Don’t Blame Me for Being a Champion

Don‘t hate me just because I won a horse race. The enormity of that victory, coming in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, with Zenyatta being the horse that I edged in a tight photo, is not lost on me. I understand that most of the millions of fans watching the Classic were on her side, rather than mine. I have no problem with that. Zenyatta is great, but I am not a villain. I am a very good horse who was able to reach the pinnacle of my sport. Nor am I an Upset, Jim Dandy, or an Onion, as some have suggested. I certainly would not argue with anyone that calls her the best mare of all-time, but hey, I wasn’t too shabby either. Take a look at my career accomplishments, and you can see that I was consistent and classy. I am a horse worthy of respect, not hatred. In fact, I am a champion. I believe that I made a strong case for Horse of the Year this year, but whether or not I win that one, (I fully understand that Zenyatta has the credentials as well) I will be named the Outstanding Older Male of 2010. Seth Hancock and Al Stall mapped out a plan for me at the beginning of the year, and I followed it to the letter. First, I won the Grade 3 Schaffer at Pimlico, and then it was nothing but grade ones for me. I went on to score in three of the most important stakes in the nation. I won the Stephen Foster at Churchill in June, the Whitney at Saratoga in August, and the BC Classic in November. My only loss was in the prestigious Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont. That day, I was the victim of a good speed horse on the lead in a paceless race. I still managed 2nd, easily finishing ahead of Fly Down who came back to run 3rd in the Classic. For those who think I came out of nowhere this year, keep in mind that I finished 2009 with a flourish as well. My final five races of last year match my record of this year. I won 4 times with a 2nd in the Super Derby in those five races, meaning that in my last 10 races, I had 8 wins and 2 seconds. Hardly Onion like. Additionally, much like the Jockey Club, the Super Derby was tough on me because a quality horse set a very slow pace, but I came running as I always did. I finished off my three-year-old season with impressive wins in the Fayette, on a synthetic surface at Keeneland, and the Clark over a strong field. So strong in fact, the Clark was elevated to grade 1 status for this year. Overall, I won 9 times and earned more than $4.3 million, in only 13 races. In those 13 starts, I never once finished out of the money as I improved in each of my three seasons of racing. I hope that the voters all take the time to judge the 2010 merits of both of us fairly, and after that, let the chips fall where they mare. Sure, I want to win the award, but I also wish my esteemed competition the best of luck. It should be an interesting contest, just as I understand it was last year. While I shift into my new career, as a stallion standing at Claiborne Farm for a fee of $35,000, I hope that true fans of racing remember me fondly. At Claiborne, I have already been introduced to my new living quarters, once formerly occupied by the great Buckpasser. It is an amazing place. I join star horses of the past like Secretariat, Bold Ruler, and Gallant Fox who made Claiborne their home after their stellar racing careers. In conclusion, I am sorry that I broke many hearts when I became the only horse ever to defeat Zenyatta, but I only did what I was asked to do … run hard, run fast, and do my best, and that is exactly what I did. Photo Courtesy of Reed Palmer Photography

And the Horse of the Year is …

In an even more difficult decision than the one last year, I have made my choice for the 2010 Horse of the Year, and the winner is … Zenyatta. First off, let me say that I believe the Horse of the Year to be a single year award. In no way did I let career records filter in my thinking for the 2010 honors. In the end, I only considered two horses for the award in Blame and Zenyatta.  While I believe that Goldikova and Uncle Mo were spectacular, they simply did not do enough, either in America, or against quality competition, to stack up against Zenyatta and Blame for the entire year. In selecting Zenyatta, I made a tough decision that goes against the grain for me slightly, as Blame was my pick to win the Classic, and I fully expected him to be Horse of the Year if he could win the Classic. Blame did win the Classic, but Zenyatta ran so well in defeat that I needed to rethink my position. Any less than the fantastic finish that carried her within inches of victory, and I would have stuck with Blame. In comparison, I found many similarities between the two. Each horse was very consistent in 2010, if somewhat under tested. Both horses could have run more for my liking, but Zenyatta won 5 races with one 2nd place finish in 6 starts, while Blame took home 4 victories, also with one 2nd in 5 starts. These similar records became almost a wash for me as Zenyatta has more grade one wins, total victories, and came closer to perfection this year, but Blame took home the biggest race and was the winner in their only head-to-head contest. Zenyatta could have strengthened her portfolio with one more race against males. Blame lost points for running only five times. Zenyatta ran exclusively in grade one stakes, but this fact is tempered by the competition, or the lack there of, she faced. Blame won a big Whitney, but the race lost a little luster after seeing where the other three finished in the Classic. Looking at their seasons on paper, I could not make enough delineation to make a decision. In most cases like this, I will side with the horse who won the biggest race. Not this time, as in my opinion, nothing was proven between the two in the Classic, other than the photo showed Blame ever so slightly ahead. If they raced again, I do not have a strong opinion as to who would win. In the Classic, they both strengthened my belief that they are the best two horses in America, and either would be a worthy Horse of the Year, but who is more worthy? That question finally gave me the answer. As excellent as Blame was this year, he is simply not more worthy than Zenyatta. No lifetime achievement, no popularity sentiment here. In fact, I would have no problem going against the people’s choice, if I believed Blame was the more deserving. I do not. Zenyatta was the finest thoroughbred that we saw in 2010.