“I KNOW how he feels.”
“I wish I had a pillow.”
“One Zayat speech too many.”
Those were a few of the texts received after sending a photo of my seven-year-old sleeping on the couch during the Eclipse Awards. Can’t blame Miles, can’t blame Zayat Stable and can’t blame the texters, awards dinners tend to do that.
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association handed out the Eclipse Awards at Gulfstream Park on January 16th and, not surprisingly, American Pharoah stole the show. Zayat Stable’s Triple Crown winner took home the Horse of the Year honours, the three-year-old title, secured the owner and breeder title for Zayat and helped clinch the leading trainer honours for Bob Baffert. When it came to the American Pharoah team, only jockey Victor Espinoza – edged out by Javier Castellano – failed to win an individual award last Saturday night.
Beyond the awards, video and photographic montages of American Pharoah’s stunning three-year-old campaign – one which circumnavigated the country from Santa Anita to Saratoga, Monmouth Park to Keeneland – played throughout the night.
The best one featured photographs taken with American Pharoah, simply random fans posing, holding, petting, ogling the champ. It’s rare to see a champion, rarer to see an accessible champion. Of all his exploits, his aplomb throughout the journey is what made American Pharoah special.
In a new twist, the NTRA brought the Eclipse Award to the horse, showing a video of NTRA’s president Alex Waldrop awarding the trophy to the newly crowned king. And yet again, the champ was cool about it, like he was saying, “Yeah, figured you’d stop by.”
Beyond American Pharoah, the awards were predictable for the most part. Honor Code, with two Grade 1 stakes wins, took the Older Dirt Male division. California-based mare Beholder rode a five-for-five season to sweep the Older Dirt Female category. Big Blue Kitten bested a depleted Turf division.
Undefeated juveniles Nyquist and Songbird swept their respective divisions. La Verdad, without winning a Grade 1 stakes in 2015, nosed out her Breeders’ Cup vanquisher Wavell Avenue by eight votes in the Female Sprinter - that was a surprise. And, I guess, not surprising, controversial owner James McIngvale accepted the Sprinter title for Runhappy and thanked everybody but his former trainer Maria Borell - spats will be spats.
IRISH HORSES
Irish-bred Found finished third in the three-year-old Filly division with 46 votes (winner Stellar Wind earned 108 votes) and second in the Female Turf category, well behind Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Tepin. Irish-bred Bob Le Beau finished second in the Steeplechase category, a long way behind Grand National and Colonia Cup winner Dawalan.
Beyond the winners on the racetrack in 2015, the Eclipse Award of Merit was awarded to Leonard Lavin, founder of Glen Hill Farm in Ocala, Florida. Glen Hill has bred over 80 stakes winners, but Lavin didn’t win the award for his stakes winners. He won it for his integrity, his legacy, his loyalty.
Lavin’s grandson, Craig Bernick, took over Glen Hill in 2008. He accepted the award on behalf of Lavin. Bernick delivered a heart-felt tribute to Lavin.
“Since my grandfather’s first day in the horse business, there’s been a relationship with the Proctor family. Willard Proctor, Alan Proctor, Hap Proctor and Tom Proctor have managed our farm in Ocala and trained our horses at the track,” Bernick said. “They have represented us with the highest integrity and old school horsemanship and hard work. This award is as much theirs as it is ours.”
Bernick continued to explain Lavin’s character, his legacy.
“It’s very unique for a founder to turn over control of his business, but my grandfather felt I would benefit from his guidance, which has proven true,” Bernick said. “Many who know Leonard Lavin say that he is the toughest person they’ve met and he has the highest expectations for those that he loves. He has been a hard, but fair boss. Our disagreements have been about horses, never business principles – those have been consistent and straightforward. Be a man of your word, pay your bills on time, be patient with horses, stand up for what you believe, whether it’s popular or not, never suggest an idea to someone that you wouldn’t do yourself and most of all, he has stressed that Glen Hill Farm is an extension of the Lavin and Bernick families, so make sure everything associated with it is done properly and with class.”
And that is what defined the 2015 Eclipse Awards – I wish Miles was awake for that.