Barbaro 3yr old of the year

[Seattleallstar]

in trying to keep my mind of past events, I decided to analyze best 3 yr old of the year. Bernardini had a stellar year, but im afraid didnt win when it counted to outright take the 3yr old title from Barbaro. Here's hoping Barbaro takes this down, and makes a full recovery to live.

Top 3 yr olds

1.Barbaro
2.Bernardini/Showing UP

You simply cannot give the eclipse to anyone but Bernadini. He won a classic race, the Travers, and beat elders in the JCGC.
Many people, myself included, will always believe that Barbaro was definitely the more talented of the two and what he may have gone on to do, well all we will ever be able to do is speculate.
I will always think we got robbed of seeing a true great. The ease with which he won the Derby will always be the defining moment of the year to me.
But Bernadini can't be penalized for sympathy and might have beens. He stayed sound and accomplished what a three year old needs to accomplish to be a champion. You simply can't deny a horse who won the Preakness, Travers, and JCGC.

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by oracle80

You simply cannot give the eclipse to anyone but Bernadini. He won a classic race, the Travers, and beat elders in the JCGC.
Many people, myself included, will always believe that Barbaro was definitely the more talented of the two and what he may have gone on to do, well all we will ever be able to do is speculate.
I will always think we got robbed of seeing a true great. The ease with which he won the Derby will always be the defining moment of the year to me.
But Bernadini can't be penalized for sympathy and might have beens. He stayed sound and accomplished what a three year old needs to accomplish to be a champion. You simply can't deny a horse who won the Preakness, Travers, and JCGC.

Completely agree. (and that's despite the fact that I took Barbaro over Bernardini in the matchup bet on the Eclipse winner (at Pinnacle) before the Travers!)

--Dunbar

[Linny]

Let me start by saying that I am NOT a Bernardini fan and I am a Barbaro fan. One of my best friends worked for Matz for most of this year so I have contacts with in his camp.

However, Bernardini gets the nod. However good Barbaro might have been, his injury precluded him from showing it. (In fact it may be sacriledge to say it but I think Bernardini was going to win the Preakness even if Barbaro didn't get hurt.)
In this era, winning the Withers, the Preakness, the Jim Dandy, the Travers, the Gold Cup and then running second to the likley HOY in the Classic is more than enough to get the award. I watched the Gold Cup with a group of Barbaro's connection and biggest supporters and even they had to concede that Bern had done enough to merit the honor.

For Eclipse voters to vote based on "what might have been" is absurd. Should they have voted Easy Goer over Sunday Silence because "had he had better ankles, he'd have beaten SS?" No.

[ArlJim78]

How many times is this going to come up?

We all love Barbaro and are sympathetic to his plight.

However there is no way he can win an award for best three year old.

I think Bernardini rightfully deserves that honor. With the year he had being capped by a solid second against older in the biggest race of the year?
No question in my mind.

Honorable mentions also to Discreet Cat and Showing Up as well.

[blackthroatedwind]

I think Stevie Wonderboy is clearly the deserving winner. I mean, come one, the way he won that BC juvenile, over the last place finisher in the next BC Sprint, was awesome. He would definitely have been the champ this year if he didn't get hurt.

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by Linny

Let me start by saying that I am NOT a Bernardini fan and I am a Berbaro fan. One of my best friends worked for Matz for most of this year so I have contacts with in his camp.

However, Bernardini gets the nod. However good Barbaro might have been, his injury precluded him from showing it. (In fact it may be sacriledge to say it but I think Bernardini was going to win the Preakness even if Barbaro didn't get hurt.)
In this era, winning the Withers, the Preakness, the Jim Dandy, the Travers, the Gold Cup and then running second to the likley HOY in the Classic is more than enough to get the award. I watched the Gold Cup with a group of Barbaro's connection and biggest supporters and even they had to concede that Bern had done enough to merit the honor.

For Eclipse voters to vote based on "what might have been" is absurd. Should they have voted Easy Goer over Sunday Silence because "had he had better ankles, he'd have beaten SS?" No.

I agree completely... Bernardini deserves to be 3 year old of the year. We'll never know what Barbaro might have accomplished, but you can't take away what Bernardini did because of sympathy for what might have been.