The Horse Of The Year Debate - Racing Fans What Is Your Opinion?

[Doloris Lemon]

Acclamation gained 5 straight graded stakes in California earlier this yr, but none of his wins got here on a traditional dirt track and he didn't compete within the Breeders' Cup. Two New York-based mostly runners, Flat Out and Tizway, are also on the quick checklist of Horse of the Year candidates. Flat Out won the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Suburban Handicap, however he was second to Havre de Grace within the Woodward Stakes and in addition checked in behind the filly in the Classic. Tizway's candidacy has gained a little bit of steam just lately after Mike Watchmaker, national handicapper for the Daily Racing Form, declared the colt his Horse of the Year. Tizway had only two wins this yr, however they got here in two of latest York's most prestigious races. Tizway set a new stakes report when successful Met Mile, and he adopted that up with a dominating win within the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. Unfortunately, Tizway was injured within the run-up to the Breeders' Cup and didn't participate.

Others more likely to receive Horse of the Year votes are Cape Blanco, who was by far essentially the most completed turf runner in North America in 2011; and 2-12 months-previous filly My Miss Aurelia, who capped a perfect 4-for-four marketing campaign with a win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Horse of the Year Award can be offered as a part of the Eclipse Awards ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif. It was a really merry Christmas for Southern California race followers when Santa Anita Park opened for enterprise on Dec. 25, 1934. The sprawling facility, built on a 410-acre parcel exterior of Los Angeles, proved an on the spot hit with its art-deco structure, postcard vistas of the San Gabriel Mountains and top-class racing. Santa Anita Park was the brainchild of Dr. Charles H. Strub, primarily based in San Francisco, Los Angeles-based film producer Hal Roach and architect Gordon B. Kaufman. Santa Anita would come to be identified, proved such a direct success that investors within the monitor obtained a one hundred percent dividend inside the primary year, in keeping with Wikipedia.

In addition to its effectively-acquired architectural design, Santa Anita Park ushered in a bunch of other practical innovations to horse racing. It was the first track on the earth to employ such issues as a mechanical beginning gate, electric timer and photo end digital camera when it opened for enterprise that Christmas day. Throughout its historical past, Santa Anita has been house to a few of probably the most legendary names in horse racing. Perhaps none extra so than the good Seabiscuit. The favored racehorse cemented his legacy by successful the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap and its unprecedented purse of $100,000. Seabiscuit would prove such a fan favourite that a movie based on his life starring Shirley Temple was filmed at Santa Anita shortly the win and a statue of Seabiscuit was erected within the paddock, which nonetheless stands right now. One of many darker periods of Santa Anita's history came in a three-yr span starting in 1942. With the onset of the Second World War, racing was suspended and Santa Anita was was an internment camp for Japanese-Americans. As many as 17,000 people have been housed within the horse stables during the conflict. A bronze plaque in memory of that episode of Santa Anita's historical past also stands on the grounds. Today, Santa Anita Park is owned by a group led by Frank Stronach Stronach found success in the business world through his Canadian-based mostly auto elements firm, Magna International. He additionally owns one in all the largest Thoroughbred racing and breeding operations on this planet.

This 12 months's race for Horse of the concrete horse statue Year is undoubtedly one of the more muddled in current historical past. A lack of any real standout campaigns this season, coupled with Drosselmeyer's upset win within the Breeders' Cup Classic, has left voters with the duty of deciding who's the better of a seemingly mediocre lot. Havre de Grace, who would grow to be the third straight feminine to win Horse of the Year following Rachel Alexandra in 2009 and Zenyatta final yr, is considered a tepid favourite by most observers. The 4-yr-outdated filly won three Grade 1 races this yr, including the Woodward Stakes vs. Breeders' Cup Classic. However, her disappointing fourth-place end has lent some voters to look elsewhere. Other leading candidates embrace a pair of California-based runners, Game on Dude and Acclamation. Game on Dude deserves consideration primarily based on his wins in the Santa Anita Handicap and Hollywood Gold Cup, California's most prestigious races for older horses, and his game runner-up end in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

In case you thought Middle Earth's huge statues of Isildur and Anarion have been cool, Scotland now has something that's almost as badass. They may not be as imposing because the Argonath, but the 100-foot-tall horse heads recognized because the Kelpies are still out of this world. Created by a group led by Glasgow sculptor Andy Scott, the heads are normal from 600 metric tons of steel and stand as a monument to working horses in Scottish history. The Kelpies are positioned along the Forth and Clyde canal, a nod to a time when horses pulled barges via Scotland's canals. They also draw inspiration from Kelpies, that are magical, shape-shifting horses from Celtic folklore mentioned to inhabit rivers, streams, and lochs. Modeled on two Clydesdales named Duke and Baron, the sculptures guard a brand new department canal that runs underneath the M9 freeway, welcoming visitors to the region. Scott says in an artist's assertion. The Kelpies are slated to open to visitors in April 2014. Meanwhile, check out the eye-popping views of them in the video beneath.