Horse of Year? Bet on Favorite

With his breathtaking victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Skip Away may have been horse of the day Saturday at Hollywood Park.

His seven losses in 10 previous races in 1997 don’t make him horse of the year, however.

In a year where Favorite Trick did something even Secretariat, arguably the greatest thoroughbred in history, did not, owner Joseph LaCombe’s colt deserves the honor.

Whether or not the son of Phone Trick will succeed as a 3-year-old and become the first Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner to win the Kentucky Derby remains to be seen, but Favorite Trick came up huge on racing’s biggest day and every other time he ran this year.

Trained by Pat Byrne, the dark bay won all eight of his starts--Secretariat lost twice as a 2-year-old and was named horse of the year in 1972--and did so at four tracks. He won at distances from 4 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles and not only on fast tracks. Favorite Trick won on a good surface at Churchill Downs on May 26 and in the mud at Saratoga in August.

By any standards, what he accomplished was extraordinary and he may have saved his best for last. He was dominant in the Juvenile, setting a stakes record for the 1 1/16 miles and winning like a colt who will be able to handle more yardage.

While Skip Away was brilliant two races later, he was less so more often than not in the first 10 months of the year. He was beaten 7 1/2 lengths by Isitingood in the Texas Mile at Lone Star Park, 6 1/2 lengths by Will’s Way in the Whitney Handicap and 5 1/2 lengths by Formal Gold in both the Iselin Handicap and Woodward Stakes.

In six meetings this year, he lost to Formal Gold four times. In his only encounter with Gentlemen in the Pimlico Special, Skippy was beaten.

His finest performances at the end of his campaign came when neither of those horses were present. Skip Away won the Jockey Club Gold Handicap at Belmont Park by 6 1/2 lengths in a race in which Siphon suffered a career-ending injury and Coup D’Argent broke down fatally.

In the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he crushed a field that included Behrens, who did not run his race; Touch Gold, who obviously wasn’t right and who won’t be in action again for several months; and a few others who didn’t belong.

If Skip Away is voted horse of the year, it can be determined that nothing else but the Breeders’ Cup Classic matters. Win that and what happened before is forgotten.

With Favorite Trick, there are no losses to forget or excuse. By all standards, 8-0 is better than 4-7.

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Other opinions and reflections on Breeders’ Cup XIV:

The hard-luck loser of the day was 15-1 shot Hesabull in the Sprint. Showing 21 2/5 and 43 4/5 speed no one believed he had, the 4-year-old put away Track Gal and Exotic Wood and held off Bet On Sunshine, but couldn’t repel Elmhurst in the final yards. Unfortunately, Hesabull suffered a fracture in his left foreleg, underwent surgery Sunday morning and will be sidelined for several months. . . .

Spinning World’s victory in the Mile was overlooked with all the attention given to Skip Away and Favorite Trick. If there were any doubts, Europe’s best miler showed he was for real, winning by two lengths and covering the final quarter mile in less than 23 seconds. It’s too bad we won’t get to see him again next year in Breeders’ Cup XV at Churchill Downs. He has been retired and will stand at Ashford Stud in Kentucky.

Sharp Cat is a very good filly who simply is not at her best going 1 1/8 miles. Ajina beat her on the square in the Mother Goose at Belmont Park in June and did so again in the Distaff. . . .

The best thing about the success being spread around among horses based in California, New York, Kentucky, France and Canada is that no out-of-towners will complain about the weather being too hot or the track too hard. That has been the case when California has hosted the event in years past and local horses have dominated. . . .

The most predictable performance Saturday was turned in by Dance Design. Brought back in six days after nearly falling while finishing seventh in the Yellow Ribbon Stakes at Santa Anita, the 4-year-old Irish filly finished last in the Turf, beaten some 18 lengths by Chief Bearhart. A saner plan would have been to wait for the $700,000 Matriarch on Nov. 30 at Hollywood Park.

Horse Racing Notes

Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye took off his final four mounts and will be off today after being involved in a spill in Wednesday’s fourth race. Delahoussaye bruised his right foot and was cut on the nose when he hit the ground hard after Tejano’s Pride broke down in the stretch of the mile turf race. A 5-year-old Tejano mare who was making her 19th start of 1997, Tejano’s Pride was given a lethal injection.