Who will be Champion Turf Horse?

[Keith]

Showing Up keeps on winning in fast times and will he be champion turf horse? He did win his second Grade I race today. He has set track records. His only defeats came in the Man O' War and the Kentucky Derby.

Miesque's Approval did beat Artie Schiller earlier in the year and did win the Breeder's Cup Mile in his last start.

The Tin Man also had a very impressive year including winning the Arlington Million.

English Channel won thre Grade I races on the turf including a third in the very competitive Breeder's Cup Turf?

I would choose Showing Up but I think English Channel may get it?

[sunday_silence]

I like Showing Up a lot. He's had a really good year, but couldn't defeat older. I think that's pretty necessary to claim this award at 3. Kitten's Joy did that. They revealed their opinion of him when they didn't enter the BC. They didn't think he was quick enough for the Mile or that he could get 12F, esp. facing older horses. That's not an Eclipse Award winner. You could make a good case for The Tin Man, English Channel, Aragorn or Cacique, IMO. Miesque's Approval's race record as a whole is not as good as any of those, as I see it. I'd put Showing Up ahead of him, good as his BC Mile was.

[Ill-bred]

I lean to Miesque's Approval.

[Mahubah]

Logically, Aragorn should get it. By far the most consistent turfer in the country with four wins and three seconds this year, all in Graded events against open competition.

[pokeyman]

I think the Tin Man.

Like people mentioned, Showing Up needed to beat older horses in some of the key races.

Maybe Aragorn will be up for the mile category.

What about Wait a While for the fillies/mares?

[Ill-bred]

Logically, Aragorn should get it. By far the most consistent turfer in the country with four wins and three seconds this year, all in Graded events against open competition.

Miesque's Approval was also very consistent with five wins and a second from seven starts.

He won at Gulfstream, Keeneland, Churchill and Monmouth. He won the Breeders' Cup Mile, beating Aragorn in their only head-to-head matchup, and it was on a neutral track.

Aragorn beat up on a fairly weak group of Cal turf horses and did not win outside the circuit. Is that a championship campaign? I'm thinking he falls a little short.

[sunday_silence]

Unless they've added a Mile award and I missed it, male turf milers are lumped into the turf male award with the distance runners. Miesque's Approval's record is 1 G1, 2 G2s, 1 G3, 1 restricted stake (Sunshine Millions) and 1 2nd in a stakes race. Even though he won the BC, I don't think that holds up against the records of English Channel, The Tin Man, Aragorn or even Cacique. I would vote for Aragorn over Miesque's Approval, even though he beat Aragorn. Aragorn didn't have the world class competition, but most of Miesque's Approval's competition was pretty sad until the BC. I continue to be stunned that he seems to be getting so much support to win this division. He had a nice year, but I think there are 4-5 horses whose years have been more impressive. The BC is not everything.

[Benevolus]

I think English Channel deserves it because he has the most grade 1's and he put in the best overall campaign.

Showing Up couldn't beat Cacique in his only effort against older so I rule him out. I like him for next year's Eclipse.

Aragorn would be the only horse other than EC that I think would be deserving.

I would vote

English Channel
Aragorn
Showing Up

[Keith]

He did not win but with his third in the Man O' War he did defeat older horses. When it comes to Aragorn's race times that should count for something as for the very fast race times for Showing Up who has shown to be very consistent winning on different surfaces and different distants and at several different tracks. English Channel should have a very good shot and did have a respectable third in the Breeder's Cup Turf. I think three of the four best three year olds have a good shot at winning a championship.

Bernardini- Champion Three Year Old
Discreet Cat- Champion Sprinter
Showing Up- Champion Turf Horse

Don't forget about Barbaro because all four are very nice three year olds.

Champion Older horse is a nother category where either horse has the credentials to be Horse Of The Year when it comes to Invasor and Lava Man. Obviously Invasor is going to be Horse of the Year.

Keith

[Ill-bred]

Perhaps when Wait a While and Showing Up get shut out at the Eclipse Awards, it will give more momentum to the movement for new categories -- champion female sprinter and a three-yr-old turf title for both sexes.

[pokeyman]

Sorry...I don't know where I came up with the mile turf award....

Before my cup of coffee...:-0

You absolutely can't give the turf award to Showing Up or the 3 year old award to Barbaro, for that matter. That would be so wrong!!

Neither beat older horses and in Barbaro's case...2 other 3 year olds did. I think Showing Up should get nothing and Bernardini should be 3 year old Champion.

How anyone in their right mind can STILL vote for Brabaro after what Bernardini did is a mystery to me. Obviously, it's purely sentimental. Fcats are facts. There is no..."this horse would have beat everyone". What did the horse actually do-period.

If it happens, I'll be just as pissed off as when they gave Favorite Trick HOY over Skip Away (I believe). In my opinion, a 2 year old should NEVER win HOY. But that's another argument...

In the sprint category, I want to vote for Discreet Cat. It's seems bizarre that possibly one of the best horses in the country (based on his actual performances) will get shut out. However, he didn't show up for the big dances so I think Thor's Echo should get the nod as the Champion sprinter. The award is based on actual performances and not would of, could of, should ofs.

On a side note, what the hell was in the water with this 3 year old crop! Holy crap! Barbaro, Bernardini, Discreet Cat, Wait a While, Showing Up.... Now, THAT is a stellar class!! Can anyone remember a crop this strong in recent years?

[Ill-bred]

Pokeyman-

I totally agree on Discreet Cat. He's incredibly talented, but his bizarre campaign makes it hard to give him an Eclipse.

[Keith]

Showing Up won the Secretariat 2:00 flat a full second and a half faster than the Tin Man's winning performance in the Arlington Million on the same race card two races earlier. He shatters the stakes record in the Hollywood Derby in winning in 1:59.35 faster than Good Reward's former stakes record of 2:01.53 He set the track record at Colonial Downs winning the Colonial Turf Cup. He set a track record at Gulfstream Park in 1:34 on the dirt. He wins on dirt and turf, sets track records, shatters a stakes record in his last start, runs a full second and a half faster then The Tin Man on the same race card. He wins at Gulstream, Keeneland, Belmont, Hollywood, and Arlington Park and should a horse be denied because a trainer picks his races where he has the best chance to win. Showing Up should be given strong consideration. Lost In The Fog won a championship from his trainer picking his races and was unplaced in the Breeder's Cup. As far as champion sprinter I feel Thor's Echo has too many defeats to be champion sprinter. You can fully understand why they have picked his races with what they went through with Barbaro who probably should not have run in the Preakness as he showed on form that he runs better off of layoffs. A trainer who run his horses in races he has the best chance of winning is a good trainer. Should a trainer be able to scratch their horse when a horse breaks through the gate? The pressure to win the Triple Crown with Barbaro may have been what done him in and Afleet Alex's misstep in the Preakness could have went the other way but luckily he was able to go on and win like a champ. Luckily Showing Up does not have a strong pedigree like Bernardini who we may never see run again. We will likely see Showing Up run next year because a son of Strategic Mission most likely will not stand for $100,000. The Eclipse Award is based on opinion and why should running only against three year olds, being a sprinter, or a grass horse count against you because you are not a horse who wins going a 1 1/8 miles on the dirt. I do disagree with two year olds winning horse of the year but don't turf horses face more international competition than most dirt horses? Eclipse awards are totally biased towards older horses who win on the dirt as well as horses who win that one big race in the Breeder's Cup or win the Kentucky Derby.

Keith

[Benevolus]

Showing Up is a nice horse but times mean very little on the turf. Pace dictates everything.

The problem with giving Showing Up an Eclipse is that he has never beaten a good horse. All of his turf wins came against very very weak competition.

[sunday_silence]

Showing Up's much faster time at Arlington had more to do with the pace of the Million. The Tin Man set a slow early pace and stole the race on the front end. I'm pretty sure that the later fractions of the Million and Secretariat were comparable. And setting new records at Colonial Downs isn't all that surprising, as that turf course is relatively new. If Showing Up's connections didn't think he had any chance to win a BC race (which I believe they said by not entering him), he's not deserving of an Eclipse to me. I really like the horse, don't get me wrong. He's been one of my favorites to watch this year and it looks like we're going to get to enjoy him for quite a while. Hopefully he'll only improve.