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Home / News / Only One Can Be Champ

Only One Can Be Champ

  • drf.com
  • I'm a fan
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  • November 10, 2009 4:52 AM
zenyatta rachel
It's all over but the debating.

Zenyatta's victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting has reignited the debate over the 2009 Horse of the Year between her and Rachel Alexandra, who had an equally brilliant year.

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Zenyatta  |  Summer Bird  |  Rachel Alexandra  |  Lookin At Lucky  |  Informed Decision  |  Goldikova  |  Gio Ponti  |  Conduit  |  Jess Jackson  |  Julien R. Leparoux  |  Jerome S. Moss  |  John A. Shirreffs

What the Nation is saying about Only One Can Be Champ...

This is an interesting debate, but I'm not sure why it is a close one. Rachel was exciting, but Zenyatta beat the best on Championship Day. End of Debate.
I take nothing away from Rachael Alexandra. She's a remarkable filly that's accomplished remarkable thing's that your average filly just doesn't get done against the boy's. But that said, this is how I break down the debate, and this is just my personal opinion, I speak for no one else but myself. While Rachael has looked amazing against males, Jesse Jackson is careful to pick races where only about 2 or 3 real tough contenders are in any one race she run's against males. Zenyatta dove right into the deep end of the pool. First time ever against males, first time ever at 1-1/4, defending her undefeated record, and against one of the most loaded with talent male field's assembled all year. She faced, she raced, and she won overcoming all of these obstacle's. I kind of feel like Rachael took the easy path at Saratoga this summer when she was working extremely well and had a choice to run against Summer Bird, Quality Road, Hold Me Back, and Kensei in the Travers and took the easier race in the Woodward facing very little other than Macho Again who is 20-6-6-0 lifetime, and Bullsbay. Or even moreover from a different point of view, if the Breeders Cup Classic would have been run back east on conventional dirt at Churchill Downs, Belmont, Monmouth, or Saratoga, take your pick, and you ask Jesse Jackson to race his filly against 8 Grade 1 winning, and most multiple Grade 1 winning males, plus Zenyatta would he have put her in the race doubtful. Even on dirt this field had more competition than Jackson is comfortable with in racing Rachael against males, imo. I think it would take her racing another 5 or 6 races to compete against every male that was in this race. Every one had R.A. already penciled in as HOY before the Classic because most of the people who cover horse racing gave Zenyatta little to no chance of winning the Classic. After the way she overcame the delay at the gate, broke on the wrong lead, and was last for a good bit of the race, then to explode in the stretch to go by Gio Ponti, which is not an easy task, not only did she win, she won impressively. IMO, if Zenyatta is denied HOY after her performance on Saturday, and Rachael as well was welcome to be in that starting gate, it will be absolutely CRIMINAL and will FOREVER be a DARK STAIN an the members of the thoroughbred racing industry who make the HOY decision. Remember, this is JMO. No one elses.
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