Irvin S. Naylor’s Black Jack Blues, who dominated two stakes races last fall and was honored with the Eclipse Award as America’s champion steeplechase horse, topped the 2011 National Steeplechase Association Theoretical Handicap, prepared annually by Director of Racing Bill Gallo Jr.
Black Jack Blues was rated at 158 pounds in the 20th annual Theoretical Handicap, which gauged all 34 horses who placed in NSA open and novice stakes races in 2011. That rating is somewhat below the average of annual highweights since Gallo created the first Theoretical in 1992. Eclipse champion Lonesome Glory holds the record at 170 pounds in 1995, and all but two other highweights have been ranked at 160 pounds or higher.
