Sal DeRosa Explains Why His Four-Start Rule Keeps Him From Backing T O Elvis

Horse Racing Nation analyst Sal DeRosa announced he will not vote for T O Elvis for the champion male sprinter Eclipse Award because the colt made only two starts this season.

The declaration immediately ignited a spirited debate across the Thoroughbred racing community regarding what truly constitutes an Eclipse Award champion.

T O Elvis produced two of the most dazzling sprint performances witnessed on any racetrack this year.

Yet, for DeRosa, raw brilliance packed into just two appearances is not enough to secure year-end divisional honors.

"I will be going in a different direction, in part because of a personal rule that 3-year-olds and up must make at least four starts in a season."

With that principle in mind, DeRosa has decided to cast his divisional support elsewhere.

He anticipates that T O Elvis will ultimately capture the Eclipse Award regardless of his dissent.

The analyst readily conceded that T O Elvis's limited campaign featured performances of the highest caliber.

Nevertheless, he insists that championship voters should hold horses to a higher standard of durability and sustained competition.

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE FOUR-START STANDARD

DeRosa recognizes that his four-start benchmark is an entirely self-imposed guideline.

Under official Eclipse Award rules, there is no multi-race requirement for contenders.

The only official eligibility mandate for an Eclipse Award is that a horse must make at least one start in North America during the calendar year.

Because the official baseline is set so low, individual voters often formulate their own criteria to evaluate greatness.

DeRosa's personal standard requires that any horse aged 3 and older must compete at least four times in a season to earn his vote.

He argues that navigating a full campaign tests a horse in ways that sporadic appearances cannot match.

To DeRosa, a champion must demonstrate longevity, soundness, and consistency across months of competition.

When a horse runs only twice, voters are left to assume how that runner might have handled extra races, additional shipping, and changing track conditions.

DeRosa refuses to make those favorable assumptions on a ballot.

HISTORICAL PRECEDENT AND PAST VOTING DILEMMAS

The tension between official eligibility rules and personal criteria is not unprecedented in Eclipse Award history.

DeRosa pointed back to the famous voting decision made by respected turf writer Andy Beyer in 2002.

That season, Beyer utilized the single-race rule to cast his Horse of the Year vote for the European sensation Rock of Gibraltar.

Rock of Gibraltar raced only once on North American soil in 2002, suffering an upset defeat in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Arlington Park.

Beyer felt the colt's broader global dominance warranted the ultimate North American year-end title despite that lone domestic loss.

DeRosa experienced his own philosophical test with the four-start rule more recently, in 2022.

That year, the undefeated superstar Flightline mounted a three-race campaign that captivated the racing world.

Flightline closed out his unforgettable season with an authoritative romp in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland.

DeRosa acknowledged that Flightline's Breeders' Cup Classic performance was one of the finest efforts in modern racing memory.

Yet, because Flightline made only three starts in 2022, the colt fell short of DeRosa's four-start minimum for older runners.

Faced with that conflict, DeRosa chose to abstain from voting in the older male and Horse of the Year categories that season.

He could not vote for Flightline under his personal rule, but he also could not defend voting for any alternative candidate against a runner of such peerless ability.

THE BRILLIANCE OF T O ELVIS

DeRosa does not minimize the remarkable talent that T O Elvis put on display this season.

The colt's two outings were masterclasses in sprinting excellence.

His first appearance came on the premier stage of Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs.

Competing in the prestigious Churchill Downs Stakes, T O Elvis delivered what DeRosa described as a scintillating victory against top-tier competition.

That Churchill Downs score served as early proof that the colt belonged among the most gifted sprinters of his generation.

Following that electrifying seasonal debut, T O Elvis did not return to the afternoon wars until the fall.

He reappeared at the Breeders' Cup World Championships to contest the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint.

The race developed into an unforgettable duel in the stretch.

T O Elvis unleashed a furious rally, running down a determined Englishman to capture the coveted Breeders' Cup title.

DeRosa was so moved by the performance that he immediately hailed it as one of the best sprint races he had ever seen.

There is no dispute regarding the quality of those two Grade 1 victories.

Both outings rank comfortably among the most impressive performances seen anywhere across any division this year.

THE COMPELLING CANDIDACY OF BACIO

Unlike in 2022, when DeRosa abstained because no viable rival to Flightline existed, 2024 offers an alternative that satisfies his criteria.

DeRosa stated that he will not abstain in the champion male sprinter category this year because Bacio has built an exceptional, complete resume.

Bacio compiled a flawless 4-for-4 record over the course of his campaign.

His season demonstrated both championship brilliance and the steady grind of a full racing calendar.

Bacio commenced his journey in an allowance contest before tackling stiffer challenges overseas.

He captured a competitive handicap race during the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting in England.

Bacio then stepped into the highest class of international sprinting at York on August 21.

Contesting the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes, Bacio scored an emphatic victory over Starlust.

That European triumph proved that his talent translated seamlessly to the highest level of world turf competition.

Bacio then crossed back across the Atlantic to contest the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland.

Lining up in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on Friday, Bacio delivered an emphatic performance to cap an unblemished season.

His Turf Sprint triumph took place just three races prior to T O Elvis's victory in the dirt sprint.

DeRosa believes Bacio's pair of top-flight triumphs—the Group 1 Nunthorpe and Grade 1 Turf Sprint—compare very favorably with T O Elvis's two Grade 1 victories.

THE VALUE OF HORSEMANSHIP AND CAMPAIGN DURABILITY

A central component of DeRosa's voting philosophy rests on the broader concept of horsemanship.

He believes that year-end awards should honor the ability to keep a thoroughbred sound, focused, and performing over time.

Training a horse through a sustained campaign introduces numerous risks, physical setbacks, and tactical hurdles.