The Galloping Hat Rack

The American Horse of the Year Award is looking as foggy as ever following the conclusion of the Breeders’ Cup. While voters in the States love giving it to a good, classic dirt horse, honestly, the pickings are slim. Many of the year’s finest runners also never made to the championships, and those that did threw in clunkers when it counted the most. 

Let’s take a peek at who’s looking good enough to make one of the three slots for HOTY candidates:

• Tizway - If there was a miler award, Tizway would get it, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see this horse steal the Older Male Award. Looking past a few blemishes and the injury/illness that sidelined him from deeper competition, Tizway was the most dominating horse in a year that lacked substance and consistency. He swept the Met Mile (I) with fantastic speed and ease before taking the Whitney (I) the same way over multiple G1 winners like Flat Out and Giant Oak. There hangs the question of “what if?” when it comes to whether or not he could beat other horses on this list, but I think the voters will be able to decide on class for themselves.
• Acclamation [pictured] - A choice many would not (somehow) agree with, dare I say Acclamation was one of the year’s most impressive horses period. Long gone are the days where horses could get a mile and a quarter, but almost unheard of are the horses who can do that on practically any surface in graded competition. He beat up Twirling Candy in the Pacific Classic (I) and Champ Pegasus in the Joe Hirsch (I) to reel off a stunning five graded victories in a row, three of them G1 and two of them Breeders’ Cup Challenge races. He wasn’t able to make it to the Downs due to a minor injury, but really, how can you question such a resume? I know voters prefer “true” classic dirt horses, but Acclamation had one hell of a year and deserves a serious look.
• Game On Dude - Arguably the west’s best handicap horse, Game On Dude has been through a vigorous campaign this year, his record for 2011 standing at 3-2-1 in 7 starts– all but one graded stakes, 4 of them G1, and two of those G1s were wins. An incredibly quick horse, had he seen Drosselmeyer coming from behind his blinkers in Classic, I don’t sincerely believe he would have let him pass by. Additionally, may I be so bold to say had it not been for Drosselmeyer’s last-minute rush, there would be no serious need for this article.
• Havre de Grace - She went from a pretty good sort of horse last year with a nomination for best three-year-old filly (losing to Blind Luck) to beating the boys in one of the most important dirt races for older horses, the Woodward. She has the best shot at winning HOTY, which she desperately wants, with a 2011 record of 5-1-0 from 7 all-graded starts, with three wins in G1 races and her only loss outside the Classic was by a nose to Blind Luck. She’s beaten the JCGC winner Flat Out, the eventual Ladies’ Classic winner Royal Delta, and a whole heap of other great horses. While she finished an honest fifth in the Classic, behind only G1 winners, she’s still one of the best to run this year.

Who gets my personal vote: Havre de Grace. Best campaign, beat who she needed to to get to the award, and let’s face it: the female division was very strong this year compared to the lackluster male.