Rachel Alexandra Horse of The Year!

I guess the big battle between the Zeyatta fans and the Rachel Alexandra fans will rage on till the Eclipse for Horse of The Year is given out. And it seems that everyone is weighing in, giving their viewpoint so why should we be any different?

Let me start by saying that if there ever was a year to give out 2 awards, to call it a draw, I would say this would be the year. They both went undefeated, so how can or why should one of them lose an award?

Both horses had truly great years. In fact we may never see another female Thoroughbred put together as remarkable a campaign as each of these 2 great gals has done. Honestly I wouldn't expect to to see another Filly or Mare such as Zenyatta or Rachel Alexandra in my lifetime.

Trying to choose one over the other is very tough because they are both great battlers. They fight until the finish. They each run with such heart and fire that seemingly it looks impossible to beat them.

In trying to choose who will be horse of the year you have to first start with and consider the most basic facts such as: During each campaign who beat tougher competition? Who had more success at different distances? Who had more success on different surfaces? Who won more Graded Stakes during their campaign?

And the answer to these questions comes to be Rachel Alexandra. She simply turned in a better campaign no matter how you look at it.

The thorn in Rachel's side is that she sat out the Breeders' Cup. But why should that 1 race count for so much more than just 1 race? Rachel did so much more during her campaign as compared to Zenyatta's campaign. So why should the Breeders' Cup victory erase all that Rachel did?

I know it's a huge race and I am a big fan of the Breeders' Cup Championships but I don't believe that one race equates to more than the total of what Rachel Alexandra created during her campaign. Not this time anyway. Not in this situation.