My sentiments exactly. I was waiting for him to say that she was blowing hard after he dismounted.

NT

I don't mean to be on the fence, but I think both deserved the award and have no problem with Rachel winning it.

However, if the Zenyatta camp is pissed, the best thing they can do this year is map out a campaign that will erase any doubts about her ability to ship and win races out of town facing better competiton than the same overmatched mares in California over and over again.

It would be ideal if at least one of the races this summer was against males in a handicap race.

Or she was retired

Well, that's a good point--but not his point.

In some ways this is beginning to remind me of 1990, when EVERYBODY was salivating over EG and SS coming back (of course they had a tremendous 4 race real rivalry from the year before, not just a battle on paper like now).

It was an enormous dud. EG didn't show up until May and was done by the 4th of July. SS ran twice in June and was done. They never met in 1990.

If the same happened here it would not surprise me.

you think? that horse could of been horse of the decade if they only ran her.....:zz: i think the "reality" has set in and they realize they have to travel....lets hope thats the case.

See what I don't understand, is that RA was annointed Champion before the Classic was even run. So why is it acceptable in horse racing to give the accolades before the season is over, but in all other sports, we wait until the playoffs. The Colts may have been the best team until Sunday's kickoff, but if the Jets beat them and win the Super Bowl, do we still crown the Colts Champions? The Colts rested there team the last two weeks, of the season. Nobody is giving them credit for maybe going 16-0. So why are we salivating over RA season, but when the Super Bowl(aka Classic) was run, we totally disregard the winner and blow it off, like it does not count. All I know, in the one field that Zenyatta beat that Saturday, there will be more horses standing at stud from that group, than the tomato cans that Rachael beat in all three times that see beat the males. In fact, just check out the field that Winning Colors beat in her Derby run, and she beat some pretty good horses that were eventually going to stud.

The idea that the BC is the "playoffs" is fallacious. That is why you are confused. You can win HOY without the BC--and that should apply double when the BC is stupid enough to run on plastic.

I just had a post about 1990. Do you remember was the 1990 HOY?

It wasn't Unbridled, who won the Derby and BCC.

It wasn't Go For Wand. Or Bayakoa, for that matter.

Get some perspective.

TOTALLY AGREE, they should vote before the BC. the results from the last two years are meaningless.

That's a very whispy recap of the '90 Easy Goer-Sunday Silence rivalry to say the least.

Outside of actually taking entries, the race was already setup. To be called the Arlington Challenge Cup, it was scheduled for August 4. The conditions stipulated that if both horses showed up, it would carry a $1 million purse. If one dropped out, it would fall to $600,000. If neither showed, $250,000.

Easy Goer retired July 18, no more than 2 weeks prior to the race. This also caused Criminal Type (who conquered both horses already on the year) to drop out, with Wayne Lukas calling an audible and sending him to the Whitney (he won) run on the same day as the Challenge Cup. Turf horse Steinlen was added to the probable field.

Despite EG's retirement, Sunday Silence still pointed to the race and was physically on the grounds at Arlington in early August. He was found to be injured and eventually retired the day of entries. Lukas dropped Steinlen out at this point, rerouting him to the Bernard Baruch.

Ultimately, warhorse Beau Genius won the race over CA-based Triteamtri, with Blue Grass winner Western Playboy 3rd. I think Clever Trevor was in the race as well.

I think you are going to the other extreme because of the last two stupid years. You have to consider the BC, but it is not an end-all, be-all. And you can discount it to the degree it is appropriate, which is what happened this year, at least in part.

I think people are really trying to over-complicate something that is not that complicated, at least to me.

It was meant to be "whispy". They were each to have 2 or 3 races before meeting up. They had their 2 or 3 races and were done. All the anticipation and all the plans meant nothing, ultimately. And what I said is that it would not surprise me to see that happen here. Would it surprise you?

I didn't hear it.

But - that's to be expected for an Asmussen returning from a layoff.

Curlin worked 1:06 flat for 5f in his first or second work back after winning the Dubai World Cup.

Tiz Wonderful worked 1:18 and change at the start of his comeback - and he was a very fast horse.

Had he finished the job in the Turf Cup instead of getting beat by a 100-1 shot and also won the BCC, then you would have a legitimate argument. Otherwise... no.

I hope you're wrong but it is a real possibility.
Didn't Criminal Type win the 1990 HOY?

Yes he did. I can't find it now but there used to be a video of a lot of his races that year. (when the Pimlico Special was a good race!)

The only reason the Sunday Silence-Easy Goer match up didn't take place was because of unfortunate injuries. Both horses were in good form at the time and their owners were willing participants.

If Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra don't get together (and really they should multiple times) I don't think it will have gotten as far along as SS-EG. Given the megalomaniacs involved, the horses' physical status might not even come into play.

I might be wrong, but didn't the NFL just announce that Peyton Manning won MVP and Charles Woodson won the Defensive Player of the Year award? Good thing the league waited until the season was over to dish out the hardware.

Every league has Season ending awards and playoff awards. The last time I checked, all stats in horse racing start on January 1 and end December 31. Just ask Garrett Gomez and Julian Leparoux. So by your analagy, the top seed in the AFC and NFC should be awarded the byes into the SuperBowl based on the season record. So if Manning gets hurt, we vote the Colts in as Super Bowl Champions because they were the best team during the regular season? Eventhough they might get beat in the playoffs? Someone once said to me, "That is why we play the games!"

'We play to WIN the games, its that simple'