Logo Placement

As we enter the final few months of the horse betting season, handicappers across North America are creating their lists for Eclipse Award winners this season. Here is a fishing games guide to the candidates for three-year-old Eclipse winner.

Animal Kingdom – Despite missing the second half of the season with a season ending cannon bone injury, horse handicappers and writers from all over the country, are refusing to forget about Animal Kingdom’s first half accomplishments. Although it never finished out of the money in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby, Animal Kingdom went off as a 30 to one favorite, before making a jockey change last minute, to John Velazquez. As a result of the jockey change, Animal Kingdom was able to take its game to a whole new level, as it cruised to victory at the Kentucky Derby. The colt then followed the Derby victory up, by finishing an impressive second in the Preakness Stakes, before injuring its cannon bone during the Belmont Stakes. All of this should be enough to keep Animal Kingdom in the Eclipse Award discussion.

Shackleford – The mighty Shackleford was another horse that had an impressive run during the Triple Crown and in a few races this second half. Shackleford set the pace for all three legs of the Triple Crown, leading from wire to wire, before running out of gas, in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, but capturing the victory in the Preakness Stakes. In theory, Shackleford should only win the Eclipse Award, because it was a model of consistency throughout each of its races.

Stay Thirsty – From a fan favorite perspective, Stay Thirsty is the lock to win the 2011 Eclipse Award for three year olds. Even though it didn’t win any of the stages of the Triple Crown, Stay Thirsty’s impressive victory earlier this month at the Traverse Stakes, should be enough to keep it in the conversation for horse of the year.