HOTY: If Zenyatta wins the Classic...

[alysheba4]

Originally Posted by kgar311

If Zenyatta wins HOY im done with horse racing forever. One state, 4 walk over races that half were not impressive and a BCC without all the best horses in the country. RA 11 wins multiple states, multiple tracks, easily handled the females, easily handled 3yr old boys and beat the older boys. Not even close

.....uhhh o.k

[Chalky]

They are both great fillies, but Rachel did not even come close to doing what Zenyatta did today. Look at the common competition:

In the Preakness, Rachel beat Mine That Bird by a shrinking length....Zenyatta beat him by 10 lengths today according to the chart.

And in the Woodward, she beat, and barely beat, Macho Again, who although is a nice horse, is no where near the kind of colts that were in the field Zenyatta beat today. In the Travers, there was no Einstein, no Colonel, no Summer Bird, no Gio Ponti (a horse that had a stellar year), among others.

She has beat everyone that they brought to her, and beat one of the better Classic fields in years.

Although Rachel had an amazing year and can make a case for Horse of the Year, and may even win it, Zenyatta being the first female to win the Classic, in the dominant fashion she did, really was a performance for the ages and would get my vote.

Debates such as this are part of the fun and the intrigue of the sport. I just wish would could have seen them run against each other to settle it, but let's face it, this debate is the next best thing.

[Getaway]

Before today I felt that even if Zenyatta was to win the Classic, HOY should still go to RA, but after that performance I saw today by Zenyatta, it would be an absolute crime if she didn't win. She showed up on the biggest day and ran huge. I wrote her off on the turn and she came up with a way to win. HOY.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by Getaway

Before today I felt that even if Zenyatta was to win the Classic, HOY should still go to RA, but after that performance I saw today by Zenyatta, it would be an absolute crime if she didn't win. She showed up on the biggest day and ran huge. I wrote her off on the turn and she came up with a way to win. HOY.

Rachel Alexandra was the best choice for HOY prior to the running of The Classic, where incidentally most people in horseracing know when championships are decided, leaving room for extraordinary performances. I wouldn't say RA lost HOY today but rather Zenyatta earned it. What she did today was the most significant event of any race this decade.

[DaTruth]

Zenyatta's performance was awesome, but she beat a turf field today. Once you factor out MTB and Summer Bird from the equation, Zenya's opponents in the Classic had ZERO Grade 1 wins on dirt and TWO Grade 1 wins on artificial surfaces this year. What Zenyatta beat was basically the same type of field that would assemble if the BC had a 10 furlong turf race.

[eajinabi]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

Zenyatta's performance was awesome, but she beat a turf field today. Once you factor out MTB and Summer Bird from the equation, Zenya's opponents in the Classic had ZERO Grade 1 wins on dirt and TWO Grade 1 wins on artificial surfaces this year. What Zenyatta beat was basically the same type of field that would assemble if the BC had a 10 furlong turf race.

Who does Zenyatta have to beat to get her repsect? Macho Again??
She won fair and square and she did not toil or struggle in victory. She had more than enough in the tank after crossing the finish line. Please give credit where and when its due.

RA and their connections know where zenyatta is and if they like to settle it on the track then let it be.

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by eajinabi

Who does Zenyatta have to beat to get her repsect? Macho Again??
She won fair and square and she did not toil or struggle in victory. She had more than enough in the tank after crossing the finish line. Please give credit where and when its due.

RA and their connections know where zenyatta is and if they like to settle it on the track then let it be.

Leaving California would have been nice. But I suppose racing all of four times until today and beating up on the likes of Lethal Heat, Briecat and Anabaa's Creation was just too taxing.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

Leaving California would have been nice. But I suppose racing all of four times until today and beating up on the likes of Lethal Heat, Briecat and Anabaa's Creation was just too taxing.

If Zenyatta is only a nose better than Anabaas Creation, as was almost a punchline to a joke around here two months ago, how much would she have beaten Gio Ponti by? Just saying.

[copying]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

Leaving California would have been nice. But I suppose racing all of four times until today and beating up on the likes of Lethal Heat, Briecat and Anabaa's Creation was just too taxing.

You forgot to mention Life is Sweet in that list. Sherriffs should have had the Classic exacta instead of the Classic/Classic double.

The question shouldn't have been "should Zenyatta be in the Ladies Classic?"
The question should have been "should Sherriff's second-stringer, Life is Sweet be in the Classic?"

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by copying

You forgot to mention Life is Sweet in that list. Sherriffs should have had the Classic exacta instead of the Classic/Classic double.

The question shouldn't have been "should Zenyatta be in the Ladies Classic?"
The question should have been "should Sherriff's second-stringer, Life is Sweet be in the Classic?"

She probably would have finished second in the Classic ahead of all those turf horses.

[eajinabi]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

Leaving California would have been nice. But I suppose racing all of four times until today and beating up on the likes of Lethal Heat, Briecat and Anabaa's Creation was just too taxing.

I pose the same question to RA. Why is she staying in the east coast??
Fact is Zenyatta stepped up and ran and WON in the biggest race of the year and RA connections opted to stay put and now what was a sure HOY for RA is now totally up for grabs between them.

Zenyatta is a true 10-11 furlong horse and what you describe as near win against Lethal Heat, and Briecat etc is actually Zenyatta barely going full stride to win those races. If those F&M races she won this year were run at 10 furlongs then Zenyatta wins by 5 plus lengths.

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by eajinabi

I pose the same question to RA. Why is she staying in the east coast??
Fact is Zenyatta stepped up and ran and WON in the biggest race of the year and RA connections opted to stay put and now what was a sure HOY for RA is now totally up for grabs between them.

Zenyatta is a true 10-11 furlong horse and what you describe as near win against Lethal Heat, and Briecat etc is actually Zenyatta barely going full stride to win those races. If those F&M races she won this year were run at 10 furlongs then Zenyatta wins by 5 plus lengths.

RA did not stay on the East Coast. She dominated horses at Fair Grounds, Oaklawn Park, and Churchill Downs. While RA was racing in Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland, and New York, Zenyatta left the comfort of LA to travel 120 miles down the road to San Diego.

Of the 19 top Beyers this years for dirt races over a mile, RA owns 5 of them. You can't find Zenyatta on this list with a searchlight.

Zenyatta's late rally was impressive, but then again, most turf races end in such fashion. No wonder turfers Gio Ponti and Twice Over felt right at home.

[letswastemoney]

Originally Posted by eajinabi

I pose the same question to RA. Why is she staying in the east coast??
Fact is Zenyatta stepped up and ran and WON in the biggest race of the year and RA connections opted to stay put and now what was a sure HOY for RA is now totally up for grabs between them.

Zenyatta is a true 10-11 furlong horse and what you describe as near win against Lethal Heat, and Briecat etc is actually Zenyatta barely going full stride to win those races. If those F&M races she won this year were run at 10 furlongs then Zenyatta wins by 5 plus lengths.

RA is a dirt horse....

the synthetics would eat her speed and throw her to the back like Careless Jewel, D Funnybone, and other dirt horses who couldn't cut it on this surface.

It's not a fair comparison in my opinion. I once suggested there should be a separate dirt and synthetics eclipse award. I don't think people here agreed with me.

Dirt races have always been the standard before synthetics came along. It's only when there wasn't a clear cut dirt champion that a turf horse or female or 2 year old got HOY.

So why shouldn't dirt races take preference over synthetic races as well?

[Revidere]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

Leaving California would have been nice. But I suppose racing all of four times until today and beating up on the likes of Lethal Heat, Briecat and Anabaa's Creation was just too taxing.

Not as taxing as beating Bullsbay, D'tara, Flashing and Malibu Prayer

[NTamm1215]

Originally Posted by Revidere

Not as taxing as beating Bullsbay, D'tara, Flashing and Malibu Prayer

Winners of the Whitney (G1), Test (G1), and Chilukki (G2)? Doesn't really bolster your argument.

NT

[Stickhorse]

What a treat to see the Classic at Santa Anita today.

Seems like the crowd swelled with lots of late arrivals showing up to see the Classic and they were not disappointed. When Zenyatta started her stretch kick the crowd went nuts. That was the most electric race I have witnessed since seeing J O Tobin beat the then undefeated Seattle Slew at Hollywood Park back in 1977.

I go to the races about 4-5 a year and this is the fourth time I've seen Zenyatta. As I watched my TEVO'd recording of the race, this evening, I am even more amazed at Zenyatta's victory.

Horse of the Year?

That award would be terrific but rather anticlimatic to a perfect career and a stirring victory!