Top 20 Races of 2015

Top 20 Graded Stakes Races of 2015 – Races 20-11

By: Claudia Lorena

20. Belmont Oaks Invitational

Lady Eli was all class here. While her year was cut short due to laminitis, her performance in this race deserves a well deserved mention.

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19. The United Nations

This has got to be one of the craziest races of the year because of how far ahead 99-1 shot Shining Copper was for the first half of the race and the fact that he managed to hold on to fourth. Big Blue Kitten ran a big one for trainer Chad Brown and topped a classy field. The 7-year-old ridgling, by Kitten’s Joy, broke the track record in the process, stopping the clock at 2:11.82. The former record of 2:13.29 was set in August 2009 by Pop Panebianco.

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18. Mac Diarmida S.

This was all the way back in February, and perhaps many have long forgotten it, but this was the last time we’d ever see the brilliance of Main Sequence. Hanging ten for three-quarters of the race, the 6-year-old gelding looked uninterested as Change of Command and Twilight Eclipse headed the field — until he came into the stretch. I remember watching him and thinking, boy, he pulled a Wise Dan on them!

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17. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

A bumpy start, a SUPER wide first turn, and jockey Mario Gutierrez said the son of Uncle Mo felt flat going into the final turn. Heck, Doug O’Neill even thought the colt was done! But he wasn’t. Everything considered, Nyquist topped off his 2-year-old campaign undefeated, beating Swipe for the fourth time in a row. The future looks bright!

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16. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies

Mike Smith sure has a way with the fillies, and Songbird is no exception. The 2-year-old dark bay filly by Medaglia d’Oro didn’t just beat Rachel’s Valentina — she smoked her and the rest of the field, leading a wire to wire that resulted in a 5 ¾ length victory. She even ran a whole second faster than Nyquist did in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Enough said.

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15. Dubai World Cup

Yes, California Chrome made the top 20. Why? Because his performance in the Dubai World Cup was remarkable. Not only did the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner fly halfway around the world, he flew in to Meydan one week before the big race, ran lasix free in the middle of the desert like a champ and finished second, beating the rest of the American runners. This race isn’t for the faint of heart, and Chrome proved he belonged. No ifs, ands or buts.

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14. Breeders’ Cup Distaff

A star-studded field, the 2015 Distaff was as wide open as could be with almost every contender flashing noteworthy past performances. I underestimated Stopchargingmaria WAY too much (and so did many big time handicappers) thinking she didn’t stand a chance with some of the youngsters. I was SO wrong. Watching her rally in the stretch to best a persistent Stellar Wind was very exciting!

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13. Preakness Stakes

The conditions of the Preakness were atrocious, and people really questioned the safety of our sport when officials elected not to post-pone the race. Most of the field had never run in rain, let alone a torrential downpour. So what type of horse could possibly handle so much water? American Pharoah. But on May 16th, 2015, Pharoah was not just any type of horse — he was a seahorse.

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12. The Haskell Invitational

None of the horses in the field were ever going to come close to American Pharoah. Reason 1: they lacked the class, and 2: they lacked the stride. The fractions were fast and Pharoah looked phenomenal under the hand ride of Victor Espinoza. With that said, other than Keen Ice, the contenders here were not up to par at all, and that’s very evident in the gallop to the wire.

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11. Robert B. Lewis

If it had been up to me, this race would have made the top 10. Just when everyone thought Dortmund was done, the son of Big Brown somehow managed to come back at Firing Line in the stretch. I was at a loss for words because the grit he showed was absolutely unbelievable. You have to love a horse with a heart as big as Dortmund’s.