SANTA ANITA : Awards Might Be Eclipsed Again

Few surprises are expected today when the winners of the 1992 Eclipse Awards are announced. Much of the mystery to the Eclipses was eliminated when the Breeders’ Cup races began in 1984, and at least four Breeders’ Cup winners--A.P. Indy, Paseana, Gilded Time and Eliza--from October at Gulfstream Park are expected to be honored today.

A.P. Indy might be the biggest vote-getter in balloting by about 300 turf writers, Daily Racing Form representatives and track racing secretaries. He won the Santa Anita Derby, the Belmont Stakes, the Breeders’ Cup Classic and two other stakes, and besides being voted best 3-year-old male today, is expected to be chosen as horse of the year at the Eclipse dinner Friday night in Century City.

An indication of the one-sidedness in the 3-year-old voting is that Kentucky Derby winner Lil E. Tee is listed as the only finalist besides A.P. Indy. In most of the other divisions, there are three and four finalists. Lil E. Tee finished fifth in the Preakness and was sidelined for the rest of the year because of injuries.

Paseana, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, her seventh stakes victory of the year, is a cinch to be voted best filly or mare on dirt. The only other finalist in that division is Missy’s Mirage, who didn’t run in the Distaff and never faced Paseana.

Undefeated Gilded Time clinched 2-year-old male honors with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and Eliza did the same thing on the female side by winning the Juvenile Fillies Stakes.

The owners of other Breeders’ Cup winners--Fraise and Thirty Slews--can expect close votes involving their horses. Fraise, despite nosing out Sky Classic in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, is involved in a four-way vote for best male grass horse with Sky Classic, Lure and Dear Doctor. Lure won the Breeders’ Cup Mile. One hint about the outcome of this vote is that Sky Classic, not Fraise, is listed as one of the horse-of-the-year finalists along with A.P. Indy and Best Pal.

Thirty Slews won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, but the national sprint title has become a three-way race that also involves Rubiano and Meafara. Meafara was second and Rubiano finished third in the Sprint, but they both won more races than Thirty Slews before the Breeders’ Cup.

The closest vote might be for 3-year-old filly, with Jolypha, November Snow and Saratoga Dew listed as finalists. Flawlessly is expected to be voted female grass champion because she defeated the other finalists, Super Staff and Kostroma, in the Matriarch at Hollywood Park on Nov. 29.

Some voters have been surprised that Paseana, who raced all year, did not make the horse-of-the-year finals instead of Best Pal, whose season ended in June because of a leg injury.

“That doesn’t bother me,” said Ron McAnally, Paseana’s trainer, “because A.P. Indy’s going to win the title anyway. What would bother me is if we didn’t win the division.”

McAnally, who won the Eclipse Award for best trainer in 1981 and 1991, is a finalist with Neil Drysdale, A.P. Indy’s trainer, and Bobby Frankel for the 1992 award. If he wins, McAnally would join Charlie Whittingham and Wayne Lukas as three-time winners. The late Laz Barrera won the award four consecutive years starting in 1976.

Three Santa Anita-based jockeys--Eddie Delahoussaye, Kent Desormeaux and Chris McCarron--had Eclipse-caliber years, setting up another close vote. Delahoussaye has never won an Eclipse; counting apprentice awards, Desormeaux and McCarron have won two apiece.

Fit To Lead, who was bought for $10,500 as a yearling and started her career winning a $32,000 claiming race, pulled away from Blue Moonlight and heavily favored Set Them Free at the top of the stretch to score a 5 1/2-length victory Sunday in the $107,500 Santa Ynez Breeders’ Cup Stakes before 19,721 at Santa Anita.

Fit To Lead, who has never been favored while winning three times and finishing second three times in nine starts, paid $19.20. Nijivision, last after a half-mile, finished second, a neck better than another late runner, Booklore, who still is winless after seven starts. Blue Moonlight and Set Them Free, trainer Brian Mayberry’s starters in the race for 3-year-old fillies, finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Ridden by Corey Nakatani, Fit To Lead earned $62,500 for a partnership that includes Mark Birnbaum and Peter and David Walski.