Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta
The arrival of January 18, 2010 has not come without ample anticipation. Fans of the great Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta have been locked in a desperate struggle to see their respective favorites honored in the highest possible fashion. Tonight, all the questions will be answered, and one majestic female will be crowned as the proverbial Queen of the sport. The “Great Debate” for Horse of the Year comes to an end.
The victory, however, will not come without controversy – regardless of who prevails. I’m on record as predicting defenestrations from the fans of those who decide fate has swung against them. For that reason, and from the beginning, I’ve advocated not picking between the two runners unless being forced to do so under extreme duress.
defenestrations
Less than 24 hours from the final announcement, I still feel the same way.
The real news though with much more far-reaching implications for the sport is that Zenyatta will return for her 2010 campaign as a 5-year-old. Who knows what the future may hold? A trip to Dubai for the World Cup? A campaign pointing towards a showdown with Rachel Alexandra either this spring, summer, or in the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill?
Only time will tell. The only thing I’m certain of is that the NTRA will have a chance to capitalize on the return races of the defending Horse of the Year no matter which way it all goes down. Let’s hope they do so and then some.
You may recall that at one point we were helping to champion the cause of opening up the Eclipse Awards to fan participation. Obviously that didn’t happen, but like most horse racing fans, we certainly have our opinions. What would I have done if I did have a say? Here’s a quick look at what my ballot would look like.
- Horse of the Year: Zenyatta
- Two-Year-Old Male: Lookin At Lucky
- Two-Year-Old Filly: She Be Wild
- Three-Year-Old Male: Summer Bird
- Three-Year-Old Filly: Rachel Alexandra
- Older Male: Gio Ponti
- Older Female: Zenyatta
- Male Sprinter: Zensational
- Female Sprinter: Informed Decision
- Male Turf Horse: Gio Ponti
- Female Turf Horse: Goldikova
- Trainer: John Shirreffs
- Jockey: Alan Garcia
- Apprentice Jockey: Christian Santiago Reyes
- Owner: Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S. Moss
- Breeder: Juddmonte Farms
- Steeplechase Horse: Mixed Up
Obviously the Horse of the Year issue has been debated to death. I’m not going to say anything more about it. I love both horses and don’t want to see either of them lose, but I’ve got to put a name down on the list, so…it is what it is.
Some of the other categories were extremely tough to differentiate as well. For example, who do you take between Zensational and Kodiak Kowboy for top Male Sprinter? Ultimately I went with Zenny – even though I’m actually a bigger fan of Kodiak Kowboy.
Two-Year-Old Filly is probably the most difficult though of all the equine honors. I sided with She Be Wild here, but I would not be surprised if she didn’t take home the award. I’m obviously basing quite a bit of my decision on her Breeders’ Cup performance. Same goes for Informed Decision in her bid for top Female Sprinter.
The awards being given to bipedal hominids are equally as contentious. I had to give Shirreffs top billing as trainer for winning both the Classics on Breeders’ Cup weekend at Santa Anita.
Alan Garcia was simply my main man who helped lead to a very profitable meet at Saratoga this summer. Perhaps I’m being narrow minded here as traditionally I had struggled with the signature meet of the season for the eastern half of the U.S., but between Garcia on the main track and trainer Linda Rice on the turf, my only question is how I didn’t wind up winning more? 
Well, there you have it. I’m sure everyone else has an opinion, so let’s hear ‘em.
Epic Fail on your part.
Alan Garcia is not even nominated for the Eclipse Award for best jockey.
Maybe you thought Garcia was riding every race, so you bet him blindly without seeing if it was actually him, so that’s why you didn’t make more $$$$.
Rachel Alexandra for Horse of the Year, she won as many grade 1′s (5) as Zenyatta raced all year and three came against the boys! (:
Zensational was a great horse, but he never raced on dirt and didn’t even place in the biggest sprint of the year at the Breeders’ Cup. Kodiak Kowboy twice defeated Fabulous Strike (who I was rooting for all year) which is no small feat, and faced good fields year round.
Calvin Borel for jockey, winning the Derby and Oaks the same year, with two of the biggest margins in history is astonishing.
The Mosses as owners is perfect and also John Shirreffs for trainer, I can’t beleive he was left out in the cold!
Can’t you “pencil in” pretty much anyone you want though? I thought the finalists were just the ones with the top votes? Perish the thought that I have a difference of opinion, I suppose.
Does HOTY really matter now that we will most likely see each on the same racetrack facing off against each other at some point this year? Perhaps at the OP in April?
Zenyatta’s race in the Classic was impressive. I like both of them though. I am a little more of a Zenyatta fan.
Zen is a 6 year old
In the horse racing world there is a ton of information and different systems available to improve handicapping. Throughout years of reading and research the only true way to become very successful at handicapping boils down to 3 key principles. With knowledge, the ability to adapt to different situations, and discipline to do the work spending time on your selections you will dominate any track you come across. There are so many factors that can affect any given race that some races you can look at a hundred different times and still be dumbfounded.