Excerpt:
Since my last column on this topic, no horse that Justify beat has done anything to support his Horse of the Year credentials. Look no further than the Breeders’ Cup Mile and the Classic. Bravazo, a half-length behind Justify in the Preakness, was third in the BC Mile, beaten 5¼ lengths. In the Classic, Mendelssohn dead last in the Kentucky Derby, ran fifth, beaten four lengths. And consider McKinzie, who was Baffert’s Derby horse before getting injured. He ran 12th of 14 on the BC Classic.
As I said in closing my previous column:
“A four-month racing career can certainly win a Triple Crown, but a longer, more productive career may be better for the industry as a whole and perhaps more deserving when it comes to handing out Eclipse Awards.”
