Finally, the 09 Eclipse finalists

It's finally been released, the 2009 Eclipse Finalists have been announced. And it's really no suprise who the two candiates for Horse of the Year are: Rachel Alexandra, and Zenyatta. Apperently there where no rouge votes, so that's why they announced the HOY finalists as well.

Here are the finalists:

Horse of the Year: Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta

Two-Year-Old Male: Lookin at Lucky, Noble's Promise, Vale of York
Two-Year-Old Filly: Blind Luck, Hot Dixie Chick, She Be Wild
Three-Year-Old Male: Mine That Bird, Quality Road, Summer Bird
Three-Year-Old Filly: Careless Jewel, Flashing, Rachel Alexandra
Older Male: Einstein (BRZ), Gio Ponti, Kodiak Kowboy
Older Female: Life Is Sweet, Music Note, Zenyatta
Male Sprinter: Dancing in Silks, Kodiak Kowboy, Zensational
Female Sprinter: Informed Decision, Music Note, Ventura
Male Turf Horse: Conduit, Gio Ponti, Presious Passion
Female Turf Horse: Goldikova, Midday, Ventura
Steeplechase Horse: Mixed Up, Red Letter Day, Spy in the Sky
Owner: Godolphin, Juddmonte Farms, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss
Breeder: Adena Springs, Juddmonte Farms, Dolphus C. Morrison
Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, John Shirreffs
Jockey: Ramon Dominguez, Garrett Gomez, Julien Leparoux
Apprentice Jockey: Luis Batista, Christian Santiago Reyes, Luis Saez

Although I'm not a huge fan of awards (I find them to be a bit bias), here are my picks:

2yo Male: Vale of York on the list for one reason, he won the BC Juvenile. Lookin at Lucky showed why he was America's best 2yo in the Cash Call Futurity and should get the award.

2yo Female: For the first time in awhile, you could say that all three of these finalists deserve the award. With that being said, this award uselly goes to the BC Juvenile Fillies winner, which in this case is She Be Wild. However, I do think Blind Luck will be the better 3yo and Hot Dixie Chick will be a factor in the Sprinting races this year. She Be Wild could have a Dreaming of Anna like season, but Blind Luck in likely hood is the favorite to take the 3yo filly award for this year.

3yo Male: Summer Bird is beyond the other two it's not even funny. He's beaten or finished in front of Mine That Bird twice and beaten Quality Road once. It's a shame that he's on the sidelines now as he could have made some serious noice this Winter and Spring.

3yo Female: If this is not a landslide or unanimous, then the people who voted against Rachel Alexandra should have their votes taken away. 8 for 8, beating Summer Bird, Mine That Bird, Macho Again, Bullsbay, Flashing, Malibu Prayer, Munnings, Papa Clem, Bon Jovi Girl, Just Jenda ect. Careless Jewel is a nice horse, but I just hope the BC didn't ruin her. Any other year she would have been 3yo Female off her Delaware Oaks and Alabama wins, but this is not just any other year.

Older Male: This was a bad crop of older horses, it was so bad that the finalists are two turf horses and a sprinter. I've gotta go with Gio Ponti, with the exception of 2 second place finishes in his last two starts, he has been great this year. Einstein backtracked in the second half of the year, and honestly Kodiak Kowboy didn't do much for my taste this year.

Older Female: If this is not a landslide or unanimous, then the people who voted against Zenyatta should have their votes taken away. 5 for 5, beating Life is Sweet, Gio Ponti, Summer Bird, Mine That Bird, Einstein, Lethal Heat, Cocoa Beach ect. Any other year, Life is Sweet would be Older Female since she finished third in the Hollywood Gold Cup, but this isn't just any other year. Music Note did a nice job this year, and it's a shame that she will go down as one of the best horses not to win an Eclipse Award.

Male Sprinter: With the exception of a flubup in the BC Sprint, Zensational was awesome this year. I would love to see him win, Kodiak Kowboy has a chance, but Zensational beat older horses before his BC win. As for Dancing with Silks, IMO he was a flukey winner.

Female Sprinter: While I know she deserves it, especially beating Ventura twice I'm far from an Informed Decideson fan. It's a shame that Music Note didn't compete in the BC F/M Sprint as I think she could have raced them all off their feet. As for Ventura, even though she has won at a sprint distance, she is better at a mile.

Turf Male: One bad race, that's all it took from Gio Ponti from having a 1 loss season (I knew he wasn't going to win the BCC). With that being said, defeating Ventura and Presious Passion was huge and he deserves this title. Condiut is a nice horse, but he only ran in the US once. And of course PP, unfortnally his first race of the year turned into a lets wear out the pacesetter, but he'll be back to try for his third UN title.

Turf Female: Yes Goldikova beat the boys, yes Midday won the BC F/M Turf, but Ventura deserves this award. With the exception of a nose loss to Gio Ponti in the Kilore, she was undefeated on the turf (her two other losses where on the main track), 2 G1 wins and add in her second place finishes to Informed Decideson and Gio Ponti go in her favor.

Steeplechaser: I haven't really followed this division, but I did watch Mixed Up's Saratoga win and was pretty impressed. From what I read he is the favorite to win the award.

Owner: All three of the owners had their "it" horses run huge this year, with them being Ventura (Juddmonte), Music Note (Godolphin) and Zenyatta (Jerry & Ann Moss). I gotta go with the Moss', yes Judmonte and Godolphin each had other horses, but both of those stables where beaten by the Big Z. Interesting absent are Rachel Alexandra's current and former owners, but in all honestly I'm glad that they aren't here since she spent half a season with one owner and the second half with a different one. Plus Jess Jackson isn't the most well liked guy.

Breeder: Adena and Judmonte are no strangers to this catagory, but Dolphus Morrison? Seriously? My guess is since Z's owners are finalists for Owner, why not have Rach's breeder/former owner for Breeder. I'm personally disapointed not seeing WinStar in the final three, as they bred three of the early Derby favorites, Super Saver, American Lion, and of course the one and only Rule. Add in the DWC win by Well Armed. With that being said, I think this will come down to Morrison and Judmonte. I wouldn't be suprised that Adena wins. Notebly absent are Zenyatta's breeders Mavrick Production.

Trainer: Well, well, well, both Rachel and Z's trainers are finalists. However, I'm going with Bob Baffert for this award. Pioneerof the Nile, Zensational, Indian Blessing, Lookin at Lucky, Take Control (Azeri's kid who broke his maiden just before the new year) these are just a handful of horses who won last year under the Hall of Famer. Asmussen does have Lucky's half brother G2 winner Kensei, and Sherriffs did win the BCLC with Life is Sweet. (That is other then having Rach and Z)

Jockey: Here's a shocker, niether Calvin Borel (Team Rachel) nor Mike Smith (Team Zenyatta) are finalists. All three of these gentlement deserve to be finalists, but if I had to choose one it would be Ramon Domingez. Won every NYRA meet, set a record for winners in New York (I think). Not bad for a former Delaware Park guy (and if he had been on Unbridled Belle, DelCap day I think she would have won).

I'm not giving a vote for App. Jockey as I haven't really followed it that much.

This leaves with one more catagory and of course that's Horse of the Year. It is down to do from California, Zenyatta five for five this year with her biggest win coming in her last start of the year the Breeders' Cup Classic. From Kentucky/New York, Rachel Alexandra eight for eight this year under two different trainers, her biggest wins coming in the KY Oaks, Preakness, Haskell and Woodward. Both became the first females to win prostigious races (BCC and Woodward), both dazzled us with their wins, and both showed that they are detirmined to lose. With that being said, while Zenyatta's Classic will be one that nobody will forget, it's not Horse of the BC, it's Horse of the Year. Rachel had the better season overall starting with her Oaks win, to the Haskell and finally beating older males in the Woodward. Zenyatta had faced males only once this year. I would LOVE to see a tie, but since that is highley unlikely to happen, my Horse of the Year is Rachel Alexandra. However, I will defently not be upset if Zenyatta gets it. Like I've said before, 2009 was The Year of the Female and either way we will have our first female Horse of the Year since Azeri won in 2002.

The Eclipse Awards will be given out on January 18,2010 in Beverly Hills, California. I think they are going to be on TVG. Good luck to everyone!