EMPIRE MAKER
Eclipse Award voting begins shortly, and here are what two
handicappers from the Daily Racing Form have to say about the
three-year-old male Champion.
Steven Crist in the October 5th DRF:
“It is no better than even money that the best 3-year-old in the
country this year will be recognized as the champion of his
division at year’s end.
Empire Maker, who was officially retired to stud last week,
deserves the Eclipse Award as the top colt of his age. Forget that
he was clearly the most talented colt; he wins on performance as
well as potential. He has two rivals for the honor and holds a
combined 5-1 record against them: He beat Funny Cide two of the
three times they met, and is 3-0 against Ten Most Wanted.
When the retirement announcement was made this week, trainer
Bobby Frankel called Empire Maker the best horse he has ever
trained and said that the colt was many lengths better than he ever
had a chance to proven. It was meant as a tribute to a colt Frankel
clearly adored…”
Mike Watchmaker in the November 26th DRF:
“The championship for 2-year-old colt and gelding is wide open
this year. The title for turf male is up in the air, too, and the
Eclipse Award picture for 3-year-old filly is as clear as mud. But,
of all of this year’s disputed divisional awards, none stirs the
passions of racing people like the battle for champion 3-year-old
male between Empire Maker and Funny Cide.
The basic facts are as follows: Empire Maker started six times
this year, won half of them, and finished second in the other
three. All of his victories came in Grade 1 events: the Florida
Derby, the Wood Memorial, and the Belmont Stakes. Funny Cide
started eight times. He won twice, finished second twice, and was
third twice. Funny Cide’s two victories, of course, came in the
Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.
Empire Maker and Funny Cide met three times. Empire Maker
defeated Funny Cide by a half-length in their first meeting, the
Wood Memorial. Funny Cide beat Empire Maker by 1 ¾ lengths when
they next met in the Kentucky Derby. In their final head-to-head
battle, Empire Maker left Funny Cide five lengths back in third in
the Belmont.
Those are the facts. The next thing to do is to interpret them
as objectively as possible. Empire Maker won in March, he won in
April, and he won in June. Funny Cide’s two wins came over a
two-week period in early May. In Empire Maker’s only start after
his last victory, he was beaten a neck finishing second in the Jim
Dandy. Funny Cide made three starts after his last victory. As
noted, he was beaten five lengths when third in the Belmont. Funny
Cide then was third, beaten nine lengths, in the Haskell
Invitational, and ninth, beaten 14 ½ lengths, in the Breeders’ Cup
Classic. All of this suggests Empire Maker held top form longer
than Funny Cide did.
Of course, none of the above took place in a vacuum, and it is
important to consider other factors. For example, it was well
documented that Empire Maker missed several days of training in the
days just before the Kentucky Derby because of a foot problem that
nearly forced his withdrawal from that race. It is unrealistic to
expect an athlete to perform at this best in the biggest test of
his career if he has missed valuable training right before the big
event. Under the circumstances, it was very much to Empire Maker’s
credit that he was able to get within less than two lengths of
victory in the Derby.
Funny Cide’s backers would counter with the argument that their
gelding was compromised by miserable weather and a sloppy track
when denied in his attempt to complete the Triple Crown in the
Belmont. Perhaps. But that argument is weak considering that in his
other two starts on a wet track, Funny Cide came within a
half-length of Empire Maker when second in the Wood Memorial, and
he won the Preakness.
One matter that has absolutely no place in an intelligent
discussion of this topic is Empire Maker’s absence from the
Preakness Stakes. Once Empire Maker had lost the Kentucky Derby and
had no shot at the Triple Crown, he was under no obligation to run
in the Preakness. At that point, Empire Maker’s job was to win
races, and if the best way for him to win a race like the Belmont
was by being fresh, then that was perfectly within his rights.
Besides, supporters of Funny Cide would do best by glossing over
the Preakness, because that raises the issue of the quality of the
race, a subject that does merit inclusion in this debate. This
year’s Preakness rivaled the 2000 Belmont Stakes as the weakest
Triple Crown event in modern history. I wrote at the time that
Funny Cide’s lengthy victory was purely a function of the weak
field and Peace Rules running an uncharacteristically poor race.
Subsequent events have proven that out. Preakness runner-up Midway
Road was beaten almost six lengths finishing third in the Ohio
Derby, his only subsequent start. Scrimshaw, who finished third in
the Preakness, came back to be beaten 30 lengths finishing sixth in
the Belmont, slightly more than nine lengths finishing sixth in the
Amsterdam, and a bit more than 11 lengths finishing 10th in the
King’s Bishop. And, the Preakness was the only time Peace Rules
failed to earn a triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure on dirt.
The evidence says the contest between Empire Maker and Funny
Cide shouldn’t be as close as it appears to be. Empire Maker was
the better horse, and he should be champion.”
Date:
10 December 2003