These Horses Have Eclipsed the Rest

Even though a few days remain in the year, the 2000 racing calendar is basically over.

Nothing that happens in the next week will change anyone’s mind when it comes to the Eclipse awards.

Having already stated earlier in this space that Tiznow deserves to be the top 3-year-old and Horse of the Year, here are the choices in the remaining equine Eclipse categories:

2-Year-Old--Macho Uno. Owned by Frank Stronach and trained by Joe Orseno, the gray son of Holy Bull won for the third time in four starts when he held off Point Given in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4. He will try to become the first Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner to capture the Kentucky Derby next May, but many still believe Point Given will be the better colt in the long run. Trained by Bob Baffert for Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp., Point Given was an easy winner of the Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 16.

2-Year-Old Filly--Caressing. Since no filly really distinguished herself in this division, take the young lady who won the biggest race of the year. Owned by Carl Pollard and trained by David Vance, the 2-year-old daughter of Honour And Glory pulled a shocker in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies for her third win in five starts.

3-Year-Old Filly--Surfside. After being out for more than six months, the Seattle Slew filly finished the year strong. She was second to stablemate Spain in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and probably would have won had she had one more prep race. Then, in the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs the day after Thanksgiving, she beat the boys, including Kentucky Derby runner-up Aptitude. Owned by Bill Young’s Overbrook Farm and trained by Wayne Lukas, Surfside won three consecutive graded stakes earlier in the year, including two Grade I races at Santa Anita. In a close call, she gets the edge over Jostle, who finished behind her in the Distaff.

Older Male--Lemon Drop Kid. Even though he didn’t win outside New York this year and came up flat in the last two races of his career, the 4-year-old son of Kingmambo did more than anybody else. Still, he was never as good as trainer Scotty Schulhofer thought he was.

Older Female--Riboletta. She clinched this title with her decisive win over Beautiful Pleasure in the Beldame at Belmont Park more than two months ago. Owned by Aaron and Marie Jones and trained by Eduardo Inda, the classy Brazilian mare won seven times in 2000 and five of the victories were in Grade I races. It’s too bad she suffered a career-ending injury in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Male Turf Horse--Kalanisi. A victory by War Chant in last month’s Hollywood Derby probably would have made the choice here different, but his connections opted not to run the Danzig colt one final time. So Kalanisi, a 4-year-old owned and bred by the Aga Khan, gets the nod. So what if he made only one start in the United States? Americans have no trouble counting victories by their horses in Dubai, so why shouldn’t Kalanisi’s record in Europe also be factored into the equation? Before he won the Breeders’ Cup Turf, the son of Doyoun won twice in England-- including a Group I--and was a close second in two other Group I races behind the brilliant Giant’s Causeway. He had one more turf win than War Chant and his Breeders’ Cup victory was just as impressive as War Chant’s win in the Mile.

Female Turf Horse--Perfect Sting. The second champion for Stronach and Orseno, the Red Ransom filly made it five wins in six 2000 starts in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She won at four different courses and her win was verified when Tout Charmant, the lone filly to beat her this year and the runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup, won the Matriarch last month at Hollywood Park.

Sprinter--Kona Gold. A slam dunk. The 6-year-old gelding, who had been third, then second in the previous two Breeders’ Cup Sprints, won this time, holding off longshot Honest Lady for his fifth win in six starts this year. Managed brilliantly by trainer and part owner Bruce Headley, Kona Gold is scheduled to return next month at Santa Anita. Let’s hope he and 1998 Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion Reraise hook up at some point.