On Monday, the winner of the prestigious “Horse of the Year” Eclipse Award will be announced and two breathtaking fillies remain in a dead heat for title. Throughout most of the 2009 racing season, Rachel Alexandra dominated the sport with flashy wins against other fillies, taking down the boys in three separate races, and, ultimately, being the first filly in 85 years to capture the Preakness Trophy. Of her eight starts as a three-year-old in 2009, she remained undefeated and ended her racing year as the first filly to win the Woodward Stakes.
By September of 2009, I believed Rachel Alexandra was the clear choice for “Horse of the Year” having watched her trample the field in the Kentucky Oaks, take down the Derby Winner in the Preakness, and close her season with her historical win in the Woodward Stakes. If anyone had challenged that notion, I wouldn’t have hesitated to hold a good old-fashioned yelling match to defend Rachel’s right to the title. In my mind, it was inconceivable that any horse could out-perform this “Super Filly.”
And then, the unconceivable arrived. On November 7, 2009, an undefeated five-year old female named Zenyatta walked onto the track at Santa Anita and dared every boy standing at the gate to defeat her in the richest race in America.
It was such a bold move that I skipped a wedding to watch her try.
As the gates opened, Zenyatta trailed the field. Throughout middle of the race, I watched with heartbreak as she hung in last place. It looked as if expectations had exceeded her ability. When it appeared near hopeless, Zenyatta made the bid for her place in history. She began to pick off her opponents near the last turn and went wide on the home stretch to deliver a seemingly late charge for the finish. In the final seconds, Zenyatta drove seamlessly past her contenders at the wire to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic. In this historical moment, my allegiance for “Horse of the Year” shifted from Rachel Alexandra to the first filly to ever take the most expensive race in America – Zenyatta.
Admittedly, Zenyatta’s contention for “Horse of the Year” would not be such a threat to Rachel Alexandra without her historical win in the Breeder’s Cup Classic. However, I am not in the business of rewriting history. In fact, Zenyatta’s bid for “Horse of the Year” is perfectly in sync with the historical background and ultimate spirit of the Eclipse Awards.
When the Eclipse Awards were founded in 1971, they were named in honor of a British racehorse and sire from the 1800s, named “Eclipse.” As a racehorse, Eclipse did not begin his career until he was a five-year-old and remained undefeated throughout the eighteen races in his career. In recognition of his legacy, Eclipse became the namesake to what are arguably considered the most prestigious achievement awards within the American horse racing industry.
By the very nature of the Eclipse Awards, the award categories provide a separation for age and overall achievement. Aside from “Horse of the Year,” which encompasses all ages and genders, the Eclipse Awards also maintain separate categories for the best “Three-Year-Old Filly” and “Three-Year-Old Male.” The scenario between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta appears to have been given some forethought prior to this moment.
Eclipse himself could not have won the best “Three-Year-Old Male” Award, just as Zenyatta can no longer compete for the best “Three-Year-Old Filly” award due to the age restriction. The Awards appear to follow the design that a “Three-Year-Old Filly” may become “Horse of the Year,” but that the rapture of the Triple Crown racing season cannot discount the outstanding performances of all racehorses during a given year.
Admittedly, Rachel Alexandra had an electrifying year as a three-year old horse – irrespective of her gender. If she had shown up to Santa Anita on November 7th to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic, there would be very little debate that she had earned the “Horse of the Year” Award. But, as Zenyatta trampled down the full field of skilled male horses to earn the distinction of the first filly to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic, Rachel Alexandra quietly stepped aside and placed her bets on her three-year-old season. When Zenyatta was first at the wire, Rachel lost her bet.
Zenyatta’s win in the Breeder’s Cup Classic holds more historical significance than any of Rachel Alexandra’s wins within this season. Zenyatta won the most expensive race in the United States. She is the first filly to ever accomplish this feat. The Breeder’s Cup Classic is one of the most contentious races in America – the field is full of great horses from varying backgrounds who are proven winners.
In contrast, Rachel Alexandra’s first Grade One win was in the Kentucky Oaks – among other fillies. Her next race, among males in the Preakness, is an impressive win – but not a “Game Changer.” Prior to Rachel, four fillies had already won the Preakness Stakes – the most recent win being in 1924. Further, the Preakness is the shortest distance of all three Triple Crown races, the Belmont being the longest race in the United States at a distance of 1 ½ miles. When Oaks-Winner Rags to Riches beat Curlin in the 2007 Belmont Stakes, Curlin was still awarded the distinction of “Horse of the Year” despite the fact that a Filly had not won the Belmont in over a hundred years when she crossed the finish line.
Zenyatta also holds distinction for building her undefeated record on a higher grade of races than Rachel Alexandra. In her career, Zenyatta has consistently run in only Grade 1 and Grade 2 races – remaining undefeated. In contrast, Rachel Alexander gradually worked from Grade 3 races into Grade 1 races, finishing second in both of her Grade 3 races. When viewing the overall career record of both horses, Zenyatta is the only undefeated horse who never delved below a Grade 2 race.
Finally, Zenyatta’s wins earned more money in 2009 than Rachel Alexandra. In 2009, Zenyatta was the second-highest ranking horse, boasting $3,330,000 in earnings. In comparison, Rachel Alexandra ranked fifth in 2009, bringing in a total of $2,746,914.
With the entry of more fillies in the prestigious male-dominated horse races, the industry is now squarely-faced with “The Filly Eclipse” for the Horse of the Year. Fillies are running alongside their male-counterparts and winning. When Rachel Alexandra ended her racing season in September, many believed that she had earned “Horse of the Year” over her potential male rivals for the Award. On November 7th, 2009, Zenyatta placed herself in undisputed contention with Rachel Alexandra as she moved past the finish line at the Breeder’s Cup Classic. Those watching the Breeder’s Cup Classic witnessed the first “Filly Eclipse” in history for the Horse of the Year Award.
After the Breeder’s Cup Classic, there have been arguments to hold a match race between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. This would not add or subtract anything from this competition. Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are two distinct horses at different places in their career with their own unique character. They race in two separate fields - Rachel performs better on dirt and Zenyatta excels on synthetic track. If they ever settled where to run this race, the next question would be why the race should be run. This is a competition for the “Horse of the Year”- not “Best Filly of the Year.” It just happens to be that the two final contenders are fillies.
In the case of Rachel Alexandra, I truly believe that she has gone above and beyond to win the distinction of being the best three-year-old filly for 2009. She took on the boys, outran them, and bested the field with her astounding margins of victory in filly races.
Then, in a rare moment in November, “The Filly Eclipse” occurred and Zenyatta obscured all opposition.
When Zenyatta crossed the wire in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, she took my vote for Horse of the Year through pioneering a win in the most expensive race in America amidst a field a hard-tested males from various ages and backgrounds. It was an electrifying performance that not only earned her a place in the history books, but also, the well-earned distinction as “Horse of the Year.” I had seen my first ”filly eclipse.” It was breathtaking.
