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Vox Populi finalists not so Popular

With all due respect to the fine race horses, Frankel, Wise Dan, Royal Delta, I’ll Have Another, and Shanghai Bobby, the good folks that decide on the finalists for the Secretariat “Vox Populi” Award have unceremoniously left off the two most popular horses in America.
 
Those two horses, of course being Paynter and Shackleford, bar none.
 
***Editor's Note - Due to the efforts of so many passionate fans, Paynter and Shackleford have been added to the list of finalists. I thank the Vox Populi committee for allowing the voice of the fan to be heard, and most of all, I thank the fans for their support and love of racing.***
 
It’s not only a swing and a miss, but to go 0-for-2, is frankly shocking. If they were looking to name five champions … they succeeded. If, however, they were attempting to reward the love and admiration of the fans of our sport … they failed miserably.
 
As someone who is out there with the fans at the track, and talking with them on Horse Racing Nation, Facebook, and Twitter on an hourly basis, I urge the folks who decided on this year’s finalists to consult me in the future. I will be more than happy to be the voice of the fans. This year’s decision did not speak for the fans, but rather only served to make the decision makers look out of touch.

 

What the Nation is saying about Vox Populi finalists not so Popular...

I agree, Buckpasser.
The problem with the committee choosing the nominees AND then having the fans vote on the choices is what lead to the problems. If this reward is to truly be a Vox Populii then the fans themselves need to do the nominating, not a committe of intermediaries no matter how well intentioned. If a fan can submit a name to the racing Hall of Fame and that nomination be taken seriously, then surely the fans should be able to directly nominate horses for a so called Vox Populii Award.
Paynter definitely deserved the award!
Thank you for standing up for all the fans, Brian. They definitely should have you on the committee next year.
I just heard the news on HRTV. Very happy for all of Team Paynter!
Very happy that the fans had their say ... Congratulations, Paynter!
c/rock, Little Mike has the smallest fan base of the BC winners on Saturday. I love him and my father does too, but he just was not loved like Paynter, Hansen, Union Rags, I'll Have Another and Shackleford.
I can't believe they didn't nominate Little Mike. Talk about an over-achiever from humble beginnings.
Also I have to say that I was disappointed as well as other Shackleford fans to not see him on the cover of Bloodhorse last week. Really, Stay Thirsty? What has he done this year besides the Cigar? To put Shack 2nd in that issue was wrong! He deserved the cover. I was waiting for it so i could frame it and then bam!
I just voted, this is a pretty cool award. I believe that in Europe fans have a vote in the year end awards, I am not sure that would work for the Eclipse Awards, but this award is a good counterpart to the Eclipse Awards.
In hindsight, what they should have done was ask for recommendations for nominees, then choose the 5 finalists. This way, it would be the "people" making the nominations, then the people voting. And, here's a biggie: don't allow anyone on the Vox Populi committee who doesn't have a Facebook page and a Twitter account!!! This silly dust-up would not have happened had the committee merely checked in to these "people" venues!!!
yukichan, I was just going to tell you that I e-mailed them re: restarting the vote. I guess others requested it as well....
WOW! Just got an email from secretariat.com letting me know that they have re-set the voting app and voting starts again!! Awesome!!
And it also seems you can write in your own candidate as well: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/04/3126106/nominees-announced-for-secretariat.html
Yes, "the people" were heard yesterday! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the secretariat.com e-mail in my inbox this A.M. They have truly listened and responded to the voice(s) of the people!
That is awesome! Except I tried to vote again, but since I already voted pre-Paynter/Shack, I cannot access. They should reopen for all!!!!!!!!
I have always held that if I were ever to go to a trial by my suppossed peers, I would want to question them myself. Same could be said here: emotional responses mean zip
Outstanding! The PEOPLE have been heard!!!!
Success! Paynter and Shackleford have been added to the Vox Populi list of finalists!
Why should there even be nominees? I think it would be better if people got to vote for whichever horse they wanted, without having to worry about whether or not their favorite horse is on the ballot. This entire problem could be avoided. The fact that those two are not on the ballot is in one word shameful.

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Meet Brian Zipse 

Brian has been a passionate fan of horse racing since birth. Taken to the races at a very young age, he has been lucky enough to see all the greats in person from Secretariat and Ruffian through Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. Before coming to the Nation, Brian displayed his love for the sport through the development of his horse racing website, which quickly became one of the most popular blogs in the game. 
  
As Managing Editor of Horse Racing Nation, Brian authors a daily column as Zipse at the Track, or ZATT for short, and adds his editorial flare to the overall content of the website. You can also find Brian regularly on the social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter.
  
A graduate of DePaul University, Brian lives in Suburban Chicago with his wife Candice and daughter Kendra, where he is a professional golf instructor when he is not following the horses.