Six Year Old Horse- NIGHT SHIFT x ROBERTO x BOLD COMMANDER
Owner / Trainer - RBGSTABLE

2001 Record: 15/ 6-1-4
Earnings: $7,384,391

2001 Stakes:

WON: Breeders Bowl Turf(G1), Japan Classic(G1), Coalminer Cup(G1), Sword Swallower Stakes(G1), John Scott Appreciation Stakes(G1), Little Guppy Classic(G1),
2nd: Man Of War Stakes(G1)
3rd: Doomben Cup(G1), San Francisco Capitan Handicap(G1), Royally Modest Cup(G1), Golden Platter Handicap(G2)

The road to the top was not an easy climb for Joe Cayenne.

The 6yo son of Night Shift powered his way to six Grade 1/Group 1 victories in 2001, but it was his closing kick and not his break from the gate of a new year that carried him to an Eclipse Award title.

Georgia, week 907. The Grade 2 Sanders S., Joe Cayenne was sent to the post among the favorites at 5/2 odds and brought back to his stall after a dismal seventh-of-nine finish.

Two weeks later, Kentucky. The Desucko H., Grade 1, Joe Cayenne a strong 3/2 favorite. Again, no dice, no luck, finishing fourth in a field of seven.

The problem? Certainly not class. Joe Cayenne had won five stakes races in 2000, including a Grade 1 and a Group 1. Did trainer Rbgstable burn the midnight oil, wondering--fearing--his horse had seen his best days? The new year had made Joe Cayenne a six-year-old. Was that all there was?

And was it by accident or design that Rbgstable booked the return to Victoria for the Week 956 John Scott Appreciation S., (Gr. 1) at a mile and a half. Did he remember Joe Cayenne's Week 823 Gr. 1 stakes win at a mile and a half there?

Science or serendipity, Joe Cayenne busted out of his slump with a daylight win in the Scott, visitng a winner's circle that had been used just two races earlier by Project Thor, winner that day of the Alyred Special and a horse whose path he'd cross again.

For Joe Cayenne, the slump had been broken but not banished. Next time out it was the Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic, (Gr. 1) and a disappointing seventh-of-nine finish, once again at a mile and a half. A win in the Little Guppy Classic (Gr. 1) was followed by a third-of-six in the San Francisco Capitan Hcp., a seventh of 14 in the ASR Cup, and a third of 11 in the Doomben Cup, all of those Gr. 1.

Just about that time, Project Thor--the other stakeswinner the day Joe Cayenne won the John Scott--began to get hot. Winner of the Grade 3 Unbridled S., Project Thor backed it up with a win in the Grade 1 Movieland Turf Cup. A miler by the name of Used Bandaid reeled off three straight stakes wins. And 1999 Eclipse turf champion Enough Knock was getting his name back into the papers.

Joe Cayenne was trying to find bits of his form. Third of seven, but a 106 speed figure in the Golden Platter Hcp., (Gr. 2). Third of 10 in the Gr. 1 Royally Modest, but a season's high 110 fig. Finally, a third Gr. 1 victory as he gobbled up a field of six in the Sword Swallower S., just as Enough Knock was darting to victory over a full field of 14 in the Spruce Needles.

And Project Thor challenged Joe Cayenne's divisional lead with a win in the Horseshoe Falls S.

Both horses ran strong seconds in their next starts, and the fates decided it was time for them to get together.

And thirty-one weeks after they'd both visited that Victoria winner's circle, Joe Cayenne and Project Thor found themselves in the starting gate for the Gr. 1 Coalminer Cup. Project Thor had gotten to the wire two races ahead of Joe Cayenne in the southern hemisphere's autumn, but Joe Cayenne rode the fresh spring breezes down the home stretch to claim a seven-length victory as the two went head-to-head for the first time.

With four Gr. 1 victories to his credit, a turf championship seemed as likely to go to Joe Cayenne as anyone. Still, Eclipse voters are a notorious what-have-you-done-for-me-lately bunch, and there were major races ahead. Enough Knock, having won the championship once, kept his hopes for a second title alive with a win in the Mike and Jen.

And it was Breeders' Bowl time.

Enough Knock broke the ice by claiming an easy win in the Breeders' Bowl Mile.

But Joe Cayenne surely clinched the championship by means of a seven-length win over Project Thor in the Breeders' Bowl Turf. Project Thor returned to Victoria to win the Gr.1 Coxless S., but two weeks later it was Joe Cayenne in a romp in the Gr. 1 Japan Classic. Project Thor was a distant fourth.

With a final total of six Gr. 1 victories in 2001, Joe Cayenne has surely earned the title betowed upon him: Eclipse Champion older male turfer.

Race ID	Trk	RST	S	D	Race	Time	SP#	#	PP	C1	C2	C3	FIN	Jockey	Odds
1222.5004	JP	3yo+	T	12	Japan Classic -G1		114	14	13	3 2-1/4	2 3-1/4	2 1	1 3-1/2	E Baldwin	3.70
1194.0414	NY	3yo+	T	12	Breeders Bowl Turf -G1	2:29 3/5	115	14	4	4 1-3/4	3 2	1 2-1/2	1 6-3/4	M Dorsey	4.30
1173.5314	A1	3yo+	T	12	Coalminer Cup -G1	2:30 3/5	109	8	3	2 3-1/4	2 4-1/2	1 1/4	1 7-1/2	K Ryan	2.00
1145.0415	NY	3yo+	T	11	Man Of War Stakes -G1	2:15 4/5	112	12	9	3 3	2 4	1 1/4	2 hd	C Tool	4.70
1117.0414	NY	3yo+	T	12	Sword Swallower Stakes -G1	2:31 2/5	104	6	5	2 1-1/4	2 hd	1 4-1/4	1 6-3/4	G Smith	2.00
1103.3315	E1	3yo+	T	11	Royally Modest Cup -G1	2:15 4/5	110	14	2	6 5-1/4	5 8	3 6-3/4	3 2-1/4	J Wesselman	7.80
1061.2914	C1	3yo+	T	10	Golden Platter Handicap -G2	2:01 2/5	106	7	7	5 6	5 9-1/4	4 8-1/2	3 8-1/4	J White	3.80
1047.5513	A3	4yo+	T	10	Doomben Cup -G1	2:00 3/5	108	11	1	6 5-3/4	5 9	3 11-1/4	3 11-1/2	V Wakeman	8.40
1019.5415	A2	3yo+	T	16	-G1	3:28 4/5	94	14	14	2 2-1/4	2 4-3/4	7 14-1/4	7 28-1/2	C Alexander	9.70
1005.0113	CA	4yo+	T	12	San Francisco Capitan Handicap -G1	2:30 3/5	98	6	5	4 3-1/4	4 5-1/4	3 6-3/4	3 13-1/4	L Jones	4.90
984.6212	FR	3yo+	T	11	Little Guppy Classic -G1	2:17 3/5	99	6	1	6 3	5 3-1/4	1 1/4	1 3-3/4	J Stivers	1.60
977.5112	DB	4yo+	T	12	Sand Castle Golden Turf Classic -G1	2:30 1/5	96	9	6	5 3	7 4-1/4	8 9-1/4	7 19-1/2	T Tippett	4.10
956.5315	A1	4yo+	T	12	John Scott Appreciation Stakes -G1	2:32	100	10	5	7 5-1/4	7 7-3/4	2 3-1/4	1 4	N Love	4.10
921.0315	KY	4yo+	T	14	The Desucko Handicap -G1	3:03 3/5	85	7	1	3 3-1/2	3 5-1/2	5 5	4 14	B Alt	1.50
907.3913	GA	4yo+	T	9	Sanders Stakes -G2	1:49 2/5	97	9	6	5 3-1/4	4 5-1/4	4 5-1/4	7 4-1/2	I Centers	2.20