:zz:

[Thunder Gulch]

After watching things settle to some norm after the early voting distortions, it would still be interesting to see how many votes were cast for each. One of the real problems as others have noted, is that it's a popularity contest. New fans without historical perspective or familiarity of all (or most) of the horses vote for a handful and move on (the Zenyatta fans also throw in a 3 for Rachel Alexandra and Blame). If all you know is Barbaro, Curlin, Zenyatta, and Secretariat, you're likely to selectively vote for just those and give them all 10's. If you go through the list and try to rate each, you end up placing much lower numbers on the likes of Barbaro, Curlin, Bernardini, AP Indy when you compare them to Count Fleet, Citation, Bid, Forego, Damascus, and Dr. Fager who were all time greats from another generation.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Thunder Gulch

(the Zenyatta fans also throw in a 3 for Rachel Alexandra and Blame).

Yeah - on a list that has heavily overrated female horses - Rachel Alexandra and Go For Wand are getting no love .. both truly all-time great 3yo fillies.

Here is Swaps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2poVTKZRq_k

Does anyone seriously believe Zenyatta ever gets within a football field of Swaps at 8.5 furlongs?

She has no chance in hell with him even at a 10 furlongs or beyond - but even in Zenyatta's two Breeders Cup Classsic races, she was being ridden along while still positioned behind dogs like Pleasant Prince after 8.5 furlongs. Horses like Anabaa's Creations and Rinterval - not even decent allowance females - forced her to photo finishes at 8.5fs in slower paced races.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by Thunder Gulch

After watching things settle to some norm after the early voting distortions, it would still be interesting to see how many votes were cast for each. One of the real problems as others have noted, is that it's a popularity contest. New fans without historical perspective or familiarity of all (or most) of the horses vote for a handful and move on (the Zenyatta fans also throw in a 3 for Rachel Alexandra and Blame). If all you know is Barbaro, Curlin, Zenyatta, and Secretariat, you're likely to selectively vote for just those and give them all 10's. If you go through the list and try to rate each, you end up placing much lower numbers on the likes of Barbaro, Curlin, Bernardini, AP Indy when you compare them to Count Fleet, Citation, Bid, Forego, Damascus, and Dr. Fager who were all time greats from another generation.

True but look (and these are just random things I was reading in the past half hour)...

1. Apparently horse racing disappeared...

http://www.cbssports.com/info/siteindex

2. Yeah I know the it's from the funny papers (oioops I mean the Los Angeles Times), but...

(Bowling did better???)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/spor...rris-poll.html

Numbers can be tweaked to say what you want them to, we all know it aint like it's as popular as football but this is why... these little indicators, these constant things...

The new fans are doing just as you say but it's their beginning and hopefully they'll see these names a few times and want to find out more... read up and see replays.

They

will

play.

If they're hoooked they will play in time so let's maybe gently nudge them into reality re the champions, etc., instead of being such azzholes about it (not you, just in general and I include myself. I have no patience if I'm at the track and the person in front of me is taking ******* forever so I need to work on that).