Did Bordonaro get shunned?

That is likely the biggest controversy surrounding the Eclipse awards this year. The fact that Thor's Echo, Discreet Cat and Henny Hughes are Eclipse finalists for the Sprinter award and Bordonaro is not. Bill Spawr, Bordonaro's trainer has leapt to his charges defense and blamed it on the old east coast bias. Travis Stone and Hank Wesch have both weighed in supporting Bordonaro's claim to be one of the top 3 sprinters in the nation.

I myself am not so convinced that Bordonaro deserved to be on the ticket. I am hardly a fan of the Eclipse awards and the results they produce. I believe they do have the wrong finalists in the Sprint division, but I dont think Bordonaro is getting the short end of the stick.

Lets consider his record of 5-3-1-0 $543,630

The first thing that sticks out is the fact that Bordonaro did not race very often. The DRF made a list of 16 of the top sprinters in 2006 and Bordonaro ran less than every horse, aside from Henny Hughes, who did not have an injury shortened campaign. For a sound horse he ran very little.

His wins came in the Ancient Title (G-1), Count Fleet Sprint (G-3) and the Sunshine Millions Sprint (Listed). He was just 1 for 3 in G-1 company and he didnt even attempt G-1 company until July. He also failed to hit the frame in the Breeders Cup.

His TCR total was 127.02, that was only enough for a 7th place ranking. That puts his year on par with horses from previous years like Taste of Paradise, Avanzado, Affirmed Success and Caller One. All solid sprinters but not champions.

While his level of talent was certainly among the best of 2006 the campaign he was given did not leave him with any margin for error. Since he competed so infrequently and so sparingly in G-1 company it meant he had to do very well in each attempt. Unfortunately he performed only averagely in G-1 company including a key off the board finish in the Breeders Cup.

I think Bill Spawr has no one but himself to blame. Coming into 2006 Bordonaro was the hottest property in the Sprint division, yet he failed to compete in any of the top class races. He was also given such a light campaign that that basically the only way he could win the championship was to win the Breeders Cup Sprint. He did and the rest of his campaign wasnt good enough to warrant his inclusion as a finalist.

For the record I think both Henny Hughes and Discreet Cat should not be finalists either, but that doesnt not mean Bordonaro should be. Siren Lure's connections should be the ones complaining about an east coast bias. He had a full campaign that included more Graded stakes wins than Bordonaro. He also failed at the BC but the strength of the rest of his season should have been enough to make him a finalist. I also think that the most underrated horse of the year was Behaving Badly. 7 races 5 wins, 4 Graded stakes wins including a G-1. She ran in California, Kentucky, and New York. Although she never faced males she had a very solid campaign and she deserves to be recognized for it. Her reputation may not have been what Bordonaro's was, but she out did him on the track.

I'm glad Bordonaro was left off the ticket because now Bill Spawr can bring the horse back this year with something to prove. Hopefully this will motivate him to run more often and in better company. How he managed to accomplish so little with a horse that good is a mystery and Bordonaro's 2006 campaign exemplifies much that is wrong with the game these days. A horse flashes some talent, gets a reputation, fails to accomplish but expects accolades anyway.