Quote:
Originally Posted by Cannon Shell
My question is does winning the TC make him an automatic HoY?
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Omaha was the only horse to win the Triple Crown and not be voted or awarded Horse of the Year.
However, Discovery (the horse voted Horse of the Year over Omaha) was incredible as a 4-year-old and had probably the greatest four month stretch in American horse racing history.
Discovery was 13-11-1-1 over the 4 month stretch and destroyed Omaha despite carrying 9lbs more.
In his two defeats...
* he was 2nd by 1.5 lengths to 4-year-old Top Row at 9.5fs but carried 29lbs more (139lbs VS 110lbs) -- Top Row was a 12-time stakes winning male who made over 200K in the 1930's and won top races like the Santa Anita Handicap.
It's an impossibility for any horse to give 29lbs away to an elite older 4-year-old colt going 9.5 furlongs.
* in his other defeat -- he was beaten a neck by Top Row in the Mass Cap. This time, Top Row only had a 22lbs weight break. Whopper nosed him out for 2nd and got a 30lbs weight break from Discovery. Whopper was an 11-time stakes winning male who was 2nd in the Met Mile.
In the Bloodhorse Top 100 horses of the 20th century -- Discovery was voted the #37 best horse. War Admiral was voted the #13 best horse. However, they both raced at around the same time --- and it was documented that serious handicappers would have laughed at anyone who considered War Admiral or Seabusicut to be better horses than Discovery.