2009 Unofficial Champion Stayers' Award -- current standings · 21.10.09

Last year, Left Coast Racing inaugurated the Unofficial Champion Stayers’ Award, to fill a void in the year-end series of North American racing awards and give due recognition to the distance specialists who best represent the qualities of stamina and durability in the Thoroughbred. The unofficial title of Champion Stayer is awarded to the horse whose performances in North America at distances of 1 1/2 miles and beyond, on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces, are deemed to be superior to its rivals. This is determined using a points system, similar to that used by the Breeders’ Cup for its divisional standings:

  GI GII GIII/ Ungr.
1st 10 6 4
2nd 6 4 2
3rd 4 2 1

Note that ungraded stakes are included, and are given the same value as Grade III’s. This permits consideration of ungraded races which are included in the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” series, and so logically deserve consideration for the purposes of the Champion Stayer award. They are given the same point value as GIII races for two reasons: for the sake of simplicity, allowing the existing Breeders’ Cup points system to be easily adapted without adjustment, and because as Breeders’ Cup preps these races tend to attract higher-class horses than ungraded stakes normally would. Finally, although the Breeders’ Cup Marathon remains ungraded this year, as a Breeders’ Cup race it should be considered a year-end championship event, and so points earned there will be the same as for an official GI race.

Current standings (as of 20 October 2009):

Champs Elysees — 14 points
1st: Pattison Canadian International Championship (IT); 3rd: Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (IT)

Brass Hat — 14 points
1st: Louisville Handicap (IIT); 2nd: Stars and Stripes Handicap (IIIT); 3rd: Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes (IT), Fifth Third Elkhorn Stakes (IIT)

Midships — 12 points
1st: San Luis Rey Handicap (IIT), San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap (IIT)

Summer Bird — 10 points
1st: Belmont Stakes (I)

Interpatation — 10 points
1st: Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (IT)

Just As Well — 10 points
1st: Northern Dancer Breeders’ Cup Turf Handicap (IT)

Telling — 10 points
1st: Sword Dancer Invitational Stakes (IT)

Spring House — 10 points
1st: San Luis Obispo Handicap (IIT); 2nd: San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap (IIT)

Spice Route — 10 points
1st: Fifth Third Elkhorn Stakes (IIT); 2nd: Louisville Handicap (IIT)

Perfect Shower — 10 points
1st: Breeders’ Stakes (IT)

Defending champion Champs Elysees sits atop the standings, but as he was retired after the Canadian International he will not earn any more points for this year’s championship. Almost any of the horses below him on the leader board could overtake him with a win in one of the remaining stayers’ races this year.

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What do you think?

  1. As much as I like stayers and lament their loss, stamina on grass is far more the norm than on the main course. It is difficult to compare the two surfaces head to head since the lawn FAVORS this type and the dirt does not.

    — Dr. Timothy Yatcak · Oct 21, 11:23 AM · #

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