Who Is Horse Of The Year?

[brianwspencer]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

who did she lose to? Cmon, this is basic handicapping 101

Rail Trip, who is probably as talented a horse in the country

and Zenyatta, as Steve Crist says in his Sunday column "one of the great female horses of all time".

It would be one thing if she was losing to Zenyatta, and only Zenyatta. The fact remains that she was soundly beaten by Anabaa's Creation and Lethal Heat on the one occasion as well, and then beaten again by Lethal Heat the next time she faced Zenyatta.

It's a totally convenient, but not very logical, argument.

Zenyatta's greatness was not proven by her beating Anabaa's Creation, say her supporters, but by beating Life Is Sweet....who was beaten by Anabaa's Creation? Zenyatta's greatness was not proven by her beating Lethal Heat, but by beating Life Is Sweet.....who was beaten twice by Lethal Heat?

There's an argument to be made for Zenyatta, to be sure, but I'm having a really hard time thinking that her beating Life Is Sweet, when she was running 4th, is the best way to go about it, because that either means Life Is Sweet was not very good in those two tries (agreed), or the Ladies' Classic field was just THAT pathetic that a horse who couldn't even beat Anabaa's Creation and Lethal Heat could run off with it?