It Begins! The Media Campaign for Zenyatta as HOY is Just Getting Started

[FenceBored]

Originally Posted by Grits

Fence, did you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the story? The video is there at the bottom of the page.

I'm sorry, Grits. I misunderstood. I thought you were referring to embedding a video of Mr. Moss not being gracious at the Eclipse awards, not the video about Blame.

[netbet]

In my opinion....

A female who faces males in one race and loses does not deserve HOY.
Zenyatta is a great horse but she had 6 starts this year....she won 5 grade 1's but against lackluster fields. None of the horses she beat in the female division are even close to being considered for any awards.

Sure, she beat QR, LOL and others in the Classic....but she failed against one.
To me, Blame has to be HOY 2010.

[Grits]

From: Equidaily:

http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com...the-queen.html

A small girl with pink mittens and a pink beanie pulled down over her ears moved closer to the Amazonian mare, and still closer, for a photo op. Getting very close, the girl turned her back to Zenyatta, who bent down to introduce herself and nuzzle the beanie. A little boy wearing a "Dallas Cowboys" sweat shirt fed Zenyatta peppermints. Big as a pyramid but gentle as a lap dog, Zenyatta remained out there about two hours, interacting with the crowd, posing for photographs. Yes, she poses for photographs.

As has become common this week, some fans gathered along Longfield Avenue to watch Zenyatta. They just parked their cars along the side of the road and and then pressed themselves against the chain-link fence. Right there she was, big as a dream, a few feet away and very aware of everything.

"I think she should be Horse of the Year," Shirreffs said. "She's done so much for the sport."

And maybe she should be. But it won't matter, not really. Those children who have their Zenyatta photographs, and all those people who came here just to see her and who rolled out of bed this morning eager to express once again their love for her -- they won't care if she's Horse of the Year. Zenyatta has transcended such things.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-...48,full.column

The next few months will certainly bring retirement for Zenyatta. The legend may even grow, rather than diminish, despite the defeat.

Part of that depends on the politics of the sport, on whether the voting turf writers decide on Blame or Zenyatta as horse of the year in the annual Eclipse Awards.

It is hard to imagine that a vote could go any other way. Zenyatta hasn't just won lots of races and attracted lots of interest to a sport whose piece of the general fan pie is a sliver, she has created a buzz that made its way to mainstream America.

She is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, not merely a superb racehorse.

Shirreffs, a reasonable man not given to public anger nor hyperbole, has said that if something like that happened, he would consider it "a slap in the face."

But that battle apparently has just begun.

http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2...mode=fullstory

Now, make no mistake. Part of the reason Zenyatta lost contact with the field is she had never before faced a field of this quality, trailed the kind of pace common in major classic races, or done either on dirt. However, that was not the only reason.

As Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey said in the aftermath, "It just took (Zenyatta) a while to feel her way through this different racetrack." By the time the mare became accustomed to the footing, her talented rivals were too far gone.

The fact Zenyatta was able to overcome this inherent disadvantage is enough evidence for me she is the most talented horse in the land. If there is any blame for her loss, it doesn't go to her jockey, or Blame the racehorse, or her lack of early speed. The culprits were her connections, who sequestered the mare in the comfortable synthetic races of Southern California.

[Grits]

Originally Posted by FenceBored

I'm sorry, Grits. I misunderstood. I thought you were referring to embedding a video of Mr. Moss not being gracious at the Eclipse awards, not the video about Blame.

Fence, not to worry. The press conference is there at BH for all to see.

Too, there's plenty of opinion to go around, as is already being stated by the media. I just looked in at Equidaily.

Edit: for typos

[RXB]

RA got the nod over Z last year, and I think that was correct.

Blame will probably get the nod over Z this year, which would be the right thing in my view.

And when people vote for the greatest horses of the 21st century, Zenyatta will be ranked ahead of both of them, and that will be correct, too.

[FenceBored]

Originally Posted by Stillriledup

If this race ended in a dead heat, very few people would have voted for Blame as HOY even though he still 'won' the race. I don't think a nose difference in one horse race should make 200 voters to change their votes to the other side, the HOY is a compilation of what you've done all year and not what you do in one race. If that was the case, they would just call it the Breeders Cup Classic award and give the big trophy to the winner of the race no matter what happened the rest of the year.

Please stop. Really, please stop this now. Is she the only horse who'll ever miss out on an Eclipse award because of a head loss? No. Her competition this year has not been worthy of HOY without a win in the Classic, and she did not win the Classic.

Originally Posted by Stillriledup

Also, we CALL it horse of the YEAR award, but why should that be restricted to a specific 365 days? If you are going to have a horse of the year award, why not a horse of the Period award? Or, a horse of the 2 years award? Why one year? Who died and said one exact calendar year was the end all of end alls.

Fine, whatever, let's create a bunch of new awards she can win. But, we are talking about an award whose basic outlines are bounded by the calendar year. We all have to deal with that.

Originally Posted by Stillriledup

Last year, Rachel put up an all time spectacular campaign and beat Z by an eyelash. It took the accomplishments of Rachel to deny Z right at the wire in the voting. How can an average forgettable horse like Blame, who was a 'no show' in 20% of his races in 2010, beat Z in the voting?

Because she deserves to be beaten in the voting for running a pre-BC campaign that wasn't challenging and then coming up just short in her one challenging start?

Originally Posted by Stillriledup

Both Blame and Z lost one horse race this year. Blame lost a race by 4 or 5 lengths (with Haynesfield wrapped up, Haynes could have won by 10 if he needed to) and Z lost the BC Classic by a nose with a breathtaking, blistering finish.

Z's one loss was much more impressive than Blames one loss, wouldnt' you agree?

Who ... did ... she ... beat? All year, what 2010 G1 winner did she beat? Yeah, she beat more 2010 graded stakes winners pre-BC than she did 2009 GSW pre-BC last year, but no G1 winners. Once again, her connections put all their chips on one race, but this time she came up shy. Don't you think that should have consequences?

Leading up to the Breeders' Cup, Blame ran in the races he needed to in order to have the credentials to say he deserves HOY (Foster, Whitney, JCGC). Zenyatta ran in the races least likely to risk her win streak, bypassing the California races which would have cemented her HOY credentials (HGC, Pac Classic, Goodwood). What extraordinary thing did she accomplish to offset this flaw in her resume? Can't think of one, can you?

[netbet]

Very good responses FenceBored.

[PaceAdvantage]

Racing is such a dysfunctional industry, why in the world would they want to go against that reputation by making the correct and just decision in voting Blame Horse of the Year?

They'd rather do the incorrect and unjust thing just because it "feels right" and might garner them brownie points in the court of public opinion.

Integrity hasn't meant much to these folks in many a year (witness Life At Ten).

Why should they start now?

(I stupidly hold some faith that the more rational turf writers will see to it that Blame is recognized for his more worthy resume at year's end).

[cj]

Honestly, can we just give it to her so all these know little journalists and rose colored glasses fans will just shut up already?

[Greyfox]

"Which horse promoted more interest in racing this year and captured a nations attention?" has to be a part of the equation in determining HOY.

[bks]

Blame is HOY. If you're not fair about it, then it's about as meaningful as Michael Strahan's sack record.

[FenceBored]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

"Which horse promoted more interest in racing this year and captured a nations attention?" has to be a part of the equation in determining HOY.

Oh, so it'll be part of the People's Choice Awards now?

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

"Which horse promoted more interest in racing this year and captured a nations attention?" has to be a part of the equation in determining HOY.

Somebody call Big Brown. I'm sure you were rallying behind him and his connections a few years ago...correct?

See how asinine some of this thinking is when you start losing your objectivity?

[OntheRail]

Originally Posted by cj

Honestly, can we just give it to her so all these know little journalists and rose colored glasses fans will just shut up already?

Hell NO!!!

If they do that it will cheapen it... and do more harm to racing as owners do the easy campaign. At least SH swam Blame in the deep end of the pool. While Moss kept the water wings on the big girl in the kiddy pool. The first time that they tossed her into the deep water she got some water up her nose and choked.

She ran well and I have more respect for her in her loss then any of her wins this year... but that is not HOTY.

Let them whine on... and I also think Unrivaled Belle should be awarded the Female Eclipse.

[Greyfox]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Somebody call Big Brown. I'm sure you were rallying behind him and his connections a few years ago...correct?

Wrong. Not me.