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

[Willis Lucilla]

Acclamation gained five straight graded stakes in California earlier this year, however none of his wins came on a standard dirt observe and he didn't compete in the Breeders' Cup. Two New York-primarily based runners, Flat Out and Tizway, are also on the brief list of Horse of the Year candidates. Flat Out received the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Suburban Handicap, however he was second to Havre de Grace in the Woodward Stakes and also checked in behind the filly within the Classic. Tizway's candidacy has gained a little bit of steam recently after Mike Watchmaker, nationwide handicapper for the Daily Racing Form, declared the colt his Horse of the Year. Tizway had solely two wins this year, however they came 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 in the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. Unfortunately, Tizway was injured within the run-up to the Breeders' Cup and did not take part.

Others more likely to obtain Horse of the Year votes are Cape Blanco, who was by far essentially the most achieved turf runner in North America in 2011; and 2-12 months-outdated filly My Miss Aurelia, who capped an ideal 4-for-4 marketing campaign with a win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Horse of the Year Award might be introduced as a part of the Eclipse Awards ceremony on the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif. It was a really merry Christmas for Southern California race followers when Santa Anita Park opened for business on Dec. 25, 1934. The sprawling facility, constructed on a 410-acre parcel exterior of Los Angeles, proved an immediate hit with its artwork-deco architecture, postcard vistas of the San Gabriel Mountains and high-class racing. Santa Anita Park was the brainchild of Dr. Charles H. Strub, based mostly in San Francisco, Los Angeles-primarily based movie producer Hal Roach and architect Gordon B. Kaufman. Santa Anita would come to be recognized, proved such a direct success that buyers within the track obtained a 100 p.c dividend within the first 12 months, in response to Wikipedia.

In addition to its nicely-received architectural design, Santa Anita Park ushered in a bunch of other sensible improvements to horse racing. It was the primary monitor in the world to employ such things as a mechanical starting gate, electric timer and picture end digital camera when it opened for business that Christmas day. Throughout its history, Santa Anita has been house to some of probably the most legendary names in horse racing. Perhaps none more so than the good Seabiscuit. The favored racehorse cemented his legacy by winning the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap and its unprecedented purse of $100,000. Seabiscuit would prove such a fan favourite that a movie based mostly 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 still stands at this time. One of the darker periods of Santa Anita's historical past came in a three-year span starting in 1942. With the onset of the Second World War, racing was suspended and Santa Anita was changed into an internment camp for Japanese-Americans. As many as 17,000 folks have been housed within the horse tang horse statue stables throughout the battle. 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 by way of his Canadian-based mostly auto parts company, Magna International. He also owns one among the largest Thoroughbred racing and breeding operations on this planet.

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

In the event you thought Middle Earth's monumental statues of Isildur and Anarion have been cool, Scotland now has one thing that's nearly as badass. They may not be as imposing as the Argonath, however the 100-foot-tall horse heads known because the Kelpies are still out of this world. Created by a crew led by Glasgow sculptor Andy Scott, the heads are usual from 600 metric tons of steel and stand as a monument to working horses in Scottish history. The Kelpies are positioned alongside the Forth and Clyde canal, a nod to a time when horses pulled barges through Scotland's canals. In addition they draw inspiration from Kelpies, which 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 branch canal that runs beneath the M9 highway, welcoming guests to the region. Scott says in an artist's statement. The Kelpies are slated to open to guests in April 2014. Meanwhile, take a look at the attention-popping views of them in the video under.