Havre de Grace ran away with Horse of the Year honors last night during the 2011 Eclipse Awards in Los Angeles, where it was announced that she had garnered 166 votes over runner-up Acclamation with 26.
Havre de Grace is the third consecutive mare to be so honored in a sport dominated by males. Zenyatta, winner of the Breeders Cup Classic against males in 2009, was voted Horse of the Year in 2010; Rachel Alexandra earned her title in 2009, the year that she won the Preakness.
Owned by Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms, Newark, Delaware; trained by Larry Jones; and ridden by Ramon Dominguez for five wins from all 7 of her starts in 2011, Havre de Grace also earned a 2011 Eclipse Award as champion older female. She is currently based at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, as Jones prepares her for her first start of 2012, in the New Orleans Ladies on March 17, or possibly, according to Jones, the $400,000 New Orleans Handicap against males on April 1.
Several other Horse of the Year winners and contenders have spent part of the winter at Fair Grounds in recent seasons, including Curlin (2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year), Rachel Alexandra (2009 Horse of the Year) and Blame (2010 Champion Older Male and runner-up in Horse of the Year voting).
Havre de Grave, whose greatest victory came against males in the Woodward Stakes, is from the first and only foal crop of of Saint Liam, 2005 Horse of the Year who died in August 2006, as the result of a freak accident that happened while he was being led from his paddock at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky.
Porter and Jones also teamed with the ill-fated filly Eight Belles, who broke down after finishing second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby and is buried at the Kentucky Derby Museum.
Ramon Dominguez, 35, Havre de Grace’s regular rider, received the Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey. It was the second Eclipse for Dominguez, who also rode 2011 champion two-year-old Hansen, tallied 348 wins, and earned over $20.2 million, more than any other jockey in 2011.
Other 2011 Eclipse Award winners include:
Two-Year-Old Male: Hansen
Two-Year-Old Filly: My Miss Aurelia
Three-Year-Old Male: Animal Kingdom
Three-Year-Old Filly: Royal Delta
Older Male: Acclamation (5)
Older Female: Havre de Grace (4)
Male Sprinter: Amazombie (5)
Female Sprinter: Musical Romance (4)
Male Turf Horse: Cape Blanco (IRE) (4)
Female Turf Horse: Stacelita (FR) (5)
Steeplechase Horse: Black Jack Blues (IRE) (8)
Owner: Ken and Sarah Ramsey
Breeder: Adena Springs
Jockey: Ramon Dominguez
Apprentice Jockey: Kyle Frey
Trainer: Bill Mott
The Eclipse Awards are named after 18th century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at five and was undefeated in 18 starts.