As many of you likely know, the Eclipse award ceremony is rapidly approaching --- it's less than three weeks away. With all of the debate and excitement over Horse of the Year, I thought it would be fun to "go back in time" to 1980, where there was another very tough decision in the Eclipse award voting. The argument was not over who would be Horse of the Year. (That honor went to Spectacular Bid, who went undefeated that year with nine brilliant victories.) Rather, the debate was over the champion three-year-old filly honors. Who would win: Genuine Risk or Bold 'n Determined?
Genuine Risk, a tough-as-nails daughter of Exclusive Native, had been a fine two-year-old, going undefeated in four starts while sweeping to victory in both the grade III Tempted Stakes and the grade II Demoiselle Stakes. Trained by Leroy Jolley, she began the 1980 season by winning a seven-furlong allowance race by 2 1/2 lengths as the odds-on favorite. Her second start, in a $35,000 handicap race, yielded similar results, as she took the lead after the opening quarter mile and won the one-mile event with ease.
A daring attempt to win the Wood Memorial against colts brought her undefeated streak to a conclusion, as she ran third behind Plugged Nickle, beaten 1 1/2 lengths. However, this performance was strong enough to warrant a start in the Kentucky Derby, where she was sent off at 13-1. The favorite, Rockhill Native, had been the 1979 Champion juvenile male based off of impressive victories in the Hopeful, Sapling, and Futurity Stakes (both grade I) as well a strong second in the Champagne Stakes. He was coming into the Kentucky Derby off of a sharp victory in the Blue Grass Stakes and appeared to be ready for a prime performance. Plugged Nickle was the second choice.
Despite the quality competition she was facing, Genuine Risk rallied from off the pace to score by a length, becoming the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby since Regret in 1915. She completed the ten-furlong event in 2:02 flat, earning her the status of favorite in the Preakness Stakes two weeks later.
In a race that will forever be marred by controversy, the Santa Anita Derby winner Codex floated the filly wide on the final turn, putting a damper on her late run. Although Codex did prove his dominance by drawing off to a nearly five-length win, many felt that Genuine Risk's chances had been destroyed by Codex. However, the stewards allowed the results to stand, and Codex entered the history books as the winner of the 1980 Preakness Stakes. Although far behind Codex, Genuine Risk did place second.
The Belmont Stakes was next on the filly's agenda. Sent off at 5-1, she had a narrow lead at the eighth pole but relented to the rally of Temperance Hill, who stormed past to win by two lengths at the incredible odds of 53-1. However, he proved later that he was truly a good horse, as he swept to victories in the Travers, Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Super Derby en route to honors as the Champion three year old male. Genuine Risk once again finished second, completing a remarkable Triple Crown run that may never again be matched by a filly.
Understandably, Genuine Risk earned a lengthy rest following the Belmont Stakes, returning to the races in September to run in the Maskette Stakes, a grade I races for fillies and mares. Sent off as the favorite, she held the lead at the eighth pole but was passed in deep stretch by Bold 'n Determined, from whom she was receiving four pounds. A nose victory in the Ruffian Handicap (gr. I) completed Genuine Risk's year.
This brings us to the 1980 season of Bold 'n Determined. A brilliant daughter of Bold and Brave who won stakes races at distances from six furlongs to a mile and a half, she lost only four races in her entire career, which comprised of twenty races. Like Genuine Risk, she went undefeated as a juvenile, culminating with a three-length victory in the Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. II). Trained by Neil Drysdale, she began 1980 by winning the Pasadena Stakes in impressive fashion. However, her winning ways were brought to a conclusion in the grade II Santa Ynez Stakes, where she rallied from far off the pace to finish fourth, beaten only two lengths.
Then came one of the most remarkable campaigns ever achieved by a sophomore filly.
A victory in the Santa Susana Stakes (gr. I) was first on the agenda. Rallying from just off the pace, she got up in the nick of time to win by a half-length in a sharp 1:41 1/5 for the mile and a sixteenth. Sent off as the favorite in the grade I Fantasy Stakes, she dominated with ease, winning by over two lengths as the favorite.
In the Kentucky Oaks one month later, Bold 'n Determined had to drive to the finish but won the historical race by a length and a half over Mitey Lively as the odds-on favorite. This came the day before Genuine Risk won the Kentucky Derby.
Sent off at .40-1 in the Acorn Stakes (gr. I), Bold 'n Determined set a fast pace of :44 4/5 for the half mile before drawing off to win the one-mile event by just under three lengths, once again defeating Mitey Lively. A head loss to Sugar and Spice in the Mother Goose Stakes raised her odds up just a tad in the Coaching Club American Oaks, where she would try running a mile and a half for the first time. In a driving finish, the game filly got her head home first in a three way photo finish, claiming yet another grade I victory.
This performance should have earned her favorite status in the grade I Maskette Stakes against older fillies and mares, but the presence of Genuine Risk drove her odds up to 10-1. In a dramatic stretch duel, Bold 'n Determined out fought the Kentucky Derby winner in the final strides to win by a desperate head while spotting Genuine Risk four pounds. Such a brilliant victory drove her odds down to 1-10 in an allowance race going seven furlongs at Keeneland, and she ran like a 1-10 shot should, winning by nearly seven lengths. Sent off at .30-1 in Keeneland's Spinster Stakes (gr. I) nine days later, she once again engaged in a thrilling stretch duel, this timing winning by a neck over Love Sign.
It seemed like there was nothing that the wonder filly couldn't do. However, an attempt at winning on turf in the Yellow Ribbon Invitational Stakes (gr. I) ended in a dismal fourth place finish, beaten five lengths by Kilijaro, who completed the ten-furlong event in a brilliant 1:59 1/5.
Let us now examine the 1980 campaigns of Genuine Risk and Bold 'n Determined in chart form. . .
GENUINE RISK
1st $17,000 allowance race
1st $35,000 handicap race
3rd Wood Memorial (gr. I)
1st Kentucky Derby (gr. I)
2nd Preakness Stakes (gr. I)
2nd Belmont Stakes (gr. I)
2nd Maskette Stakes (gr. I)
1st Ruffian Handicap (gr. I)
BOLD 'N DETERMINED
1st Pasadena Stakes
4th Santa Ynez Stakes (gr. II)
1st Santa Susana Stakes (gr. I)
1st Fantasy Stakes (gr. I)
1st Kentucky Oaks (gr. I)
1st Acorn Stakes (gr. I)
2nd Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I)
1st Coaching Club American Oaks (gr. I)
1st Maskette Stakes (gr. I)
1st $29,750 allowance race
1st Spinster Stakes (gr. I)
4th Yellow Ribbon Stakes (gr. I)
Bold 'n Determined made twelve starts. Genuine Risk made eight. Bold 'n Determined lost three races. Genuine Risk lost four. Bold 'n Determined won seven grade I races. Genuine Risk won two. Both competed at five different racetracks. If Genuine Risk had not won the Kentucky Derby, she would have had no chance at winning the Eclipse award.
Yet, based on the strength of her Triple Crown campaign, Genuine Risk received the Eclipse award.
It's hard to say for sure who I would have voted for had I been an Eclipse award voter in 1980. It's a very tough decision. At the time, Genuine Risk was only the second filly to win the Kentucky Derby, and her Preakness and Belmont Stakes performances were admirable. But I feel that Bold 'n Determined's seven grade I races would have earned my vote.
Who would you have voted for?
-Keelerman
No comments:
Post a Comment