(Home)

Continued from the #20-11 best races post, it’s time to hammer out the ten most awesome and memorable races from 2012! Again, a lot of my choices are North American, so you Euro fans and the like take it easy on me!

Honorable mention: I believe I miscounted the number of races I had before… I really meant to include Mizdirection’s Turf Sprint here in the middle of the countdown. Ugh! I knew I was bad at math but this is very erroneous… sorry Miz!

10) Union Rags sneaks by Paynter to win Belmont (I) - My most personal race from 2012 being that I was there for it, whether you cared for the race or not it was still one not to miss. Hot improver Paynter looked like the first horse in some time that could win the Test of the Champion wire-to-wire until Union Rags managed to find a path through on the inside just as time ran out. Watch it here

9) Questing all shock and awe in Alabama (I) performance - I was kind of heart-broken to have missed this race in person (it was between this weekend and the Whitney weekend I had to go to Saratoga), but all in all, it was still a jaw-dropping display of raw ability watching Questing set Secretariat-like fractions in a wire-to-wire romp in the Alabama (I) against top-class fillies! Watch it here

8) Shackleford deflects Caleb’s Posse to win stunning Met Mile (I) - I didn’t have him to win despite feeling that he could win this race last year after his Preakness victory, all because I thought he was in bad form. Shack Attack proved me wrong and his fan base was jubilant as he kept right on going in a rousing renewal of his rivalry with Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (I) champion Caleb’s Posse. Watch it here

7) My Miss Aurelia ousts Questing in Cotillion (I) match race - Despite boasting a four horse field, it was really a match race between undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (I) winner My Miss Aurelia and the rising star Questing, each well-handicapped against each other to make things an interesting race. Each filly gave it her best and it was quite the million-dollar race. Watch it here

6) Royal Delta digs in, gives away weight, and still prevails in gutsy Delaware Handicap (II) - We all knew she was something special, but a fast horse is nothing without a big heart. Royal Delta gave away 3 to 10 pounds to all of her foes, including a whopping 9 to recent Azeri (III) winner Tiz Miz Sue who challenged her in the stretch when she already appeared to be going all out. Watch it here

5) Wise Dan conquers international field, holds off Animal Kingdom in Breeders’ Cup Mile (I) - A vulnerable favorite, Wise Dan capped off an impeccable year as a do-it-all gelding with a win in the seriously competitive Breeders’ Cup Mile against shippers of colossal class. He skirted away to the lead in the stretch as easily as he did in past starts while managing to hold off Animal Kingdom who came sweeping in late. Watch it here

4) I’ll Have Another catches Bodemeister in dramatic Kentucky Derby (I) - A curious race from its rocky start, Bodemeister unexpectedly outran predicted pacesetter Trinniberg early and looked prime to wire the Derby in an outstanding display of might, only to tire and be caught late by the heroic I’ll Have Another. Watch it here

3) Orfevre caught by Solemia in upsetting Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (FR-I) - While it appeared that Japan’s Triple Crown winner was going to revel in the one of the world’s most prestigious races, it was Solemia who stormed in late and out of the clouds to upset the good Orfevre in the waning moments of the Arc. Watch it here

2) Frankel bows a perfect winner in Champion Stakes (ENG-I) - A timeless, unforgettable sort of horse, the fantastic Frankel made his last start worthwhile as he encountered trouble in the early stages of the race while running on soft turf against some of the best horses in Europe. The crowd cheering to a sustained din, it was the ideal end to a superhorse’s legacy. Watch it here

1) Black Caviar outsmarts and outsprints them all in Ascot’s Diamond Jubilee (ENG-I) to stay perfect - Humming off the rail in an unprecendented ship from Australia to England, the world’s most perfect sprinter looked easy-going making her move to the lead, but nearly lost her undefeated streak when jockey Luke Nolen appeared to ease her too early. Watch it here

There are horse racing blogs that are mostly (if not entirely) about handicapping and others full of romanticized anecdotes, either about legends of the past or personal stories that I could never hope to replicate because, well, I don’t live next-door to a track. With Galloping Hat Rack, I hope to do something no one has done and what ought to be done to continue to pull in fans to the sport: fun, fresh, modern perspective. Horse racing tends to take itself too seriously, too dried-out-grape in nature, too much focus on the negative and the brevity of it all. I always try to remember what I was like when I was new to this atmosphere… remembering that curious girl down by the rail clutching a win ticket on English Spirit in the fourth at Calder… all while trying to be as appealing as possible to both the newbies and the veterans. I’ve come a long way since I bet on English Spirit and watched War Emblem on TV, and yet there is still much to do.

Wonderful, awesome things that happened to me this year in and around horse racing:

• Revamped the blog in January and gave it a new domain name and layout; celebrated it with the First Annual Derby Handicap Contest.
• Despite still being in relative infancy in handicapping, I analyzed (along with many of you) the whole Triple Crown road, and while I missed many that I now know better about, I snagged a couple longshots in Castaway (15-1 in a Southwest Stakes division) and in one of my proudest moments in handicapping, the Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can (15-1). Breeders’ Cup time allowed me two big wins in Marathon winner Calidioscopio [ARG] (19-1) and Classic victor Fort Larned (9-1). These all weren’t my only published longshot picks that won, too, so there was much to be proud of.
• I kept my promise to myself from last year that I was going to see the Belmont Stakes! I spent the entire day there and while I didn’t do so well with most of the card, I got the winner… my “heart” pick Union Rags!
• I lived my childhood dreams reading about it in Man o’ War and finally got to visit historic old Saratoga Race Course in the flesh for the Whitney Invitational. It was hot, hot, hot but I’d relive that day all too willingly.
• I got to see many top horses in the flesh including many personal favorites: Union Rags, Winter Memories, Fort Larned, Agave Kiss, Trinniberg, Teeth of the Dog, Dullahan, Atigun, Paynter, Street Life, Ron the Greek, Flat Out, Hightail, Brilliant Speed, Tapitsfly, Balance the Books, and more!
• I improved in handicapping a lot; I really didn’t know much about doing turf races until this year and now I kind of have a handle on them and I’m doing better at sprints. At the start of the year, I was happy to just break even and now I usually take in $15-20 in a regular weekend and have pretty consistent top picks.
• Announced and exceeded a fundraising goal of $100 for New Vocations.
• A few industry people let me know they liked my blog, as well as many Tumblr people, which ultimately buoyed my motivation.
• Follower count more than doubled within the last year

My horse racing goals for next year:

• Keep on improving my handicapping skills, especially when it comes to finding the best wager format.
• Pick up more lenses. I’ll need them as I learn to take better pictures and video. Which will lead me to one of my other goals for next year: my first independent, short documentary on horse racing TBA in January/February.
• Visit Aqueduct for the first time (I’m thinking Met Mile, perhaps Wood Memorial or the Cigar Mile)
• Perfect and launch Horse Wars, a digital web video series
• Raise $200 for retired racehorses
• Go to the Belmont again mwahahaha
• Visit Saratoga again and if I can for two days, not just one

Of course, a lot of my goals will go incomplete if I don’t experience an “upgrade” on my job scenario, but I remain optimistic about that all changing sooner than later. In January I will announce the details of the new film project, launch the 2nd Annual Derby Handicap, and other new objectives.

An extra special thank you is required to everyone— follower or casual lurker, doesn’t matter— who has read and or stopped by the blog this year. It’s been great to talk to many of you and just feel the appreciation and interest I never anticipated getting when I first started. I hope the new year treats everyone well and to see you all around and about the Interwebs!

High hoof,

Dawna