Horse Betting World

Blame, Goldikova, Zenyatta Head List of Eclipse Finalists

By Mike Dempsey

The 2010 Horse of the Year will come down to Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Blame, Classic runner up Zenyatta, and Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Goldikova.

With Goldikova only making one start in the U.S., the real battle for Horse of the Year will come down to Blame vs. Zenyatta, and early indications are the voting was close.

The three voting blocs are the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

The hardware is handed out on Jan 17 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Miami Beach, Fl. at the 40th annual Eclipse Awards Dinner.

Blame is the slight favorite to win Horse of the Year honors off his win over Zenyatta by a head in the Classic.

Trained by Al Stall and owned by Claiborne Farms, the colt won two other Grade 1 races in 2010, the Whitney at Saratoga and the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.

The colt earned $3,751,467 in 2010 with a record of 5-4-1-0. His lone loss was to Haynesfield in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Oct. 2.

Zenyatta won her first five starts in 20101, all Grade 1 races against females before coming up a head short of catching Blame in the stretch at Churchill Downs in the Classic.

That head loss may cost her the Horse of the Year honors. She won the Classic in 2009, but lost Horse of the year honors to Rachel Alexandra, who sat out the Breeders’ Cup.

The immensely popular mare ended her career having won 19 of 20 career starts and may end up the runner up for Horse of the year for the third consecutive year.

The Zenyatta connections will still garner plenty of attention at the Eclipse Awards whether or not they take down the Horse of the Year honors.

Team Zenyatta will be presented with a special Eclipse Award, owners Jerry and Ann Moss are up for top Owner, and John Shirreffs is one of the finalists for top Trainer.

Goldikova won an unprecedented third straight Breeders’ Cup Mile in her lone start in the U.S. The Freddie Head trainee won four Group 1 races overseas before shipping to the U.S.

While only one can win Horse of the Year, each of the three Horse of the Year finalists are overwhelming favorites to win the Eclipse for their division.

Blame is a lock to win for Older Male, Zenyatta for top Older Female, and Goldikova for top Turf Female.

Ramon Dominguez is the front-runner to pick up his first Eclipse Award for top jockey. Dominguez led all jockeys in earnings with $17,411,880 and was second in wins with 369, behind only Deshawn Parker, who won 377 races.

The Eclipse Awards finalists for each category:

• Horse of the Year: Blame, Goldikova, Zenyatta
• Two-Year-Old Male: Boys at Tosconova, To Honor and Serve, Uncle Mo
•Two-Year-Old Filly: Awesome Feather, R Heat Lightning, Turbulent Descent
•Three-Year-Old Male: Eskendereya, Lookin At Lucky, Paddy O’Prado
•Three-Year-Old Filly: Blind Luck, Evening Jewel, Havre de Grace
• Older Male: Blame, Quality Road, Richard’s Kid
• Older Female: Life at Ten, Unrivaled Belle, Zenyatta
• Male Sprinter: Big Drama, Majesticperfection, Smiling Tiger
• Female Sprinter: Champagne d’Oro, Dubai Majesty, Rightly So
• Male Turf Horse: Dangerous Midge, Gio Ponti, Winchester
• Female Turf Horse: Goldikova, Proviso, Tuscan Evening
• Steeplechase Horse: Arcadius, Percussionist, Slip Away

• Owner: Claiborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S. Moss, WinStar Farm
• Breeder: Adena Springs, Claiborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider, Brereton C. Jones
• Trainer: Bob Baffert, Todd Pletcher, John Shirreffs
• Jockey: Ramon Dominguez, Garrett Gomez, John Velazquez
• Apprentice Jockey: Forest Boyce, Omar Moreno, Angel Serpa

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