Captain Albano

[Brown jug]

my opinion it comes down to nijinsky  or albano
i eliminate legendary based on poor finish to the year and he was 4th in na cup and did not race in breeders crown
i eliminate mirage hanover based on missing na cup final and seventh in m pace
also both of above won $1.1 m , significantly less than both nijinsky and albano

nijinsky was first in na cup, second in m pace, second in breeders crown
       missed top three only twice, jug elim and progress elim when parked mile
       won $1.66m

albano was third in na cup, ninth in m pace and third in breeders crown
      also only missed top three twice
      won $1.5 m

albano finished year very strong and looked dominant
my only knock against nijinsky as consistent as he was is that he never really looked like the dominant horse for a period of time
close call but i give slight edge to albano

[Harness Stats]

Mirage had a disappointing year from what was possible for him.  Aside from the 2 victory's in the big races and a few big parked out or used too hard miles most races didn't work out for him especially when Tetrick drove

Legendary was great for those few starts and once he tailed off they shut him down.  Way too early.  Not a good look for a "seasons champion".

The vast majority of Nijinsky's wins were in Canada against lesser.  Had he kept winning in the States consistently he would have had a big chance for the honors

That leaves Captain Albano.  Other than one off week and untimely break he's been right there throughout the year.  Surviving the rapid first half and winning easily the other day soundly beating Nijinsky was the icing on the cake.  Mirage had survived tougher trips for solid finishes many times but even off the fast pace had nothing.  He didn't even outleave Nijinsky. 

Other than the die hards that might select Legendary, Captain Albano should win the honors easily.

[lost cause]

i keep hearing,mirage,legendary,and nijinsky won a bunch of races in canada.well those canadian races couldnt have been that easy with those 3 and add funtime bayama and it seems like pretty tough races to me. personally i think none of them were great and all had their moments to shine.i just cant give horse of year to a horse who couldnt win 1 of the big 3 races

[Brown jug]

thorn, your comments are viable
sure nijinsky won the sbsw and simcoe in Ontario and 4 oss finals
no different than albano winning pa sires and the adios( that field was weak)

but nijinsky showed up in the big 3 finals when all the best were there and was competitive in them all

its a close call but albano should not be a walk over

[chester]

Albano 3 yr old colt LOCK

[gh2009]

albano may have stayed sharp but what happened in the breeders crown?my opinion  the horse who was sharp basically the whole year was nijinsky.he started good and ended good.legendary and mirage had about 6/8 weeks of dominance and albano was best the late.but again i think if you ask owners what races they would rather win i think jug is 4th.so my vote would go to either mirage,nijinsky or legendary

There was nothing wrong with Captain Albano's race in the Breeders Crown. He set a pressured pace and tired late to finish 3rd. Mirage Hanover had a 100% perfect trip and picked up the pieces but wasn't overly impressive in doing so. If I'm an owner my goal is to win the most money no matter how I get it. Nijinsky had a great year and won alot of races and money, but other than winning a stakes race at Hoosier Park in November against a bunch of nothing horses, he didn't win any races outside of Canada. It's just unfortunate so many top horses are retiring after their 3-year-old season.