Friday, December 11, 2009
Zenyatta’s Classic an NTRA Moment of the Year Cinch
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, December 10, 2009--Let’s dispense with the drama right now. So, what was the NTRA 2009 Moment of the Year as voted on by the fans? What else could it possibly be?
Zenyatta remains undefeated and becomes the first female to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
How do I know I’m right? Because the event probably was the moment of the year. And you can always depend on the public, led by the “Zenyatta Zealots,” to carry the day. How do I know this? Because, apparently, what happens last happens best.
And how do I know that? Just take a look at the HorseRaceInsider Horse of the Year poll on this same page. Go ahead, click on it. You won’t believe the margin.
http://www.horseraceinsider.com/Horse-Racing/rachel-alexandra-vs-zenyatta-horse-of-the-year-voting-poll
Hear this: I have no problem if Zenyatta were to be voted Horse of the Year 2009.
But her margin of would-be victory according to the HRI poll--61% to 27% as this is written--is laughable, having no basis in objectivity. Who, in their heart of hearts, doesn’t truly believe that the current margin and future result will be a lot closer than this indicator suggests?
(And to the ZZ on-toppers, please, no more hate mail. I’ve been beaten up enough on this subject. Yes, by now I have removed all doubt about what an idiot I am. But, no, I never did drink that steaming hot cup of STFU).
Speaking truth to power, and the powerless, no matter how warped my judgment might be, is my job. And no one’s ever accused me of having a poor work ethic. Ever.
Paraphrasing the late, not-so-great, Joey Zasa, “I don’t guarantee that I have a great work ethic but I guarantee I’ll kill anyone who says that I don‘t.”
As years go, 2009 was a hell of a year between the fences, and the NTRA has compiled some very worthy moments, indeed. Here they are, my reaction in italics below:
Well Armed blows away the field in the Dubai World Cup:
Hey, the Sheikh’s had a tough year, so this would be a nice gesture. But c’mon. Uncontested speed is dangerous at any track, in any race, on any day of the week.
I Want Revenge overcomes a horrific start to capture the Wood Memorial:
Great drama? Yes. Great performance? Yes. Great ride? Yes. Moment of the Year? That’s a very long stretch, and we’re not referring to the one at Aqueduct, either.
Rachel Alexandra runs off with the Kentucky Oaks by more than 20 lengths:
An amazing performance of historic proportions, one of the great Oaks efforts of all time? Absolutely. But that’s what happens when mundane stakes fillies are totally outclassed by one great rival.
Mine That Bird posts stunning, 50-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby:
A definite contender for Moment of the Year. Great shock value; S.I. material. Superb, death-defying race ride. Was time capsule material, especially from the blimp camera.
Rachel Alexandra turns back the late charge of Mine That Bird in the Preakness:
Coulda’ been, shoulda’ been, a contender. Great drama and achievement. Historical performance. Boy vs. Girl. Post 13. Wet track. But not the deepest Preakness talent ever assembled.
Presious Passion fires out to a 20-length lead en route to course record win in United Nations:
Stretch II, but a definite wow moment. But a Sham-Wow compared to his ultra-game, doggedly determined run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Rachel Alexandra toys with the boys in the Haskell Invitational:
For a few seconds on the far turn, there was some drama. But her acceleration into the stretch was, for her, only routinely amazing. But I watched the race from inside the rail on the racetrack. You just had to be there.
Gio Ponti captures his fourth consecutive Grade I score in the Arlington Million:
A wonderful performance. But I remember thinking at the time that this wouldn’t even make the top three most exciting Arlington Millions. Coming up with 12 moments isn’t easy.
Rachel Alexandra holds off her male elders in the Woodward Stakes:
Another had-to-be-there moment, unless, a) you saw it on TV, b) know something about how pace makes the race, or, c) were inside the building or standing on the track apron when the building and ground began to shake.
Linda Rice becomes the first woman to win the Saratoga training title:
Very, very inspirational. Great efforts from her charges virtually all meet long. Her horses made a great appearance. A Saratoga training title is a great accomplishment for any gender. But the training title also was the product of a condition book favoring the types of horses (read turf sprinters) living beneath the Rice shedrow.
Summer Bird registers historic triumph in the Jockey Club Gold Cup:
A paean to the great event and for historical achievement by a three-year-old. But the effort was not significantly better than his Belmont or Travers. [Sincerely hope he makes a full recovery and comes back bigger and stronger. Don’t believe Tim Ice ever reached the bottom of this guy].
Goldikova wins her second straight Breeders’ Cup Mile:
Given the trip, a truly remarkable win, topped this year only by Zenyatta’s Classic. But for some reason I was more impressed by the turn of foot on display in the 2008 Mile. Go figure.
Conduit runs down the stubborn Presious Passion for a repeat score in the Breeders’ Cup Turf:
Really? A life and death score as an equivalent to a magic moment? Sorry, Presious Passion in defeat was the star of this show.
Zenyatta remains undefeated and becomes first female to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic:
Home surface advantage notwithstanding, she answered every conceivable question, erased every pre-race doubt, won with deceptive ease and authority and, like Sinatra, did it her own way. The effort makes her a deserving favorite--and worthy winner.
But I'm curious about two things:
Does the public get to vote for Co-Moments of the Year?
If they were coupled in the voting, does three Rachel nominations equal one Zenyatta?
Written by John Pricci
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