Normally the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner has the inside track to win the Eclipse Award as Horse Of The Year.
But when longshot “Drosselmeyer” took the featured event in the World Thoroughbred Championships Saturday, it didn’t decide anything. Drosselmeyer was an underachiever all year and this was by far his biggest win. Runnerup “Game on Dude” has been good, but a Horse of the Year is supposed to be better than good.
So who’s left? “Havre de Grace” has been a monster filly all year and already beat the boys in The Woodward. Her connections put her in The Classic to win Horse of the Year, but she finished fourth.
One interesting idea being floated is “My Miss Aurelia” which is the unbeaten winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. She fits the definition of the award but you get the sense she won’t win it.
Who will? Who knows. We find out at the awards in January. But one thing I do know, it’s a shame that this year’s winner will pale in comparison to last year’s runnerup “Blame” who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs, but lost horse of the year to the mare “Zenyatta.”
