Eskendereya deserves to be at the top of all lists, any individual that questions that need only review the Fountain of Youth one more time. The Fountain of Youth is a stakes run in February and that is where this is going. If you look back at the last 10 Kentucky Derby winners only two have won stakes in the month of February, Smarty Jones and Barbaro, both of which were the first undefeated horses leading up to the Run for the Roses. Want a bigger sample? Go back another 10 years, and only Silver Charm and Thunder Gulch won February stakes between the years 1990 and 1999. That means only four of the last 20 fall into that category, two of which came the closest to Triple Crowns since 1978.

That is why March holds the key to the Derby winner more times than not. It’s no secret that 3-year-olds need to be peaking at the beginning of May to be successful at Churchill, but it seems that we get too far ahead of ourselves with these early preps. Focus on those horses that ran well in February stakes but have room for improvement, a la Dublin or Dave in Dixie. There’s only so much fuel in the tanks of these young horses and it’s apparent that the Triple Crown takes a lot out of them, but it seems big performances early in the year can as well. It’s easy to get excited, we all do in horse racing, but patience is key especially in the Derby.

The most anticipated announcement ever at the Eclipse Awards is over, Rachel Alexandra won. Some are filled with elation, others sour with disappointment. Both emotions inevitable whatever name was pulled from the final envelope in Beverly Hills.

It’s not hard to see why people feel both ways. Obviously Rachel fans got what they wanted and Rachel got what she deserved. I’m sure you need no reminder of why, or else you wouldn’t be reading this.

Before Zenyatta fans get heated one more time, Zenyatta deserved it too, that is the unfortunate factor in all of this: making no argument stronger than the next. But that’s not what this is about; this is about understanding why it happened and understanding the system.

I am tired of hearing people say the Breeders’ Cup has been diminished because Zenyatta did not win Horse of the Year and that the World Championships should be pulled from its name. The “World
Championships” label was a great marketing tool on behalf of the Breeders’ Cup, allowing the casual fan who comes across it to relate to the event. For those that feel that way, why not just hand over the Eclipse Award for the coinciding division in the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle?

Because they are two separate recognitions, two separate distinctions. Sure Breeders’ Cup wins carry weight with voters for the Eclipse Awards but are not the end game of the final vote.

Everything must be considered when voting for each Eclipse Award, as it was for this year’s vote. Look at the Sprinter category for 2009. Kodiak Kowboy beat Zensational because of the competition he faced over the course of ‘09, not because Zensational lacked the needed wins.

The reality of all of this is that Eclipse Awards are performance based, but ultimately chosen upon human rationale and emotion. There will always be questions raised when there is the human element involved, just ask any MLB umpire or NFL referee. The mind-blowing wins stand alone and can never be taken away, to me that is what is most important when looking back on these great females.

I guarantee no one on either side would trade one of their G.I wins for a discretionary award. Both stand on equal terms in 2009 having accomplished feats without precedent. So let’s just all take a deep breath and remember why we love this game, what draws us to it every afternoon. Why our hearts race just before the gates spring
open.

It’s the racing and the way it makes us feel and stirs our emotions.
Rachel and Z brought those emotions higher than I’ve ever experienced. Remember 2009 for the unbelievable performances from Rachel and Zenyatta. Remember ‘09 for our Horses of the Year.