Zenyatta: Slayer of Scoundrels

[Port Conway Lane]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Ah no - the last five females to run 2nd to her are disgraceful slugs.

Name me one Apple Blossom winner in the last 20 years who's no better than Taptam. You can't.

Name me one Santa Margarita winner in the last 20 years who's no better than Dance to my Tune. You can't.

Name me one Lady's Secret winner you've seen who's no better than Lethal Heat. You can't.

Name me one Clement Hirsch winner you've seen who's no better than Anabaa's Creation. You can't.

Name me one Vanity Handicap winner you've see who's no better than Briecat. You can't.

Even if you ignore all the elements of competent handicapping you still can't rationally argue that even the winners of the worst editions of those races aren't better.

Ok I'll give you that.
My point is that there are the Twice A Prince's finishing second behind many great horses. How would the horse that finished behind Ghostzapper in the Met Mile have rated among the last 20 winners? Or Macho Again last year behind Rachel? Maybe they weren't the worst, I'm not sure. Even if they were what does that say about Ghostzapper or Rachel ?
Seems like a backward way of rating the quality of the winning horse, especially when the other runners in the fields are ignored in the equation.