American Pharoah's Triple Crown year to lead Eclipse Awards


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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Even though American Pharoah's racing career is over, a couple of more accolades almost certainly await.

Last year's Triple Crown winner is the overwhelming favorite for horse of the year and 3-year-old male honors when the Eclipse Awards are handed out Saturday night at Gulfstream Park.

American Pharoah became the first horse to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes since 1978. His career-ending convincing win in the Breeders' Cup Classic completed what was dubbed thoroughbred racing's Grand Slam, leaving no doubt who dominated the sport in 2015.

"I was privileged to train a horse like that," Bob Baffert, who trained American Pharoah, said Friday. "He was a gift from God. That's what I would call him."

Baffert is also up for trainer of the year, something he won in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and hasn't gotten since. Owner-breeder Ahmed Zayat and jockey Victor Espinoza are Eclipse nominees as well, meaning American Pharoah and his connections could win six of the 17 primary awards that make up the program on Saturday night.

"It's almost like closure to a phenomenal year," Baffert said.

American Pharoah was retired to stud with nine wins in 11 career races, $8,650,300 in earnings and will undoubtedly add to his Eclipse Award collection on Saturday night. He won the Eclipse for 2-year-olds last year, narrowly edging Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red even after being scratched from their anticipated showdown in that race because of a significant foot bruise.

American Pharoah won that Eclipse by 15 votes, or roughly 5.6 percent of the ballots cast.

The results this year won't be nearly that close.

Since the current voting system for the Eclipse honors went into place in 2003 — bloc voting among the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters was the norm previously, since scrubbed for the current one with every ballot counting the same — there has not been a horse of the year or 3-year-old male Eclipse winner by unanimous consent.

That could change Saturday.

"I've had horses just as fast as him," Baffert said. "But they couldn't sustain it, just go and go and go. It didn't matter the track surface. It didn't matter, anything. He was just that kind of horse."

Here's some of what to know going into Saturday's Eclipse Awards:

MOMENT OF THE YEAR: It's a big awards weekend for racing, with not just the Eclipse Awards on Saturday but also the issuing Friday of American Pharoah's Triple Crown-clinching win in the Belmont Stakes as the NTRA's Moment of the Year. That award is decided solely on fan voting. A clock was given as part of the prize to Baffert, with the time set for 6:55 — the history-making moment when American Pharoah crossed the wire at Belmont.

JOCKEY RACE: One of the more interesting results will come in the jockey voting, where Espinoza — even after the Triple Crown — might not be able to keep Javier Castellano from a third straight Eclipse. Irad Ortiz Jr. is the other finalist.

TRAINER RACE: Baffert's competition in the trainer division is Chad Brown and perennial favorite Todd Pletcher. Brown has never won an Eclipse; Pletcher has won a record seven, including the last two.

GOOD CONSOLATION PRIZES: Beholder and Runhappy are the other finalists along with American Pharoah for horse of the year. So while they'll almost surely come up empty there, they would seem the favorites in other divisions. Beholder is a finalist in the older female division, Runhappy is up for honors in the 3-year-old male class (also against American Pharoah) and male sprinter (without Pharoah in his way).

DURKIN HONORED: Recently retired legendary track announcer Tom Durkin picked up the 2016 ThoroFan Award on Friday morning at a brunch at Gulfstream, a sign of how his popularity within the sport has remained huge even into his retirement. "If not for me, there would not be a Triple Crown winner this year," Durkin said jokingly Friday, noting he had nine chances to call a would-be Triple Crown winner in his career and those horses all lost at Belmont.

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