Year of the Fillies
by: Elizabeth Rancani
And the award goes to…..
A month ago, I would have said Rachel Alexandra deserves Horse of the Year no matter what happens in the Classic. Now I may just have to eat those words.
I just read Bill Finley’s take on the situation, and he is firmly for Rachel Alexandra. If one views the numbers, Rachel clearly does have the advantage. She has won eight this year, five grade ones to Zenyatta’s five wins, four grade ones. Rachel defeated males three times, and Zenyatta only once. I have been one of Rachel and Jess Jackson’s biggest supporters, often hailing the Moss/Shireff camp as wimps, afraid of the big filly, taking the easy road with their undefeated champ, simply to let Zenyatta stay undefeated. And what really did undefeated mean, if she was beating the same horses over and over?
Saturday changed all that. Zenyatta was denied Horse of the Year last year even with a perfect record. This year for her to be denied again, with a perfect record still would be a travesty. No, one race does not a champion make, but one has to look at the quality of the competition and think realistically what horse would win if they were to face each other? Who is the better racehorse? What an enviable spot for thoroughbred racing that both its stars are so talented that a strong case can be made for either one.
Rachel has defeated males three times, but only once did she face older horses. And Zenyatta made light work of the three year olds in the Classic. Mine That Bird almost caught Rachel in the Preakness. He was nowhere to be found in the Classic. Rachel defeated the winners of the Stephen Foster, Travers, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Kentucky Derby, Belmont, Acorn and Test. Zenyatta, on the other hand defeated winners of two Travers, Kentucky Derby, Belmont, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Man o’ War, Arlington Million, Group I Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and the Ladies Classic winner three times, as well as the probable turf champ. Life is Sweet made Zenyatta look very, very good in defeating Careless Jewel, Cocoa Beach and Music Note (winners of the Alabama and Beldame).
Summer Bird could do no better than fourth in the Classic contest, suggesting that Rachel may have had her hooves full with Twice Over and Gio Ponti as well. Zenyatta also didn’t really seem to be in overdrive. She finished the race well within herself, answered the classic distance question, taking down the top males in the process. The older ‘top’ males Rachel faced consist of Macho Again and Bullsbay, hardly first tier males. Does anyone really believe Macho Again would have fared any better in the Classic against Zenyatta? And to date he is the best older male Rachel defeated this year. He finished a close second to her, and at a mile and quarter may have caught her. He would not have caught Zenyatta. It is not a stretch to say he probably would not have caught Gio Ponti, Twice Over, Summer Bird or Colonel John. So maybe his best performance in the Woodward put him in second, but put him in the Classic and he runs maybe fifth or sixth. And Bullsbay finished third to Rachel but finished far back in the Dirt Mile. His finish hardly flattered Rachel. Which filly now faced softer competition this year?
Rachel easily disposed of every filly she faced this year, winning by daylight. It is interesting to count how many times she was hit with the whip in the stretch against the boys though. Then count how many times Mike Smith hit Zenyatta. Look at Rachel Alexandra’s sweat soaked body after the Preakness, and look at Zenyatta, ears pricked, prancing and pawing the ground after the Classic. Zenyatta looked as though she were saying, ‘let’s do it again, I had a good time.” As silly as that sounds, to decide Horse of the Year between two top fillies that never faced each other, that all matters. Who is really the best racehorse in North America this year? Not just who won more races, but who would win against the other?
It is hard to make a case for Zenyatta without bashing Rachel Alexandra, and that is the last thing this turf writer wants to do. Rachel Alexandra is a deserving champion in her own right, and if she wins Horse of the Year, it will be no sad day for horse racing. Rachel’s campaign was ambitious, breathtaking, and record setting. She raced into the history books, and will forever be included with the very best fillies and mares of all time. She was nothing short of fabulous. But she didn’t defeat Zenyatta. No one did. No one ever has- not the very best fillies and mares, not the very best males and not even the world’s best. Mike Smith said unequivocally that Zenyatta is the horse of the year, the horse of the decade. He just may be right.
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