Azeri Breaks Mold to Win Horse of Year

Azeri, who lost her second race and then ran the table at five tracks the rest of the way, was named 2002 horse of the year Monday, becoming the sixth female to win the award and the first since 1986.

Azeri is also the first horse of the year who was trained by a woman. Laura de Seroux took over the training of an unraced Azeri and several other horses when the Allen Paulson Living Trust made a change from trainer Simon Bray in August 2001.

De Seroux, who will be 51 next month, was also a finalist for best trainer, but that honor went to Bobby Frankel when the Eclipse Awards were presented Monday night in Beverly Hills.

The last distaffer to win horse of the year was Lady’s Secret. The others have been Twilight Tear in 1944, Busher in 1945, Moccasin in 1965 and All Along in 1983. Moccasin shared her award with Roman Brother during an era when separate polls were taken.

Lady’s Secret and All Along beat males in their title years, something Azeri didn’t do last year. On Breeders’ Cup day at Arlington Park in October, Azeri won the Distaff by five lengths, then later several males with title chances were all beaten by the 43-1 shot Volponi in the Classic. That opened the door for De Seroux’s filly.

“Azeri ran all year long, from January to October, and showed class, brilliance and consistency every step of the way,” De Seroux said.

“She didn’t win the title by default, but by the criteria that makes a horse a champion.”

Azeri, who was the unanimous choice for best older female, receiving all 227 of the votes in that division, received 189 of the 225 votes cast for horse of the year.

War Emblem was a distant second with 12 votes, followed by Left Bank and Rock Of Gibraltar with seven votes apiece. Orientate got three votes, Volponi two and Storm Flag Flying, Toccet, Street Cry, Medaglia d’Oro and Extra Heat one apiece.

Azeri, a 4-year-old daughter of Jade Hunter and the Australian mare Zodiac, was ridden by Mike Smith for her eight wins and one second in 2002.

After winning her first start, Azeri ran second to Summer Colony in the La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita in February. What followed were seven wins at Santa Anita, Oaklawn Park, Hollywood Park, Del Mar and Arlington, among them Grade I victories in the Santa Margarita, Apple Blossom, Milady and Vanity Handicaps and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Azeri earned $2,181,540, which ranked her fourth on the money list of horses running in North America. Counting her two wins as a 3-year-old in 2001, Azeri has 10 wins and one second in 11 overall starts, with purses of $2,227,740.

Azeri broke a three-year run of 3-year-olds -- Point Given, Tiznow and Charismatic -- winning horse of the year, and she is the first 4-year-old to win the title since Alysheba in 1988. Azeri was bred in Kentucky by Allen Paulson, who was 78 when he died in July 2000. Paulson raced eight Eclipse Award winners, among them Cigar, who was voted horse of the year in 1995 and 1996.

The future for Azeri, who hasn’t run since the Breeders’ Cup, is unclear.

Battling members of the Paulson trust have agreed to sell her, along with other Allen Paulson horses, at an auction at Fairplex Park in Pomona on March 4. The last horse of the year to be sold publicly was Lady’s Secret, who was auctioned by an ailing Gene Klein for $5.4 million in 1987.

Other Eclipse Awards winners for 2002: War Emblem, 3-year-old male; Farda Amiga, 3-year-old filly; Left Bank, older male horse; Vindication, 2-year-old male; Storm Flag Flying, 2-year-old filly; High Chaparral, male grass horse; Golden Apples, female grass horse; Orientate, sprinter; and Flat Top, steeplechase horse.

Jerry Bailey was voted best jockey for the third consecutive year and the sixth time since 1995. Before 2002, Bailey had shared the record for most riding Eclipses with Laffit Pincay, who has won the award five times.

Other winners for 2002: Richard Englander, owner; Juddmonte Farms, breeder, and Ryan Fogelsonger, apprentice jockey.

Englander won the Eclipse as owner for the second consecutive year, even though he received only 42 votes to the Thoroughbred Corp.’s 66. To win an Eclipse, a candidate must score a plurality among at least two of the three voting groups. Englander led the Thoroughbred Corp., 10-7, among Daily Racing Form voters, and had an 18-9 edge from the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn. bloc. The Thoroughbred Corp.’s advantage was a top-heavy 50-14 in voting by the National Turf Writers Assn. Juddmonte Farms, which had 30 votes overall, got 10 votes, the same as Englander, from the Racing Form.

Storm Flag Flying, receiving 226 votes, barely missed being a unanimous choice. One turf writer voted for Awesome Humor.

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The Winners

2002 Eclipse Award winners announced Monday:

*--* Division Winner Owner Trainer Horse of year Azeri Allen Paulson Laura de Seroux Living Trust Older male Left Bank Michael Tabor Todd Pletcher Older female Azeri Allen Paulson Laura de Seroux Living Trust 3-year-old male War Emblem Thoroughbred Bob Baffert Corp 3-year-old filly Farda Amiga Marcos Simon Paulo Lobo 2-year-old male Vindication Padua Stables Bob Baffert 2-year-old filly Storm Flag Flying Ogden Mills Shug McGaughey Phipps Male turf High Chaparral Tabor & Magnier Aidan O’Brien Female turf Golden Apples Gary Tanaka Ben Cecil Sprinter Orientate Bob & Beverly Wayne Lukas Lewis Steeplechase Flat Top Mrs. Henry Gerry Janet Elliot

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Breeder: Juddmonte Farms; Owner: Richard Englander; Trainer: Bobby Frankel; Jockey: Jerry Bailey; Apprentice jockey: Ryan Fogelsonger.