2019 Horse of The Year Proves an Intriguing Race

Most everyone loves a slam dunk in basketball. In voting, not so much.

Drama is king in voting contests, the annual Eclipse Awards honoring excellence in Thoroughbred racing being no exception. There is little excitement in awaiting a clear-cut result, though the achievements of those involved remain worthy of applause.

It is with that backdrop I'm most eager to see a handful of potentially close results in the 17 equine and human categories at the 49th annual Eclipse Awards Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park, topped by Horse of the Year—a race in which Bricks and Mortar, Mitole , and Maximum Security seem to be garnering wide support.

Should either of the three win—my expectation is they will represent the three finalists announced Jan. 4—it would represent a departure in tradition for Horse of the Year, in which Eclipse voters typically favor the top dirt horse over the classic 1 1/4-mile distance or a standout performer from the Triple Crown series.

Bricks and Mortar and Mitole fall outside these norms, and Maximum Security fits only to a degree, having crossed the wire first in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), only to be disqualified and placed 17th for interference. He later won the TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) at 1 1/8 miles, the seven-furlong Bold Ruler Handicap (G3), and the Cigar Mile Handicap (G1).

Bricks and Mortar completed a 6-for-6 season racing exclusively on turf with a victory in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), winning races from 1 1/8 miles to 1 1/2 miles. Every victory came in a different state—from Florida to Louisiana to Kentucky to New York to Illinois and finally to California—racking up $6,723,650 in yearly earnings, believed to be the largest ever for a horse that competed strictly on the grass in the U.S.

Video: Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T)

For all of Bricks and Mortar's accomplishments, it's fair to question the strength of the turf male division this year. (This voter opted for Sword Dancer (G1T) winner Annals of Time and Jaipur Invitational Stakes (G1T) winner World of Trouble  as the other finalists in the Male Turf category—horses Bricks and Mortar never faced.)

Mitole won the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) to conclude his career, only losing once in seven starts in 2019. Among his six wins were four grade 1s, one fewer at the top level than Bricks and Mortar, though against arguably superior opponents—including a score in an especially strong edition of the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1). A third-place finish in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes (G1) when breaking from the rail at Saratoga Race Course was his lone blemish on the season.

Video: Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1)

Maximum Security notched three grade 1 wins: The Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (G1) and the aforementioned Haskell and Cigar Mile. The 3-year-old defeated older horses in the latter race, wrapping up 2019 with a 6-for-8 mark.

Yet it was the kind of season that left you wondering what might have been. Had Maximum Security kept a straight course and won the Derby—not being disqualified—his season might have followed a different arc. So, too, had he not been sidelined by an early-fall bout of colic that placed him too far behind schedule to make the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Regardless, he ended 2019 they way he ran through most of it: with dominance.

Video: Cigar Mile H. (G1)

When weighing these considerations, I settled on Bricks and Mortar for my Horse of the Year vote. Season-long perfection tipped the scales.

Beyond Horse of the Year, the female turf category seems compelling. Here, after analyzing the past performances of leading horses, I found myself wishing there were options for more than three finalists, seeing as many as five fillies and mares as being worthy. I chose Uni, Sistercharlie, and Got Stormy 1-2-3, seeing virtues for all three.

Uni rated just on top, owing to her winning the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T). She and Got Stormy had two grade 1 wins in 2019, including once vs. males for each, but Uni triumphed in the Mile, while Got Stormy and Sistercharlie lost at the Breeders' Cup.

Got Stormy, who had defeated Uni in the Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) over the summer, ran second in the Mile, while Sistercharlie, a three-time grade 1 winner the year prior to the Breeders' Cup, ran third in the Maker's Mark Filly and Mare Turf (G1T).

It would not surprise me to see this equine category lead to one of closest tallies among voters from Daily Racing Form, the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, whose group include Equibase employees and racetrack officials.

Other divisions that seemed close immediately after the Breeders' Cup, such as the championship for 2-year-old male, are unlikely to be as close now following the upsets in stakes races from later in the fall. In one such example, a defeat from Champagne Stakes (G1) winner Tiz the Law, who ran third in the Nov. 30 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs, may have stalled his support, leaving TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Storm the Court positioned for championship honors.  

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Vino Rosso , who might prove the odd horse out among Horse of the Year finalists, received my vote for older dirt male, just ahead of Mitole, a certainty to win the male sprint Eclipse. They both had championship seasons.

The human awards seemed trickiest in the apprentice jockey, owner and breeder categories, where cases could be made for any number of individuals.

I gave the nod in the apprentice jockey category to Kazushi Kimura, based on earnings and achievements this year at Woodbine; to Madaket Stables for owner, bolstered by extensive grade 1 success in numerous partnerships; and to George Strawbridge Jr. as breeder, having bred Bricks and Mortar and other top performers from a select group.