The old "eastern elite" circuit, eh?

SS defeated Easy Goer on the track.

Affirmed defeated Alydar on the track.

Seabiscuit won his match race with War Admiral.

Zenyatta has never defeated Rachel Alexandra, proving your argument wrong.

I haven't done point by point comparisons of Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta this year. I believe I did see most of their races with varying degrees of interest each time.

I was at Churchill Downs the day Sunday Silence defeated Easy Goer. By happenstance I ended up in the same box as the trainer and family of Northern Wolf to watch the race. We "moved down" in the mid-40 degree and rainy Louisville chill that day. Northern Wolf's trainer insisted we stay as he came to the box with his family before the race. My money was elsewhere, but I do have to say it was super cool to see Northern Wolf in contention around the final turn that day. The trainer was a fine and gracious man and I remember often how he graciously insisted we stay as the Kentucky Derby post parade began.

I found a way to get to Belmont the day Easy Goer beat Sunday Silence. My memories of that race are clouded a bit undoubtedly because I was captivated by a girl who I met that Belmont morning who knew "the ropes" and horses and got me up close and personal with her in the paddock. She had a wonder fragrance and a strong calmness.....yet she was delicate. We had a great day, though the part at the end where she was teary eyed and whispered she was not so happily married was a bit of a downer. Losing my money on Sunday Silence that day was less of a downer. I moved on.

I have an autographed head on photo of Steve Cauthen crossing the finish line in front of Alydar in the Belmont on the wall to my left. Next to it is the NYRA finish photo of the Affirmed "by a neck" win from the side.

I've always revered War Admiral. Nice name. "Seabuiscuit" as a name seemed to lose a little luster when Mr.Ed referenced him when I was a kid.

OK, none of this meandering has any relevance. Other than noting that I've been a betting fan of thoroughbred racing for a pretty long time.

I've been an easterner. I watched Spectacular Bid win the Florida Derby live and in person. His winning photo with my exact view from the apron is up with the Affirmed group in this room.

I have no skin in the Horse of the Year Award.

With my snapshot observations of 2009 Rachel Alexandra, and my snapshot observations of Zenyatta and my history of loving the history of horse racing my vote goes to Zenyatta by a whisker.

Rachel Alexandra had an easy opportunity to show up in SoCal and she opted out. I respect the reasons of the connections and respect the concern for the well being of the horse.

I really do.

But Zenyatta came to compete, and she won.

lol
i wasn't thinking of woody allen, but of peter from family guy.

it's not as easy as saying rachel backers vs zenyattas. some of us happen to like both horses-i'm one of them. it's not a knock on one to say the other is the preference.
and even tho i voted for rachel in this poll, i think sunday was better than easy goer-and i loved easy goer. affirmed proved time and again to be better than alydar. you were doing well til you mentioned the biscuit vs war admiral. one match race isn't a good decider. pretty much whoever wins the break wins the race.

Who cares about which horses you saw etc etc.. Did you go for a roll in the hay with the hot chix?

Yes this has turned into a name drop thread for some or a I saw so and so in person so that's the horse of the year....Me, me, me.

congrats!

If this poll is indicative of the real voting, I would be willing to go with Co-HOY's this year.

Either way it would be a shame if one isn't.

No sharing of awards. This isn't Little League, too bad if people's feelings are hurt. One winner.:tro:

Maybe so, but this wasn't a normal year. I'm sure sharing the award would be the King Solomon's choice.

This ain't a baby.

Joe Drape needs one of those Law and Order shows 24 hour psych evaluations... He's lost it.

He has jumped the shark.

Just a quick observation of the video.

Jay Schrieber in his video describes Rachels work as a whole for the year. The different tracks, different accomplishments for THIS year in making his point for the HOY award.

Joe Drape in his agrument I feel makes the same mistake as most Zenyatta backers do. One of the first things he mentions is her 14 for 14 record, irrelevant to the discussion. Then he mentions how she looks, how her ears flop when she runs, irrelevant. Not once did he mention her accomplishments during the year that would warrant HOY, he sites the BCC and thats it. Then he compares her to champions of old, all of which ran before BC times. I think he does her no favors here by attempting to talk her up.

Message to Joe Drape, "just the facts man, just the facts" - Joe Friday

Could someone please explain Joe Drape's argument that the BCC field represented the "best in the world"?

Last I checked, Sea the Stars and Rachel weren't at Santa Anita. I credit Zenyatta's connections for taking the chance in the BCC, and she could only run against who showed up. But who showed up wasn't the best the world had to offer.

The best the world has to offer isn't that great these days, apparently.

Nice hairdo Joe Drape

This would mean something but many many east coast people think Alydar and Easy Goer were the better horse.

Easy Goer was an all-time great 2yo and 3yo. Sunday Silence was an all-time great 3yo.

If you want to talk about the 4 head-to-head meetings ... I think you can draw a line through the Ky Derby (SS won) and the Belmont (EG won)

The Derby was on a similar wet track at Churchill where EG ran WAY below his form as a 2yo. Sunday Silence won the Derby, but it graded out a very mediocre performance. I think its clear that both SS and EG hated the track that day .. EG just hated it a slight bit more. Giacomo and Mine That Bird might have been able to beat them both on that day.

I also give a pass to Sunday Silence for the lopsided Belmont defeat ... when you consider the quality of races Easy Goer ran at Belmont Park all through his career .. and the 12 furlong distance of the race ... SS really was up against it. Easy Goer ran a number on Ragozin that day equal to the Ragozin number Secretariat got for winning the Belmont.

It leaves the Breeders Cup Classic and Preakness Stakes. Two narrow wins for SS in very fast races. In both instances ... anyone watching the tape can see Easy Goer was more impressive in defeat both times. Sunday Silence had the better tactical speed and in both of those races ran more professional.. and that was really the difference in the outcome.

The only way you can argue that SS was the better horse of the two - is if you think the offical results of those 4 head-to-head meetings are all that count.

Just from watching films and looking at pps and charts - I can't imagine how anyone could conclude that Alydar was a better horse than Affirmed.

Pat Day himself admits that he cost Easy Goer the Preakness. He was tremendous in defeat.

NT

see, head to head means something but not everything, as Drugs so smartly pointed out.

Easy Goer was "America's Horse" SS was the villain and as much as everybody loved EG me included, SS Beat EG more times then not on the track. SS won the Derby, Preakness and BCC, he came cross country and proved his greatness something Zenyatta did not. SS was a super horse and he proved it on the track not on paper.

then how come sooooo many east coast people feel easy goer was the better horse?

He was a super horse in his own right, I think many people run alot of races on paper. EG prob would of beaten SS in the Travers and the JCCC, but who knows.

Pat didn't cost EG the Preakness. Dr. Harthill won the Preakness for Sunday Silence.

Come on you know, save us the suspense.;)

You're right I do know, it would of been amerrrrrrica's horse, EEEEEEEEEEEEasyyyy Goer, IN FRONT! - MC

No matter how many more "exciting spots," she would have trouble getting this award. If people want to ignore the horse that won the most money/biggest race, then they're gunna do it. Look how much trouble Gomez had before he finally got his Eclipse Award.

Well Armed earned more money than her and as far as Zenyatta winning the biggest race and that being the only criteria where do Pleasantly Perfect, Volponi and Raven's Pass' connections file their complaints for being snubbed?

NT

Rachel Alexandra won an American Classic when she broke from post 13 to win the Preakness. This was two weeks after she won the Kentucky Oaks by 20 lengths. She set a stakes record in winning the Mother Goose. It was a lightning fast track that day but she ran very well. She beat males again in the Grade 1 Haskell when she pressed a hat pace and dusted the probable 3 year old colt of the year. Her Woodward win against older males while running hard every step of the race was sensational.

Zenyatta is a great horse and is a sure thing 1st ballot Hall of Famer. However her acheivements this season fall short of what Rachel Alexandra's.
Zenyatta was great in winning the BC Classic but it was on her home track. She's a monster on synthetic race tracks. She might be just as good on dirt tracks. Unfortunately all we have is just the 08 Apple Blossom.
While her Classic victory was pretty good look at who ran second and third. It was two grass horses.

If I was a voter I would select Rachel Alexandra for HOF. Hopefully the voters have a few more weeks to move on and have time to consider the whole year and what each horse has accomplished.

It WAS the best the world DID offer against Zenyatta.

Perhaps everyone else was looking for a more high profile and richer race than the Breeders' Cup Classic?

Really? I've watched that Preakness many times, and I always come away marvelling at Sunday Silence's race. How "anyone watching the tape can see Easy Goer was more impressive in defeat" comes as a complete surprise to me. Sunday Silence has to steady as Easy Goer passes and squeezes him into Houston. He loses a length or more by steadying, but his incredible athleticism allows him to accelerate again to the outside and set up the historic stretch run. Yes, that put Easy Goer at a disadvantage on the rail, but IMO if Easy Goer was the better horse, Sunday Silence would have never caught up with him in the first place after the squeeze.

Let others decide for themselves:

The Preakness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tw09xHXUhI

or this one, for some commentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoY_U8NTC7E

Yeah, if Sunday Silence's apparent ability to make lightning fast adjustments and his 3 out of 4 wins don't count, you can argue that Easy Goer is the better horse. But I still wouldn't agree with you. And I certainly don't agree that Easy Goer ran the better Preakness.

--Dunbar

so, it's not that it was a particularly tough field, but because it was the bcc...

i thought the general consensus was that this wasn't a particularly good thing for racing, having so many treat much of the year as unnecessary, as long as you showed up for some sort of supposed 'championship'. hell, i think i'll name my house buckingham palace and see how many tourists show up.

Brilliant. So Easy Goer was more impressive in those races because he was less professional, had no tactical speed, and hated the mud more than Sunday Silence.

Whatever.

Easy Goer certainly appeared to have more stamina than Sunday Silence, but unfortunately outside of the Belmont and JCGC (at the time) most of the important races were 10f which was clearly within SS's range.

It's similar to Tiger Woods winning Player of the Year this year... he never won a major, and didn't even win the Tour Championship, but his season as a whole was best. The key word is "year."

I think its another indictment of racing that you have one of the all time greatest fillies, who was undefeated in two racing seasons, competing at the highest levels in her division, and in this years case out of her division, win twice on "racings championship days" but somehow she is not deserving of being considered the best horse racing in either year, to horses who lost or did not show up on the definitive day of racing where the best field is assembled.

Horse racing = college football? Just saying.

If we're going to quote Marshall Cassidy, it was "New York's EEEEasy Goer."