I agree! I think Horse of the Year should go to the horse who accomplished the most over the entire season and that horse is clearly Rachel Alexandra. Zenyatta is a great, great mare and we won't know who is the better horse until they race, which is unlikely to happen. Her win in the Classic was sensational. But Rachel's body of work is stronger. Rachel won 8 races at seven different tracks in multiple states. Zenyatta won 5 races at three different tracks in one state. Rachel won 5 grade 1s, 2 grade 2s, and a non-graded stakes. Zenyatta won 4 grade 1s and 1 grade 2. Rachel set two stakes records and consistently ran near record time all year. Zenyatta owns no 2009 time records. Rachel beat males, both her age and older, three times. Zenyatta beat males once. It is true that the Classic win was more important and boasted a better field than any of Rachel's single wins, but one victory can't outweigh wins in the Preakness, Haskell, and Woodward. Zenyatta beat up on the same fillies and mares, many of whom were not even graded stakes winners, all year and then ran one spectacular race against the best of the best. Rachel ran against highly competitive fields repeatedly, turning in one spectacular performance after another. I know that Beyers are often misleading and speed figures tend to be a little lower on synthetics, but the lines on both horses tell a compelling tale. Rachel consistently ran in the 110 Beyer range, with a high of 116. Zenyatta ran in the low 100s, even below 100, but ran a high of 112 in the Classic. What one horse did all year, the other did once.
I don't want to denigrate Zenyatta at all. I love Zenyatta, who I was lucky enough to see in the flesh at Del Mar this year, and I really don't know who would win if the two faced off. But it seems to me that the only logical and just choice for Horse of the Year is Rachel Alexandra. I think that the fact that this is even a debate and that Zenyatta is now holding a good lead in polls on the Thoroughbred Times and BloodHorse websites is due to Rachel's being unfairly punished for having an unpopular owner and for not running in the Breeder's Cup. I hope voters put aside favoritism and look at this debate soberly.
