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2011 TURF AWARDS JANUARY 3, 2012 Fireworks have been ignited around the world, along with the popping of corks and the blaring of noisemakers, so it's time once again for the fifth annual Reilly Turf Awards, my idiosyncratic review of the racing season. For some reason, the prominent names and events of the 2011 turf didn't lend themselves as neatly to my pre-ordained categories. I'd like to blame that on the acceleration of history, as we reel headlong into the Mayan apocalypse that will doom us all on December 21. But scholarship has debunked that easy cop-out. In truth, 2011 posed more of an organizational challenge because of the embarrassment of riches on the international scene. Some categories might represent jesuitical distinctions, or judgment calls that could have gone other ways. As the Empress/Kaiserin/Tsarina of these awards, I have long decreed that a horse may be honored in only one category, and that was a struggle. Thus each honoree appears in the category that best sums up his excellence, or highlights his most enduring image. Each award category still has three divisions, with a winner representing the domestic Turf (T) and Filly & Mare Turf (F/M T), and the International realm (I), respectively. (Reader warning: you might want to kick back with your favorite beverage before starting this epic, which gets longer every year.) The most straightforward decision of all deserves pride of place. There's hardly any suspense about this one, so let's hail the all-conquering hero before we turn to the mere mortals. World's Best Turf Performer: FRANKEL fired the imagination at this time last year, but unlike other hot-shot juveniles who have gone bust, the Juddmonte Farms homebred fulfilled our hopes with an even more sensational three-year-old campaign. Still perfect, the Galileo colt couldn't find a rival to test him. His only relatively close call, in the St James's Palace, was the result of tactical error, and even then he proved unbeatable. While his demolition jobs in the Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II added impressive footage to his highlight reel, his iconic moment came earlier in the Two Thousand Guineas. Frankel simply blew them all away from the start with his blistering cruising speed. His raw power carried him ever further ahead, as if he were racing ghosts of champions past on the hallowed Newmarket Heath. His double-digit margin was ultimately reduced to six lengths, but that was well after he had seared one thought into our memory: Is this what it felt like to watch Eclipse, or St Simon? How fitting that Frankel, now officially an all-time great with a Timeform rating of 143, intertwines the legacies of two all-time great trainers. His triumphal march through the season was made possible by the intuitive horsemanship of Sir Henry Cecil, who resisted the siren song of the Derby and taught his fire-breathing pupil patience. As a result, the late Bobby Frankel has found a most fitting tribute -- a namesake who's himself a legend. Even better, we'll feast our eyes upon Frankel again in 2012, when he'll get the chance to step up beyond a mile. Unluckiest to Be Foaled in the Same Year as Frankel: EXCELEBRATION. In any other year, the Marco Botti pupil would have been celebrated as an outstanding miler, but in 2011, he had the misfortune to play second fiddle to one for the ages. Excelebration looked positively dominant when at last away from Frankel's imposing shadow, in the German Two Thousand Guineas, Hungerford and Prix du Moulin. But for Frankel, he would have been a handsome winner of the QEII. With his nemesis now eyeing longer targets, Excelebration just might be able to flaunt his quality for new trainer Aidan O'Brien in 2012 -- but only if the Coolmore "lads" don't get too creative in their spotting. Race with the Most Mayhem that Didn't Involve a Tragedy T -- Down the stretch of the Bourbon at Keeneland, HERE COMES FRAZIER crashed through the rail while leading, in a terrifying spectacle. I admit that the phrase "Down goes Frazier" came to mind, but such levity would have been beyond the pale in the circumstances. The talented juvenile was badly injured, but thankfully, trainer Ken McPeek has continued to issue upbeat bulletins about his condition. Here's hoping that Here Comes Frazier keeps healing. (Dis)honorable mention goes to the Breeders' Cup Mile, with its rough-and-tumble, chain reaction of interference instigated by its three-time defending champion. (She shall remain nameless until she wins her appropriate category.) F/M T -- Rounding the far turn in the Matriarch at Hollywood Park, UP IN TIME found herself in tight quarters at a bad time. She clipped heels, stumbled, unseated Martin Garcia, and kept up her gallop while riderless. Fortunately she was at the rear of the field when the incident happened, or else it could have been disastrous. Up in Time escaped injury, and kicked off her four-year-old campaign with a fifth in Monday's Monrovia. I -- The Lancashire Oaks was setting up beautifully for odds-on favorite VITA NOVA, until her saddle slipped just as she made headway down the straight. Jockey Tom Queally's feet came out of the irons, and at one point, he was about to fall off. Somehow he held onto enough of her neck to stay in the saddle and finish second. The wardrobe malfunction probably cost Vita Nova the victory at Haydock, an inauspicious beginning to her "new life" in Group racing. Outcome Most Influenced by Course Condition T -- SARAH LYNX did not rate as one of Europe's most compelling contenders in the Canadian International, but the boggy conditions at Woodbine helped her to spring a 22-1 upset. While her male rivals trudged on one-paced, she produced a terrific turn of foot and bolted home by four lengths -- taking to the course like a lynx to snow. F/M T -- The Lake Placid looked to be at the mercy of Winter Memories, but the 2-5 favorite came undone with a rough trip, and the yielding turf blunted her trademark kick. HUNGRY ISLAND's 2 1/2-length decision was arguably assisted by the course condition, especially since she hasn't duplicated that performance in her two subsequent tries in graded company over firm ground. I -- Although trainer Robert Collet has lauded IMMORTAL VERSE as an unusual talent, so far she has shaped up as a soft-turf specialist. She quickened best of all in the Coronation at a soggy Royal Ascot, and dramatically outkicked Goldikova in the Prix Jacques le Marois. Immortal Verse hasn't exactly been poetry in motion on better ground. Best Turf Debut T -- WISE DAN was explosive in the Firecracker at Churchill Downs, opening up yet another field of battle for the versatile gelding. Trainer Charles Lopresti has no shortage of options for this triple-surface threat, who ended the season with even bigger scores on synthetic (the Fayette) and dirt (the Clark). F/M T -- SUMMER SOIREE shaped up as the type to enjoy the turf, but her romp in the Boiling Springs was ridiculous, in the best sense of the word. The Graham Motion trainee turned the Monmouth feature into an utter 8 1/2-length rout. MARKETING MIX proved to be a totally different animal on the grass, with the Wonder Where at Woodbine serving as her coming-out party. I -- I had to have someplace to recognize BORN TO SEA, the baby half-brother to the great Sea the Stars. Likewise trained by the conservative John Oxx, he notably made his career debut in a stakes race at the Curragh. Despite evident greenness, Born to Sea dismissed a useful field in the Blenheim. He's not Sea the Stars, of course, but he's a promising last foal from Urban Sea. Most Inspired Ride That Made a Difference T -- WIGMORE HALL, a hard-luck horse at times in his career, benefited from a virtuoso ride by Jamie Spencer in the Northern Dancer Turf. His decision to stay on the rail was likely the key to Wigmore Hall's first Grade 1 victory -- he scored by a neck after saving all of the ground, in a pitch-perfect performance. F/M T -- Victor Espinoza likewise took the inside route with STAR BILLING in the Matriarch. Astutely angling her over from post 6 early, he kept to that path even as she advanced. Summer Soiree drifted off the fence just enough, and Star Billing plowed through to put her name on the marquee. I -- Glyn Schofield teamed up with GITANO HERNANDO for the first time in the Singapore Airlines International Cup, but you'd have thought that the two were old mates by their precise partnership. Sensing the lack of pace in the opening strides, he moved his mount forward. When California Memory was then hustled to the front, he was content to sit in the garden spot. Schofield produced Gitano at the right time turning for home and stole a decisive march on his opponents. Young Matthew Chadwick, 21, got the tactics just right for CALIFORNIA MEMORY in the Hong Kong Cup. The deep closer has often left himself with too much to do, or not enough room to do it. Instead of going to the opposite extreme as in Singapore, Chadwick settled the gray comfortably just behind the crawling leaders, seized the seam when it came, and made history as the first Hong Kong native to ride an International Race winner. Most Mysterious Fizzle to a Promising Campaign T -- Brazilian Group 1 winner MORYBA opened his U.S. campaign with a stylish allowance victory at Gulfstream Park last January, but since then, the Bill Mott charge has usually been found wanting. He has dropped into optional claiming company lately. F/M T -- A dispiriting list of candidates in this division -- Aviate, Giants Play, Harmonious, La Luna de Miel, Malibu Pier -- but the "winner" has to be BELLE WATLING. Chile's former Horse of the Year was a win machine at home, and it's one of the bitterest disappointments of the year that she didn't come to herself for new trainer Patrick Biancone. We never got to see the real Belle Watling, and now she's off to her new broodmare career in Japan. Meanwhile, a rival she had owned in Chile, Casablanca Smile, has already made a splash here. I -- PLANTEUR kicked off 2011 with razor-sharp scores in the Prix d'Harcourt and the Prix Ganay, smoothly defeating the likes of Sarafina, Cirrus des Aigles and Cape Blanco. Then the Wildenstein homebred seemed to fall apart. Recently purchased by Dubai-based ownership, Planteur aims to turn over a new leaf for new trainer Botti. Most Tantalizing What-Might-Have Been T -- PLUCK was plotting a transatlantic raid on the French or Irish Two Thousand Guineas. Those bold plans came to naught when the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero was sidelined by cannon bone remodeling. Judging by how weak the French Guineas was, and the tactical outcome of the Irish Guineas, it's tempting to think that a healthy Pluck would have had a great chance. PADDY O'PRADO promised to play a leading role in the turf division, an impression confirmed by his commanding reappearance in the Dixie. Unfortunately, it was a pyrrhic victory that resulted in a career-ending injury. Paddy had earned this award in 2010 as well -- the tragedy of Irish history coming down upon his head? F/M T -- If ANNOUNCE hadn't acted up, run into the ambulance, and gashed herself just minutes before the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, I'm convinced that she would have won. Unprovable, of course, but I haven't gotten over her gate scratch. At least the Juddmonte brain trust has reportedly decided to keep her training with Mott, so she might get another chance in the 2012 renewal at Santa Anita. I -- AWAIT THE DAWN had been touted as Coolmore's standard-bearer for the Breeders' Cup Classic much earlier in the season, and this classy colt with a thoroughly dirt pedigree could have been a major threat in an open-looking race. But he became deathly ill in August, lost too much training time, and instead ended up serving as a curious pacemaker in the Turf. BOLD SILVANO had a firm grip on the antepost market for the Dubai World Cup, only to be sidelined by injury. Adding insult to injury, the $10 million event would have unfolded perfectly for him, as a forwardly-placed type. Hopefully the Mike de Kock charge can stay sound throughout the upcoming World Cup Carnival. Most Crushing Piece of News T -- We lost far too many warriors this year. Requiescat in pace BANNED, who succumbed to a workout injury; BEARPATH, who lost his battle to survive a shoulder fracture sustained in the John's Call; BURNS, who fractured sesamoids early in the Del Mar Derby; and CLOUD MAN, whose good-looking progress in the Hollywood Derby was halted by severe injuries to his left front leg. In a sickening twist of fate, Banned and Cloud Man had also competed in the Del Mar Derby, with Banned winning and Cloud Man fourth. I -- The fatal injury to REWILDING was all the more gut-wrenching because of the circumstances. The Godolphin colt had angled out in preparation for his late rally in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Ascot's midsummer clash of generations. Just a month before, over the same course, he had won an epic Prince of Wales's with a similar sustained bid. As we looked for Rewilding to unleash his charge, he suddenly broke down. Similarly, New Zealand-based star LION TAMER had to be euthanized after pulling up wrong in the Cox Plate, and South African champion BIG CITY LIFE went fatally amiss at the wire in the Durban July. Australian champion CRYSTAL LILY shockingly collapsed and died of a heart attack in a barrier trial. Most Heartwarming Story T -- ST NICHOLAS ABBEY's victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf was satisfying on multiple levels. The once-ballyhooed juvenile champion, and his 18-year-old jockey Joseph O'Brien, have both attracted more than their fair share of critics. But on this day the two basked in the international spotlight, and Aidan O'Brien, the trainer of one and father of the other, was justifiably bursting with pride. F/M T -- Chad Brown scored his first Grade 1 win as a trainer in an especially poignant spot, courtesy of ZAGORA in the Diana at Saratoga. Not only does he count as a hometown hero from Mechanicville, but the Diana also evokes memories of his late mentor, Bobby Frankel. Brown enlarged upon this very theme right after the race, noting how he learned all about European imports from the master. DAVERON made a winning reappearance in the May 7 Beaugay, just about three hours before her "cousin" Animal Kingdom captured the Kentucky Derby. In his absence on Travers Day at Saratoga, Daveron kept the family in the news with another score in the Ballston Spa. I -- Japan's VICTOIRE PISA and Transcend fought out an emotional finish to the Dubai World Cup, just a couple of weeks after the earthquake and tsunami devastated a swath of their homeland. What a moment for the landmark victory, in the world's richest race, to help transcend disaster. Japan furnished a more typical feel-good story when BUENA VISTA set the record straight and won the Japan Cup for good, with no disqualification to rob her of her joy as occurred in 2010. CARLTON HOUSE, a gift from Sheikh Mohammed to Queen Elizabeth II as a yearling, gave the British monarch a rare shot at Derby glory. Though he couldn't quite deliver, Carlton House was the cynosure of all eyes both in the build-up, and in the race itself, adding an entirely different mystique to the Epsom classic. Comeback Player of the Year T -- ULTIMATE EAGLE very nearly died of colic as a juvenile, but his brush with own mortality hasn't clipped his wings. Not ready to race until April 30, the Mike Pender trainee hit his stride over the summer, and went on to record a four-race winning streak, culminating in the Oak Tree Derby and Hollywood Derby. F/M T -- DUBAWI HEIGHTS suffered a series of setbacks since arriving from England, from colic, to an injured tibia, and a knee problem that required surgery. Trainer Simon Callaghan not only nursed her back to health, but brought her to the pinnacle in 2011 with victories in the Wilshire, Gamely and Yellow Ribbon. I -- ENTRAPMENT, who had previously set a Hong Kong record for seven wins in a single season, was sidelined with a mysterious neurological ailment that baffled veterinarians. Off the track for 15 months, with his career in the gravest doubt, he made a fairy-tale comeback with a victory in the Sha Tin Sprint Trophy for trainer John Size. Entrapment has continued to perform at a high level all fall, and just missed in the Hong Kong Sprint. Australia's Group 1 veteran LITTORIO returned from a 16-month absence to capture the Makybe Diva with a dramatic late rush. His comeback lasted just one race, for the injury-plagued gelding had to be retired permanently in its aftermath. But for one brief shining moment, he was back to his mighty best, leaving trainer Nigel Blackiston overcome with emotion. Most Lethal Surprise T -- COURT VISION had finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in two prior tries in the Breeders' Cup Mile. On both occasions, he was exiting wins in major preps. Going into the 2011 Mile, Court Vision hadn't cracked the top three in his six previous starts, and his entry smacked of one last shot from the half-court before the buzzer. Well, Court Vision got nothing but net, at odds of 64-1 in his career finale. Honorable mention goes to MISSION APPROVED for shocking the Manhattan in his first outing in 11 months. F/M T -- PERFECT SHIRL, winless since the 2010 Lake George, didn't really stand out among her comrades in the Roger Attfield barn, let alone against a world-class field in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. But she progressed at just the right time to upset the apple cart at 27-1. I -- Although DANEDREAM was clearly on the upswing heading into the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, her big-margin wins in German Group 1s might not necessarily have translated to Longchamp. After all, she had been unplaced the last two times that she had crossed to the other side of the Rhine. Bettors and pundits alike turned a blind eye to the fact that three-year-old fillies tend to punch above their weight in the Arc, especially rapidly-improving ones. Danedream was ignored at 26-1 and proceeded to thrash the field in record time. Most Dramatic Improvers/Best Late Bloomers T -- SANAGAS, an obscure German import, developed into a high-class performer after joining Motion midway through his five-year-old season. The winner of three of his last four, crowned by a rampant victory in the Hollywood Turf Cup, the gelding has since been sold. His new connections will point for the Melbourne Cup, but until then, Sanagas looks to make sport of his Southern California foes for trainer Peter Miller. TEAKS NORTH is more of a hit-or-miss type, but he also deserves a nod for improving substantially at four. When at his best, he could be quite good, as evidenced by his wins in the United Nations and Gulfstream Park Turf. F/M T -- NEVER RETREAT didn't reach her peak until the age of six. Hitherto a player in minor turf stakes, the Chris Block mare broke through in the Honey Fox and added four more graded trophies to her collection. Never Retreat emulated champion Intercontinental by sweeping Keeneland's Jenny Wiley and First Lady, and her scores in the Dance Smartly and Canadian have put her in contention for a Sovereign Award. I -- At about this time last year, DUNADEN was a French handicapper transitioning into listed class. Now he's lionized as a dual hemisphere star -- the hero of the Melbourne Cup and the Hong Kong Vase. DECEMBER DRAW, charitably described as a fair to middling denizen of English all-weather racing, was much happier after being transplanted to Australia. After landing the Turnbull, he garnered favoritism in the Caulfield Cup, where his chances were eliminated by injury. Most Notable Senior Citizens T -- The nine-year-old MUSKETIER enjoyed his most prolific season, in terms of graded wins, with scores in the Elkhorn, Singspiel and W.L. McKnight. Even a bout of colic, which sent him to a clinic for treatment in mid-September, couldn't dampen his powder for long. The seven-year-old RAHY'S ATTORNEY, a former Canadian champion for his exploits at around a mile, found a new lease of life when stepped up to marathon distances. He lost more cases than he won, but his arguments often had merit, and he added a Pan American victory and stubborn seconds in the Mac Diarmida and Sword Dancer to his legal resume. F/M T -- South African-bred star RIVER JETEZ had a useful campaign for any globetrotter, but the fact that she did it all as an eight-year-old mare makes it extraordinary. Although she garnered the Balanchine during the Dubai Carnival, her most memorable moments were a pair of terrific runner-up efforts versus males in the Dubai Duty Free and the Singapore Airlines International Cup. She sneaked her way into this division by virtue of her third in the Beverly D. And River Jetez still isn't done. De Kock has her in Dubai for another Carnival, at the ripe old age of nine. I -- The nine-year-old ABLE ONE rolled back the years to upset the Hong Kong Mile, earning his first win in the International Race that had eluded him in the past. If any edition of the Mile seemed earmarked just for him, it was the 2010 running, but he was scratched at the gate with an injury. Able One's career has been checkered by a series of injuries, and after that latest setback, his best days were surely behind him, right? No longer rated as the top miler within his own yard, the John Moore trainee proved more than able on the day that counted most. Fellow nine-year-old KASBAH BLISS, once a high-class hurdler before concentrating on the Flat, finally racked up his first top-level score in the Prix du Cadran. Best Campaign without a Grade/Group 1 Score T -- WILLCOX INN demolished the Arlington Classic, American Derby and Hawthorne Derby in the manner of a bona fide Grade 1 animal. Unfortunately, he didn't have much luck in his attempts at the elite level. Yielding ground arguably compromised him in the Secretariat, where he hoped to complete the Mid-America Triple, and he never landed a blow in the Hollywood Derby dominated by front runners. His contemporary BRILLIANT SPEED technically isn't eligible for this award, since he won the Blue Grass on Polytrack. But he warrants inclusion because he's due for a Grade 1 win on turf. His commendable third in the Breeders' Cup Turf demands it. F/M T -- COZI ROSIE was admirably reliable all year, despite being dogged by unfavorable circumstances (remember her near-disaster in the Beverly Hills, when she almost fell and still recovered for second?). With the right set-up, the John Sadler filly swept to good-looking victories in the John C. Mabee, which used to be a Grade 1, and the Buena Vista, so she's the right caliber to win at the top level on the Southern California circuit. That elusive victory might have come in the Yellow Ribbon. Alas, she had to steady in tight quarters in midstretch, and closed stoutly for a bang-up second. Like Brilliant Speed, ARUNA scored her Grade 1 on Keeneland's Polytrack in the Spinster, but she too was knocking on the elite door on turf. I -- What are the probabilities of half-brothers, from the same connections no less, both repeatedly encountering Group 1 frustration in the same year? Juddmonte homebreds BATED BREATH and CITYSCAPE must have inherited some sort of family curse that they, and trainer Roger Charlton, hope expires in 2012. Bated Breath lost three major sprints in heartbreakers -- the July Cup, Haydock Sprint Cup and Nearctic -- and might wonder whether his name is to blame for his destiny. Cityscape, third to Canford Cliffs and Goldikova in the Queen Anne, was mugged by Dick Turpin on the line in the Vittorio di Capua. In the Hong Kong Mile, Cityscape was sandbagged by a poor post and a wide trip -- never the place to be at Sha Tin -- yet almost overcame it and fell an agonizing nose shy of catching Able One. Like his half-brother, Cityscape awaits his Group 1 breakthrough with baited breath indeed. Good Citizenship Award T -- I admit that this vague category is something of a catch-all for horses who deserve recognition, but don't quite fit as well elsewhere. CARACORTADO, long a favorite of my colleague Jennifer Caldwell's, answered every call from January to November. The scrappy gelding fought his way to victories in the Sunshine Millions Turf and Del Mar Mile, and was equally valiant in defeat in the Frank E. Kilroe and Shoemaker Miles. The Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint struck me as a more quixotic spot than the Mile proper, but Caracortado tried his best from post 13 and wound up a creditable fifth. Here's to "Scarface" for his plucky determination. F/M T -- TOGETHER was on the go from April to October, when she ended her season with a well-deserved Grade 1 coup at Keeneland in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, just a week after finishing second to the older Never Retreat in the First Lady. Overshadowed by her flashier stablemates at Ballydoyle, the O'Brien filly was less than a length away from glory in two classics, the One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket and its Irish equivalent at the Curragh. Although not approaching that quality, ROMACACA warrants a mention for her five-race winning streak, including a defeat of Perfect Shirl in the Matchmaker. I -- MIDDAY and SAHPRESA each excelled at the highest level for the third straight year, no mean feat. Midday achieved an unprecedented hat trick in the Nassau, and was just run down late by St Nicholas Abbey in the Coronation Cup and by her stablemate Twice Over in the Juddmonte International. Sahpresa, who turned an historic three-peat in the Sun Chariot, placed in four other Group 1s. For the third straight year, she ran admirably in Japan's Mile Championship, adding a third-place finish to her resume (following a third in 2009 and a close fourth in 2010). Best Front-Running Tour de Force T -- Memorable for his sheer audacity was KARA'S ORIENTATION, who did his Presious Passion impersonation in the 1 1/4-mile Sky Classic. Officially 17 lengths ahead at one point, he had enough left to hold on by 2 1/4 lengths. STREET GAME, in contrast, widened his margin down the stretch to 7 1/4 lengths in the Hill Prince. GET STORMY wired the Maker's Mark Mile and Woodford Reserve Turf Classic, but neither was particularly unusual. F/M T -- C S SILK took command early in the Just a Game and kept going, spinning a three-length upset in what turned out to be her only win of 2011. I -- MISTY FOR ME stunned Midday in the Pretty Polly, making every yard of the running and drawing off by six lengths. DANCING RAIN didn't post as gaudy a performance, but she turned the tactic into an art form in the Oaks at Epsom, the German Oaks and the British Champions' Fillies and Mares (which I'd still prefer to call the Pride Stakes). TRANSCEND, who led throughout in the February Stakes, later captured the Japan Cup Dirt in front-running fashion for the second year in a row. Best Escape from Traffic T -- Defending champion GIO PONTI was bottled up for a time in the stretch of the Shadwell Turf Mile. But the instant a seam opened, the three-time Eclipse Award winner unleashed a telling change of gear to settle the issue. While Gio Ponti didn't have much success in 2011, here he showed that he still had a world-class turn of foot in the right conditions. It's worth emphasizing that he met with firm ground in only one race all year, and that was his sparkling title defense in the Shadwell. F/M T -- WINTER MEMORIES had this award sewn up already through her annihilation of the Lake George, but the Garden City was even more startling. Buried behind a wall of horses, and last at the eighth-pole, she produced a dizzying burst of speed once angled out into the clear. Winter Memories made her rivals appear as if they were standing still, the stationary backdrop in her motion picture. She would have been just at home in the next category, if her traffic woes hadn't been the defining moments of her season. I -- The pan shot of the Prix Foy implied that SARAFINA didn't have any room for maneuver, but she -- and a gutsy Christophe Lemaire -- begged to differ. Slipping through an impossibly narrow sliver between foes, Sarafina went on to victory by a measured short neck. Most Explosive Rally T -- MR. COMMONS accelerated through the gap before traffic could even become an issue in the Sir Beaufort, blowing his opponents away in a sensational end to his three-year-old campaign. JERANIMO had looked almost as visually impressive in the Citation. F/M T -- CHEETAH's bolt up the inside in the Robert G. Dick Memorial was simply breathtaking. Where was that cheetah-like sprint in her remaining starts? I -- POUR MOI looked beaten in the Derby, as suggested by his odds rising to 35-1 during the race on Betfair. But in a final furlong for the ages, the Andre Fabre colt improbably stormed home to prevail by a head. BLUE BUNTING pulled this stunt twice, surging late in both the One Thousand Guineas and the Irish Oaks. SNOW FAIRY wasn't even within the camera angle down the stretch of Japan's Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup. Yet in the blink of an eye, there she was, roaring through the field to take the honors for the second straight year. French juvenile DABIRSIM's perfect record appeared to be shot to pieces as he lingered in the rear of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. Then he suddenly erupted in deep stretch, outkicked the entire field, and won going away. Most Riveting Stretch Duelists T -- European invaders TREASURE BEACH and Ziyarid turned the Secretariat into a virtual match race, with Treasure Beach finally besting the Aga Khan's gelding by a neck. Treasure Beach was a close-finish specialist, having boxed his way to victory in the Irish Derby and Chester Vase, and almost doing the same at Epsom. F/M T -- KEERTANA engaged in three no-holds-barred stretch duels, and won them all (including a dead-heat score in an allowance). The most notable was the Louisville Handicap versus males, where she got a whisker down ahead of the ill-fated Bearpath and Guys Reward. I -- CANFORD CLIFFS and GOLDIKOVA staged a tense cat-and-mouse game in the Queen Anne, a clash of titans that lived up to its billing. Goldikova moved first, but Canford Cliffs pounced, wore her down, and won a tad cozily. Goldikova was involved in slugfests with two other outstanding battlers of 2011. In the Prix de la Foret, she was just outdueled by DREAM AHEAD, who had earlier scraped home in the Haydock Sprint Cup and the July Cup. CIRRUS DES AIGLES, edged by Goldikova in the Prix d'Ispahan, subdued SO YOU THINK in the Champion Stakes in course-record time at Ascot. So You Think, a warrior all season long, was embroiled in three other stretch jousts. Runner-up to the ill-fated Rewilding in the Prince of Wales's, So You Think mastered Workforce in the Eclipse and Snow Fairy in the Irish Champion. I'm not sure that this category does justice to their performances, but the theme of the stretch duel is what they all have in common. Most Heroic Performance in Defeat T -- TURALLURE could have been honored elsewhere for his last-gasp victory in the Woodbine Mile, but his superb second in the Breeders' Cup Mile is even more noteworthy. Anchored dead last from post 13, and racing over a trip shorter than his ideal at a course like Churchill, Turallure flew late. His gray nose might have been in front of Court Vision just before the wire, and just after the wire, but not on the wire. COURAGEOUS CAT deserves plaudits for his runner-up effort to Turallure in the Woodbine Mile. Finding himself in front perhaps too soon, Courageous Cat fought on tooth and nail down the length of the stretch. He was inhaled by Turallure, but came back valiantly to reclaim second from Right One in the final strides. F/M T -- CELTIC PRINCESS, sidelined for five months with a tibia injury, nearly went wire to wire in her comeback in the Gamely. She gave her all in trying to stave off Dubawi Heights, but she succumbed by a head. I'M A DREAMER made an early move in the E.P. Taylor and forged clear, perhaps exerting herself too much on the yielding ground. The patiently-ridden Miss Keller caught her by head, but I'm a Dreamer was the only pace factor left standing. I -- Although RED CADEAUX didn't get his preferred soft ground in the Melbourne Cup, he ran a winning race. He struck the front, and when Dunaden surged to his inside and passed him, Red Cadeaux responded with a countermove of his own. He drew level with Dunaden on the line, leaving the camera to judge between them. Red Cadeaux can justly be viewed as a victim of modern technology: when the official margin is described as a pixel, you know that it would have been a dead-heat in years past. At least Red Cadeaux has the honor of being involved in the tightest finish in the 151-year history of the Melbourne Cup. Bravest Performance in Victory T -- CAPE BLANCO's whirlwind American invasions produced effortless wins over Gio Ponti in the Man o' War and Arlington Million, but he showed the depth of his heart in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational. On bottomless ground that he hated, the O'Brien colt was committed some way from home, over a 1 1/2-mile trip that represents the upper limit of his stamina. He had every reason to fly the white flag, but he never did. Responding to each and every summons from Spencer, Cape Blanco dug deep to repel Dean's Kitten. He fractured his knee in the process, but he paid no attention. Cape Blanco simply willed himself to win. F/M T -- CAMBINA was knocked sideways, steadied, and lucky not to clip heels in midstretch of the American Oaks, but the little filly wouldn't be intimidated. Gamely closing between rivals, she hit the wire in unison with Nereid in a wild dead-heat finish. ALL STAR HEART is aptly named. Five months after a scary fall on the far turn of a Santa Anita allowance, she returned with great gusto to launch her move rounding the far turn of a Hollywood allowance. Far from being hesitant or gun-shy, All Star Heart went on to win handsomely, and later capped the year with driving scores in the Swingtime and Las Palmas. I -- BANIMPIRE rates as arguably the toughest horse of 2011. Racing a total of 12 times, often on short rest, and all but once in Group company, the Jim Bolger filly compiled a 6-1-2 mark. Her signature moment came in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot. Wheeling back just four days after taking the Noblesse at Cork, Banimpire desperately closed the gap on rain-softened ground and outgamed Field of Miracles by inches. This "Empress" sold for approximately $3.1 million at Goffs in November, and is due to sport the colors of Martin Schwartz on this side of the Atlantic in 2012. JUKEBOX JURY and DUNCAN dead-heated in an epic renewal of the Irish St Leger, where either one could have thrown in the towel. Jukebox Jury led throughout, while Duncan gave chase. The hunter and the hunted were equal in resolve, equal in courage, and equal in victory. Most Arrogant Dominance T -- ACCLAMATION toyed with his rivals on the Southern California circuit. After a seven-length repeat conquest of the Jim Murray, he defended his Charles Whittingham title by a convincing 3 1/2 lengths, and demolished the Eddie Read by 3 1/4 lengths. The California-bred had to work to earn the Pacific Classic on Polytrack, but back on turf, he comfortably dethroned Champ Pegasus in the Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship. Acclamation will get the Breeders' Cup in his own Santa Anita backyard in 2012. F/M T -- STACELITA, who rather easily handled a strong field in the Beverly D., won the Flower Bowl Invitational against a lesser group for fun. Despite being floated wide throughout, the French-bred with the German pedigree dusted her overmatched foes. Frustratingly, she picked up an eye injury when being hit by a clod of soft turf. She subsequently underwent treatment for an eye inflammation, and her system might well have been out of sorts during her subpar run in the Breeders' Cup. I -- Australian Horse of the Year BLACK CAVIAR has not only extended her unblemished record to 16: she has managed to do so in a canter, laughing up her sleeve. The sprint supremo is on the bridle through the fiercest fractions, and as her rivals are straining, she coasts by with her head in her chest. Black Caviar will now be unleashed upon the world in 2012, and her projected appearance at Royal Ascot promises to be the highlight of the meeting. ORFEVRE could not have swept the Japanese Triple Crown more easily, and he confirmed his class by putting his nation's elite older horses to the sword in the Arima Kinen. The most exciting horse to arise in Japan since Deep Impact, Orfevre aims to succeed where that mighty champion failed in the 2012 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. South African Horse of the Year IGUGU, who spread-eagled her foes to sweep the Triple Tiara, crowned her campaign with a victory over older males in the Durban July. AMBITIOUS DRAGON reigned as Hong Kong's Horse of the Year after his winning spree, including most significantly the Queen Elizabeth II Cup over an international field. The Dragon's lost some fire in his last couple of starts, but he'd previously done enough to keep a toe-hold in this category. Lifetime Achievement Award: SADLER'S WELLS, the global super-sire, died at his Coolmore home in April at the advanced age of 30. One of the first European horses I remember following from afar as a child, the son of Northern Dancer was a high-class performer for the legendary Vincent O'Brien, landing such events as the Irish Two Thousand Guineas, Eclipse and Phoenix Champion Stakes. Sadler's Wells was entitled to become a successful stallion, but who would have predicted that he would exert a breed-shaping influence, and rewrite the world's sire book? His legacy can only be given its proper due in a hefty tome, highlighting the careers of his sons like Galileo, Montjeu, High Chaparral, In the Wings. Suffice it to say here that his descendants are well represented in our Turf Awards, chief among them Galileo's son Frankel.
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