One week before his expected farewell performance, California Chrome received horse racing's highest honor -- again.
The sport's career earnings leader was named Horse of the Year for the second time Saturday night at the Eclipse Awards banquet in Hallandale Beach, Fla. Previously honored in 2014 after his 3-year-old season, when he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, California Chrome is the third to receive the award in non-consecutive years. The others were Hall of Famers Native Dancer (1952 and '54) and John Henry (1981 and '84).
Trained by Art Sherman, California Chrome won seven of eight starts in his 5-year-old campaign, taking the Dubai World Cup overseas and the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar in Southern California. His only defeat came to late-blooming 3-year-old Arrogate in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park.
California Chrome outpolled fellow champions Arrogate and Songbird as Horse of the Year and received all 248 votes as top older male in a poll of national turf writers and broadcasters, Daily Racing Form members and National Thoroughbred Racing Association officials. California Chrome is training for a rematch with Arrogate in Saturday's $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream.
Arrogate, who burst into prominence in late summer in a record-setting Grade 1 Travers victory at Saratoga, upstaged classic winners Exaggerator and Nyquist as male 3-year-old champon. Hall of Famer Bob Baffert trained both Arrogate and champion male sprinter Drefong after conditioning 2015 Horse of the Year American Pharoah in its Triple Crown season.
Songbird, trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, was a unanimous choice as champion 3-year-old filly. A champion also in her 2-year-old season, Songbird was undefeated until losing by a nose to 6-year-old Beholder in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Beholder overcame two defeats to fellow champion Stellar Wind to receive the third Eclipse Award of her career as outstanding older female. A champion also at 2 and 3 for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella, Beholder made the final start of her career in the Distaff, edging Songbird with Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens aboard.
Other Eclipse recipients included Javier Castellano as outstanding jockey for the fourth consecutive year and Chad Brown as leading trainer for the first time.
Castellano won an even 300 races last year, seven with purses of $1 million or more. He led North American jockeys with purse earnings of $26,826,241, almost $3.4 million more than the second-place finisher.
Brown, a former assistant to the late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, had 12 Grade 1 winners in 2016 including male turf champion Flintshire and 2-year-old male finalist Practical Joke. He led the nation in earnings ($23,135,084) and graded-stakes wins (42) in a season that he was leading trainer at Saratoga Race Course for the first time.
Breeders' Cup winners Classic Empire (male) and Champagne Room (filly) were named 2-year-old champions and Tepin repeated as top older female turfer. Oaklawn Park regular Mark Casse trains both Classic Empire and Tepin, the latter crowned again despite runner-up finishes in her last two starts.
WinStar Farm, which campaigned Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner Creator, was named outstanding breeder of 2016. Juddmonte Farms, led by Arrogate and Flintshire, was named the year's leading owner.
Sports on 01/23/2017