second to the late Pleasant Stage in the 1991 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, La Spia came down with a slight temperature and was scratched out of the eighth race Wednesday. Previously, she had been scratched when the track came up muddy at Santa Anita on Nov. 1. Trainer Randy Winick said the 3-year-old Capote filly should surface in a couple of weeks. . . . Nannetta, ridden by Chris McCarron, led all the way in winning the feature, a $34,000 allowance race. She covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15 and paid $6.80. Looie Capote, the 7-5 favorite, was second and Beverly Z. was third.