Acclamation won 5 straight graded stakes in California earlier this year, but none of his wins came on a conventional dirt observe and he did not compete within the Breeders' Cup. Two New York-primarily based runners, Flat Out and Tizway, are additionally on the quick list of Horse of the Year candidates. Flat Out received the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Suburban Handicap, but he was second to Havre de Grace within the Woodward Stakes and also checked in behind the filly in the Classic. Tizway's candidacy has gained a little bit of steam just lately after Mike Watchmaker, national handicapper for the Daily Racing Form, declared the colt his Horse of the Year. Tizway had solely two wins this year, however they got here in two of latest York's most prestigious races. Tizway set a brand new stakes document when successful Met Mile, and he adopted that up with a dominating win within the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga. Unfortunately, Tizway was injured within the run-as much as the Breeders' Cup and didn't take part.

Others likely to receive Horse of the Year votes are Cape Blanco, who was by far essentially the most achieved turf runner in North America in 2011; and 2-year-previous filly My Miss Aurelia, who capped an ideal 4-for-four marketing campaign with a win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Horse of the Year Award shall be offered as part of the Eclipse Awards ceremony on the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif. It was a very merry Christmas for Southern California race fans when Santa Anita Park opened for enterprise on Dec. 25, 1934. The sprawling facility, constructed on a 410-acre parcel outside of Los Angeles, proved an instant hit with its artwork-deco structure, postcard vistas of the San Gabriel Mountains and prime-class racing. Santa Anita Park was the brainchild of Dr. Charles H. Strub, based mostly in San Francisco, Los Angeles-based mostly movie producer Hal Roach and architect Gordon B. Kaufman. Santa Anita would come to be identified, proved such an immediate success that investors in the track received a a hundred percent dividend within the first yr, in line with Wikipedia.

Along with its nicely-acquired architectural design, Santa Anita Park ushered in a bunch of other practical innovations to horse racing. It was the primary monitor on the planet to employ such issues as a mechanical beginning gate, electric timer and photo end digicam when it opened for business that Christmas day. Throughout its historical past, Santa Anita has been house to a few of the most legendary names in horse racing. Perhaps none extra so than the great Seabiscuit. The popular racehorse cemented his legacy by successful the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap and its unprecedented purse of $100,000. Seabiscuit would prove such a fan favorite that a film based on his life starring Shirley Temple was filmed at Santa Anita shortly the win and a statue of Seabiscuit was erected in the paddock, which nonetheless stands today. One of the darker periods of Santa Anita's history got here in a 3-year span beginning in 1942. With the onset of the Second World War, racing was suspended and Santa Anita was became an internment camp for Japanese-Americans. As many as 17,000 people had been housed in the horse stables through the struggle. A bronze plaque in reminiscence of that episode of Santa Anita's historical past additionally stands on the grounds. Today, Santa Anita Park is owned by a bunch led by Frank Stronach Stronach found success within the business world by way of his Canadian-primarily based auto elements firm, Magna International. He also owns one among the most important Thoroughbred racing and breeding operations in the world.

This year's race for Horse of the Year is undoubtedly one of many extra muddled in latest history. A lack of any real standout campaigns this season, coupled with Drosselmeyer's upset win within the Breeders' Cup Classic, has left voters with the task of deciding who's the better of a seemingly mediocre lot. Havre de Grace, who would grow to be the third straight female to win Horse of the Year following Rachel Alexandra in 2009 and Zenyatta final year, is taken into account a tepid favourite by most observers. The 4-yr-outdated filly won three Grade 1 races this year, including the Woodward Stakes vs. Breeders' Cup Classic. However, her disappointing fourth-place finish has lent some voters to look elsewhere. Other leading candidates embrace a pair of California-based mostly runners, Game on Dude and Acclamation. Game on Dude merits consideration based on his wins in the Santa Anita Handicap and Hollywood Gold Cup, California's most prestigious races for older horses, and his game runner-up finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

If you thought Middle Earth's enormous statues of Isildur and Anarion have been cool, Scotland now has something that is practically as badass. They may not be as imposing because the Argonath, but the 100-foot-tall horse heads identified as the Kelpies are nonetheless out of this world. Created by a group led by Glasgow sculptor Andy Scott, the heads are normal from 600 metric tons of steel and stand as a monument to working horses in Scottish historical past. The Kelpies are situated along the Forth and Clyde canal, a nod to a time when horses pulled barges through brass horse statue Scotland's canals. They also draw inspiration from Kelpies, which are magical, form-shifting horses from Celtic folklore mentioned to inhabit rivers, streams, and lochs. Modeled on two Clydesdales named Duke and Baron, the sculptures guard a brand new department canal that runs underneath the M9 freeway, welcoming guests to the region. Scott says in an artist's assertion. The Kelpies are slated to open to visitors in April 2014. Meanwhile, try the eye-popping views of them within the video under.