True Hall of Famers

Well done voters! Four greats were inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame yesterday, and in my eyes they could not be more deserving. Randy Romero, Azeri, Best Pal, and Point Given are in. I congratulate each for the ultimate honor. As a lifelong fan of Thoroughbred horse racing, one of my favorite days of the year is the announcement of brand new members of the Hall of Fame. It makes me think back about their wonderful careers, which is always fun, but it also re-invigorates me for the upcoming races and future greats. I look forward to the induction ceremony, which will take place August 13 at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga. Let’s take a look at why they were so deserving. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here

The Belmont List

With the Test of Champions just around the corner, I decided to have a little fun with the classic race. There have been 31 winners of the Belmont Stakes since Affirmed outgamed Alydar to become the eleventh winner of the Triple Crown. Today I took on the unenviable task of ranking them 1 through 31. The basis for the ranking was on their overall racing career and a blending of excellence and accomplishments. Have fun and please let me know where you think I may have gone astray...  1. Easy Goer 20-14-5-1  2. Point Given 13-9-3-0  3. Risen Star 11-8-2-1  4. A.P. Indy 11-8-0-1  5. Afleet Alex 12-8-2-1  6. Conquistador Cielo 13-9-0-2  7. Swale 14-9-2-2  8. Coastal 14-8-1-3  9. Thunder Gulch 16-9-2-2 10. Rags to Riches 7-5-1-0 11. Bet Twice 26-10-6-4 12. Empire Maker 8-4-3-1 13. Hansel 14-7-2-3 14. Lemon Drop Kid 24-10-3-3 15. Victory Gallop 17-9-5-1 16. Summer Bird 8-4-1-1 17. Tabasco Cat 18-8-3-2 18. Birdstone 9-5-0-0 19. Touch Gold 15-6-3-1 20. Crème Fraiche 64-17-12-13 21. Danzig Connection 17-6-5-4 22. Temperance Hill 31-11-4-2 23. Colonial Affair 20-7-4-3 24. Caveat 21-6-4-3 25. Go and Go 15-6-0-2 26. Summing 23-7-5-1 27. Editor’s Note 31-6-4-3 28. Jazil 11-2-5-0 29. Sarava 17-3-3-0 30. Commendable 12-2-1-1 31. Da’ Tara 17-2-5-2

Remembering ... Point Given

He was not your average two-year-old. Far from it. Pounding the earth with every gigantic stride, Point Given now had his massive frame moving in a fluid motion. His stride was twice the length of any of the other juveniles in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup, but it would not matter, for he was left with far too much to do in the Churchill Downs stretch and was still mired back in 7th at the eighth pole. The classy Canadian colt, Macho Uno had made a winning move and had spurted clear of the rest of the pack. Still I could not take my eyes off of Point Given. He was now in full gear and it had all the look of a Cadillac chasing down a field of Yugos. So big and strong and closing so fast it reminded me of all those times I had seen Forego blistering down the Belmont Park lane. Point Given was flying like no other juvenile I had seen before. It was only a matter of how quickly the wire would arrive. Point Given was gaining half a length per stride, and when he passed Street Cry, I let myself believe for the first time that he may actually pull it off. Macho Uno was still running well, but Point Given was now billowing smoke from his nostrils. They would hit the wire together. On the line was the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and an Eclipse Award as best two-year-old. As the horses galloped past my vantage point, just past the wire, my mouth was ajar and my heart was pounding. Did he get up? No. The photo revealed he had fallen a nose short. He had left a lasting impression though. On this day of great races, all I could think about was the Juvenile and how I had just seen next year’s Kentucky Derby winner. It is difficult to win the Triple Crown. How’s that for understatement? No horse this decade was better in the Spring of their three-year-old year than Point Given and no horse was more dominant of his peers. Horse racing can be a fickle mistress. It is hard to believe how one horse’s fate can change so radically within the five weeks of the Triple Crown. The 133rd Belmont Stakes of 2001 was an ultra impressive display of strength and power. The son of 1995 Derby and Belmont winner Thunder Gulch romped home under his regular rider Gary Stevens, more than 12 lengths in front of A P Valentine. Point Given’s final time of 2:26 2/5 was the fourth-fastest Belmont ever. Everything that I had imagined seven months earlier at Churchill Downs, had manifested itself that day at Belmont Park. Coming on the heels of an impressive score in the Preakness Stakes, Point Given had proven himself a star. It was a crowning moment, but unfortunately, he was not crowned. Maybe it was the hard, lightning fast track surface at Churchill that day. Maybe it was the fact that he was too close to fast early fractions. Maybe it was the heat of the Louisville Spring. Maybe it was the banging around like a pinball in the field of 17. Or maybe it was just the only day in his career, that the 17 hands horse did not feel like running. All we know for sure is that May 5, 2001 was not Point Given’s day. T-Rex, that is what his personable conditioner Bob Baffert affectionately called him, stormed into Louisville as the big horse in more ways than one. Since the BC Juvenile, he had easily handled his competition in the Hollywood Futurity and San Felipe. With his romping win in the Santa Anita Derby, Point Given had everyone thinking he was a legitimate Triple Crown contender. And then came the race. Point Given would run his only bad race of his career and fade to a well beaten fifth in the large field. Once again, Churchill Downs was the place of great disappointment for Point Given. The twin spires oversaw both of his seasons fall just short of greatness. The Derby performance seemed so out of character, but it happened, and it happened on the world’s largest stage. It was if the Racing Gods had not allowed Point Given immortality. Monarchos was a smashing winner that day, but we were all left to wonder what had happened to the big horse. Point Given was the horse that would end the long Triple Crown drought and yet it was not meant to be. Redemption would come in the Preakness and the Belmont and the Haskell and the Travers, four consecutive million dollar races, which only made the Kentucky Derby all the more puzzling. Though his career was cut short, Point Given collected 9 wins and 3 seconds in his 13 starts with earnings just a shade below four million dollars. The Kentucky Derby was his lone loss of 2001, a season that saw him win six major stakes before a strained tendon prompted his retirement. He was rewarded for his excellent season by being named Champion three-year-old male and Horse of the Year. Currently he is a successful young sire standing at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. I wish the chestnut behemoth a long and happy career at stud. I remember you Point Given.

Race of the 21st Century

Is it Too Early? The Zipse Awards

Don’t look now but the first decade of the 21st century is winding to an end. Four months and a few days and we will be entering the 2nd decade…where did the time go? With the end of the decade speeding towards us, I have decided to get a jump on things for a change. I am previewing the Zipse Awards, which will be awarded to the best horses of the decade in their respective divisions. Champion Two-Year-Old Colt: Unless something big happens this year, 2-year-old of the decade will be a tough call. My selection right now is Vindication over War Pass and Street Sense. Street Sense clearly has the best single performance winning the BC Juvenile in 2006 by 10 lengths, but falls short with only two wins from five starts. War Pass and Vindication’s juvenile campaigns were very similar. Both went 4 for 4 culminating with easy wins in the Breeder’s Cup. I give Vindication the edge by virtue of more travel and winning the 2002 BC Juvenile on a fast track. Champion Two-Year-Old Filly: A very strong division this decade with several worthy candidates. The strongest contenders, Stardom Bound, Indian Blessing, Sweet Catomine, Halfbridled, and Storm Flag Flying all won the BC Juvenile Fillies in impressive fashion to cap their excellent years. It will be very difficult for any 2-year-old filly this year to top my top selection for juvenile filly of the decade, Halfbridled. The daughter of Unbridled gets the nod because of her undefeated 4 for 4 record and by overcoming the adversity of having post position 14 in her biggest race of the year, the 2003 Breeders' Cup. Champion Three-Year-Old Colt: Many nice 3-year-olds in the decade, unfortunately in several cases their campaigns were cut short. Smarty Jones, Barbaro and Afleet Alex did not get a chance to run after the Triple Crown. Tiznow was not a factor the fist half of the year. Big Brown did not finish the Belmont, nor the year. Bernardini was beaten in his biggest race. That left it to either Curlin or Point Given. Very tough decision, and I have gone back and forth, but at this time I am siding with Point Given. He failed when he ran 5th in the Kentucky Derby, but he proved his class winning each of his other six races of 2001. They were easy scores in the San Felipe, Santa Anita Derby, Preakness, Belmont, Haskell, and Travers. Champion Three-Year-Old Filly: Of this decade and just about any other is Rachel Alexandra. Sorry Rags to Riches’ fans, but the answer is definitely Rachel Alexandra. Champion Older Male Horse: Tiznow, Mineshaft, Ghostzapper, St. Liam, Lava Man, Invasor, Lawyer Ron, Curlin…how can I pick just one? Well I will pick just one, I promise, just not today. Give me four more months to chew on this one. Champion Older Female Horse: A two horse race between the great, Californian mares. Azeri and Zenyatta both thoroughly dominated their divisions and compiled impressive win streaks. I am going to give the edge to Zenyatta, as she is still undefeated, while Azeri was beaten in six out of her last nine races. Champion Sprint Horse: There has been a lot of sentiment expressed to me lately in favor of Midnight Lute off his consecutive wins in the last two BC Sprints. Being the man of integrity that I am, I will not be swayed in my decision. I am going with the champion sprinter of 2000, Kona Gold. Unlike Midnight Lute, Kona Gold had a lengthy career that finally ended at age nine. Even at nine he was a stakes winning sprinter. I am not sure his record of running in five consecutive Breeders' Cups will ever be broken. He only won the BC once, but he was the old man to fear in the big sprint stakes the first four years of this decade. Champion Female Sprint Horse: I have one word for you: Xtra Heat. OK, I know that is two words, but what a sprinter she was. 26 wins in 35 races and the last 34 were all stakes . Enough said. Champion Male Turf Horse: Again I am going with the consistently excellent career over the short term greatness. That is why my selection here is English Channel over High Chaparral. English Channel never quite reached superstardom, but he was the best American grass horse over a three year span. His sparkling career was made complete with a seven length score on the soft BC Turf of 2007. High Chaparral and his consecutive championships was very, very tough to deny though. Champion Female Turf Horse: Ouija Board was a super turf mare worldwide during her entire, illustrious career and overshadows all the other great turf mares that have run this decade. During her trips to America, she won the BC Filly & Mare Turf twice and was second once in a three year span. Not even repeat BC wins this year by either Goldikova or Forever Together could surpass Ouija Board’s accomplishments. Horse of the Decade: Too early to call, or maybe I don’t want to give this one away just yet. I will tell you that I have six horses still under consideration. Remember these are only previews, the actual awards have not been decided yet and will be announced after Christmas. Horses had to run in America to be considered for the Zipse Award. 2-year-old and 3-year-old divisions are single year awards, while all the other divisions are cumulative awards for the decade. Let the debate begin!