A Sad Day For Racing

[VOL JACK]

What a joke.
The eclipse awards should be decided on the track, not on TVG.
Blame won the top two races in terms of field quality all year..(Whitney & the BC Classic)
Zenyatta spent all year racing against restricted company in Cali.
(except for her win at Oaklawn against restricted company.)
Everyone that voted for her should really re-think what this great sport is all about!!!

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by VOL JACK

What a joke.
The eclipse awards should be decided on the track, not on TVG.
Blame won the top two races in terms of field quality all year..(Whitney & the BC Classic)
Zenyatta spent all year racing against restricted company in Cali.
(except for her win at Oaklawn against restricted company.)
Everyone that voted for her should really re-think what this great sport is all about!!!

The Zenyatta PR machine was what won it. They received their talking points and hit the internet, ready to savage any writer who stated he or she was voting for Blame.

[my miss storm cat]

I think the award itself just changed... that people who vote will now feel comfortable voting for a career and not just for a year.

I know, I know, don't need a lecture about what it's supposed to be for but I do think it just kinda evolved before our eyes.

It's putting the sport first, in the eyes of the voters. My opinion anyway and I'm good with the outcome as I would have been with Blame winning.

A couple of you though... you surprise the hell out of me.

What a bunch of whiny little drama queens.

Brilliant post, Sightseek and yeah I agree with MaTH this is not sad no matter how you look at it.

This is the new reality... fan-friendly voting... and there's a reason.

The powers that be... I see it as their chance to continue the Zenyatta thing... to cash in on it for lack of better wording.

People who wouldn't normally give a crap might because they know her name.

I think that was the motivation anyway and it was a collective individual thing if that makes sense.

LIke "for the good of the sport" kinda mentality.

Of course I could have my head up my ass...

[Dahoss]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

Of course I could have my head up my ass...

Yep

[hockey2315]

How many Zenyatta voters do we think could beat the take-out over the course of a year?

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by hockey2315

How many Zenyatta voters do we think could beat the take-out over the course of a year?

Toss the person who voted for No Such Word over Blind Luck for 3yo filly into this as well.

[johnny pinwheel]

Originally Posted by hockey2315

How many Zenyatta voters do we think could beat the take-out over the course of a year?

thats a fact and thats why no one should really care....this award goes to building the sport (FANS). the people that fall for these horses are NOT really bettors or horseplayers...they are FANS. the voters do not vote for people that actually know and more importantly BET on this game. they voted for the story....ZENYATTA. anyone that bets all the time and follows racing knows its better to come in second in the jockey gold cup then to win a race they wanted to name after you. the horses in the two fields don't even compare. Blame by far ran a more ambitious campaign...we all know it....but mostly all of us will be betting again wednesday or before.....WE ARE NOT THE PEOPLE RACING NEEDS....THEY GOT US....its not SAD to try and get interest in this dying game....that award means squat to me i'm trying to win bets. hey, the guy before me said the same thing 3 minutes ago.....lol

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by Dahoss

Yep

I almost posted that you were exempt from my drama queen line but I figured you'd know that you were.

Really, I was talking about the original post.

Sorry but a sad day for racing struck me as a bit over the top, Hossy.

I did not mean any disrespect to you.

Okay gotta go try to rescus my head...

[Dahoss]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

I almost posted that you were exempt from my drama queen line but I figured you'd know that you were.

Really, I was talking about the original post.

Sorry but a sad day for racing struck me as a bit over the top, Hossy.

I did not mean any disrespect to you.

Okay gotta go try to rescus my head...

It probably is a bit over the top. But I just don't see how this result was a good thing. If it happened in another sport it would be laughed at, as it should be.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by Dahoss

It probably is a bit over the top. But I just don't see how this result was a good thing. If it happened in another sport it would be laughed at, as it should be.

It's not that I think it's a good thing or a bad thing (I hate that damned phrase it is what it is, but...) more like the voters might have rationalized it that it would be good for the sport.

Is it?

I have no idea.

I wouldn't think so but then it could be argued name regognition is at least a step in the right direction (bringing in new revenue / fans / more attention).

The spitefulness, the hostility some people display toward a champion.... that is what I'll never understand.

[Dahoss]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

The spitefulness, the hostility some people display toward a champion.... that is what I'll never understand.

No one is hostile towards her. I'm not sure why this seems to get brought up over and over. No one hates or even dislikes her.

People wanted to see her campaigned more aggressively this year. If that's spiteful or hostile...so be it. They thought more highly of her than her fans and even connections. People are (understandably) confused about how the entire thing went down. IMO we took two steps back as a sport.