Irv Naylor’s Dawalan, winner of the Grand National (Gr. 1) and Marion duPont Scott Colonial Cup (Gr. 1) in his three U.S. starts in 2015, topped the 24th annual National Steeplechase Association Theoretical Handicap with a rating of 160 pounds.
Trained by Cyril Murphy and ridden by Ross Geraghty, Dawalan was honored with the Eclipse Award as 2015’s champion steeplechase horse in January and was the NSA’s Lonesome Glory Champions Award winner as 2015’s leading earner.
Ranked second at 156 pounds is Jacqueline Ohrstrom’s Demonstrative, the 2014 Eclipse winner and NSA Theoretical highweight who won the 2015 Calvin Houghland Iroquois (Gr. 1) and finished third in the Colonial Cup.
NSA Director of Racing Bill Gallo Jr., who created the Theoretical in 1992, evaluated all 32 horses who placed in NSA open and novice stakes races in 2015.
Dalawan’s rating was three pounds below the 163-pound average of annual highweights. Lonesome Glory set the standard with a 170-pound highweight in 1995, and fellow Racing Hall of Fame member McDynamo twice was rated at 168, in 2003 and 2006. Also rated at 168 were Good Night Shirt (2008) and Warm Spell (1994).
Dawalan made his first U.S. start in the Lonesome Glory Handicap (Gr. 1) and finished third behind New York Turf Writers Cup (Gr. 1) winner Bob Le Beau, who was rated at 150 pounds. Third in the weights at 154 were Eshtiaal, who shipped in from Ireland to finish second in the Grand National, and Temple Gwathmey (Gr. 3) winner Mr. Hot Stuff, who finished second in the Calvin Houghland Iroquois.
Here is the 2015 NSA Theoretical Handicap:
Dawalan…………………..…160
Demonstrative…………..……156
Eshtiaal…………….………..154
Mr. Hot Stuff…………….….154
Rawnaq………………….…..152
Bob Le Beau………………….150
Parker’s Project………………146
Barnstorming…………….….144
Gustavian…………….………144
Hinterland……………………142
Choral Society……………….142
Decoy Daddy…….………….142
Dr. Skip……….……………..142
Able Deputy…………………142
Diplomat…………………….142
Martini Brother……………..140
All Together…………………138
Charminster…………………138
Overwhelming………………138
African Oil……………….….138
Selection Sunday……………138
Schoodic…………………….136
Scorpiancer………………….136
Jack Frost……………………134
Staying On…………………..134
Broxbourne………………….134
Syros………………………….134
Balance the Budget…….…….132
Mandola……………….……..132
Absolum………….…………..132
Fog Island……………………130
Street Fight………………….130