| Invasor: Horse of the Year |
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| Written by Sam Story | |||||||
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Thursday, 25 January 2007
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 Invasor was named Horse of the Year at the 36th edition of the Eclipse Awards. He is owned by Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum's Shadwell Stable. Sheikh Hamdan's brother, Sheikh Mohammed, won Eclipse Awards for his Darley Stable through Preakness Stakes winner Bernardini, who was named champion 3-year-old male, and as champion owner, in which Darley finished in a dead heat with the Lael Stables of Roy and Gretchen Jackson, the owners of Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro. Since there is no rule for breaking a statistical tie, Darley and the Jacksons each received Eclipse Awards as champion owner. Invasor dominated the votes for Horse of the Year: He received 228 of the 271 cast. Barbaro was second with 21, and Bernardini finished third with 16. Others receiving votes for Horse of the Year were Lava Man and Ouija Board, who each tallied 3 votes. Invasor also was a huge winner for champion older horse, defeating Lava Man by a 262-8 margin. One voter abstained. Bet on Horse Racing at WagerWeb.com and receive a 30% bonus!Invasor, a champion in Uruguay before coming to the United States, won 4 of 5 starts last year. He lost his first start of the year in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates Derby, but then reeled off four straight victories, all in Grade 1 races, for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. He won the Pimlico Special, Suburban Handicap and Whitney Handicap, then came off a 90-day layoff to beat Bernardini and Lava Man in the Breeders' Cup Classic under jockey Fernando Jara. Invasor is still in training this year and is expected to make his first start of the in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 3.
Bet on the Horses at WagerWeb.com and receive a 30% bonus! While it was a perfect night for Invasor and his connections, it was a bit bittersweet for Barbaro. Sure, not wining Horse of the Year after having an undefeated colt is tough, but it showed how much respect and love that turf writers across the country had for a magnificent equine athlete. To give him as many votes as he had, without having any part of the Breeders' Cup, was a true testament to the adoration Barbaro had over the entire country.                        |
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