Skip Away: Horse Of The Year

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 16, 1999 / 10:14 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

Skip Away, the "horse pet" of Carolyn and Sonny Hine, won the Eclipse Award on Tuesday night as Horse of the Year for 1998.

Skippy, as he was called by owner Carolyn and her husband-trainer Sonny, was a unanimous selection, getting the votes of the National Turf Writers Association, Daily Racing Form and racing secretaries of National Thoroughbred Racing Association tracks.

The big gray horse, winner of his first seven starts, which stretched his victory streak to nine, beat Awesome Again, who won all six starts and beat Skip Away in the Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 7.

The awards were announced at the NTRA's Eclipse Awards dinner at Miami Beach, Fla.

Skip Away, who was 5, beat Awesome Again, who was 4, as best older horse or gelding. Frank Stronach, Awesome Again's owner, was voted the top owner of the year.

Skip Away, 3-year-old champion in 1996 and best older horse and gelding and runner-up for Horse of the Year in 1997, obviously won racing's top honor on the strength of his schedule. Of his seven straight wins, five of them were Grade I stakes, one of them was a Grade II and the other was a Grade III. He finished third in the Grade I Woodward, then sixth in Grade I BC Classic, finishing with $2.74 million for the year and $9,612,36660 for his career, second only to Cigar ($9,999,815).

Awesome Again won two Grade I stakes -- the Whitney Handicap and the BC Classic.

Another big winner was Bob Baffert. He got an Eclipse Award as trainer of the year and two of his charges won divisional championships -- Real Quiet, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, 3-year-old, and unbeaten Silverbulletday, 2-year-old filly.

Every winner was a unanimous first-place selection of each of the three voting organizations. The outstanding breeder award, given to Mr. and Mrs. John C. Mabee, was selected by a special committee.

Other equine winners were Answer Lively, 2-year-old colt or gelding; Banshee Breeze, 3-year-old filly; Escena, older filly or mare; Buck's Boy, male turf horse; Memories of Silver, female turf horse; Flat Top, steeplechaser.

Gary Stevens was chosen as the top jockey and Shaun Bridgmohan was honored as top apprentice jockey.