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.
Here we are–the Final Four. So far Horse Madness has largely followed script, with the exception of yesterday’s somewhat shocking upset–Animal Kingdom over current racing darling Shared Belief. I would have voted for AK myself, but I’m still surprised the Twitter faithful saw past the current invincibility of Shared Belief and credited AK for his big efforts on different surfaces and continents.
Today’s horse madness features the matchup the entire racing world dreamed of in 2009 and 2010–Zenyatta against Rachel Alexandra. Two female runners who dominated their respective coasts in 2009, would have presented an epic match up–East v. West, front runner v. dead closer, and Borel v. Smith. It was supposed to be the next great match race, as rumors flew of where and how these two horses would finally meet. Unfortunately, Rachel and Zenyatta never had their showdown on the track (although Rachel did win the 2009 HOY over Zenyatta when both horses were at their peaks).
Instead, as is often the case in racing, this battle of dominant soon-to-be Hall of Fame mares must be settled by debate. So who do you have as the winner? Zenyatta and her consistency, with marquee wins in two Breeder’s Cup, one against the boys? Or Rachel Alexandra, a three year old filly who not only beat the colts in the Preakness, but who also did the unthinkable and beat older males in the Woodward? Let us know who you think is the “greatest” and why.
Zenyatta
In the world of horse racing, she needs no introduction. The overall Number one Seed, the Queen Z dominated Horse Racing in America for three years. Arguably the best race mare ever, Zenyatta not only brought dominance upon the sport, she brought style. She ran her races as a dead closer, nearly always managing to get up in time. The Queen alos knew how good she was, whic is perfectly displayed in her patented paddock prance. Her accolades are almost unnecessary to list. Winner of 19 of 20. Two time Breeders Cup champion, 2009 Distaff and 2010 Classic. 2010 Horse of the Year. 3x Champion Older Mare. Twice NTRA moment of the year.
See her royal highness’ 2010 Classic victory is attached for your viewing pleasure. Poetry in motion.
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!
