2009 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)

ThePixiePoet, I guarantee you that all that lengthy list you laid out as to why Rachel Alexandra should be HOY was done in thinking that Rachel Alexandra would never race Zenyatta in her career. Personally, IMO, to the rest of the racing world, the U.S. must look like a bunch of idiots. Having a race-mare that's 14 for 14 to this point in her career, a 2-time Breeders Cup champion in two different divisions, and the only female thoroughbred to have ever, and probably that will ever, win the Breeders Cup Classic since the inception of the race in 1984. That, and she's still never been recognized as HOY. Truly pathetic on the part of the eclipse award voters. That said, now that Jerry Moss has decided to race Zenyatta as a 6yr.old, we'll find out if Rachel Alexandra should have been voted HOY in 09' or not. Obviously, Zenyatta should be retired, but I think Jerry and Ann Moss want to know as much as racing fans do who is the better filly/mare of the two. I'd be willing to bet, and I'm going to, that in the 2010 Apple Blossom, that Rachel will bolt out of the starting gate, setting blistering fractions, and hope that her accumulated lead will hold up in the stretch. But, IMO, that will be her undoing. About mid-stretch, she'll fade slightly, having ran those 22 second quarters, only for Calvin Borel to look over his shoulder and see that "here I come like a runaway locomotive" closing kick of Zenyatta's coming at them. But by then, it will be to late for Calvin to stop Zenyatta from surging into the lead and crossing the wire to victory. When Macho Again made that big move in the Woodward, Calvin was, as the announcer said, "imploring" his filly for more. Well, Zenyatta isn't Macho Again. She is, however, the best deep closer in racing, male or female, bar none. So Calvin can "implore" for more all he want's. It won't stop the behemoth mare from going right on by his filly. TMO.

10 Reasons why Rachel should be Horse of the Year (by Brian Zipse)

1) Geography - In many years, where a horse raced does not matter, but when there is such an interesting race as this, it needs to be taken into consideration. We are after all, looking for our National Champion. Zenyatta raced all of her races in the friendly confines of Southern California, meanwhile, Rachel Alexandra raced in six different states and at seven different tracks during 2009.
Advantage : Rachel Alexandra

2) Beyer Ratings - Like them or not, they are the best tool in American racing to place a quantitative standard as to how well a horse performed in a certain race. Zenyatta’s Beyers from this year are 103, 104, 99, 97, and 112. Rachel Alexandra’s Beyers are 100, 103, 101, 108, 108, 111, 116, and 109. Her average Beyer rating in the last five races (all Grade 1’s) is 110.4, which is higher than every Beyer rating than Zenyatta has ever run until her last race.
Advantage : Rachel Alexandra

3) Grade 1’s - A sheer numbers comparison: Zenyatta won four Grade 1 races in 2009, while Rachel Alexandra won five Grade 1 races this year.
Advantage : Rachel Alexandra

4) Overcoming Adversity - While many races tactically set up well for the two heroines, there were three races that notably did not. Rachel Alexandra overcame a 13 post and a speed dual (something never done in my lifetime) to win an American classic, the Preakness, by one length. She overcame a rabbit, and a fresh wave of challengers every step of the way to beat older males and win the Woodward by a head over Macho Again. In the Clement Hirsch Stakes, Zenyatta was too far behind a dawdling early pace and still managed to get up and win by a head. Her head victory was over a horse named Anabaa’s Creation.
Advantage : Rachel Alexandra

5) Total Races - Both horses were undefeated and raced exclusively in stakes races, so I will side with the horse that ran eight times compared to the horse who only ran five times.
Advantage : Rachel Alexandra

6) Versatility - Rachel Alexandra raced on seven different dirt surfaces (every track is a little different) and raced equally well on both dry and wet surfaces throughout the year. Zenyatta only raced on fast Pro-Ride surfaces and was scratched out of the Louisville Distaff due to an earlier rain. By race time the track was listed as good.
Advantage : Rachel Alexandra

7) Margins of Victory - Rachel Alexandra’s average margin of victory in her eight races this year, all stakes wins, was more than 8 lengths, including a 6 length win over our soon to be champion 3-year-old colt, Summer Bird. In many of these victories, she was being eased up before the wire. Zenyatta’s average margin of victory in her five races, all stakes wins, was just over 1 ¼ lengths.
Advantage : Rachel Alexandra

8) Horses Beaten - While it is true that both fantastic horses have beaten many top horses, especially in the BC Classic, Preakness, Haskell, and Woodward, one has beaten far more stakes winners, graded stakes winners and Grade 1 winners than the other one this year.
Advantage : Rachel Alexandra

9) Aggressiveness of Campaign - Zenyatta gained leaps and bounds when she became the first female ever to win the BC Classic in 26 runnings, but combined with her four relatively easy races prior, she falls short of the campaign waged by Rachel Alexandra, who ran against the boys on three different occasions. She became the first female ever to win the Woodward, the first female winner in 85 years of the Preakness, and only the second filly ever to win the Haskell.
Advantage : Rachel Alexandra

10) Quality Victories - Zenyatta has the biggest win of all, the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but that one race does not trump all the prestigious victories that Rachel Alexandra racked up this year. The Kentucky Oaks, Preakness, Haskell, and Woodward are four of the most important races on the U.S. racing schedule. In elite races on the American landscape the sco

Tip of the hat to Helen Pitts on always placing Einstein where he can win. I am sure she had no choice but to run Einstein in the Classic though on paper he was clearly over matched. Very good horse but definitely over rated and no chance here today.

The 14 post is really rough going 1 1/8 miles at CD... we will really see what he's made of. What an awesome horse.

Had a really tough trip in the Classic which set up for the closers. He was a pressing fourth early, and of the 1-2-3-4-5 early runners, four of them finished 8-10-11-12. Only Colonel John, who was hugging the rail in third early... managed to hang in there to finish 5th.

Zenyatta figured on her figures alone to be highly competitive in this years Classic. Using BRIS, she projected to run about a 105. Gio Ponti was projected to run a 106 while Colonel John was projected to run a 105. Assume that Rip Van Winkle wasn't right, so Zenyatta beating this generally weak field was no big stretch at all. There is no question that if you run Zenyatta on dirt against a pace controlled by Rachel Alexandra, Rachel dominates. Force Rachel to run hot early fraction and then Zenyatta gives Rachel all she can handle.

Couldn't agree more.... what a great, gutsy competitor. Einstein was the wise-guy play for many players on BC day... disappointing and strange he didn't run better... but essentially, the pace was too hot and everything came from behind in that race.

Zenyatta's win was simply awesome and one of the greatest, if not the greatest moment in BC history.

Zenyatta deserves to be horse of the year. She raced in the top of her division all year, and then beat the best horses in the world in the year's championship race, when all of the best horses of 2009 were assembled. Pure quality and racing againt the best on championship day trumps style points, which Rachel was full of. Winning a thrilling Preakness by holding off Mine that Bird (9th in the Classic), beating Summer Bird (4th in the Classic) and an exciting Woodward over Macho Again and others (you get extra credit if you can name more than 2 horses Rachel beat in the Woodward) was fabulous for a 3yo filly.

But does anyone really believe Rachel would have hit the board in the Classic whether on poly, dirt or at 1 1/8 miles?

Give Rachel and her connections credit for what they deserve - a thrilling, classy campaign and racing outside of their category. But by not showing up on BC day (in any race) they left the door open just a crack. For Zenyatta's connections, by not traveling outside CA they either were happy with what they had or decided not to take the risk of blemishing her record. Their only chance for Horse of the Year was to show up in the Classic and win it. And she did.

Awesome, simply awesome! One of the great moments in Breeders' Cup, no make that, in horse racing, no make that, in sports history!

Even if Rachael Alexandra fan's deny that they've seen a very special horse win the Classic today then they're kidding themselves. These were the very best 3yr.old and older males in the world that Zenyatta beat today. This was a much, much tougher field than any that R.A. has faced yet, taking nothing away from her accomplishment's either. Given the fact that it was Zenyatta's first time against the male's, and all of the very best of them, and the first time ever going a 1-1/4, that can't be ignored. If you take the very best horse's from the 3 male field's that Rachael Alexandra has beaten, put them all together, this field is 10 fold tougher than the best of all 3 of her's. Given that Zenyatta went against all the best first time out, and ran further than she's ever ran to have to beat them, and is still undefeated, she absolutely deserves HOY. At the very least co-HOY.