Since horse racing’s year-end Eclipse awards were inaugurated in 1971, only six fillies have achieved the difficult feat of being named champion both as a 2-year-old and as a 3-year-old.
1:35 1/2. It may not seem like much today, but for 28 years the time of 1:35 1/2 stood alone as an untouchable, unbreakable record of American racing; a veritable speed limit for the distance of one mile; a limit that no horse could surpass.
During her legendary 19-race win streak, the Hall of Fame mare Zenyatta had more than a few close calls where she seized victory from the jaws of defeat. It was to be expected – her late-running style usually ensured that she took the lead very late in her races, resulting in heart-pounding finishes that both concerned and delighted her numerous fans.
The 2022 class of inductees into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame included only two contemporary honorees, both of them equine. But those honorees were champions Beholder and Tepin, ensuring the ceremony was a crowd-pleaser.
