Who Is Horse Of The Year?

[kgar311]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...tml?ref=sports

Just a quick observation of the video.

Jay Schrieber in his video describes Rachels work as a whole for the year. The different tracks, different accomplishments for THIS year in making his point for the HOY award.

Joe Drape in his agrument I feel makes the same mistake as most Zenyatta backers do. One of the first things he mentions is her 14 for 14 record, irrelevant to the discussion. Then he mentions how she looks, how her ears flop when she runs, irrelevant. Not once did he mention her accomplishments during the year that would warrant HOY, he sites the BCC and thats it. Then he compares her to champions of old, all of which ran before BC times. I think he does her no favors here by attempting to talk her up.

Message to Joe Drape, "just the facts man, just the facts" - Joe Friday

[johnjaydog95]

Could someone please explain Joe Drape's argument that the BCC field represented the "best in the world"?

Last I checked, Sea the Stars and Rachel weren't at Santa Anita. I credit Zenyatta's connections for taking the chance in the BCC, and she could only run against who showed up. But who showed up wasn't the best the world had to offer.

[slotdirt]

The best the world has to offer isn't that great these days, apparently.

[westcoastinvader]

Originally Posted by johnjaydog95

Could someone please explain Joe Drape's argument that the BCC field represented the "best in the world"?

Last I checked, Sea the Stars and Rachel weren't at Santa Anita. I credit Zenyatta's connections for taking the chance in the BCC, and she could only run against who showed up. But who showed up wasn't the best the world had to offer.

It WAS the best the world DID offer against Zenyatta.

Perhaps everyone else was looking for a more high profile and richer race than the Breeders' Cup Classic?

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by westcoastinvader

It WAS the best the world DID offer against Zenyatta.

Perhaps everyone else was looking for a more high profile and richer race than the Breeders' Cup Classic?

so, it's not that it was a particularly tough field, but because it was the bcc...

i thought the general consensus was that this wasn't a particularly good thing for racing, having so many treat much of the year as unnecessary, as long as you showed up for some sort of supposed 'championship'. hell, i think i'll name my house buckingham palace and see how many tourists show up.

[Travis Stone]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i thought the general consensus was that this wasn't a particularly good thing for racing, having so many treat much of the year as unnecessary, as long as you showed up for some sort of supposed 'championship'. hell, i think i'll name my house buckingham palace and see how many tourists show up.

It's similar to Tiger Woods winning Player of the Year this year... he never won a major, and didn't even win the Tour Championship, but his season as a whole was best. The key word is "year."

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by Travis Stone

It's similar to Tiger Woods winning Player of the Year this year... he never won a major, and didn't even win the Tour Championship, but his season as a whole was best. The key word is "year."

I think its another indictment of racing that you have one of the all time greatest fillies, who was undefeated in two racing seasons, competing at the highest levels in her division, and in this years case out of her division, win twice on "racings championship days" but somehow she is not deserving of being considered the best horse racing in either year, to horses who lost or did not show up on the definitive day of racing where the best field is assembled.

Horse racing = college football? Just saying.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

I think its another indictment of racing that you have one of the all time greatest fillies, who was undefeated in two racing seasons, competing at the highest levels in her division, and in this years case out of her division, win twice on "racings championship days" but somehow she is not deserving of being considered the best horse racing in either year, to horses who lost or did not show up on the definitive day of racing where the best field is assembled.

Horse racing = college football? Just saying.

what zenyatta did last year is immaterial. as for competing 'at the highest levels of her division'....i think that's pushing it.