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John Pricci
The Eclipse Awards probably could use some tinkering. Everything in life
should be re-examined at one time or another to reflect current realities.
Probably the expansion of some categories (filly sprinter) and creation of
others (miler) look like good places to start.
There should be no formal guidelines for voters. We are all adults and,
hopefully, responsible ones. But perhaps a point system weighting G1s, G2s
and G3s would be good just as an objective standard for those voters who
don't delve deep enough into the past performances. A guide is never a bad
idea. Extending the voting deadline to include the final Grade 1 of the year
makes complete sense. (So it probably won't happen).
We already have a minimum on the number of U.S. starts for foreign runners:
one. One, in the proper championship event against a top Grade 1 field
should be enough. No one really had a problem with Ouija Board, did they? If
so, they have bigger problems than who wins an Eclipse Award.
East Coast vs. West Coast bias is both real and imagined. You tend to favor
horses you have seen in the flesh. But it's the same difference with trip
handicappers, really. One man's four path is another man's five. One man's
"check" is another man's "steady." The furor over Bordonaro's failure to
make the Eclipse finals just as well could be the function of some confusion
over who really was the best sprinter. All of them had their 15 minutes but
no horse was dominant in this category.
There should be a fan component to the Eclipse Award, but not thrown into
the present system. The fans should have their own "People's Choice" award
for outstanding thoroughbred. If they had, clearly Barbaro would not have
been shut out of Eclipse recognition. Hold a nation-wide drawing on
Breeders' Cup day at tracks and simulcasts everywhere, and the winner gets
to present "The People's Eclipse," all expenses paid for two, in person at
the Eclipse dinner.
John Pricci... A racing journalist since 1970. John has hosted racing-related radio and TV programming. In print, John was a racing columnist for New York Newsday for 18 years. Currently he is a contributor to Theyareatthepost.com and MSNBC.com. John can be seen regularly as a handicapper/commentator on Capital OTB-TV. This Friday night [Jan 26] John will join Cary Fotias for a tele-clinic focusing on the Sunshine Millions using Fotias' Equiform products.
Patrick Patten
- Should there be more formal guidelines for voters?... I'd rather there just be a definition of what each category means. For me Discreet Cat is not a sprinter, but maybe I'm missing something (like the part of my brain that blindly follows Mike Watchmaker).
- Should there be a minimum required number of N American starts?... I don't think so. The Eclipse awards seem like an international award so international runners should be eligible.
- Should there be a fan component to the voting?... No, then you'd have people spearheading campaigns to get runners like Perfect Drift an award. The NHL just had this problem, and American Idol has this every year where sites try and set up to get the worst candidate through. Although some fans know more (a lot more) about the categories and runners than some voters.
- Should there be a point-system to make the crowning of champions more objective?... I think something like this could exist outside the Eclipse. I see the Eclipse awards as MVP voting whereas standings could be for championships and monetary awards. Being a member of the TBA we believe in year end awards based on standings, but we're not against the Eclipse.
- Should the voting deadline be extended?... Horse of the Year awards should be based on a year long resume and there's enough technology that they should be able to get their ballots filled within 3 weeks after the end of the year.
- East coast vs West coast bias -- real or imagined?... Totally real. There are more writers on the East Coast, or at least writers who watch East Coast racing. I think if polytrack was everywhere though it could mitigate this a little. It's just that a lot of hyped horses who come East, or for that matter east of the eastern border of California just don't perform the same, and the writers will hold that against every horse no matter the outcome.
Patrick Patten... A founder of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance [TBA]. Patrick hosts the Pulling Hair & Betting Horses blog. The TBA has devised its own point system for grading potential champs and their 2006 Final Standings can be found at the blog links in this bio.
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Mike Veitch
There should be no formal guidelines for voters, as it should be assumed
that members of the voting groups have a working knowledge of the
leading candidates in each division. If they don't, the voting groups
need to examine just who is admitted for membership. I strongly disagree
with any point system; champions such as Ghostzapper, Vindication, Left
Bank and, indeed, Invasor, come to mind immediately as having brief
campaigns which would probably fall short on points, but campaigns which
clearly demonstrated their superiority.
Mike Veitch... A racing columnist for The Saratogian and a regular contributor to the Daily Racing Form. Mike co-hosts the popular 'Down the Stretch' program each week on Capital OTB-TV.
Jared Kennedy
The Eclipse Awards are definitely in need of reform. At the very least we
need to see some guidelines initiated. They need to clearly define what
constitutes eligibility for each category. For instance a minimum amount of
starts in North America, or a minimum of one graded stakes win in the
division they are being nominated for. There should also be some changes
made to the timing. There is no logical reason to have the voting deadline
prior to the last G-1 of the year. I would like to see the voting only begin
after the year has ended. The bottom line is that we need some sort of
rules. It certainly appalls me that one could vote for a horse who never
even ran a race in the current season without breaking any rules, because
there are no rules.
The biggest change I'd like to see is the addition of a point system that
would be given a 50% weight in the final consideration. The Europeans have
already adopted a similar model for their Cartier Awards. I think the
Eclipse Awards are in need of a statistical component to counter balance the
emotions and possible biases of voters. A point system has flaws, but so do
voters and I think where one tends to fail the other is strong. For instance
voters can sometimes give more preference to races from certain areas. They
may also give big races run early in the season, such as the Santa Anita
Handicap, less consideration. There is almost invariably a horse every year
that accomplishes more than they are given credit for. Aragorn is likely the
best example from the 2006 season. A point system is mechanical and could
not only balance the voters opinion but also it may influence the voters
opinion for the better.
In short I would like to see the Eclipse Awards adopt a point system that
would be given 50% of the final consideration as well as imposing common
sense guidelines on the votes that are taken.
Jared Kennedy... Hosts Kennedy's Corridor racing blog. Jared has devised his own unique system for picking year-end champs which combines a scoring system with a fan poll. 2006 Final Standings can be found at his blog
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Jon White
- Should there be more formal guidelines for voters?
I've had the honor and privilege to vote in the Eclipse Award since 1976 when I voted for Seattle Slew as champion 2-year-old male. I don't think more formal guidelines for voters would be a good idea. Overall, the system works pretty well -- much better than the Hall of Fame process, which has been an embarrassing mess. Keep in mind that while we may not agree with all aspects of the Eclipse Awards, the system is a huge improvement over what we had before 1971 when there were different polls, with different champions.
- Should there be a minimum required number of N American starts?
I don't think it would be a good idea to institute that restriction at this point because we have not had this stipulation in all the years since the Eclipse Awards began in 1971. Racing, in many respects, is a subjective matter. A key element of horse racing is our difference of opinion, which is reflected by different odds on the tote board. If someone is convinced that Ouija Board deserves to be the champion female grass runner of 2006 (as I did) based solely on her Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, that voter should have the right to express that opinion at the ballot box. In many aspects of modern life, we have too many rules and regulations, in my opinion. I don't think it would be in the best interest of the Eclipse Awards for it to start having a bunch of rules and regulations for the voters.
- Should there be a fan component to the voting?
I've heard this argument for many years now. I believe it has some merit. The support of the fans, of course, is critical to the survival of this great sport. So I would not object to the fans becoming involved in some way, though I feel steps to include them should be taken with a cautious approach and thought through very carefully.
- Should there be a point-system to make the crowning of champions more objective?
Absolutely not, though I understand why this concept is starting to be looked on favorably by more and more people who are sick and tired of so many top horses being campaigned sparingly and whisked off to the breeding shed instead of continuing to race. A point system could be an incentive for a horse to race more. But I would be more in favor of doing something with points in addition to the Eclipse Awards rather than in place of them. Have the horse that accumulates the highest point total by year's end win some sort of award and/or bonus.
- Should the voting deadline be extended?
To me, there is no question that the voting deadline should allow voters to judge ALL racing within a calendar year. It's absurdly nonsensical to do otherwise. Again, we have made some progress in this regard. When I was voting for the Eclipse Awards in the 1970s, the deadline actually was in EARLY December. What was instrumental in getting the deadline extended to where it is now is the Hollywood Park fall meet, with important races like the Hollywood Futurity and Hollywood Starlet. Though, for many years, we would get our ballots with past performances for the leading contenders, but those past performances did not include races run late in the year like the Hollywood Futurity or Hollywood Starlet. I thought that always was a disadvantage to horses and humans who had won important races late in the year. Hopefully, common sense eventually will prevail and the Eclipse Awards deadline for voters will be extended to such time that a voter can take into account EVERYTHING that happened during the year.
- East coast vs West coast bias -- real or imagined?
There are more racetracks on the East Coast, which means there are more people involved in the sport on the East Coast. Hence, there are more voters on the East Coast than on the West Coast. Even so, in the inaugural Eclipse Awards in 1971, Ack Ack was voted champion handicap horse, champion sprinter and Horse of the Year while having raced exclusively in California that year. How could Ack Ack win three Eclipse Awards if there was a tremendous East Coast bias? I can't speak for others, but I approach each vote with the thought of choosing who I believe is the most deserving winner in that particular category. I think many, if not most, other voters take this same approach.
Jon White... HRTV and Santa Anita television commentator and former steward and Daily Racing Form writer and chart-caller. Jon also has a weekly column that can be found on the HRTV website.
John Da Silva
Changes should be made to the present Eclipse voting system. Voting should be held after January 1st so all races and stats are considered.
Voters should have a guideline if all, some or no races outside of North America should be considered in voting. I personally think it should be none.
A horse should be allowed to get a HOY vote only if the horse receives a first-place vote in a divisional category on that ballot.
Since points are used to determine the finalists but then only first-place votes to determine the winner, the point total should be used as the tie breaker.
Voters with any type of connection to a candidate should be excused from voting in a category to prevent conflict of interest.
John DaSilva... A handicapper and racing columnist for the NY Post. John focuses on the NYRA circuit year-round but handicaps other tracks from around the country as well
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