Settling the odds between Havre de Grace and My Miss Aurelia for the Horse of the Year
The battle for the Horse of the Year is now being fought between the four-year-old filly, Havre de Grace, and the two-year-old filly, My Miss Aurelia. This stands out to be the highest honour presented to any American thoroughbred race horse. This tradition, awarding the Horse of the Year, has been around since 1887, which adds to the prestige of the already esteemed award that has no age barrier. The award serves as a remuneration for the horse’s enviable performance throughout the year.
The amazing element about My Miss Aurelia being a strong prospect for the award is her age, since a two-year-old filly has never been crowned with this honour. The obvious reason being that such a fresh entrant in racing has to compete against talent that has excelled further and is much more experienced.
My Miss Aurelia did not waste any time in getting her maiden out of the way, passing this first hurdle on 22nd July, 2011. The date, falling even after mid-year, shows that the filly hasn't even been racing for a full year.
By 22nd July, Havre de Grace had already run four races of the 2011 season, out of which, three were head on successes, while she finished as the runner-up in the fourth one.
Her season kicked off with three impeccable wins. The first one being the Grade 3 Azeri Stakes on 19th March at Oaklawn Park, and the second win at the same race course as well, on 15th April, in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Stakes. Her third strike of the year was in the Grade 3 Obeah Stakes on 11th June, at Del Mar.
The race in which she was positioned second was the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap, run over a distance of 1 ¼ miles, at Del Mar, on 16th July.
While Havre de Grace amassed fame and victory throughout these months, My miss Aurelia surfaced after a gap of nearly a month, on 14th August, in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga, posting her second lifetime victory. Havre de Grace, on the other hand, did not race in August but, she had already collected a good number of wins to amass her credentials.
My Miss Aurelia, yet again, disappeared from the tracks for around two months as she did not participate in any races during September. On 3rd September, Havre de Grace won her fourth race of the season, the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga, outrunning Flat Out, another contestant for the Eclipse Awards, though for a different category.
October witnessed both the rivals racing and winning. My Miss Aurelia won the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes at Belmont Park on 8th October, while Havre de Grace claimed a victory in the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes, also at Belmont Park, on the 1st of October, leaving Royal Delta behind to finish second.
An exciting turn came, nearly at the end of the season, in the Breeders’ Cup that turned the tables, as My Miss Aurelia kept winning while Havre de Grace faltered.
My Miss Aurelia grabbed another win at the Churchill Downs track on 4th November, in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Havre de Grace finished a miserable fourth position in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, at the same race course, on 5th November.
The only race that has upset the award winning line-up for Havre de Grace is her last race. Besides that unfortunate dent in her record, her profile is relatively stronger since she has more graded stakes' victories to her credit. Then again, My Miss Aurelia has an impressive undefeated profile, complemented by the Breeders’ success, raising her odds for the accolade.
The anticipation and suspense would end on January 16, 2012, when the winners will finally be announced in the Eclipse Awards ceremony at Beverly Wilshire, in Beverly Hills, California. Lets see who wins the race for the Horse of the Year award, My Miss Aurelia or Havre de Grace.
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