HOTY: If Zenyatta wins the Classic...

[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?

[eajinabi]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

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?

As they say: Great horses do not need to take thier track with them.

Careless Jewel already won on synthetics before but lost because of the knucklehead jockey who thought he was on Secratariat and went :23 :45 and 1:09. D'funnybone had no published workout nor raced on synthetics I agree but he also never raced two turns nor does his pedigree scream out route. Maybe that had something to do with his demise.

[Buckpasser]

What we have is two sets of rules ala Major League Baseball. One league has the DH the other does not. They both play with a different set of rules. It's frustrating for a baseball fan and a horse player who has to see and deal with different track surfaces. Whoever is HOY is beside the point, for the good of the game (baseball too) let's have one set of rules and surfaces. The BC has brought the synthetics debate front and center - it can only hurt the horse racing industry.

[slotdirt]

I'm sorry, but I can't see awarding a horse who ran a Kip Deville-like schedule and never once left her home state to run with Horse of the Year honors. Summer Bird is still more deserving than she, even after his performance yesterday.

[Thoroughbred Fan]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

I'm sorry, but I can't see awarding a horse who ran a Kip Deville-like schedule and never once left her home state to run with Horse of the Year honors. Summer Bird is still more deserving than she, even after his performance yesterday.

This.

[pba1817]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

I'm sorry, but I can't see awarding a horse who ran a Kip Deville-like schedule and never once left her home state to run with Horse of the Year honors. Summer Bird is still more deserving than she, even after his performance yesterday.

Are you on meth..?

[slotdirt]

Originally Posted by pba1817

Are you on meth..?

Yes, because I think a Belmont-Travers-Jockey Club Gold Cup winner is more worthy of a horse of the year honor than a *insert four cruddy SoCal restricted race*-Breeders Cup Classic winner, I am clearly hanging out with Greta Kuntzweiler. Excellent observation.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Yes, because I think a Belmont-Travers-Jockey Club Gold Cup winner is more worthy of a horse of the year honor than a *insert four cruddy SoCal restricted race*-Breeders Cup Classic winner, I am clearly hanging out with Greta Kuntzweiler. Excellent observation.

summer bird has no shot to take hoy. it's definitely between rachel and zenyatta. once the excitement of zenyatta performance wanes a bit, i think you'll see the tilt back towards rachel for what she's done all year.