The 2009 Eclipse Awards, horseracing's Academy Awards, are upon us and here are my picks.

Member Login

There are 818 tournaments now open for play totaling 74,415,355 community points amounting to USD $7,441.54 for prizes in our shop.

bigking0505

Just Won 219538 Points

Right Not Wrong

Who is the leading contender right now for this year's Triple Crown?

Hansen - who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill last year.

18%

Union Rages - who won 3 or 4 races as a juvenile including the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes

20%

Algorithms - who recently scored a huge victory in the Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park

24%

It's just too early to determine the top contender for this year's Triple Crown racing season. Anything can still happen.

38%

Total votes: 309

Well, it's time to for us to start making our picks for the 2009 Eclipse Awards, as the time is fast approaching for the Oscars of horseracing to be handed out. For the purposes of this piece, I'm going to focus solely on the thoroughbred awards, not the steeplechase or jockey or trainer awards. It's all about the races, baby! So here we go!
Horse of the Year - Rachel Alexandra has to get the nod over Zenyatta. She totally dominated her own gender, she won a Triple Crown race, she beat males three times, and she even beat older males in compiling her 8-0 record in 2009. The only thing Zenyatta has on Rachel Alexandra is her Classic victory, and I just don't think that's enough, but isn't it great that it all came down to two females?
Champion Older Female - Zenyatta dominated her gender, scoring 4 impressive wins, each in her trademark closing style, defeated Ladies' Classic winner Life Is Sweet, and that win in the Breeders' Cup Classic against the boys makes her case a lock.
Champion 3-Year-Old Filly - Rachel Alexandra. Case closed. She simply has no competition whatsoever among other 3-year-old fillies.
Champion 3-Year-Old Male - Summer Bird will win this award. He won three Grade I races, The Belmont, The Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup against older males. The only real competition for this award is the gelding Mine That Bird, but his only important win was that amazing Kentucky Derby win, and that's not good enough.
Champion Older Male - Gio Ponti. Remember that horse that gamely tried to hold off Zenyatta down the stretch of the Breeders' Cup Classic? That was Gio Ponti, and even though he is a turf horse, his performance combined with a lack of an older dirt horse like Curlin make him, in my mind, almost a sure thing. Gio Ponti not only had that fine finish in the Classic, but he also won 4 Grade I races on turf in 2009, so I don't think there's much competition for him there.
Champion Turf Horse - Gio Ponti. Yes, I know that Conduit came across the pond and won the Breeders' Cup Turf again, but that doesn't trump Gio Ponti and his 4 Grade I turf wins.
Champion Female Turf Horse - Goldikova. When presented with the chance, she easily handled the best America had to throw at her. No way they vote against her here.
Champion Female Sprinter - Informed Decision. She won 6 of her 7 starts in 2009 and beat Ventura in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and that horse won that race in 2008. She can't be denied.
Champion Male Sprinter - Kodiak Kowboy. Neck and neck with Fabulous Strike and Zensational throughout most of the season, his 3 Grade I wins and victory in the Cigar Mile give him the inside track.
Champion 2-Year-Old-Colt - Lookin at Lucky. He showed tremendous class leading up to the Breeders' Cup, and had a tough post position which led to a rock trip. Even so, he still finished second, and absent a dominant juvenile, that should be enough.
Champion 2-Year-Old-Filly - She Be Wild. She was the winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly. Lightly raced, as are most juveniles these days, and that's why that end of the season win gives her the award.
Well, there they are. Tell me what you think and where you disagree. Whatever your opinion, it's gonna be fun finding out who wins!

Zenyatta accomplished what she did as a 5 year old as you noted in your choice for Champion Older Female. Rachel Alexandra accomplished what she did as a 3 year old. Had Rachel been 5 years old could she have accomplihsed what she did or match the accomplishments of Zenyatta? We will never know unless Rachel's owners decide to race her all the way through age five. Rachels owners refused to enter her in the BC Races, why really? If they were confident of their horses' ability all this drama would be a moot point by now. Threre's a lot of maybe situations caused by their decision not to enter her not related to the excuse, fear of the aritificial surface.

Both are great and deserving, but we won't know until the results are announced at the Eclipse Awards and there will be no tie.

I agree with all of your selections, except Horse of the Year (HOTY). Yes Rachel Alexandra won a Triple Crown Race, and beat the boys 3 times, but Zenyatta raced against fairly mediocre females almost her whole career. Then she raced against the best males in the nation, while Rachel had already raced against boys before. Plus, do you see how much Calvin has to whip her? With Zenyatta, most of the time, Mike Smith just hand rode her across the finish line. Plus, Rachel just doesn't seem quite right. She always looks scared or freaked out. Zenyatta is such a character. I think she always knew that she was going to win. The way she bows her neck and paws at the ground and the way she shows off her signature strut! Zenyatta has also earned more than Rachel. R.A. wasn't even at the Breeder's Cup this year. Hmmm, I wonder why... :D

Zenyatta: HOTY

Whats any of the aformentioned have to do with "HOY"? Its very simple....who had the most accomplished campaign for THIS YEAR, and this year alone! And the answer is just as simple....Rachel Alexandra. People fail to stop and realize whats being voted on here. Its not a vote to determine who anyone thinks is the best horse or who would win a race between the two, its a vote on who had the most accomplished campaign for the year 2009.....hence the title "Horse of the YEAR"! Quite frankly, Gio Ponti had a more accomplished year than Zenyatta, but as we seen Gio can't beat Zenyatta, but again thats not what is being voted on!

I usually don't like to get into such arguements. Both horses, in my opinion, are very deserving of such a prestigeous reward. Whoever wins the reward/trophy, won't in anyway discredit the other. So much could be said for each.
In such discussions, it's often asked, who did he/she beat???? Usually said without actually knowing much about his/her competitors in all of the various races. Often, when you have horses that are this good, they didn't always beat the best of the best to become that good, thus, helping to make them look super like. A 20 length win is very impressive, but sometimes, more often than not, these huge win margins are a result of running against lesser horses. Or, the distance is too far, say, 1 1/2 miles, like the Belmont Stakes and many can't get the distance and are tireing near end, allowing the winner to increase his/her margin.
I love these two horses soooooo much, that I think I could sit here hours on end giving good argmuements for both who should win Horse Of The Year. How could you fault either of these two champion fillys????

Great job. I agree with all your selections.

Gotta Go With Zenyatta because of the Classic Win, in that race she beat all the top horses that Rachel beat plus many other Grade One winners, she beat older males just like Rachel and a higher class of them with European Superstar Rip Van Winkle, Big Cap Winner Einstein, Top Older Male and Champion Turf Horse Gio Ponti, all were left in her wake. She knocked of two/thirds of the Triple Crown Race winners with Summer Bird and Mine That Bird. She defeated a field of 10 Grade One Winners while Rachel defeated 5-6 in her entire career, (Mine That Bird, Summer Bird, Gabby's Golden Gal, Macho Again, Bullsbay).
Zenyatta might have won less races this year and in less dominant fashion but he last race was the Race Of The Year so she deserves Horse Of The Year.

-----------------------------------
Vote For Onions ($875,000)
Sunday Silence (Halo) X Dance Smartly (Danzig)
Winner of the Get Dirty Tournament by 7 1/4 lengths
Winner of the Run A Mile Tournement by 4 1/2 Lengths
"Champions Breed Champions"

Quite frankly I couldn't care less what any committee determines to be THEIR horse of the year. MY horse of the year is Rachel Alexandra! Perhaps we should have a "plastic" HOY and a real dirt HOY...lol.