In the spirit of March Madness, we are conducting a little experiment to determine how racing fans would evaluate the “best”, “greatest” or “most popular” (or any other criteria you think is applicable) horse of the last 5 or so years. Think of this as the “People’s Choice Awards” for racing. Use whatever criteria you think best determines which horses advance from round to round. Let us know how you arrived at your conclusions. How it works: Each day from March 16 through the end of the month, we will feature one matchup. We will post career specifics and some highlight races on our site to help you in your handicapping. Then you the fans will vote– favorite the tweet if choosing horse A, retweet if selecting horse B. Voting windows will close by 10:00 p.m. each night. The horse with the most votes will advance to the next round.
Here is the Bracket.
This matchup is an absolute all-timer. Old vs. new, female vs. male, east coast v. west coast. It also pits racing blue blood Jess JAcskon and his Stonestreet Stables v. Steve Coburn and Perry Martin and their (perhaps aptly named) Dumb Ass Partners. I have no idea who I am going to pick. Both these horses have also given race fans some of the most indelible memories of the past 5 years. Rachel Alexandra winning the Preakness and the Woodward and California Chrome winning the first two legs of the Triple Crown were classic moments in racing history. Let’s look at the matchup:
Rachel Alexandra
Rachel Alexandra is one of the most beloved horses of the past decade. Her 2009 season was an exhibition of unparalleled dominance that included: (i) a Preakness win over colts; (ii) a victory in the Kentucky Oaks by nearly 21 lengths; (iii) the Mother Goose Stakes by nearly 20 lengths (under wraps); and (iv) the Woodward Stakes against older males. She notably skipped the Breeders’ Cup that year because of her owner, Jess Jackson, did not care for the Santa Anita synthetic surface. Turns out, he was just a few years ahead of his time. Although race fans missed out on seeing Rachel in the World Championships at the peak of her powers, it doesn’t take away from her unblemished 2009 record. She is a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
Here are Rachel’s career stats: Rachel Alexandra Career Profile
And here is her win in the 2009 Woodward: She is indeed Rachel Alexandra, THE GREAT!
California Chrome
Last June it appeared as though California Chrome was on the fast track to rewrite history. He had captured the Derby and Preakness in impressive fashion, and stood a mile and a half from completing racing’s greatest challenge, the Triple Crown. However, an awkward start, a gashed leg, and an arguably late move down the stretch squashed Chrome’s bid. His legacy was further tarnished by his owner’s post race rant and a subsequent 6th place finish at Parx.
When all appeared lost, Chrome rallied with a strong show finish in the Breeders Cup Classic, followed by a display of versatility with a Grade 1 Turf score at Del Mar. The campaign earned Chrome 2014 Horse of Year Honors.
Unfortunately, Chrome’s 2015 campaign did not begin strongly, as the horse went toe to toe with Shared Belief and was put away in the final sixteenth. Did Chrome move too early? Were the fractions too fast? Or is Belief just better? We’ll have to wait for that answer, as Chrome has headed to Dubai.
Here is California Chrome’s Profile
Here is Chrome winning the Preakness.
We are really excited to see who pulls this one out.
