Acclamation received 5 straight graded stakes in California earlier this 12 months, but none of his wins got here on a traditional dirt monitor and he did not compete within the Breeders' Cup. Two New York-primarily based runners, Flat Out and Tizway, are additionally on the brief record of Horse of the Year candidates. Flat Out gained the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Suburban Handicap, however he was second to Havre de Grace within the Woodward Stakes and also checked in behind the filly black horse statue in the Classic. Tizway's candidacy has gained a bit of steam recently after Mike Watchmaker, national handicapper for the Daily Racing Form, declared the colt his Horse of the Year. Tizway had only two wins this yr, but they came in two of new York's most prestigious races. Tizway set a brand new stakes document when winning Met Mile, and he followed 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 participate.

Others likely to receive Horse of the Year votes are Cape Blanco, who was by far probably the most achieved turf runner in North America in 2011; and 2-yr-previous filly My Miss Aurelia, who capped a perfect 4-for-four marketing campaign with a win within the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Horse of the Year Award will likely be introduced as part of the Eclipse Awards ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, Calif. It was a really merry Christmas for Southern California race fans when Santa Anita Park opened for business on Dec. 25, 1934. The sprawling facility, built on a 410-acre parcel outdoors of Los Angeles, proved an instantaneous hit with its art-deco structure, postcard vistas of the San Gabriel Mountains and high-class racing. Santa Anita Park was the brainchild of Dr. Charles H. Strub, based in San Francisco, Los Angeles-primarily based movie producer Hal Roach and architect Gordon B. Kaufman. Santa Anita would come to be known, proved such a right away success that investors in the observe obtained a one hundred % dividend within the first year, in keeping with Wikipedia.

In addition to its effectively-received architectural design, Santa Anita Park ushered in a number of other sensible improvements to horse racing. It was the primary observe in the world to employ such things as a mechanical starting gate, electric timer and photograph end digicam when it opened for enterprise that Christmas day. Throughout its history, Santa Anita has been residence to a few of probably the most legendary names in horse racing. Perhaps none extra so than the good Seabiscuit. The favored racehorse cemented his legacy by profitable the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap and its unprecedented purse of $100,000. Seabiscuit would prove such a fan favourite that a film primarily based on his life starring Shirley Temple was filmed at Santa Anita shortly the win and a statue of Seabiscuit was erected within the paddock, which nonetheless stands at present. One of many darker intervals of Santa Anita's history came in a three-yr span beginning in 1942. With the onset of the Second World War, racing was suspended and Santa Anita was was an internment camp for Japanese-Americans. As many as 17,000 individuals had been housed in the horse stables during the battle. A bronze plaque in reminiscence of that episode of Santa Anita's history also stands on the grounds. Today, Santa Anita Park is owned by a gaggle led by Frank Stronach Stronach found success within the business world by means of his Canadian-based mostly auto elements company, Magna International. He additionally owns one in all the biggest Thoroughbred racing and breeding operations in the world.

This yr's race for Horse of the Year is undoubtedly one of many extra muddled in recent history. A lack of any real standout campaigns this season, coupled with Drosselmeyer's upset win in 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 change into the third straight female to win Horse of the Year following Rachel Alexandra in 2009 and Zenyatta final year, is considered a tepid favorite by most observers. The 4-12 months-outdated filly won three Grade 1 races this 12 months, including the Woodward Stakes vs. Breeders' Cup Classic. However, her disappointing fourth-place finish has lent some voters to look elsewhere. Other main candidates embody a pair of California-based runners, Game on Dude and Acclamation. Game on Dude deserves consideration primarily based on his wins within the Santa Anita Handicap and Hollywood Gold Cup, California's most prestigious races for older horses, and his game runner-up end within the Breeders' Cup Classic.

In the event you thought Middle Earth's huge statues of Isildur and Anarion were cool, Scotland now has one thing that's almost as badass. They may not be as imposing because the Argonath, but the 100-foot-tall horse heads identified because the Kelpies are still out of this world. Created by a crew led by Glasgow sculptor Andy Scott, the heads are usual from 600 metric tons of steel and stand as a monument to working horses in Scottish history. The Kelpies are located along the Forth and Clyde canal, a nod to a time when horses pulled barges by means of Scotland's canals. Additionally they draw inspiration from Kelpies, which are magical, shape-shifting horses from Celtic folklore mentioned to inhabit rivers, streams, and lochs. Modeled on two Clydesdales named Duke and Baron, the sculptures guard a new branch canal that runs beneath the M9 freeway, welcoming visitors to the area. 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 in the video below.