If he had demonstrated at least once that he could compete at the top against open company, than the injury excuse would have much more validity in my mind. The fact is that he hasnt been able to compete at the top. Maybe he does it in the future...i would bet not.

LITF has rated- you are correct. But he rated against cheap speed that would fold. LITF has set blazing fractions- you are correct. But there was nothing of quality there to chase him down. In races where there have been credible frontrunners as well as credible closers, he has lost. Simple as that. That is fact.

There is simply no race that LITF has ran which would qualify under the description of winning from off the pace. Not one.

By blazing fractions I know you are again referring to the three horse race at Bay Meadows, the 43 and change half mile. First of all that race was essentially a walkover, a time trial for LITF. Neither of the other two horses was a factor at any point. It wasn't as if he dueled with a fast horse and drew off. it makes a world of difference to a sprinter if you can't get comfortable up front, have to run a little wide or between horses.
That race showcased his blazing speed but little more. According to the pace figures that I use, and that you don't buy into, LITF actually ran swifter half miles in the RivaRidge, the KingsBishop, and the BC sprint. Imo the KingsBishop was probably his best performance.

As I said ... my opinion doesn't count ...

... the Eclipse voters should have the option of checking "No champion" ... and let those votes be determinative.

And the funny thing is, i was at the track and he was dead as a doornail at the 1/16th pole. Even Baze said after the race that he had "no horse" from the 1/16th pole on. I watched that race and thought "hes lucky that there wasnt anyone that could catch him".

That's when I drew the same conclusion ...

... and it's what led me to publicly predict ... ten days before the BC Sprint ... when Lost In The Fog was the hottest favorite on the card ... and the goo-goos were going ga-ga ... that not only would he lose ... but that he would crack in the last eighth like an egg dropped on concrete.

Glad you spotted it too.

I guess I can understand him not having any gas left at that point. That was a blazing seven furlongs. I think he was lucky that there wasn't any real speed merchant type that could have challenged him more early, again the relatively weak competition. But I take nothing against him for races like that one and the Carryback. Like Phalaris said he was clearly the best 3yo sprinter by a mile.

What the Fog!
 

Is this thing going to 300 posts tomorrow?

I'm startin to feel a little fogged out.

Yes, you are correct. I remember that race. LITF did not finish well that day. If my memory is correct, I think there was some debate about that race on the ESPN website. If my memory is correct, I was telling people that LITF did not finish well at all and even Russel admitted it. I told them that it's never a good sign when the jockey says something negative about his horse. The jocks are usually the biggest cheerleaders in the world when it comes to their horses. When they tell you that "my horse got really tired" that is a red flag and a cause for concern. I had thought that LITF got tired that day and Russel confirmed it in the interview. I remember thinking that LITF was starting to look somewhat vulnerable despite the fact that he won that race.

I don't know if he was the best 3 year old by a mile. Silver Train was a 3 year old. Silver Train crushed LITF in the BC Sprint. LITF may have had a better year overall, but when Silver Train was on, he and LITF were pretty closely matched.

You're right, it would be closer. If it were my vote I would have given it to LITF despite the one loss to ST due to the overall year.
But it doesn't matter, it's all hypothetical

What? Me? Enjoy arguing?

Why ... why ... surely you have me confused with someone else.

went back to this to see how it all ended....over 300 posts, and still remained a relatively clean argument! fantastic. good to see there can be a long (too long??) discussion that stays on topic....

something struck me tho, late in the thread, where someone questioned litf winning the award without beating open company. reminded me of all the posts about azeri getting hoty without facing males. just goes to show you that in any given year, a horse can win without meeting certain criteria that some feel should be met. there will always be 'weak' years for some divisions. consider HOY last year, ghostzapper was in the running based on one race!

There are some years when HOTY should be vacated as well ...

... for instance ... can you say "Favorite Trick'?

He was a nice colt ... but should he really have gotten the sport's highest award ... just for defeating Good And Tough, Dawson's Legacy, Time Limit, K.O. Punch, Case Dismissed, Dice Dancer, Nationalore, Laydown, Jess M ... and various other completely-forgotten who-theys?

Even Lost In The Fog beat better competition than that.

of course there are also years when there should have been two awards for HOY--personal ensign should have gotten it at four, and if not for alysheba she would have! undefeated champ who beat that years champ male sprinter,gulch.

I can dig it.

Nobel Prizes are given to multiple recipients in the same category nearly every year ... why not Eclipse Awards too?

Vacated awards ... and multiple awards ... let's have both !!!

I loved Personal Ensign as much as any horse I've ever seen but her season paled in comparison to Alysheba's. That HOY was a no-brainer.

everyone knows her story, and how her year went. it's a shame they couldn't honor her with something besides top distaffer. and yeah, alysheba had a great year--i'm certainly not knocking him by praising her! he's always been one of my faves. even named a dog after him...