2010 Unofficial Champion Stayers' Award -- current standings · 25.08.10

Two years ago, 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.

The winner of the Champion Stayers’ Award 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 Stayers’ award. They are given the same point value as GIII races for two reasons: first, for simplicity’s sake, this allows the existing Breeders’ Cup points system to be easily adapted without adjustment, and secondly because as Breeders’ Cup prep races they tend to attract higher-class horses than ungraded stakes normally would. This policy has been maintained even after the Cougar II Handicap became the first of these new marathon preps to be granted graded-stakes status.

Current standings (as of 25 August 2010):

Bourbon Bay — 18 points
1st: San Luis Obispo H. (IIT), San Luis Rey H. (IIT), San Juan Capistrano Invitational H. (IIT)

Bearpath — 12 points
1st: Pan American S. (IIIT); 2nd: Sword Dancer Invitational H. (IT), Louisville H. (IIIT)

Unusual Suspect — 12 points
2nd: San Luis Obispo H. (IIT), San Juan Capistrano Invitational H. (IIT), Cougar II H. (III); 3rd: Sunset H. (IIT)

Drosselmeyer — 10 points
1st: Belmont S. (I)

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

Alcomo — 8 points
1st: Brooklyn H. (II); 2nd: Greenwood Cup

Musketier — 6 points
1st: Fifth Third Elkhorn S. (IIT)

Marlang — 6 points
1st: Sunset H. (IIT)

Acclamation — 6 points
1st: Jim Murray Memorial H. (IIT)

Fly Down — 6 points
2nd: Belmont S. (I)

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