Should Zenyatta be Horse of the Year?-Vote

[Igeteven]

Should Zenyatta be Horse of the Year?

Please Vote
I feel she should be horse of the year, hell horse of the decade, Please vote yes or no,

Only a few lucky people who are involved can vote, so people out there in forum land, get your vote in and send a message

Please be honest now.

[ArlJim78]

You can't give her HOY for 2010. What is it about the rest of her schedule this year that would elevate her above Blame? nothing. they rolled the dice and came up just short. HOY is not everything either. who cares really?

[cpitt84]

No. As much as I want her to be, I have to credit Blame. He worked so hard to push in front of zenyatta and such dedication has to be rewarded.

[Izzy2742]

I was cheering for her too, but she lost. Her handlers geared up for one prime effort, and finished just short. I think the fact she was never HOY will be a fascinating footnote.

Of course, there have been instances in the past where the winner was not necessarily the most deserving. Skip Away in 1998 comes to mind.

[BC_Sprint_Guy]

As history will tell... Zenyatta's contribution to horse racing this year left an indelible mark than any other HOY candidate for 2010. What's funny that all those who argue her merits here or anywhere else will undoubtedly remember her for her exploits? Even more so will historians. In fact... I would go has far as reaching that the BC Classic 2010 will be remembered most by all because of her and not by the eventually winner.

The truth is most of us will not remember horse racing 2010 for the horse that beat her in the BC Classic... but for her and all she did for horse racing. Therefore… she is more than deserving to win HOY, she is what most would consider the MVP of a sport that needed her.

[ArlJim78]

once again this award is not about who left an indelible mark, or who was most memorable, or who has the most adoring fans, or the biggest draw, or the most followers on facebook. If it were then Zenyatta wins going away. It is about on track accomplishments during the year and I don't see how anyone can conclude that Z's on track accomplishments this year exceed those of Blame.

[horses4courses]

It is about on track accomplishments during the year

Where does it say that?
I have never heard of any rules dictating this....just people stating how they think it should be.

[OntheRail]

Where does it say that?
I have never heard of any rules dictating this....just people stating how they think it should be.
Past Precedents... and what's painted in her PP's for 2010 don't hold the high water mark.

Hey maybe she'll People Magazines Peoples Choice for 2010.

[jelly]

If you voted with the facts and not emotions it's not even close.Blame is the HOY.

[bigmack]

To enter into any of these threads & vote I think it of import to have PA have each mem pass a test on the history of the game.

Much like the scene in Diner when 'what's his name' had his bride-to-be take a test on the history of the Baltimore Colts.

After her failed test it was declared - "The Wedding is Off"

No voting for the uninformed.

[MNslappy]

Only landowners.

[KingChas]

As I stated last year these HOY voters remind me of the College Bowl Committee.
Nothing would shock me.
Blame,Goldie,Z and lets not forget (we have) the young-un Uncle Mo.
Sure I will catch hell for forgetting somebodys other fav.... :D

If it is a popularity contest Zenyatta wins with ease.

And with horseracing being what it is,trivial in the US besides us, ala the ESPN poll and other examples.

Keeping Zenyattas name on the forefront of the sport would not shock me.
Just telling it like it is.
Remember I said besides us............... ;)

[Vinman]

In 1996, Cigar won Horse of the Year after LOSING the Pacific Classic to Dare And Go, LOSING the Jockey Club Gold Cup by a head to Skip Away, and LOSING the BC Classic by a nose and a head to Alphabet Soup and Louis Quatorze.

Yes, he won the Woodward by 4 in a field of 5 after the Pacific Classic. But he won Horse of the Year that year for the second consecutive time despite losing two of his last three starts, including the BC Classic.

Here's a better one.....in 1998, Awesome Again closed out the year with 5 straight graded stake wins, in the Stephen Foster, (by a length vs Blame's half length margin) The Whitney (by 3 lengths, vs Blame's head margin), The Saratoga Breeders' Cup, the Hawthorne Gold Cup AND the BC Classic by half a length, at Churchill, a race in which Skip Away finished 6th.....this directly following Skip Away's 10 length drubbing in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

And who did they give Horse of the Year to?? Skip Away!! He finally got HOY recognition for winning the BC Classic the year before at Hollywood. Compared to Blame vs Zenyatta, The argument for Awesome Again getting HOY over Skip Away based on "on the track" performance was "ridiculously" in favor of Awesome Again.....but he didn't get it! (The first person who brings up "anti Stronach bias" gets a pie in the face from AJ Burnett : )

If Blame had won the JCGC, as far as I'm concerned, that would have tipped HOY in Blame's favor with a perfect 5 for 5 record for the year, but he lost the JCGC by 4 lengths to a horse, Haynesfield, that ran in a NY Bred optional claimer as recently as 3 starts before kicking Blame's butt in the JCGC on 10/2.

I don't know what Zenyatta's chances are of being named Horse of the Year, but based on what happened in '96 and '98, they are certainly not zero.

She gets my vote.

Vinman

[beertapper]

food for thought

http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/peyton-manning-native-dancer-and-zenyatta-5699.htm

[tucker6]

No. As much as I want her to be, I have to credit Blame. He worked so hard to push in front of zenyatta and such dedication has to be rewarded.Good for you Steeler fan. :)

[tucker6]

In 1996, Cigar won Horse of the Year after LOSING the Pacific Classic to Dare And Go, LOSING the Jockey Club Gold Cup by a head to Skip Away, and LOSING the BC Classic by a nose and a head to Alphabet Soup and Louis Quatorze.

Yes, he won the Woodward by 4 in a field of 5 after the Pacific Classic. But he won Horse of the Year that year for the second consecutive time despite losing two of his last three starts, including the BC Classic.

Here's a better one.....in 1998, Awesome Again closed out the year with 5 straight graded stake wins, in the Stephen Foster, (by a length vs Blame's half length margin) The Whitney (by 3 lengths, vs Blame's head margin), The Saratoga Breeders' Cup, the Hawthorne Gold Cup AND the BC Classic by half a length, at Churchill, a race in which Skip Away finished 6th.....this directly following Skip Away's 10 length drubbing in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

And who did they give Horse of the Year to?? Skip Away!! He finally got HOY recognition for winning the BC Classic the year before at Hollywood. Compared to Blame vs Zenyatta, The argument for Awesome Again getting HOY over Skip Away based on "on the track" performance was "ridiculously" in favor of Awesome Again.....but he didn't get it! (The first person who brings up "anti Stronach bias" gets a pie in the face from AJ Burnett : )

If Blame had won the JCGC, as far as I'm concerned, that would have tipped HOY in Blame's favor with a perfect 5 for 5 record for the year, but he lost the JCGC by 4 lengths to a horse, Haynesfield, that ran in a NY Bred optional claimer as recently as 3 starts before kicking Blame's butt in the JCGC on 10/2.

I don't know what Zenyatta's chances are of being named Horse of the Year, but based on what happened in '96 and '98, they are certainly not zero.

She gets my vote.

VinmanYour examples have no context because you don't give the stats for the horses that did win HOY those years. How can I judge your examples if I have nothing to pair it against. It isn't valid to compare 1996 against 2010. Two completely different years with different contexts.

[Bullet Plane]

This one is a no-brainer...Blame

[gm10]

Unless they send her out for one more race that she wins emphatically, say the Clarke, I would say NO.

[FenceBored]

food for thought

http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/peyton-manning-native-dancer-and-zenyatta-5699.htm

I prefer something more substantial than cotton candy.

[Charlie D]

A 2nd in Classic that fell apart pace wise and 5 Fillie and Mare wins against tomato cans.


I voted No because of the above

[keithw84]

Where does it say that?
I have never heard of any rules dictating this....just people stating how they think it should be.
Maybe it doesn't say this anywhere, but what does DRF publish about all Eclipse Award contenders? Past performances; not the number of "likes" on facebook, or the number of people who bought the bobblehead.

[oddsmaven]

food for thought

http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/peyton-manning-native-dancer-and-zenyatta-5699.htm
The clown who authored this article, couldn't even get his closing argument right. He stated that Native Dancer was wisely chosen horse of the year despite losing the Derby in a photo to Dark Star. Well, Tom Fool won that year.

I wouldn't have any idea reading his article that all of Zenyatta's wins came in races restricted to fillies & mares.

He also argues that the logic for Blame is faulty because Secretariat lost head to head contests with Onion & Prove Out, so why didn't they win. It's not the head to head face-off that clinches it for Blame, it's the fact that it was in the biggest race of the year, not to mention that Secretariat won the Marlboro, Triple Crown, etc. while Zenyatta had nothing to fall back on.

[MickJ26]

I voted for Zenyatta in spite of her connections.
Zenyatta showed more to me in losing than Blame did in winning, no disrespect to Blame or his accomplishments.
Shame on you Jerry Moss. Shame on you John Sherriffs. Shame on you for running this wonderful horse in races clearly beneath her ability.

[Cardus]

Which one of Zenyatta's wins were of greater quality than either Blame's Whitney or Blame's Breeders' Cup Classic?

It's a good way to frame the debate.

[Cardus]

Should Zenyatta be Horse of the Year?

Please Vote
I feel she should be horse of the year, hell horse of the decade, Please vote yes or no,

Only a few lucky people who are involved can vote, so people out there in forum land, get your vote in and send a message

Please be honest now.

Blame is the Horse-of-the-Decade... for now.

[strapper]

Zenyatta did the most for the game, therefore I would cast my vote for her. To take nothing away from Blame, he had a tremendous campaign. I feel she only lost because Blame got the superior ride. In my not be the way you are supposed to analyze things, but given the fact that she was a deserving HOY a year ago as was RA, I feel you have to honor her legend in the highest manner possible. For Pete's sake, she's the BEST mare that has ever graced an American racetrack! :)

[Vinman]

Your examples have no context because you don't give the stats for the horses that did win HOY those years. How can I judge your examples if I have nothing to pair it against. It isn't valid to compare 1996 against 2010. Two completely different years with different contexts.


The purpose of my post was to simply point out how it is possible to be voted Horse of the Year while losing the BC Classic.

Aside from my brief summary of how Cigar and Skip Away finished up their respective campaigns in '96 and '98 from a win/lose standpoint and in which races, what "stats" are you looking for?

[letswastemoney]

The purpose of my post was to simply point out how it is possible to be voted Horse of the Year while losing the BC Classic.

Aside from my brief summary of how Cigar and Skip Away finished up their respective campaigns in '96 and '98 from a win/lose standpoint and in which races, what "stats" are you looking for?
Hey. Answer this. Did Cigar and Skip Away run in all female restricted races before the BC in 1996 and 1998?

[Cardus]

Zenyatta did the most for the game, therefore I would cast my vote for her. To take nothing away from Blame, he had a tremendous campaign. I feel she only lost because Blame got the superior ride. In my not be the way you are supposed to analyze things, but given the fact that she was a deserving HOY a year ago as was RA, I feel you have to honor her legend in the highest manner possible. For Pete's sake, she's the BEST mare that has ever graced an American racetrack! :)

Would Zenyatta's cannonization satisfy you?

[Greyfox]

The purpose of my post was to simply point out how it is possible to be voted Horse of the Year while losing the BC Classic.

?

True. Rachel Alexandra didn't even enter any of last years BC races and she won.

[nijinski]

True. Rachel Alexandra didn't even enter any of last years BC races and she won.

One of the reasons why I always thought Easy Goer And Sunday Silence
should hae tied.
But life isn't always fair.

[PaceAdvantage]

To take nothing away from Blame, he had a tremendous campaign.No he didn't. He had a good campaign...not great, and certainly not tremendous by any stretch of the word...

This just goes to show you how utterly weak Zenyatta's campaign was this year. It bordered on embarrassing.

[trackrat59]

I've been thinking a lot about Zenyatta. I was on the fence about her. I'm very impressed after her performance on Saturday.

So here's what I've come up with....

I'm giving her the very first, Horse Anomaly of the Century Award. Here's why I'm giving this to her.

She won 19 out of 20
She got us talking
She got us arguing
She got us fighting with each other
She got professional thoroughbred journalists arguing with each other too
She reminded us we have an east and west coast in this country
She was on 60 Minutes
She was in O Magazine as a top 100 female
She's beautiful
She's tall and has great legs.
She's a good dancer
She drinks
She got us thinking about who her first "intimate relationship" should be with
She got a lot of people interested in horse racing as least for a day
She has her own Facebook page with 49,394 friends and counting
She has more threads in racing forums than any other horse in history. I have not personally counted but this has to be the case.
She came in second in the BC Classic and managed to win over more fans

Now this is one special lady. I don't think we really know what to classify her as, or what honors to bestow on her. She's a first. I think this is why all the controversy without really realizing it.

Is she the best thoroughbred horse ever? Maybe not.
Is she the fastest horse this year? Maybe not.
Is she HOY 2010? Maybe not.
Should she have been HOY in 2009? Maybe not.

No matter what, she's Zenyatta! One very special, once in a life time horse. :jump:

[woodtoo]

Hey. Answer this. Did Cigar and Skip Away run in all female restricted races before the BC in 1996 and 1998?


I highly doubt it,but feel free to fill us in. :bang:

[foregoforever]

I probably could vote for Zenyatta if the award went to someone other than her connections. I just can't stomach rewarding them for such a BS campaign.

[keithw84]

I probably could vote for Zenyatta if the award went to someone other than her connections. I just can't stomach rewarding them for such a BS campaign.

But wouldn't you then just be speculating about what she could've done if she had different connections?

[Igeteven]

No matter what, she's Zenyatta! One very special, once in a life time horse

I never see another horse like that in person ever again. :ThmbUp:

[foregoforever]

But wouldn't you then just be speculating about what she could've done if she had different connections?

Perhaps. I do think she's the better horse. I think she was the best horse last year, even though I'd have voted for Rachel. And I really think she could have beaten Curlin at the end of the previous year, since he was a bit off form by then.

But I don't think HOTY necessarily goes to the best horse. Azeri wasn't the best horse in training when she won it. Secretariat wasn't the best when he won as a 2yo. Several other examples have been mentioned in this thread.

Divisional Eclipses should be awarded strictly based on the records. But HOTY crosses all of them, and I've never felt that it should automatically go to the best horse, or the Classic winner. If a sprinter ran the table and completely dominated his competition during the year, he should be as viable a candidate. If Kitten's Joy had won the BCTurf a few years ago, I'd have been screaming that he should have gotten it.

So my first criteria has been to look at which horse had the most impressive campaign within their division. That caused me no problems last year, because Rachel stood over her division by a wider margin than Zenyatta did. But having felt this way for a number of years, I feel a bit odd saying that Blame should naturally get it because he won the Classic, and he was the best older horse.

So I'm conflicted. I was at this time last year as well and found that my opinion came together once the hoopla died down. Maybe it will this year as well.

[BC_Sprint_Guy]

For those who forgot what they thought of Zenyatta in the past....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llf8gdfCRIE

[DeanT]

For those who forgot what they thought of Zenyatta in the past....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llf8gdfCRIE

Whomever did that is quite talented. Sprinkling in the quote "it is preposterous she is the 5-2 morning line favorite" was a hoot.

[Grits]

That's beautiful. What an extraordinary mare . . . . .

Thank you for posting.

[thaskalos]

For those who forgot what they thought of Zenyatta in the past....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llf8gdfCRIE
Very nice video...and a touching final shot!

[cpitt84]

Mosses may be more inclined to bring her back next year if she doesn't win the HOTY. Just maybe.

[FenceBored]

Mosses may be more inclined to bring her back next year if she doesn't win the HOTY. Just maybe.

<nudge nudge> See, you really don't want her to win then, do you? ;)

[FenceBored]

Here's a quick little thing I threw together. I'd appreciate mistakes being noted.

As of 11/9/2010 the summary of accomplisments looks like this.

Zenyatta 2010 Record
6 -5-1-0 (all grade 1s)

Defeated 23 unique opponents in her victories
Key races won: 0
3 next out winners (excluding subject)
2 next out stakes winners (0 Graded)

For the year those opponents combine for:
155-26-18-29 (17% winners, 47% ITM)

Stake win totals: 13 total, 5 graded
00 G1s
05 G2s
00 G3s
08 Ungraded stakes

===================================

Blame 2010 Record
5-4-1-0 (four Grade 1s {three wins} and one G2)

Defeated 28 unique opponents in his victories
Key races won: 2
6 next out winners (excluding subject)
5 next out stakes winners (2 Graded {both G1})

For the year those opponents combine for:
153-51-29-19 (33% winners, 65% ITM)

Stake win totals: 40 total, 30 graded
14 G1s
09 G2s
07 G3s
10 Ungraded stakes

[Igeteven]

poll closes tonight, Please vote

[cpitt84]

<nudge nudge> See, you really don't want her to win then, do you? ;)

haha, how'd you guess?

It works since I think Blame deserves it. Sigh. How great it would be for her to race next year and win BCC '11. :ThmbUp:

[cpitt84]

This poll was closer than I thought it would be! If its anything like the polling done for January, it will be a very close vote. Although, I think Blame will win by a small margin.

[cpitt84]

"When the radio interview was over, I told Ellis that I doubted that Zenyatta would be named Horse of the Year based upon many of the pre-Classic writings by some of the sport’s most well-known Turf writers.

He smiled.

“That’s the thing,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if she’s Horse of the Year or not. She’s THE horse of the last 40 years. Which one do you think people are going to remember?”

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2010/november/10/zenyatta-commentary-horse-of-the-year-debate.aspx

[jelly]

Here's a quick little thing I threw together. I'd appreciate mistakes being noted.

As of 11/9/2010 the summary of accomplisments looks like this.

Zenyatta 2010 Record
6 -5-1-0 (all grade 1s)

Defeated 23 unique opponents in her victories
Key races won: 0
3 next out winners (excluding subject)
2 next out stakes winners (0 Graded)

For the year those opponents combine for:
155-26-18-29 (17% winners, 47% ITM)

Stake win totals: 13 total, 5 graded
00 G1s
05 G2s
00 G3s
08 Ungraded stakes

===================================

Blame 2010 Record
5-4-1-0 (four Grade 1s {three wins} and one G2)

Defeated 28 unique opponents in his victories
Key races won: 2
6 next out winners (excluding subject)
5 next out stakes winners (2 Graded {both G1})

For the year those opponents combine for:
153-51-29-19 (33% winners, 65% ITM)

Stake win totals: 40 total, 30 graded
14 G1s
09 G2s
07 G3s
10 Ungraded stakes




Thanks for the Info.


It's not even close Blame easy.

[dogkatcher]

Zenyatta will not win Horse of the Year, as the East Coast bias
is just to great. They denigrated her record all along because
she raced on synthetic tracks, having only 2 wins at Oaklawn
Park on Real Dirt.

As for Mike Smith, he's tried to get her beat on a few occasions
and it's just Zenyatta's great heart that saved him from looking bad.
He was so lucky to be able to go from the inside to an outer path in
Saturdays BC Classic. That's the only thing that went right for her
that day.

I'm heartbroken, like many other millions of fans, and sat there in
disbelief as I watched what she had to overcome, and finally to see
her flying down the stretch like she has so many times before, with
my heart thinking maybe she could do it one more time. Alas was not
to be. We've seen greatness and we know who was best, Saturday, but like
Man O' War and Native Dancer she'll have that 19 - (1 ) on her
record.

Blame is a good horse as his record of 13 9-2-2 will show, but we
all know who was the Champion on Breeders Cup Day

So Long Zenyatta

Just to piss you East Coasters off, Rachel couldn't carry Zen's Tampax

[toussaud]

it's a open class bias. not a en east coast bias.

[PaceAdvantage]

Zenyatta will not win Horse of the Year, as the East Coast bias
is just to great. They denigrated her record all along because
she raced on synthetic tracks, having only 2 wins at Oaklawn
Park on Real Dirt.

As for Mike Smith, he's tried to get her beat on a few occasions
and it's just Zenyatta's great heart that saved him from looking bad.
He was so lucky to be able to go from the inside to an outer path in
Saturdays BC Classic. That's the only thing that went right for her
that day.

I'm heartbroken, like many other millions of fans, and sat there in
disbelief as I watched what she had to overcome, and finally to see
her flying down the stretch like she has so many times before, with
my heart thinking maybe she could do it one more time. Alas was not
to be. We've seen greatness and we know who was best, Saturday, but like
Man O' War and Native Dancer she'll have that 19 - (1 ) on her
record.

Blame is a good horse as his record of 13 9-2-2 will show, but we
all know who was the Champion on Breeders Cup Day

So Long Zenyatta

Just to piss you East Coasters off, Rachel couldn't carry Zen's TampaxRachel is yesterday's news...and she got her HOTY. It has nothing to do with East Coast bias. It has everything to do with coddling Zenyatta and running her against just God-awful company most of the year. Did you even look at FenceBored's post? There is no argument that can overcome those facts.

[Igeteven]

This poll was closer than I thought it would be! If its anything like the polling done for January, it will be a very close vote. Although, I think Blame will win by a small margin.

You maybe right, don't get me wrong, I love Big Z, however, the East Coast people tend to go east on whom they choose.

:(

[tucker6]

You maybe right, don't get me wrong, I love Big Z, however, the East Coast people tend to go east on whom they choose.

:(Who should they choose if the best horse is from Kentucky? The one in Cali?? You assume a bias. However, what if the best horse usually comes from the East? We call that reality.

[Bullet Plane]

You maybe right, don't get me wrong, I love Big Z, however, the East Coast people tend to go east on whom they choose.

:(
I think the California horseplayers have a bias towards Z, along with the casual fans of the game.

I am from the midwest. East of California is not the East Coast. It is the rest of the USA.

And I don't think the rest of the country is biased one way or the other. And the rest of the country does not think Z is horse of the year (in my opinion). We will see if the West Coast bias trumps everything this year.

[Tom]

Rest of the country?
You mean the rest of the country that tuned in the last hour of the BC coverage?

I think the ones who count have already voted. Hint - it wasn't Blame they tuned in to watch.

[RXB]

Here's a quick little thing I threw together. I'd appreciate mistakes being noted.

As of 11/9/2010 the summary of accomplisments looks like this.

Zenyatta 2010 Record
6 -5-1-0 (all grade 1s)

Defeated 23 unique opponents in her victories
Key races won: 0
3 next out winners (excluding subject)
2 next out stakes winners (0 Graded)

For the year those opponents combine for:
155-26-18-29 (17% winners, 47% ITM)

Stake win totals: 13 total, 5 graded
00 G1s
05 G2s
00 G3s
08 Ungraded stakes

===================================

Blame 2010 Record
5-4-1-0 (four Grade 1s {three wins} and one G2)

Defeated 28 unique opponents in his victories
Key races won: 2
6 next out winners (excluding subject)
5 next out stakes winners (2 Graded {both G1})

For the year those opponents combine for:
153-51-29-19 (33% winners, 65% ITM)

Stake win totals: 40 total, 30 graded
14 G1s
09 G2s
07 G3s
10 Ungraded stakes

I'd say that sums it up nicely. Especially with Horse B keeping his nose in front of Horse A in the big race.

[depalma113]

Zenyatta will not win Horse of the Year, as the East Coast bias
is just to great. They denigrated her record all along because
she raced on synthetic tracks, having only 2 wins at Oaklawn
Park on Real Dirt.

As for Mike Smith, he's tried to get her beat on a few occasions
and it's just Zenyatta's great heart that saved him from looking bad.
He was so lucky to be able to go from the inside to an outer path in
Saturdays BC Classic. That's the only thing that went right for her
that day.

I'm heartbroken, like many other millions of fans, and sat there in
disbelief as I watched what she had to overcome, and finally to see
her flying down the stretch like she has so many times before, with
my heart thinking maybe she could do it one more time. Alas was not
to be. We've seen greatness and we know who was best, Saturday, but like
Man O' War and Native Dancer she'll have that 19 - (1 ) on her
record.

Blame is a good horse as his record of 13 9-2-2 will show, but we
all know who was the Champion on Breeders Cup Day

So Long Zenyatta

Just to piss you East Coasters off, Rachel couldn't carry Zen's Tampax

The people in California proved on November 2nd they should not be allowed to vote.

[FenceBored]

Here's a quick little thing I threw together. I'd appreciate mistakes being noted.



Okay, I've found some data I missed. Doesn't change any of the stakes numbers, but I want to triple check everything now.

Did notice something else of interest though.

Horses who's only 2010 losses came in races where X won.

Zenyatta: this space intentionally blank.

Blame: Battle Plan, Haynesfield, Quality Road, Zenyatta.

[keithw84]

Okay, I've found some data I missed. Doesn't change any of the stakes numbers, but I want to triple check everything now.

Did notice something else of interest though.

Horses who's only 2010 losses came in races where X won.

Zenyatta: this space intentionally blank.

Blame: Battle Plan, Haynesfield, Quality Road, Zenyatta.

Very interesting... Again, it may not prove Blame is better, but it does suggest he proved a lot more on the track this year than she did.

[Igeteven]

hell yes-HOY

[Tom]

69.74% in BRIS poll think she should.

[thaskalos]

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED...November 15 issue (abbreviated).

"There are occasions in sport when the outcome is secondary to the moment, when the contest itself is more revealing than the result. At shortly before seven o'clock last Saturday night at Churchill Downs, a hard-knocking 4-year-old colt named Blame held on to win the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic by a short head over the previously unbeaten 6-year-old mare Zenyatta.

But the Classic of 2010 will be remembered for Zenyatta's gallant run. A slow starter who wins her races with dramatic finishing kicks, she ambled from the gate and hobbled down the homestretch as if injured. A quarter mile in, she trailed by 16 1/4 lengths. Clearly, in her first start at Churchill, she was struggling with the unfamiliar surface.

Slowly Zenyatta gathered momentum as she moved down the backstretch, literally figuring out the track as she went...With each stride she closed on Blame, who had enjoyed a perfect trip under jockey Garrett Gomez. The crowd roared, only to fall silent at the finish. When Gomez and Blame returned to the winners circle, they passed a riderless Zenyatta; Gomez twice saluted the mud-splattered mare.

Zenyatta only enhanced her legacy in her first defeat. After the race, debate began about which horse would be voted Horse of the Year. It will probably go to Blame, because he won their only meeting. Zenyatta will have to settle for Horse of a Generation."

[tucker6]

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED...November 15 issue (abbreviated).

Zenyatta only enhanced her legacy in her first defeat. After the race, debate began about which horse would be voted Horse of the Year. It will probably go to Blame, because he won their only meeting. Zenyatta will have to settle for Horse of a Generation."
Zenyatta is a fine mare, and an exciting competitor, but Fencebored's posts in this thread are hard to ignore. She's good, but hardly generational. She wasn't even the best female racing that weekend (I know, they compete at different distances and surfaces). I hope the koolaid keg runs out soon.

[Relwob Owner]

once again this award is not about who left an indelible mark, or who was most memorable, or who has the most adoring fans, or the biggest draw, or the most followers on facebook. If it were then Zenyatta wins going away. It is about on track accomplishments during the year and I don't see how anyone can conclude that Z's on track accomplishments this year exceed those of Blame.

Couldn't agree more.....it is just amazing to me how many people think that a horse that didn't win a non restricted race all year should get Horse of the Year.....