Final Numbers Tab Him Winner

Collecting less than 27% of the votes--lowest ever for a winner--the reformed claimer Charismatic has won the 1999 horse-of-the-year title, becoming the first champion with a sub-.500 record since 1987.

Although Charismatic was beaten in six of 10 starts last year, he captivated the public during five weeks in May and June, rising from the claiming ranks to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. He then suffered career-ending injuries to his left foreleg as he ran third in the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown.

Twice in his career, at Hollywood Park as a 2-year-old and at Santa Anita in February of last year, Charismatic could have been claimed out of races for $62,500. His owners, Bob and Beverly Lewis of Huntington Beach, and their trainer, Wayne Lukas, were willing to give up on a colt who couldn’t win. After a fourth-place finish last April in the Santa Anita Derby, Charismatic had finished first in only one of 13 starts. Because another horse was disqualified, one of those races resulted in a second win.

Lukas shipped Charismatic to Kentucky in mid-April, and the colt blossomed. He won the Lexington at Keeneland on April 18--his first stakes win--and two weeks later won the Kentucky Derby at 31-1 odds. Two weeks after his victory at Churchill Downs, he added the second jewel in the Triple Crown by winning the Preakness at Pimlico.

For the year, Charismatic had four wins, two seconds and one third in 10 starts and earned $2 million. The last horse-of-the-year champion with a losing record was Ferdinand, the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner who also won four of 10 starts when he won the title in 1987. Charismatic’s percentage of the popular vote--he received 55 1/2 of the 209 votes cast--was the lowest since Ferdinand’s 38%.

The 1999 voters, who come from the Daily Racing Form, the National Turf Writers Assn. and the racing secretaries’ offices of tracks that belong to the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn., were totally confused after racing’s so-called championship day, the Breeders’ Cup, at Florida’s Gulfstream Park in November. Charismatic was unable to compete, the longshot Cat Thief won the Breeders’ Cup Classic and several horse-of-the-year contenders were beaten. Two of the Breeders’ Cup winners, turf standout Daylami and the crack sprinter Artax, became finalists for horse of the year, but they lost out in a hodgepodge of a vote.

Artax finished second to Charismatic in total votes with 46 1/2, but under the Eclipse Awards’ bloc-voting system, Daylami was the official runner-up because he collected the most votes among the racing secretaries. Charismatic won the title by gaining a plurality from the two other groups. He had a 13-10 edge from the Racing Form and a 37 1/2-19 1/2 advantage among the turf writers. Daylami, who ran only once in the U.S., after winning three stakes in England and Ireland, outpolled Charismatic, 9-5, among racing secretaries.

Artax, while not leading any of the three blocs, still collected 22% of the votes. Daylami had about 18%. Ten turf writers, baffled by the late-season developments, didn’t vote. In what is believed to be a record, 12 horses received votes from the 209 voters. One voter picked Saluter, a steeplechase horse who didn’t even finish first in the Eclipse Award divisional voting for jumpers.

The awards were announced and presented Monday night at a dinner at the Beverly Hilton. In a close vote, Bob Baffert was favored by the Racing Form and the racetrack secretaries as he edged Lukas for the trainer award. Baffert was the winner for the third consecutive year. Frank Stronach won the Eclipse for outstanding owner for the second year in a row, Jorge Chavez shaded three-time winner Jerry Bailey for best jockey, Ariel Smith was voted best apprentice jockey and the breeder award went to Will Farish and partners, who bred Charismatic and Lemon Drop Kid, winner of the Belmont Stakes.

Charismatic had an easier time in the vote for best 3-year-old male as he bagged 197 of the 219 votes. In 1996, the Kentucky-bred son of Summer Squall and Bali Babe, a Drone mare, had been bought by the Lewises for $200,000 at a Keeneland weanling sale. Charismatic will stand for a $35,000 stud fee during this year’s breeding season at Farish’s Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Ky.

Other 1999 divisional winners were Daylami, male grass horse; Artax, sprinter; Victory Gallop, older male on dirt; Beautiful Pleasure, older female on dirt; Silverbulletday, 3-year-old filly; Soaring Softly, grass female; Anees, 2-year-old male; Chilukki, 2-year-old filly; and Lonesome Glory, who won steeplechase honors for the sixth time.