My 8 Favorite Moments on the International Turf in 2014

If you're a fan of turf racing, and like to curl up with a favorite beverage and peruse long articles, you'll love the Reilly Turf Awards -- my unique take on the year-in-review genre that comes in both North American and International editions over on Brisnet. Bet you can't guess who got "Most Tantalizing What-Might-Have-Been" in either of them.

But if you prefer your retrospectives in video form, here are my eight favorite moments on the international turf in 2014. You've probably seen the domestic clips over and over again, so I'm confining myself to the international scene. And there's an emphasis on the word "favorite," since these are the races I personally enjoyed the most. Your mileage may vary.

Counting down in reverse order:

8. Adelaide's last-to-first, wide-trip victory in the Cox Plate, becoming the first international to prevail in Australia's weight-for-age championship.

 

7. Epiphaneia's four-length demolition job in the Japan Cup, the race that had eluded his sire Symboli Kris S. And did I mention Epiphaneia's out of 2005 American Oaks romper Cesario?