11/11 ATR: The Great HOTY Debate

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by citycat

I do not think there is a definition of HOY just as there is not a definition of MVP. Both horses are great choices of HOY and the choice does not have to be logical. There is subjectivity involved in which horse will win HOY and people will say that Zenyatta's "moment" was more powerful than RA and that is OK.

There is a definition of Horse of the Year. It's the horse that accomplished the most over the course of their season. There may be tangential influences, but the race record compiled and gravity thereof remains the overwhelming criteria. There is no possible interpretation of their comparative seasons that places Zenyatta even at a level of equality with Rachel Alexandra in 2009.