After a successful debut in 2015, Horse Madness returns for the 2016 tournament. Last year we selected a bracket of the greatest champions of the last 5 years, with the public crowning Zenyatta the champ over runner-up Wise Dan.
This year, in in the spirit of March Madness, we are focusing on Cinderella, and seeking your insight into the greatest racing upset of all time. Much like the Tournament, historic upsets add to the excitement and intrigue of racing and we want to pay homage to the greatest toteboard explosions of all time. Is Onion over Secretariat your Villanova over Georgetown? How about One Dreamer as your Valparaiso? Or Mine that Bird as Florida Gulf Coast? The bracket and rules are below. Now it’s up to you. Who will wear the ultimate glass horse shoe?
Here is the Horse Madness 2016 Bracket
What: In the spirit of March Madness, we are conducting a little experiment to determine how racing fans would evaluate the “best”, or “greatest” upset of all time. We went back and forth on the criteria for evaluating a matchup of horses who scored major upsets at different events, in different divisions, during different eras. We considered points systems accouting for factors such as the Champion defeated, their post time odds, or the event at which the upset occurred. In the end, however, we found it more appropriate to leave it to the fans. Think of this as the “People’s Choice Awards” for racing upsets. Use whatever criteria you think best determines which upset advance from round to round. Maybe it’s the biggest odds? Or the greatest Goliath conquered? Or even as simple as: “I called this upset before it happened.” Regardless, make your choices, and let us know how you arrived at your conclusion. We’d love to see how you handicap some of these classic races.
How it works: We internally debated the top 18 upsets in racing history, giving credence to those occurring on the grandest of racing stages. We then each ranked our top 18 and using points, seeded the field (including two play in games). From March 9 through the end of the month, we will feature one matchup. We will post race specifics and, where available, replays 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.
The schedule is below:
March 9 and 10: Play-in Games
First Round: March 13-20
Elite 8: March 24-27
Final Four: March 30-31
Championship: April 1
