2009 Breeders Cup Bracket Battles

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    wow, if this poll were done right now, now that Zenyatta has won both races, what would the results be?  I am pretty sure that at the end of this century, when the pollsters are considering the top 100 horses of the 21st century, Zenyatta will be there, maybe as hifg up as Cigar, because of her unbeaten record and Classic win.  She is now my favorite Classic winner.

    julie o 19 Nov 2009 4:28 PM

    Best horse won this poll, hands down. Tara what are you talking about? Cigar in his prime, couldnt be touched. He was never pushed, the only horse who would have pushed him to his limit was Holy Bull. And only reason why he was never pushed was because he was winning so damn easy. Yes track records are nice, but getting the W is all that matters. Curlin was a good horse, I wouldn't mention him in the same breathe as Cigar, Sunday Silence or Easy Goer. The horse won on different tracks, in different states, at different distances. Ducked no one, was never scratched from a race because of a bad post position. Carried weight. What the hell you want the horse to do? He did everything he was asked. All the nay-sayers need to fall back, come up with facts then run your mouths. The same ones who are saying this was just a popularity contest are just upset that their favorites did not win. Case close. If that was the case, it would have been Zenyatta and Curlin, being that they were the two most recents ones. Real recognizes Real, and the real horse people, the true historians got it right. As far as Horse of the Year, I cant call it. I will be interested to see people's arguments. But let's just remember the winner of the Classic generally gets the nod except for a few exceptions ( Skip Away, Awesome Again, Tiznow in '01, Pleasantly Perfect). I think Rachel Alexandra holds an edge though on the basis that she beat males 3 separate times this year. I just hope that she doesnt tail off next year like another favorite filly of mine, Silverbulletday.

    Jeremy 15 Nov 2009 4:56 AM

    Cigar!, A deserving winner!  This was fun, Look forward to next year, Keep up the good work...

    The HOY argument is even going on here, Too Funny...

    Greg J. 11 Nov 2009 10:26 AM

    We're talking about Horse of the YEAR, so anything Zenyatta did last year and the fact that she is undefeated over 14 races means nothing in this debate. The facts are that she Zenyatta ran only 5 times, never left California this year, and barely got up to defeat some subpar mares before her Classic victory in a year that lacked any standout older male dirt horses. Among other races, Rachel Alexandra won the Ky Oaks by 20 lengths, the Preakness, Haskell, and then ran a race even more sensational than Zenyatta's Classic in winning the Woodward. Multiple quality horses took a run at her and forced a fast pace and she still held off Macho Again in the stretch. Just because it didn't happen last week doesn't make it any less memorable. This isn't a game of what have you done lately. RACHEL IS THE CLEAR CHOICE FOR HOY.

    katmandu8 10 Nov 2009 8:07 PM

    Should have been ZENYATTA!  After what she just did on Sat.  Fantastic race. Girl Power!

    TWILITE 09 Nov 2009 7:09 PM

    Zenyatta - Horse of the Year!!!

    Moving forward, I think Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta should duke it out sometime in December at 1 1/4. Churchill Downs should make up a race in the same way Pimlico came up with its own match race back on November 1, 1938.

    This would put horse racing at the top of the headlines.

    Wally 09 Nov 2009 11:27 AM

    This message is for Mike:

    So what was that you were saying about Zenyatta???  Looks like she just beat the Kentucky Derby Winner, the Belmont Winner, the Santa Anita Handicap Winner, the Travers winner, plus the best American grass horse and the best Europe send over here.  I think you better rethink your comments on her not being able to win the Classic.  She also won the Apple Blossom in Arkansas, I didn't realize that they had moved Oaklawn to California.  Nothing beats perfection!!  Rachel didn't even come to the Breeders Cup and not because of the track, she already has won on a synthetic track!!  Zenyatta should be HORSE OF THE YEAR!!!

    Holly Walker 09 Nov 2009 1:55 AM

    Cigar over Personal Ensign?  You have to be kidding me!!!  Sorry, but nothing beats perfection, just ask Zenyatta!!!

    Holly Walker 09 Nov 2009 1:38 AM

    To all the people who said that Zenyatta couldn't do it...

    A Big.  Fat.  HA!

    Ehawlz 08 Nov 2009 4:36 PM

    Next year, Zenyatta will be the overall winner. I have never seen a race like the Classic yesterday since Secretariat's Belmont. And she is in his league. If she doesn't win Horse of the Year than something is wrong somewhere. She beat the best America and the world had to offer. She has nothing else to prove!

    Jacqueline Miller 08 Nov 2009 1:33 PM

    A.P. Indy over Invasor?

    what a joke

    Invasor is one of the classiest horses of all time

    Knowledge 06 Nov 2009 10:51 AM

    ok no way would cigar have beaten personal ensign curlin or sunday silence dont think he would have even beaten the worst breeders cup winner arcangue lol what a joke but then again it was a poularity vote

    tara scheland 06 Nov 2009 8:02 AM

    Me too Vickie!

    BarbarosDerby132 06 Nov 2009 2:41 AM

    Personal Ensign what a joke for a champion.  13 starts and her race against males was another joke,  what males did she beat,  King's Swann,  yet another joke. The only reason she was able to catch Winning Colors was because Winning Colors had the toughest campaigns a filly could Ever have,  she was burnt out by September. I would have liked to see how Personal Ensign would hold up to a campaign like the one Winning Colors had, especially a mile and a half race after 2 weeks rest.  Personal Ensign=the joke of the century. That is NO champion. Racing today is comical, I like to watch it for a good laugh. Cigar is a real champion,  too bad the people who THINK thay know horse racing cannot and will not see it. Pathetic!

    I am sorry Lori, but you are way off base here. Personal Ensign was a champion. Pure and simple. She beat a Kentucky Derby winner for goodness sakes. When one considers how difficult it is to win a horse race, they come to appreciate the feats of a great champion such as Personal Ensign. When you consider that she retired undefeated going 13-0. That gives one a moment of pause to simply sit and appreciate what a beautiful champion she was. Was she the greatest ever? Of course not. Nobody in this forum has suggested so. She was however a worthy champion and certainly deserves the love and respect bequeathed to her by those who followed her career.

    BarbarosDerby132 06 Nov 2009 2:41 AM

    Enjoyed this so much. Looking forward to next year!

    Vickie Willmuth 05 Nov 2009 8:31 PM

    The horse on this list who ran the fastest mile and a quarter race was Skip Away, not Ghostzapper. In fact I believe Skip ran 2 of the 3 fastest mile and a quarters in this group.

    TheDman 05 Nov 2009 11:58 AM

    PERSONAL ENSIGN beat WINNING COLORS TWICE:

    September 10, 1988 in the Maskette-G1 Novewmber 5, 1988 in the BC Distaff-G1

    both times Winning Colors came in 2nd

    DONNA S. 05 Nov 2009 11:35 AM

    I'm not sure what the point of this exercise is, but anyone who doesn't believe that Ghostzapper would have beaten everyone of the 63 others just doesn't understand how awesome he was.  Not saying he was the greatest ever, because he didn't last long enough.  But he certainly was the fastest by far of any of these and just about anyone who develops speed figures would agree.

    Steve 05 Nov 2009 8:29 AM

    "Didnt he run down Skip Away to come up a head short."

    Only if you consider making up about 3/4 of a length through the entire Belmont stretch 'running him down'. He was right on his flank at the top of the stretch and couldn't get by him.

    TheDman 04 Nov 2009 10:29 AM

    Too many races, too little time to handicap

    bob lunny 03 Nov 2009 10:58 PM

    Jeremy

    you're thoughts "won" this blog contest (even though it's not a contest) by leaps and bounds. Cigar was King, I have about 12 of his races on tape, he was in his time, the best, faced all, went everywhere, etc.; a shame, no other will ever really get the chance to do the same, they retire them after they win a stake. Jess Jackson is the only true horseman with horsemanship still out there.

    Zenyatta will not win the classic, and I'll say here, if she were in the Ladies, she's lose there too, so better lose against the boys and it won't hurt her rep too much. I say 4th if she's lucky. She's a great mare, but only against her own sex and only in Cal. kind of of like the female Lava Man..

    Mike 03 Nov 2009 3:26 PM

    Gail, That's because the Breeder's Cup was not in existence when Secretariat and Ruffian were racing and this contest is limited to Breeder's Cup winners.

    Tammie 03 Nov 2009 3:06 PM

    sorry jeremy but no matter what you say or anyone else says cigar  was a great horse when he ran but for him to be ranked 18th was laughable

    tara scheland 03 Nov 2009 11:24 AM

    Personal Ensign what a joke for a champion.  13 starts and her race against males was another joke,  what males did she beat,  King's Swann,  yet another joke. The only reason she was able to catch Winning Colors was because Winning Colors had the toughest campaigns a filly could Ever have,  she was burnt out by September. I would have liked to see how Personal Ensign would hold up to a campaign like the one Winning Colors had, especially a mile and a half race after 2 weeks rest.  Personal Ensign=the joke of the century. That is NO champion. Racing today is comical, I like to watch it for a good laugh. Cigar is a real champion,  too bad the people who THINK thay know horse racing cannot and will not see it. Pathetic!

    Lori 03 Nov 2009 10:32 AM

    Gail - this is about horses that performed in the Breeders Cup, remember?  Sec and Ruffian do not qualify! I have to pick Cigar over Personal Ensign, great as she was, on their best days, Cigar would win.

    K.. Poetzsch 03 Nov 2009 10:22 AM

    I was once told that with all the Thoroubreds bred each year, less than 1 percent actually win a race.  So all winners are great horses.  I do find it hard to believe that Ruffian and Secretariat were not in the final standings.  No horse has out performed Secretariat, what are you guys thinking?  In the current findings, my money would be on Personnel Ensign.  She is all heart and that is what wins a race.

    Gail E. Gross 03 Nov 2009 9:19 AM

    Personal Ensign, for sure.  The horse who can overcome extreme adversity and still prevail, who can seem hopelessly beaten to 99% of the people watching the race yet miraculously get up and win as we all stare in absolute disbelief - that's the winner.  It's also sometimes hard to judge just how good a horse like this is because everytime things get tougher, she does, too.  Like Rachel Alexandra.  And Personal Ensign.  And my mare, who just won a fight for her life with a 15-20% chance to live from the best Vet hospital in Kentucky.

    Missy 03 Nov 2009 9:13 AM

    Cigar hands down.  Love Personal Ensign, but no contest as far as I am concerned.

    Diane 02 Nov 2009 5:38 PM

    Lets stop a moment and think.  Curlin is a great horse and has made the most money any horse has made.  Now Cigar was second in money won.  He raced in more races than Curlin.  Won most of them. Think of the difference in $$$$ if Cigar raced for the kind of money that Curlin did.

    Jackie 01 Nov 2009 10:55 PM

    Sunday Silence rules!

    Liz 01 Nov 2009 4:55 PM

    I still cant believe there are some people on here bashing Cigar. Lets get one thing straight. I think people are holding his record on the turf against him. They thought he would run well on turf, after he won his second start on dirt his next 11 starts was on turf. When they finally put him back on dirt, he was unstoppable. Get y'all facts straight people. in his last 20 starts, 17 wins (11 of which was grade 1's) two 2nds and a 3rd. Winning races on both coasts taking the Donn, Oaklawn Handicap, Pimilico Special, Hollywood Gold Gup, Woodward, Jockey Club Gold Cup and finished it off with the Classic, Name a horse in the last 25 years who did that. Go on I'll wait. Since people want to talk about who did he beat, I will ask the same about a few of people favorites mentioned. First all, I loved Easy Goer, but tell me what did Easy Goer do outside of New York? Again I'll wait. in the meantime, Who the hell Curlin ran against last year? with the exception of the Dubia World Cup, all the fields was weak. He had better competition his 3 year old season but does anyone really believe he would have won the Classic if the track was fast that day? Do you really think he would have beaten Lawyer Ron in the Gold Cup if he didnt fight the jockey almost the whole race? Street Sense was the better horse. People want to talk about that was a deep crop, But that is because Street Sense, Curlin, Hard Spun and Any Given Saturday took turns beating on each other. but I gaurantee you that if it was just one horse who was dominating all, then everyone will claim there was no competition. Some people will never be satisfied. Sunday Silence, great horse, but again people wouldnt say half the stuff they say if Easy Goer wasnt around. Dont blame Cigar for the competition he faced. Did he duck anyone? No. His connections were not afraid to run him anywhere. He went on a tour 'de force in '95. The only horse who would have made him worked was Holy Bull. And that's why people have a problem with because him because he was the horse who happen to win the race that day while Holy Bull was injured. I was one of the biggest Holy Bull fans out there. And hated Cigar at first. His win in the Oaklawn Handicap won me over. Over-rated I think not. And Vic I couldnt help but noticed you talking out the side of your mouth about Cigar talking about Citation would be rolling in his grave? Besides the triple crown, who did he beat after? Go on I'll wait. He was running in small fields against horses people dont even remember majority of his races. And do I recall Noor beating 4 times. Granted Citation was not the same horse after his injury and shouldnt have been brought back. And the comment about losing to Skip Away? Didnt he run down Skip Away to come up a head short. He was too far back early on. And was tailing off and still ran down Skip Away to come a head short. That was bad judgement on Jerry Bailey part for keeping him that far back early on. Human error cost Cigar his 3 losses. It also cost him the Classic running 5-6 wide the whole way and was still cutting into Alphabet Soup's lead. Curlin better then Cigar, I needed that laugh. Only reason why he earned over 10 million was because of his win in the 5 million dollar classic and the 6 million dollar world cup. when Cigar won its 3 million and 4 million. If he didnt lose his 3 races he would have earned close to 13 million. And that was 12 years ago. Do research before y'all run y'all mouths. You witnessed greatness. People are scared to run their horses these days. They run 6 times and then its off to the breeding shed. Just look at the embarrassment of last year between Curlin and Big Brown. It was a damn joke. Allen Paulson was never afraid to run Cigar anywhere. He ran everywhere and won was winning so easily. He didnt need to set track records. He was winning at different tracks, at different distances in different states. You got claimers setting records, what have they done after that? The best horse will win this poll. There is a reason why Cigar was ranked 18th, Sunday Silence 31st, Skip Away 32nd. The experts got it right. At the end of the day we are just casual fans. I've said enough.  

    Jeremy 01 Nov 2009 2:42 PM

    This is unbelieveable.  Lady's Secret was WAY better than Personal Ensign and Curlin more than proved himself better than Cigar.  Not to mention the still undefeated Zenyatta...Nothing personal against any of the voters...but well, do your research...

    Joy in Texas 31 Oct 2009 5:57 PM

    I'm still reeling over Cigar beating out Curlin.

    I have enjoy this contest, and really have enjoyed reading the different views, some of the players are real knowledgeable longtime horse racing fans.

    Halski 31 Oct 2009 4:52 PM

    As good as Personal Ensign was, Cigar won more (and bigger) races in a row than she even ran in in her career.  Cigar is the champ!

    Pam R 31 Oct 2009 8:35 AM

    Once more to clarify, this is Breeders' Cup Classic winners vs. Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (nee Distaff) winners. No matter how great a horse may have been, if he or she did not win one of these races, they are not eligible.

    Blood-Horse Staff 30 Oct 2009 3:43 PM

    There are so so many great horses, so it's mighty difficult to come up w/one only.  Certainly, one of the greatest was Seattle Slew...on and off the track he was superior, and we still have the pleasure of seeing his progeny run great races.  Sunday Silence was awesome, too bad he didn't stay here to breed, but then again, the Japanese would have no race horses as most all of their horses come from Sunday Silence.  Cigar is a favorite...he was a tough horse and ran on many tracks, won the first World Cup in Dubai, etc.  Cigar gets my vote here, but Slew and Rachel Alexandra are two of the best horses I've seen in my lifetime....amazingly talented, phenomenal athletes.

    i davis 30 Oct 2009 3:29 PM

    Personal Ensign-what a filly. All heart and class.

    Becks 30 Oct 2009 2:29 PM

    Wow, I can't believe that Tiznow lost out to Cigar.

    Nina Thomas 30 Oct 2009 1:32 PM

    i agree with vic s cigar is the most overrated horse of all time he would never have beaten sunday silence or easy goer hell i dont think he would have beaten curlin either he raced against a relatively weak handicap class personal ensign all the way

    tara 30 Oct 2009 1:30 PM

    why was ruffian and secretariat left out both being #1 in their catagories for all time

    tom obryan 30 Oct 2009 9:13 AM

    Go Cigar. Look back at his races and see how many horses either were injured while racing against him (Holy Bull)

    or didn't run well again after they ran against him. Some were very good horses that gave it their best and he always have just broke their spirit.

    dennis 29 Oct 2009 9:06 PM

    Ya'll failed to mentioned the best horse to ever run at Fonner Park. Leaping Plum was a champion if there ever was one!

    Mark E. 29 Oct 2009 7:19 PM

    PERSONAL ENSIGN...she never let anyone down...not even once.

    Donna S. 29 Oct 2009 6:04 PM

    What again? Another disapointment.  Another popularity contest won by Cigar, nothing more, nothing less.  Vote Personal Ensign if you want to see a better horse win.

    Vic S 29 Oct 2009 3:14 PM

    Cigar is and always will be one of the best! But I love the heart of tiznow! I am going with Cigar and Personal Ensign.

    Josh 29 Oct 2009 1:13 PM

    Go Cigar Go

    dennis p 28 Oct 2009 7:22 PM

    I enjoy playing this as it encourages me to look more into the "art" of horseracing and the horses' history.

    Noreen Norris 28 Oct 2009 4:01 PM

    All wonderful horses! Tough to choose!

    Maureen 28 Oct 2009 1:40 AM

    Give me a break. Cigar better than Holy Bull?  No way.  Holy Bull was best of the 90's.  Ghostzapper was best of 2000 to Present.  Show me what makes Cigar better than the Bull.  Times, nope.  Weight, hardly.  Raw speed, nope.  Competition was relatively the same, yet I would take Devil His Due over any horse Cigar ever beat (excluding Holy Bull, if you count that as beating).  So you really can't compare competition.  Holy Bull, was a faster, better, and greater horse than Cigar could ever be.  By the way Cigar is vastly overrated.  18th on Bloodhorse's all-time best is unbelieveable.  No way this horse beats Bold Ruler, Swaps, Nashua, Skip Away(a horse he lost to), Sunday Silence, Easy Goer, and many many others.  Overrated, without a doubt.  My grandpa who saw all the greats IN PERSON going back to the 40's said it was a terrible day when Cigar tied Citation's win streak and was actually compared to Cy.  Citation is head shoulders knees and hooves over Cigar.  Cigar I have actually seen in person more than once, but when you look at the facts from an UNBIASED view Cigar doesn't measure up.  Cigar, most overrated male horse of all-time PERIOD.

    Vic S 26 Oct 2009 12:16 AM

    We all know this is just a poll of opinions, all of these horses deserve to win, they were all the best of the best.  How can you choose one over the other?  Lady's Secret was a true champion who I was lucky enough to see in person.  I would have given my eye teeth to see Personal Ensign who won what in my humble opinion was the best ever Breeders Cup race.  The final reason I decided to vote for Personal Ensign was because of her undefeated record, I know Lady's Secret raced more times and won more races, but how can you vote against perfection?  I am lucky enough to be able to see Zenyatta on a regular basis, and I appreciate her every time she takes a step onto that track with her little dance.  I know that I will never look to see another like her!!  I just wish that one time in my life I could have seen the perfect Personal Ensign, or the perfect Peppers Pride, they come along too rarely in life, but take nothing away from Lady's Secret, one of the best I have ever seen!!

    Holly Walker 25 Oct 2009 10:10 PM

    I have up most respect for Personal Ensign, She turned in a  virtuoso performance in her Breeders Cup. Lady's Secret's career however was unbelievable indeed unthinkable by today's standards, She was nick named The Iron Lady for a reason racing month after month, Stake after Stake All at the highest level. Lady's Secret was extremely fast, game and brave as a horse could be. And she was Horse of The Year, a title not earned by default but by truly being the best of her year.

    So go on and rave about Rachel (a great filly at 3), but The Lady's overall record stands unchallenged.      

    Remember the Iron Lady 25 Oct 2009 2:24 AM

    I can only hope that people will look past the flashier records and recognize that just because a horse loses once in a while, it doesn't make him/her any less great.  In fact, sometimes a horse's greatness can shine through most in defeat.  

    CAM 24 Oct 2009 10:43 PM

    Fan - are you asking who else pulled off the Super Derby/Goodwood/BC Classic? Heh, how many have even tried? And who cares?

    In between Tiznow's first BC Classic win and his second, the 'greatest the Breeder's Cup has ever seen' spent his year getting beat by such immortals as Freedom Crest, Skimming and Wooden Phone. The best horses he beat in between Giant's Causeway and Sakhee were Walkslikeaduck, Wooden Phone and Tribunal. This is the best horse to ever grace the Breeder's Cup?? Seriously?!?

    He was just a good G1 horse who picked the right days to run the best two races of his life. If Volponi had won the Classic in 2003 as well as '02, that wouldn't have made him better than Cigar, Skip Away or Sunday Silence.

    TheDman 24 Oct 2009 1:50 PM

    I love the passion on these boards. You are all so very passionate and informed. As for who is the best, in loving these horses as I do, and knowing that anything can happen (Secretariat's Whitney with Onion and Woodward with Prove Out). This is a remarkable game run by remarkable athletes. Regardless of "who's the best", I think that we can all agree that the names mentioned within this forum are amongst the greatest within the annals of our sport. For me, they all have a special place within my heart and their accomplishments are undeniable. Be it the mighty Curlin or the majestic Zenyatta. Consider them two masterpieces of thoroughbred racing. Two symphonies of undeniable presence, purpose and eternal grace.

    BarbarosDerby132 24 Oct 2009 2:45 AM

    Let me get this straight..Cigar shouldn't have beaten Curlin, because Cigar faced no competition.  Ok.  Name me all the grade 1 winner that Curlin beat.  If fact, list all the graded stakes winners.  His entire list still won't beat the G1 winners Cigar beat in a single year of the two.  So who was the best Curlin beat/  Einstein? Probably.  Asiatic Boy?  Wanderin Boy?  Street Sense? Hard Spun?  Finishing behind Curlin in the BC loss were Go Between, Colonel John, Champs Eleysees, and student coucil.  The best field he ever faced.  For the rest of his career, he beat Better Talk Now, Grand Coutier, and Sudan in his turf loss, and the rest of his entire career the G1 winners are (save the 4 listed above were Brass Hat, Any Given saturday, Lawyer Ron, and Political Force.  That's 15 Grade 1 winners, with 1 being a champion (Lawyer Ron).

    Now for Cigar's: Louis Quatorze, Thunder Gulch, Siphon, Best Pal, Devil His Due, Concern, Tinner's Way, Wekiva Springs, Heavenly Prize, Soul of the Matter, Halling (on a 9 race win streak prior to the DWC, UAE HOY), L'Carriere, Dramatic Gold, UnAccounted For, Dare and Go, Star Standard, Silver Goblin, Jed Forest (HOY in Panama), Needle Gun, Holy Bull (HOY), Peaks N Valleys, French Deputy, Unbridled's Song, Honour and Glory..and that's off the top of my head.

    cigarsmom 24 Oct 2009 12:58 AM

    For those of you who doubt the talent of Tiznow, go back and look at his PP's of his 3 year old campaign.  He won the Super Derby by 6 lengths setting a new track record, comes back 2 weeks later and defeats Captain Steve in the Goodwood at Santa Anita, 3 weeks later wins the Breeders Cup Classic.  That would be the equivalent time frame as the triple crown.  How many horses in the last 20 years have completed such a task????

    Fan 24 Oct 2009 12:16 AM

    curlin was the best we've seen in a LONG while... lady's secret was great, but i didn't like that she was voted more than my all time favorite- the most amazing, gorgeous, turkoman...

    turkoman 23 Oct 2009 2:33 PM

    This probably won't even be close now, Personal Ensign crushes Cigar in every aspect!

    Brian A. 23 Oct 2009 2:07 PM

    Mike wrote:

    "TheDman's comment is perplexing - since when are 'grass' horses inferior to those who run on dirt?"

    When they run on dirt! Tiznow's Breeder's Cup Classics were run on dirt, not grass. A grass horse moving to dirt is often not going to be as effective.

    TheDman 23 Oct 2009 10:52 AM

    Lmaris got both sides right...TheDman's comment is perplexing - since when are 'grass' horses inferior to those who run on dirt?

    Btw, I'm 59 yrs old and the best horse I ever saw was Kelso, or was it Buckpasser, or Dr. Fager? Wait, maybe it was Secretariat, or Forego, or Seattle Slew? No? John Henry? :)

    Mike 23 Oct 2009 9:48 AM

    They are all very worthy...but if I need to make knee jerk comment for both sides,

    given breeding and other aspects of racing besides winning....I would have liked to see SKIP AWAY and ASHADO in the

    finals....don

    Don from Delaware 23 Oct 2009 9:42 AM

    Great races

    Carolyn Werner 23 Oct 2009 9:07 AM

    Cigar didn't beat CURLIN! Cigar's fans beat us CURLIN fans - that's all.  I'm honored to have seen Cigar at the KY Horse Park. But as you know, Cigar may not have beaten CURLIN in an actual race as good as he was! We'll NEVER know! What we DO know is that Cigar has a lot of long-time sentimental fans. And he DOES have a good racing record. The question is what competition he faced - same as all the other horses.  The debate goes on and will never be resolved in a factual outcome of a real race between these great horses. Maybe the old man will win this.  That tells me only that the Cigar fans are many - probably because they have known him for years and gotten sentimentally attached.  And maybe I will do the same if, ten years from now, we have another bracket game with CURLIN in it. I probably will! So, congrats to the Cigar fans for voting in great numbers and beating the CURLIN fans!!! I will always love CURLIN!!!!!!!!!!

    CURLINLOVER 23 Oct 2009 7:47 AM

    I witnessed Tiznow in the Classic at Belmont, give me a break. Luck maybe once  but not twice pure heart and desire if only I could have one just like him, besides not too many slouches from his babies either

    RJ 23 Oct 2009 5:47 AM

    In my humble opinion, Any horse that

    finishes in the top three in each of the Triple Crown races deserves high merit.

    Nick Klar 23 Oct 2009 5:28 AM

    Medea? Cigar overrated?? give me a break. That was the same handicap division Holy Bull was beating on. Cigar was tailing off in 96 and was battling quarter cracks that whole year. Despite that, he still put up a very game effort in the '96 coming up a neck short while racing wide the whole way. You acting like Alphabet Soup won by daylight. Cigar was gaining him. Human error cost him the win, not because Alphabet Soup was better horse. Alphabet Soup was a game horse, but I didnt see his connections jumping at the chance to run against Cigar in '95 when Cigar shipped west for the Gold Cup. I didnt see them bringing him East for the Classic and I certainly didnt see him in the 96 Santa Anita Handicap a race Cigar was supposed to use as a tune-up for the World Cup and he couldnt run because of the quarter crack, or even the Pacific Classic. Because they wanted no part of him. He was even pre-entered in the Sprint and they only took Cigar on because he was tailing off. Tailing off and still almost won the damn thing. He never gave up, now thats how you measure greatest. I'll tell you who is overrated, Tiznow. Like Sandy stated on here, the two horses that he fought with, Giants Causeway and Sahkee were turf horses. They were making their first starts on dirt. Giants Causeway next ran in the Japan Cup Dirt and finished 8th. What did Sahkee accomplish after winning the Arc? nothing. Tiznow wasnt even the favorite in both. My how people forget, in '00 the talk was Fusaichi Pegasus. He just didnt fire in the Classic, neither did Lemon Drop Kid who was the top older horse in the nation that season. Not taking anything away from Tiznow either. Cigar in '95 was unbeatable. He was winning races with devasting ease. He was never pushed in his prime, and that's not his fault. He ducked no one. Allen Paulson wasnt afraid to run, unlike many owners of today. For him to win the Donn, Gulfstream Park handicap, the Oaklawn handicap, Pimilco Special, Hollywood Gold Cup, Woodward, Jockey Club Gold Cup and Classic all in the same, by the way all grade 1's and to come back and win the Dubia World Cup and he wasnt even at his best and people still have the nerve to call him overrated? Man please. Tell me who Curlin beat last season? They got these seedings all wrong, it should have been Cigar vs Sunday Silence. Those were the two best Classic winners.

    Jeremy 23 Oct 2009 4:26 AM

    People don't remember what Lady's Secret did over the span of her career.  As a 3yo, she swept the New York triple for 3&up...Maskette, Ruffian, & Beldame, and came back to finish 2nd in the BC Distaff.  That wasn't enough for her though.  The next year, she swept that same triple again and won the BC Distaff in a laugher.

    There's no limit to the respect that I have for Personal Ensign.  Her performance in that 1988 Distaff is nothing more than magical.  But she only raced 13 times.  Lady's Secret went to the gate 45 times!

    She won the Whitney....so did Personal Ensign.  But she also hit the board against males in the Iselin and the Woodward.

    I just know that Personal Ensign is going to win this vote, but still, I want you all to think about what Lady's Secret did.  Career-wise, she wins hands down.

    Paseana 23 Oct 2009 1:41 AM

    Tara, Cigar was not overrated--he won two HotY titles, the first running of the Dubai World Cup, and 16 races in a row, against the top horses in the US and the world.   He was beaten more than once, but that doesn't mean he was nothing!  His defeat by Alphabet Soup was the final race of his career, the 4th year he raced.  (Alphabet Soup wasn't exactly a dog, either, although he was not in Cigar's class for most of Cigar's career.)  Very few horses, even the best of the world, are undefeated.  To run as many times as Cigar did, against the caliber of company that he did, and to become (for a while) the leading money earner of all time, is not the earmark of "an overrated horse".

    Again, I say, talk up who you like.  Don't put the others down.  More than one good horse in the world of racing doesn't make the other horses less good!  Back your favorites.  Keep your money in your pocket on the others.  

    dragonfur 22 Oct 2009 10:09 PM

    Tiznow had two great wins in the classics, no taking that away, I think part of the luck (or bad luck) is where the event is. Skip Away, who I admit is my favorite horse of all time, could have won it twice, but the second cup was held at Churchill, which is the only track which he couldn't handle for some reason, and he still came 6th, only a few lengths back of Awesome Again, Silver Charm, Swain, Victory Gallop & Coronados Quest, in which may have been the deepest classic ever.

    Graham 22 Oct 2009 9:53 PM

    Lady secret and tiznow will be in it to the end watch for those two

    Misty 22 Oct 2009 9:33 PM

    I haven't seen a surprise yet?

    Lydia 22 Oct 2009 7:29 PM

    GO CIGAR!

    Sandy 22 Oct 2009 7:10 PM

    Lmaris,

    No, Tiznow was lucky because the best competition he faced each year were grass horses. He's the only one who has done it twice because the race isn't that old, and he most definitely is NOT the best the Breeder's Cup has ever seen. That's just a joke. If all these horses assembled in an actual race, he'd be lucky to grab 10th place.

    TheDman 22 Oct 2009 6:19 PM

    Tiznow and Tiznow...there is no other answer!

    Medea 22 Oct 2009 6:03 PM

    cigar should never have gotten past  sunday silence he was an over rated horse racing a weak handicap division and then got beat in the classic by alphabet soup so come on now

    tara scheland 22 Oct 2009 5:54 PM

    This will be as close to a deadheat as possible.

    Dawn 22 Oct 2009 5:54 PM

    I still love Zenyatta the best.  Can you imagine breeding her to Curlin?  What a baby!  If I were Jess Jackson, I'd buy her as well.

    Georgia 22 Oct 2009 5:38 PM

    I took this contest to be a "Breeder's Cup" hall of fame, or who was the best horse in the history of the Breeder's Cup- not who was the greatest horse period. You go with the greatest horse period, and you're down to Cigar, Curlin and maybe one or two others. Limit it to performances in the Breeder's Cup, as I did, and the answer seems simple. Just check out those two classics Tiznow won, including the one right after 9-11. On those two days you could have brought back John Henry, Secretariat, you name it and they wouldn't have gotten by him. Wait a minute- did I say Secretariat? Let me rethink that one.......

    Jake 22 Oct 2009 4:43 PM

    I'm 66 yearts old, and the best horse I've ever seen Is Spectacular Bid!  Shoemaker rode him as a 4 year old, and said he was the best horse he ever rode!  His opinion is good enough for me!

    Spec Bid 22 Oct 2009 4:36 PM

    I saw Cigar, Ghostzapper, Curlin, all

    in person. I don't believe any of these

    horses could beat Sunday Silence. Imagine out training the "bald eagle".

    Not. When he pointed to a race he was

    flawless. Only thing he wasn't able to do was get Sunday to run in a straight line. Imagine if he ever would have.

    I still think this needs to be broken down some more. Turf horse, sprinter by decade.. Sunday Silence RIP...

    Joel A. Lopez 22 Oct 2009 4:27 PM

    Thank God Cigar beat Curlin.

    Hunter 22 Oct 2009 4:12 PM

    CIGAR and  The Iron Lady (Ladys Secret). It WILL come down to these two great champions. Personal Ensign,  give me a decent break here, her races were picked and chosen so she wouldn't have to exert herself competing with real race horses. When she finally met a real race horse it took everything she had to catch a brilliant filly who had a much harder campaign than Personal Ensign could ever withstand.  WINNING COLORS ran gainst the best 3 years old of 1988 from the beginning of the year down to the bitter end, and Personal Ensign, had nice easy year in 1988, the males she faced, what were their names again?

    Lori Urban 22 Oct 2009 4:01 PM

    This Zenyatta nonsense is too much.  She'd never get past Personal Ensign, a mare who was not afraid to race on more than 2 tracks.  The east coast mares aren't afraid of Zenyatta. They travel outside their home states, something Zenyatta's connections haven't done in over a year.

    Those who say Tiznow was not that good, don't know racing.  He beat the best of the best twice.  And he was headed in the stretch and came back.  That's not luck.  That's deep down heart and class.

    The last 4 horses in this tournament are the best and deserve to be where they are.  Any matchup would be worthwhile, but I went with Tiznow v Lady's Secret.  Two that just didn't quit.

    Lmaris 22 Oct 2009 3:52 PM

    Alysse, "lucky" would be if Tiznow snuck a rail trip in and snuck past horses.  But that's not what happened.  He raced against the best and gutted out wins both times.  No horse has done that before or since.   Get over it.  He was the best the Breeders' Cup has seen yet.

    Lmaris 22 Oct 2009 3:46 PM

    That Tiznow made is this far is the reason why we don't let fans vote on anything important.

    TheDman 22 Oct 2009 3:42 PM

    I feel old...I still remember Sunday Silence and his battles with Easy Goer. They were both good horses and in this competition, my vote would go to Sunday Silence by a nose because Skip Away was also wonderful, a big, powerful horse.  I do not know if Curlin or Tiznow could match these two though I liked both of them very much.  Tiznow had physical problems which hampered him for much of his career but when he looked another horse in the eye he was the Intimidator.  That is how he won his Breeder's Cup races.  

      They are all good horses.  In the end, I may be partial to the brave, little mare, Lady's Secret!

    Lucy 22 Oct 2009 3:40 PM

    Can Cigar possibly beat Lady's Secret? hmmm...

    aspradling 22 Oct 2009 3:33 PM

    I admit to letting my heart make some of the choices. But isn't racing all about heart?

    Vickie 22 Oct 2009 3:18 PM

    Tiznow is not that good.  He got lucky on racing's biggest day...twice.  I think to logically look at these horses, you should take away the Breeders' Cup win and look at the rest of the career.  You'd be seeing much different brackets that way.

    Alysse 22 Oct 2009 3:14 PM

    In my book, CURLIN will always be the best - even if others voted differently. This was just a game anyhow! Let the remaining four duke it out!

    Go Curlin forever!!!!!!!!!!

    CURLINLOVER 22 Oct 2009 2:50 PM

    Overratted Cigar against Personal Ensign, Lady's Secret of Tiznow, what a joke, he'd get cooked!

    Brian A. 22 Oct 2009 2:46 PM

    I chose from the poor choices available, but Zenyatta is going to be the last one standing wherever she runs and whoever she runs against. Oh, and Curlin is better in my book than Cigar.  

    wendyg 22 Oct 2009 1:57 PM

    Zenyatta--and to those doubters who say she hasn't been tested--try training a horse for 2+ years to keep her perfect record in tact, add to that a hall of fame jockey who misjudged the pace but yet she carried him to the finish line first showing everyone that there was more in the tank.  Now that is a true classic champion--overcoming the impossible.  Her style is to win and race again--desimating competition by 2 digit #s is not her style.  

    sunnysunrise 22 Oct 2009 10:28 AM

    Still sticking to a Cigar Vs. Zenyatta Final, With Zenyatta being the Victor.  I am not saying that would be MY final, Just an educated guess on the voting.  If it is, I have no problem with it, though.  I am so sick of the naysayers beating up Zenyatta.  She is a winner, She knows where the line is and ALWAYS crosses it first.  I really hope Mr. Moss puts her in the Classic and She wins it.  That will quiet some of the Naysayer's up, But, There will still be those questioning her greatness, Which is sad.  She is a shoe in for the Hall of Fame and will go down as one of the greats of all time, period.  Winning every race is incredibly hard regardless of who you race against, If it was so easy, Then there would be alot more undefeated horses out there.  I commend The Mosses for guiding her incredible career and regardless of what happens in the Breeder's, She is one for the ages...

    Greg J. 22 Oct 2009 10:05 AM

    It is amazing what time does to the memory.  I think everyone should watch Personal Ensign's Breeders Cup again.  Listen to the names of who she beat.  Same for Cigar's Breeders Cup victory.  And don't argue speed and time and so forth.  A former claimer set a NTR at Belmont yesterday.

    Greg 22 Oct 2009 7:49 AM

    Zenyatta all the way - 13 for 13 and reaching Personal Ensign's record. It is a feat and, though I love Personal Ensign, Zenyatta is a racehorse heroine of my time. As for the boys, I love Curlin, but Cigar has always been my favorite male racehorse. He showed drive and determination while setting the record for the most winnings earned by a racehorse. Though Curlin has surpassed him, Cigar set the bar for him to jump. Besides, Lane's End let's me see him whenever I want. :) Go Zenyatta! Go Cigar!

    Shaun Basch 21 Oct 2009 7:50 PM

    My two favorite horse are zenyatta and curlin because i admire the way they strive and the confident they come home on the last furlongs they give all they got and i love that as a late trainer and half jockey.

    Deweese J Gumbs 21 Oct 2009 3:54 PM

    Need to correct Margaret on a point.... As much as I love Lady's Secret and Personal Ensign....they didn't race each other. Personal Ensign beat Winning Colors in the Distaff. Great race.

    Gail 21 Oct 2009 2:35 PM

    Wow, there's a lot more people into Curlin than I realized! He defintely deserves to be here.

    Racing Fan 21 Oct 2009 2:34 PM

    For those that think Cigar's competition was weak...you might actually want to go look at what he faced.  He beat 45+ grade 1 winners and 5 horse of the years.  Can any other horse on this list say the same? Many raced the same number of years as he did.  

    cigar's mom 21 Oct 2009 1:06 PM

    Same as before. Cigar and Lady's Secret.

    Elaine Winter 21 Oct 2009 8:05 AM

    Thank you, Graham! Theoretically, it should be about who we think is the greatest horse; but human emotion and attachments to certain horses simply play a part.  Thus, our votes! And our opinions vary.  Personally, I'm not sure Ghostzapper could beat Curlin at his best; but I don't know - will never know; a race between the two would have been great! Ghostzapper was superfast; and so was Curlin in his best races.  Too bad really we can't know.  I loved Ghostzapper too; I'm just predudiced! Sorry! I'm glad you ackowledged Curlin; so, let's just agree that these brackets had super-great horses! It's been fun and created interesting arguments and dialogues.  If Curlin doesn't go on, so be it! I will still be his greatest fan while still loving other horses.

    CURLINLOVER 21 Oct 2009 7:39 AM

    i can't believe anyone believes ghostzapper was a great horse.  he simply did not run enough to prove himself.

    jp 21 Oct 2009 2:49 AM

    Once more to clarify, this is Breeders' Cup Classic winners vs. Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (nee Distaff) winners. No matter how great a horse may have been, if he or she did not win one of these races, they are not eligible.

    For example, Rachel Alexandra has not run in the Breeders' Cup, therefore she does not qualify.

    Blood-Horse Staff 21 Oct 2009 12:42 AM

    maybe i misunderstood- I thought this was best breeders up performances- if so, how could you not have Arazi on the boys side? if not, no disrespec to Tiznow- but he is overseeded, and even in his prime shouldnt be in the breath as Cigar

    dave 20 Oct 2009 10:18 PM

    wat the heck how did tiznow beat alysheba? and azeri beat bayakoa??? wouldnt it be obvious that bayakoa was MUCH the best of the two?

    katie vic 20 Oct 2009 9:56 PM

    Personal Ensign was great, yes, don't get me wrong, but have ever REALLY seen Zenyatta pushed to her limit? She runs away from the field with ease! do we know how fast she actually is?

    Wade 20 Oct 2009 9:17 PM

    Curlinlover, nobody is putting down Curlin, clearly he was a great horse, all we are saying is in a match up between him and Ghostzapper, we believe he would win, I guess I didn't realize this was just about picking who we like more, I thought it was about who we thought was a better horse.

    Graham 20 Oct 2009 3:30 PM

    I'm with you, TheMightyCurlin!!!

    CURLINLOVER 20 Oct 2009 2:46 PM

    Go Curlin !! I will Always Love this Handsome & Gentle Horse:)  

    TheMightyCurlin 20 Oct 2009 12:25 PM

    Personal Ensign - she gutted it out over Lady's Secret - one of the all time great finishes.  I love Zenyatta but we have never seen her in that kind of situation.

    Margaret 20 Oct 2009 12:08 PM

    Well, Jose! Curlin DID beat Ghostzapper - at least in cyberspace!!!

    And don't put those of us voting for CURLIN down because we voted for him. Our choice! Not yours!

    Please be respectful to all of us, do not put us or our horses down; it dimishes not only us in your attempt - but also yourselves. Your lack of consideration is disrespectful and belittling of horses and fans!

    All horses proved themselves in their own time and right.  We cannot compare them as we will never see them race against each other.

    Now again:  Go Curlin!!!!!!!!!!!1

    CURLINLOVER 20 Oct 2009 9:55 AM

    I cant believe this Curlin over Zapper?

    Dont I love Curlin, but no way no how Zapper gets beat !!!

    Harry 20 Oct 2009 8:32 AM

    What's with saying CIGAR could only beat weak horses.  No one knows how much more this horse had in the tank.  Just because he didn't face the very best doesn't mean he couldn't have whipped their butts if he had raced against them.

    Go CIGAR!

    Ballerina 19 Oct 2009 11:25 PM

    Curlin would not beat Ghostzapper. NEVER!!!!!!!!!! That was a bad decision.

    Jose 19 Oct 2009 1:22 PM

    Lady's Secret would have run circles around Zenyatta. A race between Lady's Secret and Rachel Alexandra would have been one been one for the ages.

    Diana Sprain 19 Oct 2009 12:32 PM

    I can't believe Curlin is above Unbridled or Ghostzapper. Those horses proved themselves. Curlin is just overrated. Should not be considered when talking of classic winners.

    HUNTER 19 Oct 2009 10:00 AM

    LOVE ZENYATTA!

    Whitney 19 Oct 2009 9:10 AM

    I agree with Graham 100%

    Mandy 19 Oct 2009 9:09 AM

    Here we go again putting other people's favorites down! Not fair or sportsman-like! Obviously, CURLIN has a lots of fans, so you Ghostzapper fans:  He was great - but not as popular as CURLIN. This is a game - a game of popularity for goodness sake.  Be men and suck it up! Don't be offended! Noone will ever know who was truly the best - not you, not I.  Enjoy being a fan of whatever horse you love! The rest of us aren't putting down your favorites - just voting for ours! Enjoy the game.

    And yes, I'm happy CURLIN is in the final 4!!!!!!

    GO CURLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    CURLINLOVER 19 Oct 2009 7:45 AM

    there is no way cigar would have beat sunday silence . cigar was a good horse not great he    was only great because the horses he faced were weak

    tara scheland 19 Oct 2009 7:24 AM

    I don't believe that anybody who saw them both run, thinks Curlin would beat Ghostzapper. He was a freak, didn't matter if it was 6 furlongs or 1 1/4 miles!

    Graham 18 Oct 2009 1:31 AM

    Go Curlin!

    BA 17 Oct 2009 10:51 PM

    Pleasantly Perfect ran way wide against Ghostzapperin 2004. With a better trip he might have got him. Would like to see Easy Goer in here. Cigar all the way . Curlin may be great and as much as I love him slightly overrated. Too bad Afleet Alex never ran in the Breeders Cup,the only horse that could possibly have been as great as Secretariat, and would have liked to see Smarty Jones take on Ghostzapper. Pleasantly Perfect and Medaglia D'oro 2004

    Thinus Verdoes 17 Oct 2009 9:13 PM

    The anti-Zenyatta sentiments are really becoming quite old. Zenyatta ran on the east coast last year and kindly destroyed the field. A field that included Eclipse award winner Ginger Punch. A horse that she emphatically beat again in the Breeder's Cup. I cannot explain her trainer's logic, but whatever it is, it should not be held against a horse that is truly remarkable. Having seen her in person on for separate occasions, I can testify to her greatness. Forums such as this are fun, but certainly not scientific. Who is to say that Curlin would not have beaten Ghostzapper. Can one honestly and unequivocally state that Curlin could not have done so? The truth is, all of the horses posted within this bracket are spectacular in their own right. Regardless of who "wins" this contest, we can all agree that the names within this bracket are amongst the most noted runners in recent history. While certain others will be considered as all-time greats. My biggest regret is not seeing Ruffian mentioned within this bracket. For the Breeder's Cup was created long after her passing. Had the BC been created a decade sooner, she would have certainly been on this list. For my money, she was arguably the greatest of all-time, and was a horse unlike any we have seen since.

    BarbarosDerby1328 17 Oct 2009 8:24 PM

    Curlin over Ghostzapper??????  I can't get over that one.

    Bret 17 Oct 2009 1:26 PM

    This is Cigar and Lady's Secret dance.

    Elaine Winter 17 Oct 2009 7:54 AM

    Put Zenyatta against the likes of Ruffian, Personal Ensign, Rachel Alexandra. Put her up against Cigar, The mighty forego, affirmed, alydar. She would never stand the chance, her owners should consider running here on the east coast and see what she has..

    david farrell 17 Oct 2009 4:45 AM

    growing up on the backside of the old aksarben racetrack you get a feel for these horses.all of these horses were great but its hard to beat them older horses down the lane.especially with the likes of shoemaker with dead aim on you or with pat day on the bill dailey.if cigar and j.d bailey didnt let the leaders get away from them down the backside then we might be calling him the best ever.but the most important factor that know one talks about,how good is the groom how well does he prepare the horse leading up to the race

    maurice harrison 17 Oct 2009 4:03 AM

    They spring from the gate

    Jann Lunny 16 Oct 2009 4:32 PM

    Nice

    Bob Lunny 16 Oct 2009 4:31 PM

    Yes, TheMightyCurlin, Lane's End is really nice.  I was lucky to see CURLIN race in the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs, see him at his retirement and tribute party at CD last November, and then visit him last july at Lane's end during a tour. How nice of the farm to give you a private visit with our CURLIN.  Isn't he the most special horse? You're 8 years younger than I. I was born in Denmark and came to the US in 74 - the year after Secretariat, unfortunately. I followed CURLIN's whole career and will follow his foals as well - hopefully good ones!

    Isn't this bracket thing fun? How exciting that CURLIN made it to round 3!

    Go Curlin!!!!!!!!!!!!

    CURLINLOVER 16 Oct 2009 2:47 PM

    Cigar was a great runner, but Curlin tops the list

    Nick Klar 16 Oct 2009 2:14 PM

    Cigar was great, PERIOD, 16 in a roll and some same he ran against nothing? HAHA..and Zenyatta has? please. The Moss's need to back her up and put her in the male classic if they truly want her to go down in history as a great horse. Is Zenyatta a unsound horse? she's a 5yo and has run 13 times? all against the same horses pretty much, only ran 1/8 mi., two or three times tops. They scratched her on KY Derby day because of what? maybe an off track? Come on, all you "Zens" what's great about a horse who can't run on anything but her home field? Note: the track at CD turned out to be fast btw, they got cold feet fast or she must have soundness issues..before anyone freaks out on that, so did Ghostzapper, but when they could run, they ran, just not very often. I want Zenyatta to run with the boys and prove she's great, i think she can, but the Moss's and trainer "waiting" to see who's going to be in it, smells bigtime like you know what. It's a shame, plus that big ole "prancing" mare i don't think can handle a crowd like Rachel can, they motion for everyone to be quiet when Zenyatta is in the Paddock. talk about over protective of "of one of the greats" only way she's great is by being undefeated..that's it..nothing more...Beat someone girl and prove it! i'll be for you, not against you.

    mike 16 Oct 2009 12:48 PM

    If you have truly been a racing fan since Cigar made his run you would never say he is over rated. No one will ever win 8 Grade 1's in one year- every one of them against open company. We remember best the last ones to race or the colts that stay popular through their progeny(AP Indy). At equal weights with proper rest Curlin and AP Indy would be fighting for third and Tiznow might get within a length. I will never forget Durkin's call and the crowd reaction when Cigar made his charge in the '95 JCGC, watch that on tape and tell me he is over rated.

    kevin 16 Oct 2009 12:44 PM

    Rightfully,  it should be CIGAR and LADY'S SECRET.  He IS the BEST male.  SHE is the BEST of the females.  I can't see how anyone can argue with Cigar and Lady's Secret....Give me a break!  Go look at the number of times each one of those two horses started.  Horses today cannot ever compare to the records of Cigar and Lady's Secret..Two iron horses!...Wanna know why????...Because BOTH of their racing records SPEAK FOR THEMSELF!  BTW - Rachel could never compile a record like Lady's Secret has, nor could she ever come remotely close to Lady's Secret's absolute brilliance on the track.

    Lori Urban 16 Oct 2009 12:35 PM

    Of the horses remaining, A. P. Indy and Cigar are the stand-outs, hands down. Cigar was a phenomenal horse....he was the first to win the Dubai World Classic...so if you don't think he ran against much, you need to rethink that.  I don't understand why Zenyatta is included and Rachel isn't??  Is Rachel penalized because she isn't running in the BC this year?  Well, when the BC "powers that be" get smart, they won't be holding BC races on the "plastic".  There are two surfaces only for true racing championships...grass and dirt.  I still can't figure out why Dubai would have chosen to go w/the synthetics...synthetics are proving to be a problem.  Since we are all into the "Green" thing, let's keep racing on the natural surfaces.

    I Davis 16 Oct 2009 12:08 PM

    Man, seeing some of the results I had to really slap myself to remind me it's just a popularity contest, not a real thing that matters...whew, I love Lady's Secret, but to see paseana only get 10% of the votes!

    Rachel 16 Oct 2009 11:08 AM

    GregJ, if you are right, that will be a sad result.  All these great horses and it comes down to Zenyatta?  Please.  I hoped to see her run in the Pacific Classic and want to see her run against the boys in the BC Classic.  To me that would prove she is the best.  I couldn't blame her connections for trying to protect her perfect record if Sea the Stars were coming but now they have no excuse.  And you know what?  Per-fect is bor-ing.  And it isn't greatness, not by itself.  Secretariat wasn't perfect.  Sea the Stars lost one.  Pepper's Pride, on the other hand, ran a carefully crafted schedule (just like the magnificent Zenyatta) to keep her record unsullied.  I wish they had pushed Zenyatta more to see what she's really made of.  And that is why Rachel Alexandra's Woodward was so much more thrilling and memorable than Zenyatta's third Lady's Secret last week.  Rachel was guts and glory all together.  And that goes double for a number of great horses who have been eliminated here so the Z fans can have another self-congratulatory day?  Sad.  

    GreyK 16 Oct 2009 10:13 AM

    Hey CurlinLover, I'm from South Carolina. There wasn't an open house at Lane's End this past September. I e-mailed & asked for an appointment just to see Curlin, my Favorite Horse, & Lane's End was very kind to allow me to do so. I have only see Curlin once, but I watched his entire racing career on TV. Secretariat is my All Time Favorite. I was 15 when he won the Triple Crown. I watched his entire career as well. It is something I will never forget. GOD BLESS THE HORSES :)

    TheMightyCurlin 16 Oct 2009 9:27 AM

    the Cigar-Curlin is a tough pick.  I will go with Curlin, because at his best, he was a monster.  Cigar I believe might be a tad overrated.  Just a hunch.  Curlin as tough...Street Sense Preakness, Rags to Riches - he kept coming, Dubai...  he had one tough campaign.  

    JR - Adam Man 16 Oct 2009 9:26 AM

    All are great

    Carolyn Werner 16 Oct 2009 8:39 AM

    CIGAR and LADIES SECRET will win this in a walk as well they should.  :-)

    Ballerina 16 Oct 2009 8:33 AM

    I absolutely agree with Brian! I'm so happy to see "my" CURLIN make it to the 3rd round! :-)He deserves it! For those Curlin fans out there, Lane's End just posted their open house in November! :-) You can visit him; I plan to.

    Go CURLIN all the way!

    CURLINLOVER 16 Oct 2009 7:31 AM

    Tiznow is by far better than A.P. Indy he won twice the CBC against he best horses in the world

    Cigar I think was much better than Curlin winning in a lot of race tracks and in Dubai

    Personal Ensign may be with Ruffian and Helen Alexandra in the top of the Fillies and much better than Zenyatta

    And Lady's Secret was the Iron filly with a incredible record and a big # of races, I stay with Tiznow and Personal Ensign they are what fans and breeders want as a horse

    Carlos Fernandez 16 Oct 2009 6:24 AM

    Fun Game. Maybe next year you could throw in some of the most important recent sires/dams(Storm Cat, Medaglia d'oro, Theatrical, Dynaformer, Toussaud, My Flag etc..,) Then let racing and after racing be of equal importance.

    Karen 16 Oct 2009 2:31 AM

    I saw both Gostzapper and Curlin in person and in my opinion Curlin was far better.  Apparently the majority on here agrees as well!

    Cigar is way over-rated. Winning 16 in a row is no small feat, but he faced weak competition.

    Brian A. 15 Oct 2009 11:37 PM

    Zenyatta's race schedule is per planned, so if the others good ones so to speak are brave enough they know where to find here. Its not her fault she scares her opponents. This happens very often. Why would an owner or trainer want to run for second purse money(around 20%) when they can go for the win purse(60% appro.).The horses who take advantage of this kind of situation are the ones who cannot beat the second tier.

    jim 15 Oct 2009 10:44 PM

    Zenyatta isn't getting much play because she's run against little, only once outside Cali, and only once on anything other than synthetic.  She deserves no extra credit. Instead deserves points deducted for this.  Personal Ensign danced the dances against the best, not the same old same old.

    Tiznow beat the best of the best twice.  Cigar's win streak speaks for itself.  The only close call for me was Azeri vs Lady's Secret, and I gave the nod to the Iron Lady but only by a hair's breadth.

    Lmaris 15 Oct 2009 9:52 PM

    Personal Ensign raced against and beat the best. Zenyatta, other than last year's Breeder's Cup, is racing against horses that are barely Grade 3.

    I saw Curlin at the Breeder's Cup. Street Sense was one of my favorites, but the minute Curlin walked in the paddock, I knew that race was over.

    CDR 15 Oct 2009 9:26 PM

    cigar and lady secret all the way

    gord chatwin 15 Oct 2009 9:12 PM

    zenyatta is not getting much credit because of her running stgyle as most races are won by forwardly placed horses as most of the stats show, so that is a big strike against a horse of that running style(see what MTB has done since the derby), so zenyatta should be given extra credit for having for having that running style with everything at the mercy of the pace set up, but, she's still undefeated. Take for instance her next to last race at DMR, with a crawling pace plus shorter distance she still managed to get up. So she deserves more credit and see what she did in her last race with a break in weight, at a better distance and showing a bit more speed or going after the leaders earlier what she did.

    jim 15 Oct 2009 8:14 PM

    Cigar most overrated male horse of all-time.  Popularity contests shouldn't show the winner, raw times, competition, margin, and races won should be shown.  Ghostzapper by 10.

    Vic S 15 Oct 2009 8:06 PM

    Personal Ensign never got due...TVG, HRTV woud set battle East V West....It would good for Fans and Track...

    Raymond Henebry 15 Oct 2009 8:05 PM

    Zenyatta is a great filly, but I still say she needs to beat a different field other than the one she keeps beating over and over again. To me she has never faced a great Caliber of horses such as Personal Ensign and Ladys Secret. So until she beats some other horses other than Leathal Heat and Briecat over and over again shes just a level below the great ones.

    Arturo in Ocala 15 Oct 2009 7:51 PM

    I used to be in the horse business and met charlie and sunday walking to the track and I told everybody who would listen that this is the best horse I ever saw.  Too bad arthur sold him too the japanese because no telling what the breeding industry would be like with his bloodline in the U.S

    frank horstmann 15 Oct 2009 7:16 PM

    Skip Away, out in the first round, could've beaten any of the horses in the final 4.

    TheDman 15 Oct 2009 6:50 PM

    I agree.  Zenyatta has never faced a true rival.  And I had no problem picking Personal Ensign over Zenyatta.  Can't wait for the time that I get to pick Rachel Alexandra over Zenyatta.  Rachel has raced against the boys and will get great pleasure in casting that vote.  I also agree it should be by decade.  The spread is too big to get a true vote.

    Clare 15 Oct 2009 6:45 PM

    Think Zenyatta is great but how can you compare her against Personal Ensign or Azeri and the same with Curlin and Cigar.  I really think there are a lot of young people voting that do not realize what the older stars have done.  Oh well it is just a game.

    lobieb 15 Oct 2009 6:33 PM

    How could Curlin beat Ghostzapper? Curlin is obviously better marketed and fresher on peoples minds. Frankel said he was a freak and probably the best horse he has ever trained. I mean look at his races. He ran horses off their feet and kept going.

    Sam 15 Oct 2009 6:24 PM

    Personal Ensign v Zenyatta? Its not even a comparison, Personal Ensign was the greatest ever!!!

    Curlin124 15 Oct 2009 5:59 PM

    There is no way Curlin beats Ghostzapper

    Sgunne 15 Oct 2009 5:40 PM

    I wish Alydar had been in the lineup!

    Joan Kelley 15 Oct 2009 5:32 PM

    I agree Ghostzapper should have been through to the next round.

    Bill

    Bill Chaspman 15 Oct 2009 4:49 PM

    You Go Girls!!!!!

    Buffy Trott 15 Oct 2009 3:54 PM

    This has been fun. But, maybe we should try it again by decade. 60's, 70's etc. So many great horses in so many different era's. My favorite of all time: SUNDAY SILENCE...

    Joel A.Lopez 15 Oct 2009 3:53 PM

    Could not bring myself to pick between Zen and Personal Ensign, so didn't. I wanted to vote for Curlin but stuck to my admiration of Seattle Slew and the role he played in Cigar's bloodlines. Missed the first 2 votes and would have had a hard time chosing between Cigar and Sunday Silence as well as picking Lady's Secret over Dance Smartly, another favorite. This is tuff stuff to try and pick one over the other, how does one pick Zen over Personal Ensign, 20 years separated their careers and PE ran 13=0 back then. I loved Wild Again and there too it would have been hard to pick between him and A.P. Indy. I guess i am just too fond of all of them to chose a favorite.

    Linda in Texas 15 Oct 2009 3:51 PM

    DANG!!! All my favourites are moving up together!

    Vickie 15 Oct 2009 3:41 PM

    Zenyatta never faced any good horses, EVER. but she'll likely be in the finals only because she's current and has a fan following who really doesn't know much about racing or history. I think she could have been a great one, but was held back by her owners to really fulfill her potential. If she goes into the male classic, she has nothing to lose, escept the race, and will at least gain some respect for at least trying. But i think the Moss's will play it safe and go into the distaff, where if she gets beat, then she'll fade as a so so 13 for 14 horse, like many. too sad for Zenyatta.

    mike 15 Oct 2009 3:35 PM

    How is Ghostzapper not in this?  He's only run the fastest Classic ever.  And it's not like that was the only time he's run fast.  With his versatility through distance, running style and track condition, there should be no reason he doesn't win this.  At the very least, he is withers above Curlin.

    Alysse 15 Oct 2009 3:13 PM

    Cigar

    Txhwy90 14 Oct 2009 12:32 PM

    Dragonfur! Right on! You're so right! I've been saying this all along. Let's have fun in this game and even respect the outcome.  Just a game! We all love our favorites.  Some of us love all the horses - just one or two more than the rest; I respect and admire them all. But CURLIN all the way for ME! :-)

    CURLINLOVER 14 Oct 2009 7:30 AM

    These voting games are fun, and it's great to be able to tout what horse(s) are your favorites.  Putting down horses that are not your favorite, however, is poor sportsmanship.  Each horse in this contest is worthy to be here.  Each accomplished something great.  By all means, hail your favorites.  But it would be nice to see y'all refrain from insulting horses you may not like or respect (someone else does)!  Say who you like.  Leave the rest.

    My favorites?  Cigar, Zenyatta, Bayakoa  

    dragonfur 13 Oct 2009 9:49 PM

    I also was wondering why Pebbles wasn't on here. She was the Queen!

    Mrs. Packer 13 Oct 2009 11:28 AM

    You all know that the winner of these brackets is not necessarily the best horse, don't you? It will be the most popular horse or the one whose fans keep up campaigning and possibly convincing others to switch loyalty. It won't be realistic for the simple fact that we'll never know who of these horses would have won in an real race! Wouldn't that have been interesting? We all have our right to vote for our favorites, which is exactly what we do, and noone can change that no matter how much nonsense you throw in about so and so being by far the best. Those statements are ludicrous and irrelevant anyway. You can prove nothing because this is all in cyberspace with nothing in reality. All these horses were great in their own time and right - ran their hearts out into ours.  So, Bret, Greg, and Mike can go on ranting and raving about Invasor and Ghostzapper till they're blue in the face.  It means zip to the rest of us who know that, without a real race, all this is just speculation and opinions!!! Even my favorite, CURLIN, posted different Beyer speeds in different races - at one time even hitting 130!!!

    So, keep enjoying this blog; I'm tiring of those who try to bully their opinions on the rest of us and tired of defending everybody's right to choose their own favorites. All horses in these brackets were great! Period!

    Go CURLIN!!!!!!!!!!

    CURLINLOVER 13 Oct 2009 9:05 AM

    This should end with CIGAR and LADY'S SECRET respectively.  Those two are the best...Personal Ensign--Don't make me laugh,  and compare her to Lady's Secret's 45 lifetime starts as well as ger other accomplishments;  Lady faced the boys how many times?  Cigar--clearly the best of everything there is--Ghostzapper,  don't make me laugh. I really wish that Breeders Cup would have been held at Belmont Park instead of speed favoring Lone Star Park.  Doesn't matter,  Ghostzapper wasn't even close to being capable of anything Cigar has done,  especially Cigar's record--its speaks for itself,  and in comparison to Ghostzapper's record--Cigar stands at the top of the platform ALL BY HIMSELF!  Lady's Secret stands on the other platform ALL BY HERSELF! Two genuinely GREAT CHAMPIONS!

    Whatever 12 Oct 2009 9:28 PM

    It will be a final of Zenyatta and Cigar...With Zenyatta being the Victor...

    Greg J. 12 Oct 2009 2:16 PM

    I was never a Ghostzapper fan, but nobody realizes how good this horse really was. He was lightning fast and could outrun all of them.

    Brett Atteln 12 Oct 2009 12:08 PM

    Hey, TheMightyCurlin.  Yes, we have a lot in common, and I'll keep the faith.  Where are you from? I'm from Michigan and have seen CURLIN 3 times in person.  He's so special! I love him no end! I had a suspicion at first that you were one of my KY friends.  but I guess not.  Hard when we use other names here for anonymity - but fun.  I was not aware of an open house at Lane's End in September? I went last July and am hoping for an open house soon! :-). Can't wait to love on and kiss on CURLIN again! He just loves women lavishing love and attention on him. Such a charmer and good listener.

    Good luck to CURLIN in teh 3rd round!

    Go CURLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    CURLINLOVER 12 Oct 2009 9:52 AM

    Its Cigar number 1 and than Invasor and than Skip Away they are the only horses on the male side to win many grade 1 races in a row Invasor 6 in  a row on six different tracks!!  To many horses are hyped way to much Like Culin, Big Brown, and Rachel. Those horses would not beat Invasor and I don't think they would have beat Bernardini.  You Curlin fans what did he do  that Invasor didn't do???  The beyers of the two horses are almost equal. Invasor won 6 grade 1's in a row and Curlin didn't do that. Curlin won a Classic on a track where half of the field ran about 20 lengths behind their average beyers beacause of the conditions of track.  Than the next year runs up the track and owner says it the track fault!!  Invasor Donn handicap is the best race of the 21 century hands down. 

    mike matthews 11 Oct 2009 11:08 PM

    Both horses impecibly bred, but I  bred my mares to A.P. Indy offspring (Malibu Moon, etc) and I love the build, the character that they seem to carry.

    Diane Borger Ness 11 Oct 2009 10:06 PM

    where is pebbles.

    jim 11 Oct 2009 7:43 PM

    Of course it's a popularity contest (unless the voters are cogniscenti and from the 'sound' of it, none of us is). 'Dogging' Tiz is merely an East Coast whine (e.g. A. Beyer's joke of a post-2001 BC article)...Tiz, a lowly Cal-bred whose full brother Budroyale couldn't even beat the worst Classic winner of all, Cat Thief in '99, did manage to beat world-class (not just NYRA) horses twice with guts, determination and CJ. I just wish Mr. Robbins had revealed the brand name of the vodka!

    And yes, the '97 Classic field may have been the best, but the best two horses (Silver Charm and Swain) didn't win because their respective riders had their heads up their butts.

    So, thanks to YouBet, perhaps next year the contest will be between BC riders and trainers. In any case, good luck to you all :)

    freecharm 11 Oct 2009 8:20 AM

    Zenyatta, now being 13-0, matching Personal Ensign, In my opinion just justified her moving on at least one more bracket.  

    Ehawlz 10 Oct 2009 8:21 PM

    So much beauty, strength, and honor. They all are winners!!!

    Cheryl 10 Oct 2009 7:00 PM

    ghostzapper wins!!!

    EmpireMaker 10 Oct 2009 8:37 AM

    ageless beauty

    karen carey 10 Oct 2009 4:21 AM

    So many wonderful horses, and so many strong opinions. Reading everyones' posts and sentiments is as intriguing as the brackets. One has to remember, this is simply for fun. I believe that it is difficult to compare horses of different generations. How do compare a Curlin to a Cigar? Better yet, why would you want to? I never had a chance to see Ghostzapper. From what I have heard however, he was a freak in every sense of the word. An passionate spirit, an endless fire from within, and more talent in one hoof than most horses throughout. Truth is, I love them all. Win, lose or draw. My love stems from the appreciation that I have for all that they contribute to our lives. The passionate words on this board are perfect evidence of that.

    BarbarosDerby1328 10 Oct 2009 1:38 AM

    That one was pretty difficult. The hardest one was with Tiznow and Alysheba. The next round is going to be even more difficult to choose!  

    OldFashionedRunner 09 Oct 2009 11:59 PM

    Hey CurlinLover, we have alot in common! I hope he wins as well:) My husband drove me all the way to Kentucky just to visit Curlin last month and it was well worth the trip. I agree with you, all the horses in the Bracket Battles are great & deserve respect together with their fans. Keep the faith, CurlinLover!!

    TheMightyCurlin 09 Oct 2009 3:08 PM

    This is fun, and it makes me think will the most talented win or the most popular!

    Imaniece 09 Oct 2009 11:47 AM

    You got to love them all.  I didn't vote for her, but Princess Rooney absolutely romped in her Cup race.  They are all champions in my book.

    democraticjack 09 Oct 2009 11:09 AM

    Greg and Bret! This is a game - a game of favorites. Horses from different eras are impossible to compare as they raced under different circumstances, in different company, different weather and track conditions, different surfaces, etc. They all lost races along the way! Even the great Secretariat! Money earnings mean little! We will never know who truly was the best unless they would race against each other several times under diffent conditions. So, please let us enjoy this game and not put each other's favorites down.  In the end, none of you really know who was truly the best! As CURLIN's greatest admirer and fan, I'd love to see him win this game; but I'm realistic! He probably won't win the game; but to put him down the way you two did is disrespectful to the horse and his fans; that goes for put-downs of other horses as well.  Just remember that all these horses were Breeders Cup winners!!! They all won the race and deserve our respect and admiration for running their hearts out and having lots of fans each. And all met stiff competition along the way. They are all winners! The # of Grade 1 wins really don't matter in comparison as they all met fields of strong/weak competition along the way. Can we at least agree on them all deserving a place in history by being great horses?

    They obviously have many fans willing to defend each one of them! That should tell you something.

    So, I hope CURLIN makes it to the next round.  If not, he's still my favorite, and I will love him just as much and disregard some negative comments about him - which he does not deserve; he was not overrated! And I will visit him and love on him because he ran his heart out for two years to the delight of many, many fans!

    Go Curlin!!!!!!!

    CURLINLOVER 09 Oct 2009 9:03 AM

    These were all classy horses. Again, hard to pick in some brackets. The only bracket never difficult is Personal Ensign since she left a big part in our hearts after that BC win. People forget that she beat the boys too.

    dispute 09 Oct 2009 8:23 AM

    Cigar and Lady's Secret!Behind Lady's Secret, the dancing queen Zenyatta!!

    Elaine Winter 09 Oct 2009 7:50 AM

    The only thing any of this "proves" is that we all have opinions.  That's all it is:  opinions.  Why try and make it more than that with endless this and that comparisons or the what ifs or why isn'ts, or the so-and-so was the most overrated evers.  Opinions.  Not facts.

    Jon 09 Oct 2009 7:36 AM

    The Fair Play male tail line ---  may it live on forever!

    Susan W. 09 Oct 2009 7:19 AM

    Right on Ruth!  Native Dancer was not only an amazing racehorse but more than 40 years after he died MOST of the great ones are still his descendants!  This was fun - some pretty tough choices though for me!

    Racingfan 08 Oct 2009 10:14 PM

    Reality wrote:

    "Invasor had 9 G1/Group 1 wins, which I believe to be right behind Affirmed who had 10. NONE of the others had that many. Invasor very much deserves to be #5."  

    Since you bring it up, through his 5 victories in the racing mecca of Uruguay, he banked an astounding $113,000USD, so a very "fair" statistic you throw out. When arriving in the states he beat only obscure horses like Wanderin Boy and Sun King before going off as 3rd choice in Classic en route to first major victory against a younger Bernardini. Good horse? Certainly. But one of the top Breeders' Cup Champion?  We'll see what the pollsters think.  You must have hit a nice tri ticket with this one, ha!

    Ekords 08 Oct 2009 10:10 PM

    hmmm dont think invasor would have beat ferdinand but just my opinion and i think zenyatta has gone as far as she could in this bracket i dont think she could have beaten princess rooney and a heck no could she beat personal ensign

    Tara Scheland 08 Oct 2009 9:05 PM

    Who did these seeding? Who in their right mind would put Inside information behind Ashado or Hollywood Wildcat? How is Sunday Silence a 10 seed behind Curlin, AP Indy, Invasor, St Liam??? Are you nuts? Curlin was as overrated as any horse ever but he was better than Invasor. Invasor should be seeded 14

    greg 08 Oct 2009 8:05 PM

    dance smartly from canada.  tiznow and cigar i seen live in may.  allthese horses are  great.

    gord chatwin 08 Oct 2009 7:56 PM

    Love this game!

    michelle george 08 Oct 2009 7:03 PM

    This is the year of great and amazing super fillies

    Favorite Trick 08 Oct 2009 6:16 PM

    Once more to clarify, this is Breeders' Cup Classic winners vs. Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (nee Distaff) winners. No matter how great a horse may have been, if he or she did not win one of these races, they are not eligible.

    Rachel Alexandra has not run in the Breeders' Cup, therefore she does not qualify.

    Blood-Horse Staff 08 Oct 2009 6:13 PM

    Why isn't Rachel Alexandra in this voting process this year?

    KITTY HARRINGTON 08 Oct 2009 4:53 PM

    OMG what this Zenyatta love in yes I will give her credit where credit is due but the best closer ever lets get real here (steve) she would struggle to cash a cheque against some of the fillies listed above....and to say that horse that are not coming to the Classic are scared what koolade are you drinking comem on!!...who the hell does she beat really look at it G111 maybe or good allowance horses and how come if she is that good why not try the Goodwood Hcp against the boys to she where she stacks up,she will show up in the Distaff again and (not win) and to say Sea the Stars is scared he is ranked tops in the world and at least 5 lengths better than most this year.

    On to the boys wondering if anyone can help I seem to remember somewhere NTRA,ABC or espn doing a virtual Classic I think on the 20yr anniversary of the previous winners and Sunday Silence came out on top...curious why he ranked only 10th...but Cigar and Silence would be a hell of a race....oh also if you convert Sea the Stars earnings to US he already over $7million on the year and just say if he came and won the Classic would put him over $10million for 1 year WOW think about that for a minute

    steve.d 08 Oct 2009 4:26 PM

    It's all just some fun people.  Don't get your knickers too knotted over this.  Most of these posts are more overrated than the horses you guys are bashing.  Cheerio!  You know how this will end, don't you ... Personal Ensign vs Ghostzapper. Smiley face!

    Lydia 08 Oct 2009 4:17 PM

    I don't remember Ghostzapper and CURLIN racing in the same race!!!

    CURLINLOVER 08 Oct 2009 2:18 PM

    Think how much more confusing this will get as more and more big races occur on polytrack.  Not to mention no one ever thinks about number 2 horses Giant's Causeway, Medaglio d'Oro (twice), Bernardini and Silver Charm.  I am sure there are many more before I was following the sport where 2nd place one year was as good a horse as a winner another year.

    TL 08 Oct 2009 1:56 PM

    If Cigar wins this then this is a POINTLESS brackett.  He is THE MOST OVERRATED MALE RACEHORSE OF ALL-TIME.  Who did he beat? No one.  He never beat Holy Bull, Holy Bull's injury is no disgrace to him.  Cigar is overrated NO TRACK RECORDS, WEAK COMPETITION, NOT ALL THAT FAST.  OVERRATED.  Same applies for AP Indy.  Invasor is a 9 time G1 winner, and lost one race.  He also beat one of the deepest fields ever assembled in BC History.  It angers me when people can't think for themselves and if they delve deeper will find out real racehorses aren't what the public wants them to be, they are what they make themselves, such as Secretariat, Citation, etc.  I do feel sorrow for the likes of Barbaro who many feel is some freak racehorse, but he never got the chance to prove it and therefore if someone was to say he was an all-time great they would no longer be credible on their beliefs in horseracing.  The truth is the greatest horse in this brackett is Ghostzapper, an absolute freak.

    Steve - how can you say Zenyatta is best closer in history??? No sense.  Have you ever heard of Damascus, Silky Sullivan, or even Secretariat when he ran off the pace.  Zenyatta is not in the same league.  Also, Zenyatta WILL NOT run in the Classic that is a fact.  Sea The Stars is still possible for the race and to say he would be ducking Zenyatta is nuts.  This is a horse who has won every single prestigious race in Europe and has had the single greatest ever season in that continent.  You have to be kidding yourself Steve.  Do you not remember what the Europeans did to us last year with Raven's Pass and Henrythenavigator?  They dominated.  Sea The Stars is far superior to both those horses and is already an ALL-TIME GREAT,  he may just be the greatest, we will have to wait a few years and reflect upon his accomplishments to see where he exactly fits.  He is DEFINATELY top 5 greatest euro's ever if not Number 1.

    Vic S 08 Oct 2009 1:41 PM

    Rachel Alexandra couldn't beat very many of the horses on either side.

    arliss 08 Oct 2009 1:11 PM

    I voted for those who were the best in my eyes.  I didn't like the fact that Cigar, and sunday silence were against each other because I like both horses.  Curlin, Sunday Silence, Cigar, and Alysheba were incredible horses. I can't wait to see who will win in this Breeders Cup.

    SummerBirdFan 08 Oct 2009 12:43 PM

    There is no way that Cigar could beat Sunday Silence, not even remotely possible. Sunday Silence gets no credit for breing one of the best horses in the pass 20 years and beyond. Such a shame.........

    Deacon 08 Oct 2009 12:20 PM

    It is exstremly hard to make unbias picks. So many great horses who never met except here in cyberspace. LOL

    thoroughbredhdlr 08 Oct 2009 12:03 PM

    Just remember, Ghostzapper was miles better than Curlin

    Bret 08 Oct 2009 12:01 PM

    Yes, TheMightyCurlin, you and I both! After seeing Curlin in person in the Stephen Foster and at his retirement party at CD last year, I got to meet, talk to, stroke, kiss on, love on Curlin last July 23 - truly a LOVERBOY! And he loves his mints enough to lick our hands! He's so smart and gentle besides being handsome.  Lane's End is so gracious to let us love on their horses and get our pics taken with them. I'm hoping for an open house this November to love on Curlin again. What a treat of a lifetime that was for me! A treasure forever.

    Go Curlin!!!

    CURLINLOVER 08 Oct 2009 11:42 AM

    Cigar and Personal Ensign. Both should have movies made about them.

    DONNA STEVENS 08 Oct 2009 11:39 AM

    Of course this years brackett would have to be colts vs fillies. Love the line up---must admit some of my choices were based more on emotion -- but that's part of racing.

    Vickie 08 Oct 2009 11:15 AM

    I had the Honor of meeting Curlin last month at Lane's End. He is a LOVERBOY! So sweet & affectionate with manners, besides being Handsome! Looking forward to see Curlin & Rachel Alexandra produce a foal, someday.

    TheMightyCurlin 08 Oct 2009 11:14 AM

    Sunday Silence's win over Easy Goer is by MILES the best BC Classic ever.  The East Coast v West Coast rivalry was one of the most heated ever, the drama of the fading light, Easy Goer's early move, Sunday Silence's spurt on the turn and then the final desperate charge of Easy Goer... PITY that SS and Cigar meet up so early.

    ryanmoseley 08 Oct 2009 11:03 AM

    I see most of these champions go back to Native Dancer.  Very impressive!

    Ruth 08 Oct 2009 10:18 AM

    All of them were terrific horses,I am

    a Sunday Silence and a Princess

    Rooney fan,but the king was the SLEW.

    Attilio

    attilio battifora 08 Oct 2009 10:10 AM

    It's getting more interesting and educational to those of us newbies in horse racing.  I wish I could have seen all the greats of the past and were a little more familiar with tehir accomplishments! Great job! Thank you!

    Still, for me, CURLIN, is my sentimental favorite - best ever or not. This is probably just a fun game of playing favorites to most of us.

    Good luck, you all!

    CURLINLOVER 08 Oct 2009 9:39 AM

    Just to clarify, this is Breeders' Cup Classic winners vs. Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic (nee Distaff) winners. No matter how great a horse may have been, if he or she did not win one of these races, they are not eligible.

    Blood-Horse Staff 07 Oct 2009 6:51 PM

    You left out All Along, who was a Horse of the Year.

    Sandra Warren 07 Oct 2009 5:05 PM

    Curlin and Zenyatta are super horses!

    imaniece

    Imani 07 Oct 2009 3:08 PM

    i saw ridan and jaipur run as a team all the way around the saratoga track. i saw personal ensign run down winning colors in the mud. but for sheer guts, tiznow is the champ. not only did he hold off giants causeway in 2000 but anyone who saw him win at belmont while the 9/11 ruins were still smoking and did not get chills has no soul.  he didn't train well at belmont because os a sore back and threw his exercise rider. but on race day. he showed the world who and what he really was.  tix now was the reggie jackson of horse racing.  he may not have been the best horse to ever look through a bridle, but he will always be my favorite.

    lynne 07 Oct 2009 11:41 AM

    Steve,

    If you know horses the real great ones do not run behind anyone. Look at all of them always up close to the pace or on it. Every one of them Remember Affirm winning the Jockey Gold Cup and Hollywood Gold cup with all the weight, where was he right on the lead.

    Zenyatta is a really nice horse but who has she beat?? Nothing that you can remember. She cannot beat those two three olds. She is not in the class as Sea The Stars please. Did you see his Arc Victory??

    Bayakoya would beat her every day going 11/8 miles. There is no way she can give her 10 to 15 lengths and catch her.

    She has been very protective with her race record. Personal Ensign did meet boys in the Whitney and beating older horses is what makes you a true Female Champion.

    Peter 06 Oct 2009 7:01 PM

    Too bad the 2009 Breeders Cup wasn't held at Churchhill Downs or Belmont, then we may have seen Rachel or Sea the Stars compete. Personally, I loved Cigar and Alysheba, I saw them both compete and in person in Kentucky.

    sandy fritzinger 06 Oct 2009 5:33 PM

    Everyone talking about Summer Bird, Sea the Stars, Rachel Alexandra et al in the Breeder's Cup Classic this year. Looks to me like most won't come with some flimsy excuse. Real reason is they can't beat Zenyatta. That filly will be the largest horse in the field and the favorite.....and she will not disappoint as she beats Personal Ensign's record of consecutive victories.

    Steve 06 Oct 2009 4:27 PM

    Best synthetic horse I have seen in past 10 years is running as we speak in Zenyatta. Takes the longest distance around the track and just wins. 7 Gr I wins with 2 more on tap this year and possibly a third. Arguably the best closer ever in horse racing.

    Steve 06 Oct 2009 4:23 PM

    Amo-569,

    Did you forget Rachael beat Summer Bird by how many lengths again?? She toyed with him. How can you think he is in the same class. He did run on two off tracks since that beating. Lets see what he can do on a fast track.

    Yes Sea The Stars in the best horse in the world now and then Raxhael.

    peter 06 Oct 2009 12:29 PM

    Well heres another fine mess with horses rated in the top 10 that should not even be in the rankings. The voters will make sure only the best rises to the top.

    Big Bad John 06 Oct 2009 7:22 AM

    Reality wrote:

    "Invasor had 9 G1/Group 1 wins, which I believe to be right behind Affirmed who had 10. NONE of the others had that many."

    Skip Away had 10. Cigar I believe had 11.

    Tiznow gets dogged because winning 2 Classics does not in any way mean that he would've beaten these other Classic winners. Horses like Cigar, Skip Away, Sunday Silence, etc were absolutely dominant in their day. Tiznow was anything but. The rest of his racing career was pretty nondescript.

    TheDman 05 Oct 2009 12:39 PM

    lest we forget that A.P Indy had one of the best three year corp that we all have seen in a long time.

    charles small 05 Oct 2009 10:45 AM

    Cliff and Ekords, Invasor very much deserves to be #5.  Well, I feel he should be higher!  He lost ONE race, he had 9 G1/Group 1 wins, which I believe to be right behind Affirmed who had 10. NONE of the others had that many.   He had the 2nd fastest DWC.  What does a horse have to do to deserve to be in the top 5?  The only horse on that list that would have made him work, was Ghostzapper.

    Reality 04 Oct 2009 11:35 PM

    azbob,

    Are you aware that Rachel Alexandra was 7 lengths better than Summer Bird in the Haskell?

    CMRH 04 Oct 2009 11:26 PM

    So many are dogging Tiznow at number one.  Let us not forget that he was the only horse to win two Classics, and it tough, grind it out fashion.  

    amo5609 04 Oct 2009 9:10 PM

    Wait until you see Summer Bird and Sea the Stars battle the last 1/8 in the BC Classic this year.  If Rachel is "the horse of the year" and she only beat Macho Again by a head then Summer Bird must be 'horse of the decade' for beating Macho Again by 11 lengths.

    azbob 04 Oct 2009 7:40 PM

    WHY in world is Sunday Silence number 10? Curlin and Saint Liam ahead of him? Please....thats sad. Alysheba 8?

    The filly and mare side seems more accurate. Though I belive Inside Information should be rated higher than 11.

    Still,very fun.  I hope Tiznow doesnt beat out Cigar though,that would be a sin.

    Caseyk 04 Oct 2009 4:41 PM

    Its was a shame that Winning Colors went off form when she ran in the Breeders Cup Distaff.  She had a tough, gruelling year,  not an easy year like Personal Ensign had who obviously had something left in her nearly filled gas tank at BC time.  If Winning Colors had not ran in ALL THREE triple crown races, and that 1 1/2 mile Belmont is enough to knock out any horse for the rest of the year yet she only lost to Personal Ensign by a head.  Can you imagine if Personal Ensign had met Winning Colors in the Spring,  Winning Colors would have trashed her and everyone knows it. That race broke my heart,  WC derserved,  not some lightly raced Phipps mare that ran a total of 13 times in her entire life,  wow what a tough race career she must have had, a big 13 times,  wow she's only got Ghostzapper beat by two races.  Winning Colors was one of the greatest mares ever.  Look at her record, look at the quality of the competitors she faced and take a look at the quality of competitors Personal Ensign faced in her big 13 races,  there's no comparison. It makes me want to vomit when I read about what a great race mare she was, LOL. Great race mare = Lady's Secret, Azeri, Bayakoya, all these mares faced competition that would blow away anything Personal Ensign faced.  Just another manufactured champion,  like Rachel A.

    Whatever 04 Oct 2009 4:02 PM

    I still think the greatest Breeders Cup race was the 1987 Turf--Theatrical fighting off the Arc winner Trempolino to win. Have to say that Tiznow fighting off Sahkee (whatever his name is)to win it for america was very exciting,  but Theatrical was just so brilliant.

    Whatever 04 Oct 2009 3:54 PM

    I have to agree with Gunbow on both points. SS at 10? He will be known as the Rodney Dangerfield of horses, just can't get no respect. Bayakoa absolutely was a work horse, not gonna lose, just not gonna happen. I really would have loved to have seen her and Paseana race against each other.

    KJ 04 Oct 2009 2:08 PM

    So hard to decide between greatest champion vs greatest race. I've never seen anything to compare to Personal Ensign's distaff, it brought me to tears.

    Alex Rahll 04 Oct 2009 11:15 AM

    Very hard choices.  But you never know.

    Rich Preach 03 Oct 2009 12:16 PM

    Tough choices on some of these options! Choosing between personal favorites and true champions was tough on some.

    And Rachel Alexander hasn't won the Breeders Cup Classic or Distaff.

    Anna 02 Oct 2009 11:55 PM

    I'm with Joel A. Lopez

    Sunday Silence!!!!

    My favorite horse of all time...

    Randy Peterson 02 Oct 2009 9:14 PM

    I can't believe I just voted Paseana AND Bayakoa out in the first round.  I feel so guilty.

    Lakeway 02 Oct 2009 7:48 PM

    pat day and jerry bailey. they would be the best judge's they seem to have ridden all off them

    rae 02 Oct 2009 7:48 PM

    No Rachel Alexandra???

    tiznowfan09 02 Oct 2009 5:23 PM

    Wheres Dahoss.....he won the Mile twice,once for fun and then a race in which he got headed in the stretch and then came back on to win in the greatest comeback since lazzaurus.

    Rick Pilger 02 Oct 2009 4:27 PM

    Skip Away vs. Sunday Silence - Wow that's a tough one to pick. Pretty even all around.  But Invasor ranked #5??? Gimme a break. He was literally a "one-trick pony."

    Cliff 02 Oct 2009 3:08 PM

    Invasor at #5 probably a stretch. And Saint Liam probably overrated as well.

    Better job on the filly/mare side.

    Ekords 02 Oct 2009 1:42 PM

    1. Personal Ensign-simply the best

    2. Cigar

    Donna S 02 Oct 2009 1:41 PM

    Too many great horses to pick. Every Breeder's Cup race is a race within itself. For any horse to win the pace had to be right, their position had to right, and of course they had to be the first to the wire. The real way to find a winner is to bring all of them together in one race and see who wins.  That would be a heck of race. All of these were great race horses. I think the people will narrow it down gradually to the best horses.  It will be interesting to see!!  I like Secretariat vs Ruffian!!

    Dave K 02 Oct 2009 11:23 AM

    Yippeeee!! I have been looking forward to this!! So enjoy it.

    Vickie Willmuth 02 Oct 2009 10:49 AM

    Wow, what tough choices. Since I saw Lady's Secret win the 1986 Distaff. I had to select her for my number one choice for the fillies. As for the colts, Cigar!

    Elaine Winter 02 Oct 2009 8:24 AM

    Such a fun game! Thank you!

    So many great horses! Really difficult; and some great ones left out.  I admire so many of these horses; but CURLIN will forever be my favorite!

    CURLINLOVER 02 Oct 2009 7:39 AM

    As you look at the race presented, they all ran against who or whom showed up.

    I don't remember some of the competition. I do feel that Personal Ensign was one of a kind still winning despite leg surgery.

    dispute 02 Oct 2009 6:35 AM

    3 interesting Distaff matchups.

    I went with Zenyatta over Jewel Princess, but I believe the Jewel Princess that won the 96' Distaff could beat just about any other female over the last 26 years.  In a field with the multiple gr.1 winner Different as well as Hall of Famer Serena's Song, Jewel Princess won as clearly the best and earned a Beyer of 114.  Earlier in the year in the gr.1 Vanity, Jewel Princess beat Serena's Song and 5-time gr.1 winner Twice the Vice by 3 for an extremely strong 116 Beyer.  I chose Zenyatta because, well, she's just about perfect.

    I also chose Azeri over Life's Magic.  All Azeri did was win 14 of her first 15 starts, 11 gr.1 races, and earn 3 Eclipse awards as champion older filly or mare as well as Horse of the Year.  While Azeri was consistently fast, Life's Magic was very inconsistent. However, when she was on her game, she could run with just about anyone as she proved in the 85' Distaff.  Life's Magic won the Distaff by over 6, with the Maskette-Ruffian-Beldame victress and next year's Horse of the Year, Lady's Secret, a well beaten 2nd. Lady's Secret came into the 85' Distaff having not just swept the Fall Championship series for females, but had won 7 total races in a row, including the Ballerina, Test, and 3 other stakes races.  Life's Magic's Beyer for her 85' Distaff was 110, just a half-length slower than Azeri's 111 in 2002.

    Finally, I chose Bayakoa over Inside Information. Notably, this is the only first round matchup featuring 2 fillies or mares already in the Hall of Fame.  Most remember Inside Information for her amazing 13+ length victory in the 95 Distaff in which she earned a powerful 119 Beyer.  Most agree that on that day, Inside Information would have had a shot against any female horse ever.  Inside Information, though, was more than just that one race; in her career, Inside Information won 6 grade 1 races and won 14 of 17 career starts.  Bayakoa, however, was one of the most accomplished females of modern times.  A 2 time champion older mare, Bayakoa won a record 12 grade 1 races(the most grade 1s by a female since the grading system was established in 73'), and won 16 of 19 races against females in 1989 and 1990.  Bayakoa is also the only two-time Distaff winner to date.  Not only was Bayakoa accomplished, she was extremely brilliant, earning a 115 Beyer in the 89' Distaff and a 113 Beyer in the 90' Distaff even though the filly she had been running with the entire race, the great Go For Wand, had tragically broken down at the top of the stretch.  While Inside Information earned Beyers over 110 in 3 races(119, 112, 111) with her 4th fastest Beyer being a 107, Bayakoa consistently ran figs over 108 and even 110, and even carried weight(winning 3 graded stakes with 127 lbs).  So, Bayakoa was far more accomolished than Inside Information and, at the least,  just as brilliant; advantage to Bayakoa.

    GunBow 02 Oct 2009 1:44 AM

    If they actually ran this race Tiznow wouldn't even finish in the Top 10, yet he's the #1 seed. And I never thought I'd see the day that somebody ranked Curlin and Saint Liam over Sunday Silence. The seedings would have been better if you had drawn them randomly out of a hat.

    TheDman 02 Oct 2009 1:10 AM

    In my earlier posts, I stated that Bloodhorse staff had determined the seeding. However, was it actually YouBet?  When the Bloodhorse has done similar exercises, the seeding is usually very similar to my own personal rankings.  However, the seedings for this aren't close to my own rankings, thus my question as to whether it was Bloodhorse or YouBet with the seeding.

    Yet, having said all this, it really is no big deal. Ultimately, it's just for fun, a way to generate debate and conversation.  And brackets are always interesting and entertaining.

    GunBow 02 Oct 2009 12:31 AM

    AP Indy seeded ahead of Alysheba?  Tiznow ahead of Cigar and Skip Away?  Absolutely perposterous!

    AP Indy was pure class and is in the Hall of Fame, but he was not ranked in the Bloodhorse Top 100 while Alysheba was ranked #42.  Alysheba was behind only John Henry, Sunday Silence, and Easy Goer as the best horse of the 80s.  Alysheba and AP Indy were both champion 3 year olds, but the big difference is that Alysheba came back to run at age 4, winning 6 grade 1 races all across the country, including 5 grade 1s at 10 furlongs.

    Perhaps Tiznow was ranked #1 because he is the only horse to have won 2 BC Classics.  Personally, Tiznow is one of my favorite horses of all time; I saw Tiznow run in person 4 times and he won each time(both Classics, the Big Cap, and his first stakes, the Affirmed, over multiple grade 1 winner Dixie Union).  However, Tiznow's overall resume pales next to those of Cigar and Skip Away. Cigar was a two-time Horse of the Year, a winner of 12 grade 1 races, and was 18 for 22 on dirt, including that amazing 16 race streak.  Skip Away was a champion at 3, 4, and 5 and won 10 grade 1 races. In contrast, Tiznow only won 4 grade 1 races.  Additionally, both Cigar and Skip Away consistently ran Beyers in the 117-121 range(Skip Away actually had top Beyers of 125, 122, 121, and 120 with Cigar's tops being 121, 118, and 117 on 4 occassions) while Tiznow's  figs were slightly lower, with tops of 119, 117(twice), and 116. Thus, not only did Skip Away accomplish more than Tiznow, won almost double the number of grade 1 races, was more durable, he was faster.  Like I said, I love Tiznow, but Cigar should be #1 and Skip Away either #2 or #3(behind Sunday Silence).

    GunBow 02 Oct 2009 12:21 AM

    Usually the Bloodhorse staff does a good job with the rankings. But I strongly disagree with the seeding for this contest, particularly with the males.

    Sunday Silence a 10? a 10? This is a horse rated #32 for the ENTIRE 20th century by the Bloodhorse in the Top 100. How is it possible that Ghostzapper is seeded 7 spots ahead of Sunday Silence? 7? Yes, Ghostzapper could be sensational, but he only made 11 career starts, only won 4 grade 1 races, and just 2 races around 2 turns(and only 1 at 10 furlongs).  In comparison, Sunday Silence won 6 grade 1 races including the Derby, Preakness, and BC Classic, won 3 grade 1 races at 10 furlongs, and defeated another genuinely great horse, Easy Goer, in 3 of their 4 meetings.  What is more, as fast as Ghostzapper ran when he won the 2004 BC Classic, Sunday Silence's Beyer for his BC Classic, a 124, was equal to the figure Ghostzapper earned. So, Sunday Silence won more grade 1 races, was more proven at 10 furlongs, defeated better competition, and was just as fast/gifted.

    GunBow 01 Oct 2009 11:54 PM

    Curlin and Tiznow two of my all time favoites. Man O' War is still the King.

    Ronelle 01 Oct 2009 10:51 PM

    First round was pretty easy.  Toughest match up for me was Inside Information and Bayakoa.  I chose the latter.

    Lydia 01 Oct 2009 9:25 PM

    Can't believe I had to pick between Skippy and Sunday Silence...

    J A 01 Oct 2009 8:01 PM

    Invasor and Bayakoa!

    Marcos 01 Oct 2009 7:48 PM

    Anna - Ouija Board won the Filly and Mare Turf twice, not the Distaff.

    What track are they running on?  If I remember correctly, Skip Away did not do so well at Churchill, but elsewhere he was a beast.  So many variables, this is just an impossible task.  Can we assume that in a virtual world, where everything is possible, Secretariat and Ruffian would just come back and wreck them all?

    HeatherB 01 Oct 2009 7:33 PM

    You are missing on of the BC best fillies Ouija Board

    James p 01 Oct 2009 7:24 PM

    Very hard to pick in most categories but you have to put your vote somewhere so good luck to all the colts and fillies as each one desereves to be best.

    lobieb 01 Oct 2009 7:13 PM

    invasor , sunday silence and tiznow

    marban 01 Oct 2009 6:32 PM

    Tiznow won the classic TWICE even if it was by a nose that is still pretty awesome... For the fillies it should come down to Azeri.

    CaitlynS 01 Oct 2009 5:15 PM

    I can't believe Ouija Board is not listed. Won the BC Distaff twice. I saw her win the last time. Brought tears to my eyes.

    And what about Goldikove beating the boys last year?

    Anna 01 Oct 2009 5:14 PM

    Just having picking my favorite horse.

    Frederick Gaucher 01 Oct 2009 5:14 PM

    Where is my Thunder Gulch/Rachel Alexandra ??  Thank you for including Dance Smartly !!

    Bob Costello 01 Oct 2009 5:11 PM

    Too bad we never got to see Seattle Slew, John Henry, Affirmed, or Secreteriat in the BC races.

    Eric 01 Oct 2009 5:08 PM

    Tiznow out ran the best the world had to offer twice. He also won in 2001 after 9/11. He wasn't supposed to win and it was doubted that he would run because of back problems. The Breeders' Cup that year was a dismal showing for American until Tiznow stepped up to the plate. He is and always will be a great American Hero!

    Jacqueline Miller 01 Oct 2009 5:04 PM

    Final 4 IMO

    Awesome Again and Sunday Silence and Personal Ensign and Azeri!!

    Billy's Empire 01 Oct 2009 4:42 PM

    Man...I wish Tiznow and Awesome again weren't matched together!  The only 2 time Classic champ versus my second favorite...tough call.

    Phil Hoeflich 01 Oct 2009 4:33 PM

    Tiznow was a beast.

    Horswld 01 Oct 2009 4:32 PM

    It was nice to have a chance to vote for Saint Liam. What a great year he had.

    Lou 01 Oct 2009 4:27 PM

    Sunday Silence!!!!

    My favorite horse of all time...

    Joel A. Lopez 01 Oct 2009 3:38 PM

    I agree with Kerry, leave the seedings out and just vote for your favorite horses. Have fun...

    BiggiePG 01 Oct 2009 3:24 PM

    Why is Tiznow the #1 seed?  Bull.  He doesn't even win his bracket.  Awesome Again beat the best Classic field ever assembled.

    Alysse 01 Oct 2009 3:19 PM

    I always enjoy the opportunity to participate in selecting my favorite race horses, even the Kentucky Derby run-offs that include Exterminator and Black Gold.  Thank you for the creation of this site.

    gloria komaba 01 Oct 2009 3:12 PM

    Thanks for Invasor, Bayakoa and Paseana

    Argentina 01 Oct 2009 2:59 PM

    Agreed, this is just like all star voting in the NBA. You can't get cigar to go against curlin. Its fun but nothing too serious. What about the next round? Cigar/sunday silence, curlin/ghostzapper, or AP indy/invasor. WOuldn't those be fun to see for real?

    Alan 01 Oct 2009 2:48 PM

    Love the Battle Brackets.

    Let the people speak!

    Willowlane 01 Oct 2009 2:42 PM

    Curlin all the way!

    CURLINLOVER 01 Oct 2009 2:39 PM

    Showing the seedings will probably affect some votes. Next time you might consider not showing any seedings.

    Kerry Fitzpatrck 01 Oct 2009 2:14 PM

    You left many good horses out of the mix.

    Deacon 01 Oct 2009 2:10 PM

    This is Cigar's and Lady's Secret's party.

    fanofallthree 01 Oct 2009 2:08 PM

    Personal Ensign all the way!  Her final race in the BC Distaff still gives me chills.  The best horse race I have ever seen!

    The Fillies 01 Oct 2009 2:03 PM

    Is something wrong here, or what?  Curlin rated worse than Unbridled?!  Invasor rated worse than Ferdinand?!  That's crazy!  Someone hasn't been doing thier homework, but it's still fun.

    Brian A. 01 Oct 2009 1:51 PM

    It's a popularity contest, nothing more, so don't get upset anyone, it has NO meaning in real racing!

    Rachel 01 Oct 2009 12:37 PM

    THERESA,

    Rachel Alexandra is probably not included in the voting because she has not participated in a Breeders' Cup race, let alone won a BC race.

    Toby F. 01 Oct 2009 11:36 AM

    will it come down to Curlin v Personal Ensign??   Where's Rachel???

    THERESA 01 Oct 2009 11:31 AM

    "the unbeatable, invincible Cigar!"

    womanowar 01 Oct 2009 11:22 AM

    I can see some real problems down the line-Cigar vs. Skip Away? Curlin vs. Ghostzapper? Man, those will be tough, tough choices!

    Goober 01 Oct 2009 10:42 AM

    Sunday Silence a 10 seed???  Wow is that poor seeding!!!

    ABZ 01 Oct 2009 10:25 AM

    The colts were easier to select than the fillies

    Judy B 01 Oct 2009 10:04 AM

    how can anybody make sunday silence a 10 seed.tiznow  a one seed what??????

    He should be a 13th or 14th seed. he beat 2 grass horses by a nose.wow that's impressive.

    mike rullo 28 Sep 2009 6:53 PM

    Some of those were pretty hard to rank. Can't wait to see the results.

    Kirsten 28 Sep 2009 4:05 PM

    Great game. Love YouBet.com!

    LNeilson 28 Sep 2009 3:55 PM

    I don't agree with all the rankings listed. I think you need to look at who they beat with some horses. Others were just plan great!

    Steve in MA 28 Sep 2009 3:50 PM
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