2006 Eclipse Award Predictions
 

I guess it isnt too early to talk about this. It is always a fun topic of discussion. Here are my predictions and who I think should win

Horse of Year - Invasor / Deep Impact
Older Male - Invasor / Invasor
2YO Colt - Street Sense / Street Sense
2YO Filly - Dreaming of Anna / Dreaming of Anna
3YO Colt - Bernardini / Babaro
3YO Filly - Pine Island / Wait A While
Turf Male - Deep Impact / Deep Impact
Turf Female - Ouija Board / Ouija Board
Sprinter - Thors Echo / Thors Echo
Steeplechase - ???? / ????
Jockey - Johnny Velasquez / Edgar Prado
Apprentice Jockey - Julian Leparoux / Julian Leparoux
Trainer - Tood Pletcher / Todd Pletcher
Owner - Darley Stable / Robert L Cole Jr
Breeder - Lael Stables / Lael Stables

Deep Impact will not win an Eclipse because he didnt start in North America. Not sure if there are criteria that state that he must start here or not, but he will receive zero consideration.

As for my picks, I think we're pretty much in agreeance

2yo Colt - Street Sense
2yo Filly - Dreaming of Anna
3yo Colt - Bernardini
3yo Filly - Wait a While
Older Male - Invasor
Older Female - Fleet Indian
Turf Male - Aragorn
Turf Female - Ouija Board
Sprinter - Thor's Echo
Steeplechase - McDynamo
Jockey - Johnny Velazquez
Apprenctice - Leparoux
Trainer - Pletcher
Owner - Darley
Breeder - Lael

The jockey's race will be a two man race between Gomez and Prado. They have a huge lead on the rest of the field. Gomez is at $20.6 million, Prado is at $19.6 million. The next closest guy is Espinoza at $16.2 million.

Even if you never follow the jumpers you should have heard the name McDynamo...he's got it in the bag (and he deserves to win it too)

Prob so, but I like Edgar better than those two. Bur Edgar has ZERO chance at winning.

I heard of him, but I dont know enough to have made a guess. I wasnt going to make a prediciton without knowing anything but just 1 horse. But he is pretty awesome.

fair enough...didn't meant to sound b*tchy...

Why would Edgar have zero chance of winning? He's the co-favorite. The guy who has zero chance is Johnny. He's a distant 4th in money win. I don't know how a case could be made for him.

Cause people seem to orgasm when it comes to Johnny V.

Oh no problem at all. I am married---so I dont even recognize "bitchy."

Horse of Year - Invasor
Older Male - Invasor
2YO Colt - Street Sense ...but i do LOVE nobiz
2YO Filly - Dreaming of Anna
3YO Colt - Head says Bern, heart wants barbaro
3YO Filly - Wait a While- maybe pine island
Turf Male - Aragorn
Turf Female - Ouija Board
Sprinter - Thors Echo
Steeplechase -McDynamo!!!
Jockey - Edgar Prado
Apprentice Jockey - Julian Leparoux
Trainer - Tood Pletcher
Owner -
Breeder -
dont really know much about the last two catagories.

I just don't see how the DRF stats can be used when Johnny V wasn't allowed to use the DRF stats on money won the year he would have broken Bailey's record.
The stats kept by equibase are the recoginzed stats.
Using money won on foreign soil makes absolutely no sense and borders on adsurd.
On equibase, the recognized stats keeper of the industry Prado has earned 19.6 million and Gomez has earned 18.7 million.
The Drf would have you believe that David Junior is the Us's 2nd leading money winner, they have him listed as such. They also have Dylan Thomas as our 6th leading money earner(yeah, loved the efforts of both of those in America, really good stuff, lol). Collier Hill is listed as our 8th leading money earner(I know most of you just said who?).
I guess if you think its proper to list Gomez as the leading money earner you also think that its proper to list David Junior, Dylan Thomas, and Collier Hill as the 2nd, 6th, and 8th leading money earners as far as horses go.
This is silly.

Prado is the leading American money earner, period.

LOL....Oracle n' Richie(never gets old.)

Scuds,
Every word of my post is accurate and can be verified.
You can't have it both ways dude. Either David Junior is the USA's 2nd leading money earner and Gomez has earned more cash, or Prado is the leading money earner and Bernadini is the USA's 2nd leading money earner.
Which one makes more sense to you?

Great line, you just sorta get numb to it after awhile.

I can't argue with what you are saying. What you are saying is right. I just get all of my information from drf.com. That's the website I use for everything.

So Gomez has made more money total if you include the Dubai races. If you don't count those races, then Prado has made a little more. I don't know why drf.com counts that money if they're not supposed to. Are you sure that the voters are not supposed to count that money? You better hope that the voters use equibase and not drf.

Who would you give the Eclipse to? I assume you think that it should be between Prado and Gomez? Has Prado ever won it before? I know Gomez has not.

I don't see how anyone could use the DRf stats as the industry itself would not recognize Johnny's money in record keeping stats last year in regards to Roses In May's win.
They don't do much wrong over at DRF but the way they keep track of earnings is really incorrect.
Take a look at ole Dylan Thomas sitting in 6th place on their earnings list, and try and reconcile that with his only effort in America which was an easing for all intents and purposes in the JCGC.
Equibase is the recognized stat keep and you are misleading everyone when you say Prado leads there by "a little". He leads by 800 grand with one month to go.
Its between those two and its a tossup but I don't believe Gomez won a single riding title this year at any place he rode, not one. Prado won several, including beating Gomez at both Belmont and Saratoga, since he also leads him in money by 800 grand, I'd just have to say he deserves it more.
I don't believe in using triple crown races by themselves as justification of anything, so I don't think Prado's Derby win should count for anything more than another grade one. BUt Edgar also won a Breeders Cup race as well and Gomez got blanked on that day with several live mounts he could have secured the Eclipse award with winning victories on any of them.
Prado outrode him heads up in all three meets that they competed against one another in, and won 800 grand more than Gomez did. I think thats enough to put him over the top.

Horse of yr/older horse - Invasor (no explanation needed)
3yo - Bernardini (did the most of the 3 yo's -Prknss/Jim D/Trav/Gldcp/2bc)
3yof - Pine Island (if wait a while had run 1/2 in bc ???)
2yo - Street Sense (best performance in biggest race)
2yof- Dreaming of Anna (hard to go against in weak year)
Turf male - Miesques Approval ( How can anyone vote for Aragon after bcmile???)
Turf Female - Ouija Board
Sprinter - Thors Echo (won 2 gr 1's including the biggest one where he beat all others/Defrancis + BC =eclipse)
Jockey - Prado (had great year)
Trainer - Pletcher (stable is slump proof/will win every year despite his failures on TC and BC unless someone wins triple crown and doesn't implode later in year)
Apprentice - Leparoux (really tough beat for Garcia and Rosie N)
Breeder - Hard to figure how to vote this-Quantity of graded winners? quality of same? Do Jacksons get credit for "horsenamedafter1stpresident" even though he ran in europe along with Barbaro? Them I guess despite their supposed relationship with one of the worlds biggest morons. No link sorry.
Steeplechase - McDonalds
Owner - Lord Derby (best name and undefeated record in US)*