Who was the best steeplechase horse in the United States in 2001?
That depends upon which day of the year is in question. The National
Steeplechase Association ("NSA") sanctioned seven unrestricted
Grade I steeplechase races this year, and a different horse captured
the laurels in each event. The NSA also sanctioned three Grade
I races restricted to novices known as the Steeplechase Triple
Crown, and almost crowned a king when Praise The Prince (NZ) captured
two of the three legs (the Hard Scuffle and The Meadow Brook)
but lost the middle jewel (the Aitcheson) by a neck to Flasher.
While the sport's elite took turns beating each other in the
open division through the spring, a pair of novices who passed
the Steeplechase Triple Crown won the only two unrestricted Grade
I races run this fall, including the sport's biggest race, the
Breeders' Cup Steeplechase.
The winners of the seven unrestricted Grade I races were as follows:
| Date |
Winner |
Race |
| March 31 |
Al Skywalker |
Colonial Cup |
| April 14 |
Electron |
Atlanta Cup |
| April 27 |
Pompeyo (Chi) |
Royal Chase |
| May 12 |
Rand (NZ) |
Iroquois |
| August 30 |
It's A Giggle |
New York Turf Writers' Cup |
| October 20 |
Quel Senor (Fr) |
Breeders' Cup Steeplechase |
| November 18 |
Lord Zada |
Colonial Cup |
The winners of the three Grade I races restricted to novices
were:
| Date |
Winner |
Race |
| May 3 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) |
Hard Scuffle |
| May 17 |
Flasher |
Joe Aitcheson |
| June 7 |
Praise The Prince (NZ) |
Meadow Brook |
Eliminating The Pretenders
Jennifer Majette's Al Skywalker won the Carolina Cup, the first
unrestricted Grade I race of 2001, but was then beaten a total
of 50 ¼ lengths in his only other Grade I starts: the Royal Chase
and the Colonial Cup. The 8-year-old California-bred son of Skywalker
(by Relaunch) made a total of 7 starts on the year, winning three
of them while bankrolling $124,881.
Dr. John K. Griggs' Electron started the year off with a bang,
winning his first three starts of the year: a claiming race at
Little Everglades, an allowance race at Aiken and the Grade I
Atlanta Cup. Electron started twice more in 2001, but could not
regain his winning form. He was fourth beaten 5 ¼ lengths in the
Grade I Royal Chase and concluded his 2001 campaign with a third
place finish in the Grade I Iroquois, where he was beaten by 24
¾ lengths. All tolled, the 8-year-old son of Breeders' Cup Classic
winner Wild Again (by Icecapade) won three of his five starts
on the year and bankrolled $103, 294.
Eamon Cleary's Rand (NZ) made two starts in Grade I stakes races
in the United States and one in Japan. The 7-year-old son of Omnicorp
(a grandson of Australia's perennial leading sire Sir Tristram)
was undefeated in all seven of his career starts over fences (six
in New Zealand and one in Japan) before a fallen horse brought
him down in the $1.3 million Nakayama Grand Jump on April 14th.
Rand was a credible third to Pompeyo in the Royal Chase only 13
days after he ran in Japan, and then won the Iroquois two weeks
later in an extraordinary effort from this international globe
trotter. He earned $228,033 in 2001 from seven trips to the post
in three different countries. Had Rand remained in the United
States and ran back to the form that he showed here he could very
well have won the Eclipse award; let's hope he graces our shores
again next year.
William L. Pape's It's A Giggle made three Grade I starts in
2001: he won the New York Turf Writers' Cup defeating Praise The
Prince while in receipt of 18 pounds, but then faltered badly
in the Breeders' Cup Steeplechase at even weight checking in 5th
beaten by Quel Senor, Lord Zada and Praise The Prince before being
pulled-up in the Colonial Cup. The 7-year-old son of leading steeplechase
sire Northern Baby (by Northern Dancer) won all three of his starts
at Saratoga and earned $113,870 on the year.
Coppertree Farm's Quel Senor (Fr) won the sport's biggest race
when he captured the $250,000 Breeders' Cup Steeplechase defeating
Grade I winners Lord Zada, Praise The Prince and It's A Giggle.
Had the French-bred been more consistent in graded stakes competition,
the 2001 Eclipse award would be his. Quel Senor tried graded stakes
competition for the first time July 14th in the Grade III Ferguson
but struggled home fourth beaten 23 lengths. Going from bad to
worse, the 6-year-old son of Akarad (Fr) (by Labus (Fr)) fell
in his next start, the Grade II Smithwick at Saratoga. That was
his last start before the Breeders' Cup. Quel Senor made his final
start of the year in the Grade I Colonial Cup and was pulled up
in a race that was run over a rock-hard course that was parched
due to drought conditions that persisted in South Carolina this
fall.
The Finalists
The three finalists for the 2001 steeplechase Eclipse award
were Praise The Prince, Pompeyo and Lord Zada. All three of these
steeplechasers were owned by George Strawbridge's Augustin Stables
and trained by Sanna Neilson.
When all the ballots were counted, Pompeyo barely edged Praise
the Prince in the voting. Pompeyo was preferred by Daily Racing
Form voters by 23-9, and by the NTRA by a 17-14 margin. However
Praise the Prince carried the turf writers' bloc, by 37-25 over
Pompeyo. Pompeyo was granted the Eclipse award by virtue of carrying
two of the three blocks of voters; he also won the popular vote,
garnering 65 out of 125 total votes cast. While the turf writers'
were out-voted by the Daily Racing Form and NTRA electors, it
says here that the 60 people who voted for Praise The Prince made
the correct decision.
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Praise The Prince (middle) and jockey
Gus Brown en route to victory in the A.P. Smithwick at Saratoga
last year, one of Praise The Prince's three graded stakes
victories in 2001.
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Praise The Prince (NZ)
Praise The Prince (NZ) finished second in the 2001 Eclipse award
voting based on his efforts this spring, when he just missed becoming
the first horse to capture the Steeplechase Triple Crown. The
Kiwi-bred was determined in victory in the first and third legs
of the series, winning those races by a nose and a head, respectively.
He had the lead in deep stretch of the second leg of the Steeplechase
Triple Crown, but appeared to hang a bit as Flasher collared him
in the final yards. Praise The Prince made his first start against
open company a winning one when he captured the Grade II Smithwick
at Saratoga. The 6-year-old son of Prince of Praise (NZ) (by Crossways
(GB)) carried high-weight of 158 pounds in the Smithwick, six
to16 more than his rivals who included Grade I winners Al Skywalker
and Quel Senor. The Smithwick was his third and final graded stakes
victory of the year, as Praise The Prince finished third in his
last two starts, the New York Turf Writers' Cup and the Breeders'
Cup Steeplechase. He ran a very strong race in the Turf Writers'
losing by just 2 ¼ lengths while conceding 18 pounds to It's A
Giggle.
Pompeyo (Chi)
Pompeyo (Chi) won the sport's second richest race, the $175,000
Royal Chase at Keeneland, as well as the $50,000 Kirkover Cup
(restricted to novices) in his only two starts in 2001. His victory
in the Royal Chase earned him the Eclipse award, as he defeated
Grade I winners Al Skywalker, Electron and Rand that day while
breaking Pompeyo's course and stakes record. Pompeyo then passed
the Iroquois, the AP Smithwick and the New York Turf Writers'Cup
in order to be fresh for a fall campaign, however, that strategy
backfired when Pompeyo was kicked by another horse while training
in Pennsylvania on September 15th, sustaining a fracture to a
small bone in his left elbow. Tragically, Pompeyo never recovered
from that injury. While the fracture to his elbow bone healed,
a steel plate that had been inserted during the initial surgery
caused an infection that contaminated his elbow joint. Complications
arose early this year and Pompeyo again underwent surgery to his
left elbow, this time to remove the steel plate. Unfortunately,
Pompeyo's condition deteriorated after the second surgery, and
he was euthanized on January 19th.
"His elbow joint had deteriorated, although the original fracture
had healed," trainer Sanna Neilson told the NSA. "The vets were
hoping that when they got the plate out his condition would improve,
but that was not the case."
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Prior to his tragic death in January
of 2002, Pompeyo won three Grade I steeplechase stakes races,
including the Hard Scuffle at historic Churchill Downs in
2000 (shown above).
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When Strawbridge initially imported Pompeyo to the United States,
he sent the Chilian-bred to trainer Neil Drysdale in California.
While Pompeyo won his American debut, Drysdale had a tough time
keeping him from running off with exercise riders in the mornings,
and Pompeyo's form suffered as a result. Sanna Neilson took over
his training responsibilities in 1999, and nurtured Pompeyo through
a career that saw him win seven of 11 starts, three Grade I stakes
and $353,280. He was voted the NSA's novice champion of 2000 was
an Eclipse finalist that year as well.
"I thought he was going to rewrite the book," Neilson told the
NSA. "He was tough enough to do it - he had physical toughness
and mental toughness. It took us a while to figure him out, but
he was definitely the best horse I've ever been around."
Lord Zada
Lord Zada made only three starts over fences in 2001, the first
coming in late September when he finished third in the Legacy
Cup at Shawan Downs. The 8-year-old son of Lord Avie (by Lord
Gaylord) followed that effort with a strong second to Quel Senor
in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Steeplechase, where he finished ahead
of Praise The Prince and It's A Giggle. Lord Zada then won the
Grade I Colonial Cup in his final start of the year, defeating
It's A Giggle, Al Skywalker and Quel Senor. While Lord Zada ran
extremely well in the last two Grade I races of 2001, Eclipse
awards are rarely granted to horses that only win one race a year.
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Lord Zada, shown here with jockey J.W.
Delozier prior to the 2001 Breeders' Cup Steeplechase, should
be a force to reckon with in the upcoming 2002 steeplechase
season.
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By The Numbers
Set forth below are the 2001 records of each of the finalists
for the steeplechase Eclipse award, including the following information
(from left to right) for each horse: starts, wins, seconds, thirds
and purse earnings.
All Races
|
Praise The Prince
|
6
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
$233,242
|
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Pompeyo
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
$141,525
|
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Lord Zada
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
$113,000
|
Graded Stakes Races
| Praise The Prince |
6
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
$233,242
|
|
Pompeyo
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
$111,525
|
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Lord Zada
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
$110,000
|
Unrestricted Graded Stakes Races
| Praise The Prince |
3
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
$ 85,657
|
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Pompeyo
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
$111,525
|
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Lord Zada
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
$110,000
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When you look at the tables above, there really
is no question as to which horse should have won the Eclipse award.
Praise The Prince had more victories, more graded stakes victories
and earned more money than the other two finalists. The only chink
in his armor is that two of his wins came in Grade I stakes races
restricted to novices. Nevertheless, Praise The Prince did win
the unrestricted Grade II Smithwick at Saratoga defeating Grade
I stake winners Quel Senor and Al Skywalker while giving away
substantial weight.
Praise The Prince danced almost every dance competing
from May through October while making all six of his starts against
graded stakes competition (five of them in Grade I stakes races).
By way of contrast, Pompeyo intentionally ducked graded stakes
competition early in the season and again in the summer. Pompeyo
made his first start in a $50,000 ungraded novice stakes race
at Camden instead of running in the Grade I Carolina Cup later
that day. While hindsight is 20-20, if you train a horse that
you thought "was going to rewrite the book", why run him
in a ridiculously soft spot when he has the opportunity to prove
his mettle against the elite of the sport in a Grade I race on
the same card? Then, after a light spring campaign where he made
only two starts, Pompeyo's handlers again elected to duck the
competition, passing the Iroquois and the two graded stakes races
at Saratoga so that they would have a fresh horse for a fall campaign.
However, a fall campaign was not to be as fate intervened and
resulted in a tragic ending to what could have been a storybook
tale.
Like Pompeyo, Lord Zada was kept in the barn throughout
much of the year, only being allowed to compete at the tail end
of the season. While Lord Zada posted impressive numbers similar
to those of his stable mate Pompeyo when he was finally given
a chance to run, the bottom line is that he only won one race
in 2001, and Eclipse awards are rarely granted to horses that
win one race a year.
The Final Analysis
So who was the best steeplechase horse in 2001? Again, that depends
upon which day of the year is in question. The older steeplechase
horses were extremely inconsistent, each taking turns beating
the other. Lord Zada was impressive when he was given the opportunity
to run, but he only had one trip to the winners circle all year.
Pompeyo ducked graded stakes competition when he was healthy,
but the Eclipse award voters were impressed enough with his one
Grade I victory to give him the award anyway. Praise The Prince
should have won the Eclipse award based on his consistency throughout
the year against graded stakes competition. Sure two of his victories
came against novices, but Praise The Prince won the Grade II Smithwick
impressively against open company while giving away 16 pounds
to the second place finisher, and he came close to winning the
unrestricted Grade I New York Turf Writers Cup despite conceding
18 pounds to the winner. Pompeyo ran well in one Grade I race
last year, but Praise the Prince ran well in all five of his Grade
I starts, winning three of them while finishing third in the other
two. Praise The Prince never ducked the competition and was the
most consistent steeplechase horse throughout the year in graded
stakes races; he deserved to win the 2001 Eclipse award.
Click here
for Daily Racing Form past performance charts of all the
leading contenders for the 2001 steeplechase Eclipse award.
