April 28 – Gio Ponti

One of my all-time favorite acceptance speeches at the Eclipse Awards was given by Shane Ryan, the owner of Castleton Lyons farm and Gio Ponti.

Shane was accepting for the second consecutive year for Turf Horse of the Year and was adding Old Male Eclipse Award for his 2010 campaign. In 2009, Gio Ponti was beaten in the Breeders' Cup Classic by the undefeated super mare Zenyatta. Gio Ponti returned to racing again as a five-year-old and went back to the Breeders Cup. This time, he raced a mile on the turf to be beaten by the European super mare Goldikova.

At the Eclipse Awards, Shane joked that they lost to a filly at the Breeders' Cup, and we won an Eclipse Award. Then the next year, we went back to the Breeders' Cup and lost to another filly and won the Eclipse Award. So, next year we are just going to find the best filly at the Breeders' Cup and lose on purpose to win for the third year in a row!

Not to diminish the talent or success of Gio Ponti - he did bring home over $6 million in addition to a nice stash of Eclipse Awards.

Ginger Punch was a brilliant champion mare who ruled the older female division in the late 2000s. She was foaled in 2003 and trained by Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel for Stronach Stables, the racing operation of Frank Stronach. Her sire was Awesome Again, the 1998 Breeders Cup Classic winner, and her dam was Nappelon, a daughter of Roberto. She was a striking dark bay mare with a powerful late kick that broke many a rival's heart in the stretch.

Ginger Punch put together one of the most consistent campaigns of her era. The signature win came in the 2007 Breeders Cup Distaff at Monmouth Park, where she ran down Hystericalady in deep stretch to win one of the most important races for older fillies and mares in the world. Sadly, that race was overshadowed by the breakdown of George Washington in the Breeders Cup Classic, but Ginger Punch's run was one of the highlights of the year for female horses.

She came back as a five year old in 2008 and turned in a championship season. She won the Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga, the Beldame Stakes at Belmont, the Go for Wand Handicap, and the Vinery Madison Stakes at Keeneland. She faced the best mares in training, including Curlin's stablemate Indian Blessing, and rarely came up short. At the end of the year, Ginger Punch was named the 2008 Eclipse Award Champion Older Female, the top honor in her division.

She retired after her 2008 campaign with 11 wins from 22 starts and earnings of over 3.2 million dollars. Ginger Punch went on to a career as a broodmare for Stronach Stables, where she has produced several useful runners. She is remembered as a classy, consistent mare who could close from anywhere and who delivered when the spotlight was on her in the biggest races of her time.

Sources:

• Ginger Punch - Wikipedia

• Bloodhorse - Ginger Punch

• Breeders' Cup - 2007 Distaff