To clarify to HRI readers something many voters aren’t even sure of, this is what my NTRA ballot for the Week of SEP 23 looked.
Loose guidelines is some form of ranking for potential Horse of the Year candidates.
I feel comfortable reserving the top three slots toward that end, then I prefer to list who I think are divisional leaders.
Thereafter the inclusions are debatable–which is why races are run in the first place:
HRI’s NTRA Top 10, SEP 23, 2019
1. BRICKS AND MORTAR
2. MCKINZIE
3. MIDNIGHT BISOU
4. MITOLE
5. SISTERCHARLIE
6. CODE OF HONOR
7. IMPERIAL HINT
8. PRESERVATIONIST
9. WORLD OF TROUBLE
10. DUNBAR ROAD
2 Responses
Where is Maximum Security and what are your reasons for ranking Code of Honor above him?
If today were Dec. 31, I would argue that Maximum Security would be the 3-year-old champion and it wouldn’t be a close vote.
The stats: Maximum Security won the Grade 1 Florida Derby in March and Grade 1 Haskell in July. Not insignificantly, he finished first in America’s most important and coveted race in May.
Code of Honor has one Grade 1 win, the Travers.
Well, the headline does say one man’s opinion. Why did I rank him above Maximum Security? Because I think he will prove the better three year old by season’s end.
I agree that right now the Eclipse vote probably wouldn’t be close. But this is a weekly poll, not an Eclipse ballot. As it stands–barring the spectacular by any other three year old for the remainder of the year–I grudgingly would vote for Maximum Security.
But there’s plenty of racing left. Will we see Maximum Security again? Who knows? But I will tell you this. If Code of Honor win the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Saturday, he would be my Eclipse choice, at this moment.
There are plenty of G1 opportunities left and I will keep an open mind…