Now, some people would say that make-up sex can be the best sex of all. And nobody is questioning the propriety of giving these designates a kiss. But Eclipse Awards become precious because horses and people earn them in competition, by a vote of experts - not because someone’s afraid to ruffle a few feathers when the results don’t come out the way wanted.
Members of Claiborne and Team Zenyatta have stated openly that they believe their horse is deserving of Horse of The Year. Only one horse can win the award, unless there’s a tie in the voting. To be certain that each party goes home at least somewhat fulfilled, it apparently was decided that an ancillary Eclipse Award would serve to placate the party whose horse came up short in the vote What’s been wrought is an insult – an insult to those receiving the made-up award and to those who are winning the real ones.
Faulconer was the Keeneland publicist who invented the Eclipse Award program. A J.B. Faulconer Award would serve the thoroughbred sport in the same manner as the Jean Hershholt Humanitarian Award or the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award serves the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – not as an Oscar but as a prestigious award which is committee-determined and presented to a worthy recipient on Oscar night.
Claiborne is celebrating its 100th year and the Hancock family has been prominent in the game for almost that long. In partnership with Adele Dilschneider, the Paris, Kentucky breeding and racing operation campaigned the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Blame. Team Zenyatta, represented by owners Jerry and Ann Moss, trainer John Shirreffs and jockey Mike Smith, enabled the country’s most charismatic horse to continue making memories when, in fact, she could have entered a life of baby-making last fall. These are reasons indeed to salute them.
In addition to Claiborne, Marylou Whitney will be receiving a Eclipse Award of Merit, and she, too, is deserving of being honored. Whitney will receive her Eclipse for considerably less transparent reasons. Being one of two winners instead of one, however, will make her award a bit diluted. The Eclipse Award of Merit, first awarded in 1976, has been shared in only two years; the Special Eclipse Award, awarded for the first time in 1971, only three times. But the last time it was shared between Roy and Gretchen Jackson and the New Bolton Center, which, in that particular instance, was one and the same anyway.
No Eclipse Award of Merit was presented in one of the last three years; there have been several years when no Special Eclipse Award was presented. Both awards are awards of convenience, found inconvenient in 21 different years. It may be that, when given, they provide satisfaction to the people awarding them more than the people receiving them.
Horse racing has a problem comprehending that “exceptional” is a concept that derives its definition by being rare and singularly estimable. Last year, the same people who couldn’t control their urge to designate three recipients for what should be, at the very most, one special Eclipse Award, toyed around with the ultimate fence-sitting idea of allowing voters to cast a vote that could have resulted in Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta as Co-Horses of The Year.
Perhaps that maneuver wasn’t what you’d call make-up sex, but ménage a trios. Nevertheless, to deeply-avowed monogamists, it seemed as boner-less as two of this year’s three extra Eclipse Awards.
06 Jan 2011 at 08:39 am | #
Hi, Vic. Like many other Zenyatta fans, it feels to me like they are coming up with this award for Team Z to appease fans when Zenyatta gets overlooked for the HOY award.
I would point out, though, that beyond un-retiring her, their contribution includes giving never before seen access to their horse, including allowing fans to meet her and her team in person, taking pictures with her, and spending hours chatting with her trainer.
In addition, Zenyatta writes a daily blog entry (how does she type with those big hooves??) and has kept fans up to date with photos and videos of her at Lane’s End. That will keep the fans connected to her and her people for many years to come.
It’s kind of crazy, but in the end social media could actually end up saving the horse racing industry. People want to be connected to their idols, and social media provides that. Rachel Alexandra’s fans would certainly enjoy the same treatment Zenyatta fans have gotten. And for their loyalty to RA, they deserve no less.
Team Z has set a great example that I hope other owners/trainers will follow. At least until Baby Z is ready to hit the track!
06 Jan 2011 at 09:36 am | #
Kristen Hall, nobody knew what the voting will determine in regard to Horse of the Year when Claiborne and Team Zenyatta were honored with the ancillary Eclipse Awards. But I do believe that there was an effort to make certain that whichever party lost the election they would still walk away from the ceremony with a statuette.
It’s understandable when people pay homage to those they believe to be deserving. But the more trophies you hand out, the less important those trophies become. This is an article about making an Eclipse Award more precious, not about whether or not Claiborne and Team Zenyatta deserve to be honored.
By the way, I hear the name Blame spoken often by voters in terms of Horse of the Year. Someone will do an informal tally and post it, I’m sure. But I think this is a close election. Hope your choice does well.
06 Jan 2011 at 12:27 pm | #
Horse racing isn’t the only entity that has a problem comprehending exceptional. In fact, it seems horse racing was late coming to the “everybody gets a trophy” table.
When my kids were little (late 1990’s) we couldn’t have traditional Little League because too many parents complained when their kid had to “suffer through” a loss. They insisted we have “no scoring” baseball and every kid got an MVP trophy at season’s end.
Over time our school district completely succumbed to the complainers and also eliminated “award based” academic competitions such as spelling bees. And I’m fairly certain my community isn’t alone in this nonsense.
Long story short, our society has become infected with “everybody gets a trophy” and horse racing is just the latest to jump on that bandwagon. It makes me wonder what’s next - no more win, place and show because it might hurt the poor horsie’s feelings?
07 Jan 2011 at 07:42 am | #
Some of your best work ever, Vic. Looks like your holiday time in Saratoga was good for the mind, soul, and pen.
07 Jan 2011 at 10:53 am | #
100$ on target, Vic. It’s horse of the year, not a lifetime achievement award, that interests people.
08 Jan 2011 at 02:09 am | #
Preemptive make-up sex it may be, but it will preempt nothing.
If HOY does not go to Zenyatta, no “Lifetime Achievement” award will mollify the legions who believe absolutely that she is THE Horse of 2010 - and probably of the decade, too.
Blame is a very nice horse. He’s not a star. He hasn’t done anything extravagant or even exceptional this year. He hasn’t brought fans to the track this year. He performed very well this year, but this year Zenyatta dominated racing.
This year racing belonged to Zenyatta.
Since there are no established criteria upon which HOY is decided, I am baffled when bean-counting, nitpicking turf writers explain why they “must” vote for Blame.
14 Jan 2011 at 06:15 pm | #
The decision not to allow Eclipse voters the option to chose a joint HOY last year was a huge mistake. Both Rachel and Zenyatta had record-breaking years that re-set the bar for fillies and mares, both deserved the award, and the industry should have taken the opportunity to celebrate two truly exceptional horses.
This is almost never the case. Some HOY awards are simply the best of a mediocre bunch.
Again, I believe this applies to the recognition awards. Claiborne certainly merits acknowledgement of their 100 years as pillars of the industry, and Team Zenyatta also deserves to be recognized for their outreach and generosity as their mare became a focus of world attention.
Your argument is pointless because this is not a chronic problem with the Eclipse Awards.
17 Jan 2011 at 01:04 am | #
“100$ on target, Vic. It’s horse of the year, not a lifetime achievement award, that interests people.”
I think you’re wrong, Mr. Profileman. “People” are interested in Zenyatta receiving the recognition she deserved in 2008, 2009 and 2010. I’m not saying that Curlin and Rachel weren’t also deserving of the awards they DID receive in 08 and 09; but in a just world, Zenyatta was equally so.
Look at the fan-polls on every single website that offers them! Those votes are by real “people” and Zenyatta is by far the favorite in every one. You may disagree with the majority, but that just makes you one of the complacent (unkind noun here) who disrespects popular opinion.
No, there’s no democracy in this process and there’s no justice, either. The few, the arrogant and powerful few, those few whose votes actually count, get to set their own rules year to year. And racing wonders why it’s a dieing sport? I’ll tell you why: that powerful voting minority doesn’t recognize greatness when 17 1/2 hands and 1200 pounds of it is dancing before its eyes. It doesn’t recognize a career that made history. It doesn’t recognize ‘the most splendid creature that we’ve ever seen’ for the salvation of racing that she could have been as one of those, rarer than rare, who stay on the track long enough to garner the general public’s attention. GOOD attention. No injuries, no bad days, always unmitigated heart in the running of her races.
Well, the minority rules as always. The die are cast. May enough of them have had the wisdom to understand that they had the future of racing in their hands and didn’t blow it.
Mr. Zast: Your allusions to sex with regard to the Special Eclipse were crude and beneath you. “Consolation,” yes; boners, no. I know you have the vocabulary to do much better.
17 Jan 2011 at 01:54 pm | #
Hello Mr. Zast--I could not agree with you more as to why you believe these awards are being presented to the Hancock family and Team Zenyatta. I thought the same thing (well, maybe not the sex analogy) when I read about the announcement of these special awards. I think an international award should be added to the line-up much like the award presented to the best foreign film at the Oscars. I believe the current rule is that a horse outside of North America need only to race here once in order to be eligilble for a nomination which is why Goldikova is up for some awards. Goldikova’s win in at the BC was breathtaking, and I felt it was an honor to see her in person. I am grateful that her connections have shared her with us here in the States, however, as incredible as she is I hate to see a foreign-based horse who raced only once in our country this year possibly win an award over a North American horse. This is where an international award would come into play, so we can recognize their accomplishments despite a very limited race schedule in North America. Just a thought--
28 Jan 2011 at 07:08 am | #
As long as men and women insist on these awards to get them through the long, cold, lonely racing winter, I have no problem with these additional awards, but they should call them the “Also Rans.”
TTT
09 Apr 2011 at 08:00 am | #
Vic,
The problem with racing is that no one cares about the participants.Racing people that are on tv have no personalities. They either come across as stupid or bland.
We need people like Harvey Pack who created an atmosphere of fun and presented characters who were interesting.
Andy Beyer is fun,but he is never the main character on any televised racing event.
Racing needs more emphasis on the gambling part of the game and people who are successful at it. If people think they can win they will become interested.