I'm with you... I think the BIG Z has answered every test she's been asked this year.  Her win in the Ladies Classic wasn't anything but spectacular.  She went nine for nine, on every surface she went over.  She beat last year's champion twice and a bunch of high class fillies now......LET THE GIRL HAVE IT.  

let the best Horse win the title...BC & ESPN put on a real good show & the EXPOSURE for the two days was super duper!!!Curlin back on the real ground early next year & he ROMPS...Long Live The Dirt!!!

Zenyatta was great, but Horse of the Year is Curlin. They are tied racing-wise - Curlin undefeated on dirt and Zenyatta undefeated. Zenyatta's Breeders Cup is offset by Curlin's Dubai World Cup (won by 7 lengths). The difference is that Curlin made history by becoming the richest NA thoroughbred in history. Furthermore, Jess Jackson and Steve Asmussen gave everything- first, by bringing Curlin to Dubai; second for trying him on turf for a historic run at the Arc; and third, for trying him on a turf-like synthetic surface. Remember, he was beat by two Euros (turf) and one Californian (synthetic). Of the 9 races on Sat, 5 were won by turf Euros and 4 by synthtic-Californians.  

It should be Curlin. Like 1988 when a 7-for-9 Alysheba won over an undefeated Personal Ensign. And like 1996, when Cigar was Horse of the Year, when he won at Dubai, made history but lost his last 2 races (and 3 of his last 4). Sounds alot like Curlin's year. 2008 HOY.

Ask yourself this...could Zenyatta beat Curlin on a real track (dirt, not "rubber turf") if they went head to head?

Curlin will be and should be voted HOTY.

By the way, besides the pro-ride surface, the heat helped beat Curlin too. His only losses (other than  the terrible trip in the 07 Derby) were all very hot days. (and the "Pro-Ride surface heated up to over 140 degrees....ridiculous). If you noticed, his tongue was hanging out of his mouth by the time he reached the paddock and was saddled. Not a good sign. He ran the best he could under the circumstances. Alberado was easing him at the end, or he probably would have held on for third.

If you keep running the BC Races on synthetics you will be giving the Europeans an advantage every time you do. It's like artificial turf.

After yesterday expect to see more trainers do what Nick Zito did this year...refuse to run their horses on anything but real dirt. You'll see a lot of no shows next year. After that, no more BC's on synthetic tracks, please.

It truly was a stroke of genius to put the Breeders Cup races on a synthetic surface, allowing the dirt  races to play like European turf races. To no one's surprise the Euros came in great number and dominated. If the Classic was on the dirt, Curlin wins and we wouldn't be having this discussion. Zenyatta was great but she had no classy European turf specialists to overcome. Of her competition Ginger Punch and Music Note had not run on the synthetics and it showed in their lackluster performances. Ginger Punch was nowhere to be seen in the stretch and Music Note was able to mount only a mild rally. Hysterical Lady proved no real threat, but that was no surprise as she'd already shown she was not the same horse on the synthetics. Dirt is the American racing surface. To determine horse of the year the solution is obvious: let Curlin and Zenyatta meet in late November in the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. Churchill Downs could easily extend the distance from a 1 1/8 to a 1 1/4 and sweeten the pot to make it a million dollar race. Let the dirt, the American racing surface, tell us who is the Horse of the Year.

I thought she had earned it already. Curlin has earned my deepest respect...I repect his connections for the pro-ride attempt and even the great Cigar failed in his second classic bid, so to me, Curlin is still Curlin, but Zenyatta dominated, not just won, North American racing on every track and surface against the best in her genre...

Zenyatta is your vote for HOY because she won again on a Poly Track?  We are now going to give HOY to Poly specialist?  What an insult to the amazing year by Big Brown. Poor horse gets pulled up because he got stepped on and you take away everything from him.  Forget everything else he did ?  Zenyatta ? How many wins does she have at Churchill, Belmont, Gulfstream, or the Spa ?

While Zenyatta is nice she only ran once outside CA. To give her HOY is an insult to the fillies and mares before who won. Azeri, All Along, Lady's Secret. They ran against the colts also. And had over 20 starts. Personal Ensign was undefeated in 13 starts and never got it, and she's no Personal Ensign. If the Moss' come out of CA and show us she can win anywhere, maybe she gets it next year. And they do have a filly race in Dubai.

LETS NOT BLAME THE LOSS OF CURLIN ON THE FAKE STUFF, LET'S BLAME THE JOCKEY FOR THE WRONG DECISION HE MADE AROUND THE FAR TURN, FIRST YOU PLACE CURLIN ALMOST TEN TO 12 LENGTHS BACK OF THE LEAD THE ENTIRE RACE AND THEN YOU MAKE AN ARAZI TYPE MOVE AROUND THE FAR TURN THAT CAUGHT YOU UP TEN LENGHTS AND THEN EXPECT TO WIN. COME ON, LET'S NOT BE IGNORANT, ROBBY JUDGE THAT PACE WRONG, IF CURLIN IS AT LEAST 4 OR 5TH HE WINS THIS RACE BY 3 OR 4 LENGTHS BUT THESE HORSE ARE NO TYPICAL HORSES, THIS WAS A TOP NOTCH FIELD AND YOU CAN'T GIVE THEM A HEAD START. CURLIN IS A LONG STRIDER,ON DIRT,TURF,OR FAKE STUFF, AND EUROPEANS HAVE EXPLOSIVE TURN OF FEET. IT IS A SHAME BECAUSE I HAD  THE SAME FEELING AFTER THIS CLASSIC THAT I HAD IN 1989, THE BEST HORSE DID NOT WIN THE RACE...A JOCKEY COMPRIMISED THE HORSE,FAKE STUFF OR NOT U WACTH THAT MOVE HE MADE, IF HE IS CLOSER TO THE PACE AND WAITS A BIT AND THEN POUNCES IN THE LAST FURLONG CURLIN WINS,TAKING NOTHING AWAY FROM RAVEN' PASS AND HENRY, CURLIN WAS THE BEST HORSE...SO LETS BRING THE BIG BOY BACK AT CHURCHILL THIS YEAR OR TAKE HIM TO JAPAN AND LET UNRETIRE BIG BROWN, BY NEXT MONTH HE WILL BE FINE,LOOK AT MIDNITE LUTE(ALL HIS QUATER CRACK PROBLEMS), TALK ABOUT JOCKEYS MISTAKE WHAT THE HECK WERE GRAND COUTIER AND BETTER TALK NOW JOCKEY THINKING, 20 TO 30 LENGTHS BEHIND THESE TOP CLASS TURF HORSES, YOU CAN SEE BETTER TALK NOW'S JOCKEY BEING CHEW OUT BY HIS OWNER FOR THAT AWFUL RIDE. I LEARN SOMETHING, THE BEST HORSE AND BEST JOCKEYS WIN THE BIG RACES, A COMBINATION.

I am torn about Horse of the Year. Big Brown, in my opinion had to win the Classic to be in serious contention. Had he not have taken the easy road this summer, and had some more impressive wins, I would feel differently. He will be champion three year old, and that is great for him. He had four Grade I victories, but they were all over three year olds. Zenyatta is awesome, and deserves every accolade. She also holds four Grade Is, but her wins all came over fillies and mares. I cannot honestly fault Curlin for not running well in the Classic. It was so quirky that the Euros trounced us in five out of nine contests. That has never happened before, and Curlin already proved that he doesn't run his best on turf. The Santa Anita course played like turf, plain and simple. We would never have denied Cigar or Alysheba HOTY because they didn't run on turf, now would we? Curlin won four Grade Is also, plus ran decent enough on turf, and won the jaguar trophy. He has traveled the world, faced the world's best, and never embarrassed himself. Zenyatta has faced our very best fillies and mares, and traveled also. It is going to be a close call. The year Azeri won she was facing Left Bank. Curlin is no Left Bank, so I cannot easily throw my support to Zenyatta (although I love her). I would have liked to see her in the Classic. What good is it to see her against the same fillies and mares she has been beating all year? I don't think we saw the best of Ginger Punch. She hated the ground, and Hystericalady has never won over it. The track bias should not decide Horse of the Year, so if you scratch the Breeders Cup races, who had the better year? That is how I urge everyone to vote.

I think Curlin has earned it. He had one heck of a year.

So, he came up short in the Classic. He was still there, he tried, but he came up short. Cigar did too, but he still got the award...

I just hope that's not the last we see of him!

Zenyatta ran last into a 48 sec 1/2, then ran them down...she did everything she had to do--by the way, Alysheba WON The Classic that year...She went back East (in her 4th career race) and beat Ginger Punch/The Champ---thus, she didn't have to go back! No way will I throw the Classic on Pro Ride as Curlin seemed to run the same race he's been running sincs red Rocks left him hanging out to dry on the grass...only those Euros were better than he was beating! Raven's Pass was awesome! Yeah, maybe you gotta have some "Synthetic Awards"---who cares? The writing's on the wall: Keep the Cup in West for the weather/AND the Synthetics--that will make The Breeders Cup #1 --in the WORLD--AGAIN! Class told all weekend long! How bout that tiny filly in the mile! Midnite Lute! Ventura! But Zenyatta had to put on a 1/2 mile burst the likes of which she's never done! Zenyatta HOY an insult? She doesn't mean it! She's just in her own race!

Curlin is the top earner in the country and he deserves HORSE OF THE YEAR again!

Zenyatta earned it. It was always down to Zenyatta or Curlin and she prevailed while he did not. Curlin is still the best dirt horse in the world bar none. he ran under a 2:00 1 1/2 which is an outstanding time and did it on pro-ride which was what did him in but Zenyatta was once again too much for her competition.

I can't believe draynay is still touting the Big Ole Browneye. He beat NOTHING his entire CAREER and lost the biggest race of his life to an allowace horse and a MAIDEN among others!!!! This as draynay called him brilliant turf horse barely beat Shakis on the grass who would have overtaken Brownie had the race been longer and look where Shakis ended up in the Breeders Cup. That would be DEAD LAST in his race and he was at the top of his game according to his connections coming in. So much for brilliant turf horse Brownie. The Big Ole Browneyes dirt career consisted of wins over 3 yr olds ONLY and a pathetic group they were. You don't even merit consideration for HOY by beating only 3 yr olds and winning a non-graded turf race written specifically for you to win. Top that turf race off with no competition either. Big Ole Browneye HOY? LOL he'll go down as just another in the long line of Derby winners.  

I also belive that Curlin should get HOY he has done everything that they have asked of him and the only reason he went to the breeders cup was for the fans I know that Steve was not thrilled about running him there he is not a fan of poly tracks with good reason.  They do not make for a even playing field.  Steve was right when he called it a turf race.  I bet the good dirt horses dont show next year.

I can certainly see HOTY going either way, but I don't agree that Zenyatta is a given.  She is definately unbeatable on synthetic track.  She did go East once and beat Ginger Punch on the dirt in the Apple Blossom.  But you have to think a horse who traveled to Dubai and won the World Cup, won 5 of 7 including 2 of our premier Fall races and had the tenacity to run well on the turf/synthetic surfaces he clearly doesn't favor deserves the honor.  Throw out Tiago sneaking by him in the Classic, the only horses that beat Curlin were top turf horses on the surfaces they are proven on.  Curlin went everywhere and dodged no one.  Not saying the great Zenyatta dodged anyone, but she stayed within a 3 hour drive of her home base all but once this year. I think a HOTY campaign needs to be chalked up not just in the win column, but also in who faced the greatest challenges all year.  I think that is Curlin.  He did not throw in a flop in the Classic anymore than Cigar did the year he finished 4th. To say he had to win the Classic to be HOTY is discrediting everything he's done all year long.  

One more thing - a big YES to Owner of the Year in Jess Jackson.  He is a throwback to horsemen of yesteryear who ran their horses because of the thrill of the competition.  Thank you Mr Jackson for giving us this thrilling year with Curlin instead of taking the money and running like so many others.  And kudos to the connections of Zenyatta for their patience in guiding her to the track and her perfect record.  It may be too much to wish for, but another season with these two great horses would be a dream come true...

I'm not so sure Zenyatta has it wrapped up, as others have pointed out Personal Ensign lost out to Alysheba. The synthetic course played a major factor. Keep in mind, the connections of Ventura and Muhannak flat out stated their horses wouldn't have run if the races were run on dirt. When Curlin made that move around the turn I really thought he was going to blow them away and had it been on dirt I'm sure he would have.

I like Zenyatta a lot but I can't give her HOY over Curlin. She raced in restrictive races all year,against only fillies and mares. Even in the Ladies Classic she didn't face any European turf specialist. Curlin is HOY!!

Zenyatta for HOY. Look at her 2008 record, compare it to Curlin's. It is a no brainer.

DRAYNOT, SHAKIS DID NOT RUN A BAD RACE, HIS JOCKEY KILLED HIM IN THE INSIDE AND THEN HAD NO WHERE TO RUN AND WAS FULL OF RUN, LOOK AT THE MILE AND LOOK AT SHAKIS AND THEN COME BACK AND MAKE AN INTELLIGENT COMMENT PLEASE!!!!

Curlin HOY ? Are you kidding me? He didn't even hit the board.  He got whipped by a 3 year old.  The best horses in the world were 3 year olds and Big Brown was the best 3 year old in the world.  Curlin lost every time he faced tough competition.  When facing washed up older horses he won when facing tough G1 horses he lost. HOY ? Lol... he couldn't beat Tiago.

Feed Me,

Sometimes you have to look past just the records. Take more than just the 'records' into consideration, and Curlin is the winner.

Just my opinion!

You know it's funny...as soon as Curlin crossed the wire 4th, everybody started saying, "oh, this and this is why he didn't win" including his trainer.  Now, Curlin is a very good horse, I'm not saying he's not.  But people have been throwing the word "great" around a lot..aren't "great" horses suppose to be able to run on anything?  Isn't that what people say?  Seems it's dirt or nothing for Curlin.  And everyone's saying, "oh, you can't fault him for losing, it's synthetic".  That's a bunch of crap to me.  If this were Big Brown we were talking about, people would be bashing him for not handling the track.  Ya'll are so two-faced.  So, at this point, I don't care who gets HOY.  I just want it to be done and then maybe I won't have to hear about Curlin every 5 minutes anymore and listen to people kiss Jess Jackson's ass over and over.

Winning and losing matters Melissa. Culin's last 4 races were weak performances and should not be rewarded with HOY.  Zenyatta is a Poly specialist that has not left California.  No wins at Saratoga, Belmont, Churchill, or Gulfstream does not earn you HOY.

Big Brown's Derby performance alone should get him HOY but add on his Preakness win, Haskell win and his Florida Derby win and you have the HOY.

The only horse that dominated, absolutely dominated, its competition the entire year was Zenyatta, and you cannot fault her competition. I would have no problem with her winning horse of the year off that. However, I would have no problem with Curlin winning horse of the year off his body of work this year which was entirely in unrestricted company. Big Brown certainly had the brilliance, but it truly hurt his chances when they decided to run him in an ungraded grass race and that turned out to be his last race of the year.

No, the best three year olds were trained in Europe and raced at Oak Tree, yesterday.

Dirt presents a fair and balanced track?  You mean, like the time Santa Anita sealed the track and a cheap plater named Pleasure Shack set the six furlong record?  His legs shook so badly, he didn't race again - Funny thing about that, even though he set the record, Santa Anita quickly changed the record holder in their programs to the identical time set by the Eclipse Winner, Chinook Pass, who tied PS a year or so later - Made for a fine bar bet about who held the record.

Or when the old Bay Meadows allowed their dirt track turn to concrete and four track records were set from six to a mile and a sixteenth within days - So, imbalanced, the DRF wouldn't even use those "records".  Record holders came south to So Cal and were soundly defeated, but, their "records" were used in stud promos.

Oh, yeah, by all means, keep dirt and breakdowns - Notice, there wasn't any George Washington incident, yesterday?  And, I just love the putdowns by trainers and posters about turf racing - "Oh, that was just a turf race" - The greatest horses in the world race on turf.

Oh, and that earnings by Curlin - Anyone compare that with indexing Cigar's earnings into the current rates?  Also, winning inflated purses sort of changes the playing field.

Zenyatta is only a step above Pepper's Pride. How could she have lost yesterday? If HOY is only judging based on how MANY wins and not WHERE those wins were - Reward Curlin for travelling. Reward Curlin for trying polytrack and for trying dirt, and for trying turf - all in one year. He didn't win everytime but he took 'em on. Zenyatta stayed on her own turf. Zenyatta would flounder if you took her to Louisiana's dirt track much less Belmont. Infact she'd probably have some problems with the quality at Keeneland on THEIR polytrack. That's why California racing is the worst racing in America. She won the BC yesterday for the same reason the US won the revolutionary war; they were on their own turf and had an enormous advantage. Curlin, Ginger Punch and Music Note were the horses that had to ship across the country. Britain was the one who had to ship overseas. No wonder they lost. Zenyatta is a good filly, no kidding, but when she races next year - take her out of California for a couple races and make it fair. But she's not HOY material. Not when he was a horse who went to Dubai, ran on turf, polytrack and dirt all in the same year.

Let's not be in too much of a hurry to jump horses mid stream.  Zenyatta has been absolutely great this year and has raced against and beat the fillies and mares of 2008 - a much better group than the colts!!  She's hot and she won the classic...Curlin didn't.  However, what horse this year has moved so far out of the usual comfort zone, taken so many risks, travelled thousands of miles, risked loosing on turf and synthetics for the sake of the sport and to see how far he could really go, and still come into the Breeder's Cup as America's number 1 horse that we are all so proud of.  We tend to jump ship so quickly but as you try to take that jump there is one thing aout Curlin that must be remembered.  Synthetics are probably here to stay and will eventually cover all race tracks in America.  The European style of that late burst will start to prevail and it will determine winners, and racing will become turf racing whether on turf or synthetics.  Everything is about to change.  Let's not miss this moment in history.  Curlin just might be the last great pure dirt racer we'll ever see again.   Why try to leave him in the dust now??  He has been our champion all year for the amazing campaign he has taken on.  He has more than proven his "class", and a good handicapper is always going to go for the class in the field when the handicapping gets tough.  Big Brown doesn't bring enough of that and it would be embarrasing if he took HOY. Zenyatta has been great, in her own back yard.  Curlin may not have won them all but he travelled the world and gave it a champs effort, he never once gave us an embarrassing moment, and he comes out of it all with the glow of a champ...and perhaps the last great dirt horse we'll ever see again in the HOY records book.  Are we going to choose a horse that broke records in both accomplishements and for trying the unusual, or do we just jump blindly to another out of the hype of the moment...blind to the big picture.  Where's the class folks.

Curlin supporters seem to be basing their preference to him on in large part his 2007 performances.

His 2008 performance wasn't near the same level.  After a brilliant performance in Dubai, his races weren't exactly against the top horses of his generation.

He struggled mightily in his last 3 races.  His JC Gold Cup win was by less than a length, against a mediocre field, AND on his preferred surface.

HOY is about the best horse over the year.  Zenyatta has shown NO chinks, while there are gaping holes in Curlin's 2008 record.  

She's criticized for running mostly on synthetic, but she ran her fastest Beyer on dirt, beating the reigning BC Distaff winner in the process.  Changing surfaces didn't provide her with an excuse for a poor performance. She didn't need one, unlike Curlin.

Curlin ran a typical Curlin race.  The only difference was he couldn't keep up with the faster, better horses.  He is not the same horse he was in 2007, and should not be HOY in 2008.  

The filly has earned it, and deserves Horse of the Year.

jj - so you consider Oaklawn Park's dirt track Zenyatta's "home turf"?

If you bothered to read her PP's you'd have seen she not only tried dirt, she dominated on it.  Unlike Curlin, she is more than a one-surface horse.

Zenyatta is a class mare. No doubt about it. She went 9 for 9. However she did not travel but once. She never took on the boys and she beat the same group she has beaten all year. She wins her division but not HOY.Now had Zenyatta taken on the boys and gone to Dubia and back still being 9 for 9 then it would be a different story. Curlin took on the world and traveled the world and prevailed. He dodged nobody and didnt dodge a surface. He tried them all. You can not take away all this horse has accomplished.

And they're off: Like every year in which no Classic division contender seems impeccable, people start crawling out of the woodwork now with this year's unproven promise. How often has Zenyatta beaten a Raven's Pass, a Henrythenavigator, for that matter an Asiatic Boy, Wanderin Boy, Well Armed? Right!

The best horse Zenyatta has beaten so far is Cocoa Beach, a quality filly who finished 3rd on the undercard of Curlin's Dubai romp. Does anybody actually think Curlin wouldn't have beaten Cocoa Beach, even on the ProRide?

Because Zenyatta was able to beat classy fillies on her home ground, in a race that set up perfectly for her she's more worthy than a super-proven racehorse who even with conditions against him was competitive against much better opposition.

It's frustrating, because this kind of punishing ambitious connections and rewarding cowardness (what else is it to send a horse into a race it can't lose when you could opt for a challenge?) is precisely what destroys the Sport of Kings. As long as people don't realize that you only become a Champion by taking on Champions the connections that actually dare will get fewer and fewer, a fact that nobody will whine about louder than the same so-called experts and bloggers who are more than willing to vote the next Discreet Cat over the next Invasor.

Draynay,

I have to respectfully disagree with you. You said that "Curlin lost every time he faced tough competition."

1) At least he faced tough competition. Who did Big Brown beat?

2) Curlin has only lost four times: The Derby, The Haskell, The Man O War, and the Classic this year. He lost to Street Sense and Hard Spun in the Derby, then came back to beat them in last year's Classic. Did Street Sense and Hard Spun become inferior competition sometime between the Derby and the Classic? He lost to Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun in the Haskell. Again, did they become inferior leading up to the Classic? He also lost to Red Rocks in a race, and Raven's Pass, Henrythenavigator, and Tiago yesterday. They're all proven horses. Oh, and Curlin beat Tiago in the Belmont last year.

3) In addition, Curlin has beat Go Between, Asiatic Boy, Well Armed, Colonel John, Duke of Marmalade, Casino Drive, Better Talk Now, Champs Elysees, Student Council, Lawyer Ron... There's more, but the point is this: You cannot possibly call all of those horses weak.

Anyway, that's just what I have to think. Let's agree to disagree!

Zenyatta has such great turn of foot.  Oh come on Zenyatta did not have any European turf specialist take her on. Is it her fault?  There were plenty of openings in that field.  Bottom line Zenyatta has dominated her division. Curlin’s win in the Dubai world cup was one of the most impressive accomplish.  His form was tailing off at the end of the year, which happens on a long tiring champagne.  There is no argument that these two are the best we have out there and it would be great to see them back next year.  I can not believe people would bring Big Brown in the discussion of horse of the year.  He dominated his 3-yr. old division and deserves honors for that.  This years 3-yr. olds were not that good.  By the way Tiago (defeated Heatseeker (who many considered a top horse before getting injured) at the Oaklawn Handicap) is a 4 yr old just like Curlin (what a great year of 3-yr. olds that was(Street Sense, Hard Spun, Rags to Riches, Albertus Maximus).

This year's Breeders Cup proved what many horsemen feared - that running the championship races on synthetic proves nothing about who the best "dirt" horses are.  That two European turf milers who have been beating each other all year could come to the Breeders Cup and take down the American horse who was recently rated by Timeform as the best in the world speaks volumes.  Curlin should be horse of the year based on his unbelievable season, and he should not be penalized for losing a "turf" race.  The three horses who finished in front of him would never have beaten him on dirt.

By the way, I think Randy Moss's emphatic statement that synthetic tracks keep horses safer is way out of line.  The latest research that have have seen proves no such thing.  Let's go back to well-maintained dirt tracks with superior cushion and drainage systmes.

HOY is for best year--not for who's the best 1 1/4 dirt! Favirite Trick, Kotashan, Lady's Secret---probably not the best at 1 1/4 BUT they were HOY based on BEST SEASON---It's not about who's better! Zenyatta worked very hard Friday--no way should she run in Clark v Curlin! Curlin who did seem to tail off after the turf loss...he ran his race Sat and he was found lacking---perhaps Dubai sapped him for year...but it sure looked like he handled the Pro Ride....The truth is REAL GOOD horses are racing in Europe---purchased in Kentucky for big $$$---and it showed....Zenyatta beat the toughest BC Distaff field ever--and did it off a slow pace/from last---I know who the Horse of The Year is: The one who went the distance!

Danylson,  I was thinking the same thing about the choice to keep Curlin back in 8th place some 8-10 lengths off the pace.  I felt he should have been laying 4th-then his big move would have taken him several lengths to the front and I don't believe they could have caught him.  I felt the same way in his only grass race-he was too far back and it left him too much to do at the end.  He is an awesome horse and it was so sad to see him finish fourth.  I would give him horse of the year even though I LOVE Zenyatta and I think she is awesome too.  I would have liked to see her run more than once against the top fillies on the dirt-even though I suspect the result would be the same!  I hope after next year-the Breeder's Cup is not run on synthetic again.  Not one horse won yesterday that was a "dirt only" horse and I think that is a real shame.  It's nice that the Euros did well but turf is their specialty and that's why we also have turf races--why make the dirt races into turf also! Also, thank you Mr. Jackson for taking a big chance with your superstar for the benefit of the racing fans who wanted to see him!!

Zenyatta is the horse of the year.  I was at Santa Anita yesterday and the first thing I yelled when Raven's Pass crossed the finish line first was "Zenyatta horse of the year!!!"  I know you all over on the east coast can't imagine having an amazing filly from the west coast win top honors.  But she consistently romps and toys with the field.  And you put her against Curlin on any surface she would do the same to him.

Yeah, Zenyatta won all nine of her career races, and all seven of them this year, but Peppers Pride has won all 16 of her career races, and I don't see anyone nominating her for HOY, so let's lay off the "Zenyatta never lost, she deserves to be HOY" theory.  Curlin is undefeated on dirt this year, was second on the turf (to a Breeders' Cup Turf winner), beat a BC Turf winner on the turf, beat the best the world had to offer in Dubai, and lost on a track that played just like a turf track.  What would have happened if Zarkava had come to run in the Distaff (I refuse to call it by its new name) and beat Zenyatta.  Would people still say that Zenyatta deserved to win because she was 2nd and Curlin was 4th?  I don't think so, because for the first time in her life she wouldn't be facing the same horses that she's faced her entire career.  Curlin has run against the best horses in Europe, Dubai, and the United States, of all ages, and all sexes, in multiple countries.  Zenyatta has faced the best US fillies and mares at most 3 hours from her home track all but once.  And people think that Zenyatta is the deserving HOY?  Come on!  It should be Curlin!

As much as I Love Zenyatta I still think Curlin should be Horse of the Year.  She didn't win against colts and she's a polytrack gal.  Also, I don't agree that we should keep running on that poly stuff - back to good old Dirt the way Kelso, Forgo, Secretariat use to run on.  We are just giving the Euros an advantage over our good horses if we keep running in Calif.

As much as I Love Zenyatta I still think Curlin should be Horse of the Year.  She didn't win against colts and she's a polytrack gal.  Also, I don't agree that we should keep running on that poly stuff - back to good old Dirt the way Kelso, Forgo, Secretariat use to run on.  We are just giving the Euros an advantage over our good horses if we keep running in Calif.

Big Brown Fan, when people in the past have said that great horses "can run on anything" - they were saying that the horse didn't have to "take his track with him".  They could win at Belmont, Churchill, Arlington, etc, and they could win on a fast track or a muddy track or a sloppy track.  They did NOT have to try a fake surface since they didn't exist and they did not have to even run on the turf (since few of our "all time greats" actually tried that surface) to be called great. Some of the "greats" didn't even perform well on anything but a FAST track but they were still great horses.  I agree that the word "great" tends to be thrown around too easily today - but we CANNOT change the standard of greatness now to include only those horses that can win on dirt and synthetic any more than we should require a horse to win on turf and dirt to be called great.  If we do that - then we cannot call ANY of the great horses of the past "great" unless they won multiple races on dirt AND turf since we must keep the same standard for measuring greatness for any of it to matter.  IF a horse can win top races on ALL of today's surfaces then so much the better-but it should NOT be required for them to receive their due recognition.

I believe Curlin deserves the HoY award. Zenyatta is awesome, to be sure, but so was Personal Ensign, and she was never voted HoY, and I think she deserved it more than Zenyatta. Curlin started his year in Dubai, winning two races there, including beating the best of the world in the World Cup. He trounced all comers in the Stephen Foster and the Woodward, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. Even his experiment on the grass was admirable. By rights, he had done enough after his win in the Gold Cup to be named HoY. But his owner did the sporting thing and let him come west and try a surface that was a complete unknown. It did not work out. Should such a remarkable horse be penalized because his owner made a sporting gesture that just happened not to work out the right way. Championships, especially HoY, are decided over the course of an entire season, not just on tha basis of one race. That is one of me great dislikes about the BC--too many Eclipse voters use them as a lazy crutch and there have been too many champions crowned solely on the basis of wins on racing's supposed "championship day" when they didn't do diddly the rest of the year. Curlin put together an amazing season, and he should not be punished on the basis of one subpar performance.  

BERTTHECLOCK - Whoa on the accolades for synthetic track.  I still believe the jury is out on this relatively new racing surface.  Horses have been racing on the new track at Santa Anita since August and there have been 5 fatal breakdowns there in that time.  It is not a cure-all. The numbers suggest that there are perhaps fewer injuries, but just because one day of racing went off without a hitch does not mean dirt tracks everywhere should be thrown out.

OOPS...

I completely forgot about Curlin's Belmont loss last year, Draynay! (Which is completely rediculous of me, as that's one of my all-time favorites).

But anyway, Curlin beat Tiago and Hard Spun in that one- did they become inferior since the Debry?

Nice thoughts, racingfan! I like what you had to say!

Zenyetta is truly amazing, but i would love to see her outside of California, too.

Curlin, love this horse, you are the best if you beat Curlin.

Big Brown retired lame not a good thing. He is out.

Look, all this Zenyatta for HOTY is foolish. No Filly can be handed the HOTY when all she beat was other fillies. One of he greatest Filly/Mares in memory...undefeated in 13 races Personal Ensign never got HOTY. Some of the greatest distaff runners in history never won HOTY, the likes of Ruffian, Bayakoa, Princess Rooney, and Azeri. Ones that have, like Lady's Secret and All Along only did so because they beat the males in Graded handicap races and there wasn't any dominant handicap males those years. You want to be voted better than the handicap males, you have to beat the handicap males that year. Not other fillies.

Also, Curlin has won more G-1's, has won about fives times as much money and has achieved much higher Beyer Speed Ratings during the year. Not to mention that Curlin wins all over the world, and Zenyatta ran only one race outside California.

The only way you could possibly tout Zenyatta for HOTY is if she beat Curlin on the track. Maybe that could happen at Churchill in the Clark the end of November if both camps are willing. You want to be Champ? You got to beat the reigning Champ. Case closed!

Why don't we give horse of the year to Both Curlin and Zenyatta?  They both earned it.  We have had split National Champs in football and it was the right thing to do at the time.  Same here.  Both deserve it and should have it.  I agree with the writer who suggested they both meet in the Clark in late November and make the distance 1 1/4 miles.  I have wanted to see Zenyatta go a mile and a quarter.  She certainly is bred to go longer.  Curlin make be over the top and if he is, best of luck in the stud barn.  I don't think he is.  I believe he will run in the Clark and if Zenyatta is not there, he wins in a romp.

Draynay,

 BB was on steroids in the in the Florida Derby, the Derby, and the Preakness, and when they took him off the steriods he finally got a feel for his nasty feet and tanked, finishing dead last in the Belmont. Then afterwards he ran in the worst field ever assembled for the haskel and beat an allowence horse by two lengths, big whoop. Then he go and wins by a head in a non graded turf stakes that was written for him, against Shakis and Proudinsky, now both of them went on to finsh off the board when they faced some real class. Zenyatta, has actually managed to stay unbeaten, against horses who are actually very talented. Curlin traveled the globe, winning all races on dirt, by the way he was steriod free all year, and during last years classic, and he still won, against better competion then BB. BB is a has been and should not even be considered for horse of the year.

Here it starts - all the 'my horse is better than your horse' stuff. Here's facts: all of Curlin's wins have been on dirt, all Zenyatta's on artificial. Curlin lost on artificial and turf, Big Brown won on dirt and turf. They've all beat horses older than they are. They've all won on different tracks and different distances. Zenyatta has a perfect record, Big Brown lost one, and Curlin has lost 2.

So there's the facts and how do you pick? If you throw out Curlin's 2 losses, don't you have a dirt bias? If you don't pick Zenyatta 'because all of her wins have been on artificial', isn't that a dirt bias also? And what about Big Brown's wins on 2 surfaces? Both of the others have only won on 'their' surface. So, how do you pick?

I don't care if the most dominant horse of the year ran on turf, dirt, synthetic, marshmallows or quick-sand. ZENYATTA deserves the Horse of the Year award. She can't help it that California has synthetic tracks, she didn't lay them down, she just runs over them. She also went to Oaklawn, running on dirt, and was every bit as dominant on that track as she is on synthetic.

All the excuses for CURLIN are pitiful ones. I like CURLIN a lot, and I think he's a great horse (but less "great" than SPECTACULAR BID, FOREGO, SECRETARIAT, SEATTLE SLEW and AFFIRMED). He didn't get beat by Pro-Ride, or by the hot weather, or by any other absurdity. He got beat by RAVEN'S PASS, HENRYTHENAVIGATOR and TIAGO.

ZENYATTA won every race she competed in this year, including several grade 1's, and she dominated the filly & mare division. She defeated HYSTERICALADY (twice), GINGER PUNCH (twice), TOUGH TIZ'S SIS (three times), COCOA BEACH, MUSIC NOTE, CARRIAGE TRAIL, etc.

CURLIN (in the USA in 2008) won the Clark, the Woodward and the Jockey Club Gold Cup, which is excellent! However, he lost the Man O' War and was 4th in the Classic. 5 starts, 3 wins, 1 second is his record. ZENYATTA is undefeated, which is much better.

I don't think a horse should be crowned Horse of the Year based on excuses, but on accomplishments, and ZENYATTA accomplished the most, without ever relying on excuses. The BIG BROWN people lived the second half of the year is Excuse-Land, and it looks like CURLIN's people have joined them there.

To correct my earlier blog, Azeri did win HOTY in 2002 when there wasn't any very good male runners that year. Certainly no Curlins!

This mention of PEPPER'S PRIDE, relating to ZENYATTA, is inappropriate, ridiculous, absurd and valueless.

Go Zenyatta!

If a filly cannot get HOY for beating only fillies all season...there is something wrong!!  Especially when the field of fillies is equal to or better than the overall field of colts.  I'd really like to see this train of thought stop!!  Even King whoever his name is could not rejoice with Ventura's win over Indian Blessing...one of the best.  He could only regret not having a colt win a Breeder's Cup race. Ummm, what country is he in???? If you don't get IT now, the fillies will just have to keep knocking on your door until you do, but the prejudice in this looks like mildew under a very old and ancient rock.  That said, Zenyatta had a GREAT year, but it does not equal Curlin's and that has nothing to do with who raced colts or fillies. It has everything to do with the scope of challenges taken on and the scope of accomplishments.

I think people are incorrect to paint all synthetic surfaces with the same brush - Pro-Ride is NOT the same as Cushion Track which is NOT the same as Polytrack which is NOT the same a traditional dirt. Zenyatta never skipped a beat from January to October (actually, really never skipping a beat since her debut in late Nov. 2007), and won on all the aforementioned surfaces. People seem lump all three So. Cal tracks together as if they're all the same, but really, they're not, just like Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga each have their own identities and idiosyncracies. As for HOY, I'm torn. I love Curlin and the challenges put to him by Jess Jackson, but he had 5 American races this year, 3 G1 wins, a 2nd in a G1 on turf, and a 4th in the Classic. Zenyatta had 4 G1s and 3 G2s (not to go off on a tangent, but the Clement Hirsch at Del Mar really should be a G1, seeing's how many Eclipse and/or Distaff winners have run in that race - Bayakoa, Paseana, Riboletta, Azeri, Gourmet Girl, etc; and as for why I think Curlin lost yesterday, I think it was more of him being asked to move too soon around the far turn, coming 5-6 wide, no less - had Albarado held off on asking him till the 5/16s or the 1/4 pole, he would have had more of that explosive run at the 3/16s or the 1/8 pole - I think he just ran out of steam more than anything else). So, when all is said and done, emotionally, I'd be happy for Curlin to win HOY for all the traveling he did and the risks his owners took with the turf experiment, etc, but objectively, my pick is Zenyatta. I do love the thought of the two of them battling it out in the Clark, but given that Shireffs doesn't favor running females against males, I don't see that happening. And yes, Big Brown is completely out of the running for HOY, though he is clearly 3 y.o. male champ.

Saratoga AJ needs to learn how to look up facts. Saratoga AJ is wrong when he said "Some of the greatest Distaff runners in history never won HOTY, the likes of Ruffian, Bayakoa, Princess Rooney, and Azeri." And that Lady Secret and All Along did so only after beating the males. 2002 HOTY was Azeri and she did not race against the boys that year. So no, a filly does not have to race and win against the colts to be HOTY. I do think that Personal Ensign was robbed for HOTY in '88. At least the voting for Eclipse Awards have changed since then.

Nico..If you read back you'll see I corrected my blog way before you pointed it out. Like I said before, Azeri won HOTY because the males sucked that year. Certainly none like Curlin, who won 4 G-1's and became the all time leading money winner.

Rod...she only beat fillies and could not match Curlin's Beyers ratings. She won't get HOTY unless she beats him IF they race in the Clark.  

Curlin danced every dance including the trip to Dubai with distinction and deserves to be HOTY.  He lost two races that were outside his comfort zone in terms of the racing surfaces and still performed creditably.  

Zenyatta has been brilliant all year but within her comfort zone and without any real test of her character like, for example what Big Brown faced in the outside posts of the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby.  If she had run even once among the colts/ geldings and won, her claim would be stronger.  

Therefore owners of champion thoroughbreds need to be challenged to make courageous moves with their charges if they hope to win the HOTY title.  Curlin has met all the reasonable criteria with distinction and his owners Jess Jackson et al should be rewarded accordingly.    

DRAYNAY:  Give it a rest!  The Curlin bashing is out of line and has grown old and tiresome.  Like I said before - I admire your enthusiasm for Big Brown and your willingness to defend him (I am the same way with my all time favorite horse Native Dancer). But it is one thing to be a huge fan of a horse and express it - yet quite another thing to knock every other horse and their accomplishments, especially with the rudeness sometimes attached to your statements.  Big Brown had a terrific year but thanks to his connections we will never know how good he could have been.  Curlin has also had a great 2 years whether you want to admit it or not.  AND had Big Brown ran Saturday and lost, you would have been all over the pro ride "excuse" too.  

Nico,

I loved Personal Ensign, don't get me wrong. But she wasn't "robbed" of the HOTY. Let's not forget that Alysheba won 6 G-1 races in 1988 and beat the likes of Gulch, Ferdinand, Forty Niner, Bet Twice, Waquoit and Seeking the Gold among others. He retired as the all time leading money winner and deserved HOTY in 1988.

Curlin's races on three different surfaces on two continents carrying up to 130lbs. while winning are greater achievements than Zenyatta's. The all time earnings record speaks for itself. Curlin should be HOY.

I agree that Curlin's ride did him in,  like Big Brown's in the Belmont did. Curlin was moved too soon and too fast and had no more energy left to hold off those turf horses. I think Albarado underestimated those horses and didn't think they'd be closing as strongly as they did. If the race was run on a dirt track he would have won because those turf horses wouldn't have been there and none of the other horses could have caught him.

I like both Curlin and Zenyatta and don't care who wins HOY. They're both great horses, and so is Big Brown.

Zenyatta beat Ginger Punch on dirt, in Arkansas, in the G1 Apple Blossom. Plus all the other G1 and G2 races which she won.

Zenyatta all the way for HOY.

Curlin only raced 5  times this year, and only won 3 of those races. Hardly HOY stats.

Zenyatta won over twice as many races as Curlin won this year, and they were all G1/G2 wins by Zenyatta.

All three are brilliant horses, should be recognised as such and not slated for what they did or did not do. They ran hard each time and showed tremendous heart.

I'm sure Curlin, Big Brown and Zenyatta couldn't care less about HOTY honours. Just appreciate their achievements, thank their connections for providing us with the opportunity to appreciate their brilliance on the racecourse and hope they will be back for more next year (BB excepted).

I for one hope that regardless of which horse takes the prize, their achievements are never belittled.  

Zenyatta deserves to be HOY.  Curlin is awesome, but his 2 wins in Dubai should not count for "our" horse of the year.  If it does, perhaps we should be looking at Raven's Pass for HOY honors, he raced well out of this country and then in this country.  Just MHO

Let's remember Zenyatta did race on dirt and ran a heck of a race and that race was not in California.

Enough of this endless subjective debate about Curlin, Zenyatta, and Big Brown. They're all worthy of HOY. Let it be decided in my hometown on an American racing surface - DIRT - at Churchill Downs in the Clark Handicap in November at a 1 1/8 or extended to 1 1/4 for this special occasion. May all here flood the owners of these three great horses as well as Churchill Downs with letters and emails lobbying them to engage in this great sporting gesture for the sake of racing fans who admire and enjoy these champions. The track on the American racing surface, dirt, is the only place to settle this controversy. No better place than in the premier breeding ground for thoroughbreds, Kentucky, at the famed home of the Kentucky Derby, the premier race in the Sport of Kings.

One more thing, turf horses are not inferior to dirt horses, just as horses that run well on synthetics shouldn't be regarded as inferior to those that run well on dirt.

Synthetics do not yield the same results as dirt for sure but all I can say is there was no Eight Belles or George Washington incident and that makes me happy like you wouldn't believe, as it should any true horse lover out there.

What ?  You people want to give Zanyetta a Poly Specialist and never faced the boys Horse of the Year ?

She never ran against the best only the best fillies.  That DOES NOT make her horse of the year.  And Curlin ?  All of you need to get off this horse.  When he got back from Dubai he won 3 races against non G1 winners on dirt and then faced G1 winners and lost both times.  You don't get horse of the year beating weak horses in the Jockey Gold.  He faced very good horses and couldn't hit the board ... that is your HOY ????

feed me more,

Curlin raced 7 times and won 5 races this year, including 4 G-1's and the Jaguar Trophy in Dubai carrying

130 lbs. Not to mention $5.4 million in 2008 earnings.

He will be voted HOTY.

N-o-n-s-e-n-s-e...great horses can run on every surface.  Zenyatta is flawless. When you don't have to make any excuses for a horse such as surfaces and distances, you are the star.  She was not 100% in the Vanity, but she sucked it up and refused to lose, thats what its all about...I don't believe Zenyatta is beatable, shes #1, her connections are what it is all about, she earned it!!!!!!

PS: the pro-ride surface is more like a dirt track than any other synthetic in the US so maybe our older males are trash in comparison to the world

Dray,

  If i recall correctly BB beat nobody this year at all. Wanderin boy may be older but he is still a very game and good horse. Remember he would be a grade one winner many times over if it had not been for invasor and bernardini, just to name a few. BB faced some of the weakest fields ever, so let me tell you the day we all get off curlin and zenyatta is the day you quit sounding off like a broken record about BB.

Also feed me more curlin raced seven times this year winning five times.

Races in 08:

Jaguar trophy(win)

World cup(win)

Stephen Foster(win)

Man o War(second)

Woodward(win)

JCGC(win)

BCC(forth)

Notice both his wins were are surfaces he's never raced over and every dirt race he entered he won.

Poly Specialist?? Why does no one consider Oaklawn a DIRT track?? Oh, because we should just ignore the fact that Zenyatta dominated over a DIRT specialist in that race.

Zenyatta deserves it. She won her B.C. race under a hand ride with her ears pricked after a year of reeling off numerous victories in impressive fashion. Even if her competition wasn't the most impressive, atleast she disposed of them easily.

After the World Cup, who did Curlin face? Oh right, he managed to crawl past an allowance horse who was falling over dead in the stretch and a gutsy G2 level Wanderin' Boy (love Wanderin Boy, but he really isn't a big G1 horse). Once he got against horses that could actually close and run fast final fractions, he lost.

As for Shakis finishing last...atleast Big Brown BEAT him. Red Rocks who BEAT Curlin finished second to last in the BC Turf beaten 17 1/2 lengths. Shakis was beaten 8 lengths. Ouch, so much for Curlin being beat by a top turf horse. Not to mention Better Talk Now who he barely held off was 8th beaten 13 lengths.

HOTY: Zenyatta

Champion Older Male: Curlin

Champion 3yr. Old: Big Brown

Big Brown should be awarded Horse of the Year.  Only one defeat of his career in the Belmont.  Perfect wins into the Derby; another win in the Preakness; 2 come backs after the Belmont with one on grass.  Big Brown is the most versatile of all this year.  He is deserving of this honor!

Everyone seems to have there own definition of HOY.  Mine includes the requirement that whoever is HOY, that horse must have run in non-restricted races.  Zenyatta has had an amazing year, but I cannot support her as HOY as she has only run in races that were restricted to fillies and mares.

Draynay -

It's okay to disagree with people, but it doesn't mean you have to criticize horses like that. Curlin is a great horse, and even though u dont see that, you cant call him a BAD horse. He deserves horse of the year .

Draynay, your case against Curlin is that he hasn't beaten quality horses, but yet you want Big Brown for hoy.  Now who has Big Brown beaten, and how are they better than what Curlin has beaten?  You make no sense. Oh, I know, you are going to rattle off all the g1 winners from the road to the derby.  Very strange.

The Big Ole Browneye HOY? He beat NOTHING his entire career!! He's from the weakest class of 3 yr olds I've ever seen. His only wins came when he had everything his way. The 20 hole in the Derby was a blessing because it kept him where he needed to be to win, outside of any possible trouble. Even his trainer said before the Derby that there was no competition in the race, they were all weak. His time was so mediocre in the Derby it's funny. Give it up draynay, this is a horse like so many others before who won the derby and preakness but failed in the biggest race of his life. He deserves only the slightest of mentions for HOY. Never particularily impressed me, I've seen hundreds better than him. You don't win HOY by beating only 3 yr olds on the dirt and winning one turf race against better than average horses. If he had run in the Classic he would have finished no better than 7th or 8th if that. He never ran a race approaching the time this one was run in. Let him retire in peace, maybe he'll hook up with some filly who will be tougher on him in the breeding shed than the boys he ran against on the track. Bet he spits the bit there when that happens too.

ATTENTION: DRAYNOT AND OTHER ANTI BB READERS: WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY NOW ABOUT YOUR CURLIN? FIRST,DRAYNOT I WON'T TAKE THE LOW ROAD AS YOU HAVE AS YOU'VE BASHED BB IN EVERY RACE HE WAS IN. ALL YOU DO IS RUN YOUR MOUTH AND DISRESPECT EVERYTHING  HE HAS EVER DONE. MAYBE YOU ARE IN A COMA,BUT ONE LOSS IN A CAREER IS NOT BAD! MAYBE YOU'RE CONFUSED THINKING HE'S HAD ONLY ONE WIN,LOL. BB IS A SUPERHORSE,PERIOD! STEVE HASKIN THINKS SO AND EVEN IF HE DIDN'T I WOULD ANYWAY. YOU CONTINUE TO HARP ON BB NOT FACING ANYONE,IT'S NOT HIS FAULT HE WAS HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE EVERYONE ELSE. I THINK YOU ARE A BB HATER THAT'S SO INMATURE YOU CAN'T GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE! BB WON THE DERBY,IF THAT'S EASY,THEN WHY DOESN'T EVERY HORSE WIN IT? SEE,I'M NOT A HUGE FAN OF CURLIN MOSTLY BECAUSE OF HIS TRAINER,BUT UNLIKE YOU W/ BB,I CAN BE CLASSY ENOUGH TO GIVE CURLIN ALL THE CREDIT IN THE WORLD AND ADMIT HE'S A SUPERHORSE,SIMPLE AS THAT! AS FAR AS ZENYATTA GOES,UNLIKE MANY OF YOU,I WAS A FAN FROM THE ONSET,NOT A LAST MINUTE BANDWAGON JUMPER. SHE DESERVES HORSE OF THE YEAR AND WILL WIN IT,YOU CAN BET ON THAT! FOR DRAYNAY GOES,I DON'T ALWAYS AGREE WITH HIM,BUT HIS LOVE FOR BB IS UNQUESTIONED. I THINK YOU SHOULD THINK FIRST BEFORE YOU WRITE THINGS THAT GOES TO SHOW JUST HOW LITTLE YOU KNOW REGARDING RACING!

DRAYNAY - guess you didn't read my last post - please do!  All I can say is: thank goodness you don't get a vote!

What ever happened to some of you peoples claims that whoever wins the Classic is HOY? I recall alot of crap about that is where it should be decided when it appeared Curlin might not be there. That would include you draynay. Get off the Big Brown thing, he wasn't even a whole one year wonder. The animals he faced were far less superior than for example who Curlin faced. They simply brought nothing to the plate. Curlin's competition wasn't what it had been in the past but it was far better than the pathetic 3 yr olds Big Brown faced and I don't think Curlin should win either.

Curlin does however deserve more consideration than Big Brown, he faced better horses all year and travelled the world over to do that. They should have retired him b4 the Classic but were trying to please racing fans and ran him because of the overwhelming respect for his record and desire to see him go one last time.

Zenyatta went unbeaten and earned a big shot at HOY by doing so. Someones got to win the honor this year but it sure doesn't belong to the Big Ole Browneye.      

Curlin shoulds till get HOTY based on the face that he still won  4 Grade 1 races this year, was second in a G1 Turf debut to a BC winner and is now dare we ever forget THE LEADING MONEY EARNER!!! How could u ignore that? how disrespectfull to the true champion!

Feedmemore,

Check your facts. Curlin raced 7 times this year, winning 5.

And yes, Draynay, Curlin is our HOY. DEAL WITH IT.

This HOTY thing is going to get very complicated as time goes on.  Comparing horses on the basis of if they run on dirt or synthetic is going to get out of hand & could end up never being resolved.  It's amazing to me that Curlin worshipers can't ever give another horse credit for anything.  I love Curlin too, but do you HAVE TO take on the boys to be in the running for HOTY?  How sexist!  Zenyatta deserves credit for what she accomplished regardless of her sex. By the say, Big Brown Fan has got several good points.  Admit it, BB got the brunt of it from near & far all year.  He deserved better.

Hey Draynay,

Just think, Curlin will go down as one of the best race horses ever. Retiring as the biggest money winner ever. A sure Hall of Famer.

Big Brown will soon be forgotten. He will have trouble ever making the Hall of Fame. Merely a good horse who raced a total of what, 7 races? Can't think of any horse in the Hall of Fame with only 7 races. One who was lucky to race against the weakest 3 year old crop in memory.

So, for once and for all give it up Draynay. BB is not and never was in the same class as Curlin.

What is a "dirt" surface?  Has anything like it existed anywhere in nature, ever?  Did Sir Barton or Equipoise run on the same surface as Tim Tam or Kelso?  What about the almost paved surfaces of Swaps and Secretariat's world records?  Does anyone out there remember how wet tracks progressed from sloppy to muddy to good to fast?  I can't remember the last time I saw a heavy track.

Let's face it.  Today's "dirt" tracks are scarcely less artificial than synthetic tracks.  They are pampered, amended, and groomed and every track superintendent has his own special mix.  The so-called synthetic tracks represent an evolutionary change not a revolution.

For what it's worth, I think that Curlin ran his race and was just beaten.  I still would like to see him HOY.

Thank you Summer, you said it well.  All three (Zenyatta, Curlin, and Big Brown) are worthy of HOY.  And they truly are.  

I don't understand why someone said if you wanna get the award over the boys, you have to beat the boys.  What?  Why should sex even matter?  The award is "Horse of the Year".  It's the year's body of work.  Where is it written that the boys automatically get HOY and the girls have no shot unless they beat the boys?  That is ridiculous.  Which ever horse has the best body of work, deserves the award.  

From what I understand Zenyatta is coming back next year and we get to see her mature and see if she gets even better.  That's great!  It was nice to see Curlin back this year, he's matured nicely.   And it's sad that we don't get to see Big Brown come back and mature because I think he would've gotten even better.  He had the potential to be truly great.  Oh, and lets get off the steroid soap box, shall we?  They aren't the reason he did so well earlier this year, they aren't the reason for the Belmont, Curlin ran on them last year, and many, many other horses also got the same thing Big Brown did (many at a higher dose).  Big Brown is just having to take the crap for it because he had the only trainer that would actually say he was getting them when reporters asked.  (Read a book, educate yourself.  It's not the same in horses as in people.  HOw many times must the vets tell you that!) That is what is most sad to me....so many people missed the boat with this horse and never saw beyond Dutrow, or IEAH or whatever it was that they chose to dislike about him and saw what he really was: a very very talented horse that did what was asked of him 7 of the 8 times he raced and did it in style and with heart.  He could win on different surfaces, at different tracks, in different running styles, and at different distances.  He deserves better than that.  I hope that's what the history books tell.  

As for HOY, I really don't care.  Either deserves it and, frankly, I'm tired already of arguing about it.  

I personally think the fillies were way better than the boys this year. Much more talent in the female divisions. Zenyatta, Hystericalady, Ginger Punch, Music Note, Proud Spell, Cocoa Beach, Indian Blessing, Ventura...As for the boys? Curlin, Big Brown, MAYBE Go Between? I suppose Colonel John. The most talented male was probably Heatseeker, but we didn't see him past the beginning of the year. This makes me lean even more towards Zenyatta...no she didn't face the boys, but who was there to face besides Curlin and Big Brown?

Has anyone forgotten that Curlin has defeated Tiago hands down a couple times? Hello....And Henry and Raven? nice animals, not anywhere in the same class, is Prove Out and Onion better than Secretariat? Or Upset than Man O'War? Of course not. Its just something that happend, don't hold one race against the great red boy.

 I see that there is still alot of Curlin bandwagons fans out here!!! This horse has won 3 races in his life that looked like he was all-time great ( preakness, 07 jockey club, Dubia) Two of them he won in a photo finish. His last 3 Grade 1 victories are a joke in lack of competion. Look you finished 2nd and 3rd in these races, past the point, Wboy,barcloa,eistein. He hasn't beat one horse that was in the classic in 2008. These horses that  finshed 2nd and 3rd by a length or 2 in last 3 grade 1's aren't grade one winners  on dirt and some not even grade 2.  Now that is not his fault that nobody wanted to show up and face him. But, you need to know the facts before you say this horse is a all-time great!!  He never broke 2.00 minutes in 1 1/4 quarter race Cigar, Ghostzapper, Skip Away, Invasor  all did!!  Curlin was a great horse compared to his weak competion but when he challenged by another great performance in his career by another horse he got beat some times it wasn't even close!! By the way his 112,112,111 equilbase mumbers on dirt going into classic were very weak. 112 only win about 40 percent of grade 1 versus older males in North America since 2000.

mike

Curlin was not out of the money, 4th place still is in the money, the first 5 horses win $$.  He was just off the board, but not out of the money!!

As for HOY, it'll be hard to say.  Curlin had a spectacular season when he ran on dirt, including the win in Dubai where he broke records, but Zenyatta was unbeaten.  I'd lean more towards Zenyatta for HOY if she'd run against the boys, but since she didn't, I think Curlin gets HOY for a second year in a row.

Mike,

Beyers of 112,112 and 111 are a HELL OF A LOT HIGHER THAN ZENYATTA OR BIG BROWN EVER GOT!

In fact, Curlin's Beyers have been incredibly high throughout his racing career and failed to reach 100 only twice...in the '07 Derby (98) and '07 Rebel Stakes (99). Even when he broke his maiden he got a 102. (How many horses can you name who was rated over 100 Beyer in their very first race? I can't think of any).  

And let's not forger his two races in Dubai in March when he ran the 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.3 (in the Jaquar carrying 132) and 2:00, the latter the third fastest Dubai World Cup in history, and by the biggest margin ever over Well Armed and co. It would have been interesting to see what the Beyer ratings on those races would have been.

So if you are saying Curlin doesn't deserve HOTY, the last thing you want to do is bring up Beyer Speed Ratings. You're contradicting your own argument!

VT, perhaps you should read what I wrote again about the Big Ole Browneye and his ability on turf. I never included mention of Curlin when referencing the fact that Brownie never proved anything on turf but had been dubbed a "brilliant turf horse " by some uninformed blogger.

My point was not to compare the Great Curlin to the Big Ole Browneye but to point out Brownie only beat maidens and no top of the world turf talent on the grass. You aren't a "brilliant" anything unless you prove it by going against the best there is. Brownie never faced the best there was in any race not even the best 3 yr olds out there, therefore he never beat the best there was out there and speculation gets you nowhere. Just look at the stock market for proof of that. My vote for 3 yr old of the year goes to Raven's Pass who took down the reigning HOY and actually beat somebody this year worth mentioning. This is a far superior animal than Big Brown. Big Brown didn't show up to the dance so he don't deserve the honor. That's what draynay and others were spouting earlier on and I'm going to hold them to that. Raven's Pass was by far the best 3 yr old in the world at years end and he won the Classic which should nail down at least 3 yr old of the year for him and maybe more.

You have to hand it to Curlins connections, they placed him in races where they pretty much knew he was a given. Easy to win ten million when you run in races with horses that are so far beneath you talent wise. Ive never liked the horse or his trainer. Cant trust a man who never makes eye contact. Dont get me wrong, he has accomplished many things for his owners, fans and the thoroughbred industry as a whole, but he is dead boring to watch run. Ive heard lots of people say he looks just like Secretariat. Please, HAHA, Big Red was deeper thru the chest and thicker in the shoulder then that skinny freak Curlin. Zenyatta has beaten the best fillies and mares of her generation. Music Note, Ginger Punch (twice), Hystericalady, and she did it with incredible moves that left everyone else in those races in the dust. The way she ran Friday, I think if they had put her in the classic, she very well could have blown the boys away. She is unbeaten, Curlin is well beaten. hmmmm, who gets horse of the year? Come on people, that was Tiago who finished in front of Curlin in the classic.

What makes Curlin special is what he did in such a short span of time. From breaking his maiden in February '07, to being thrust into the triple Crown Races with so little seasoning (3 months and 3 races), to winning HOTY with a dominating BC Classic (119 Beyer)in only 9 months, to becoming the all time money winner in 20 months. No horse accomplished so much in so little time. Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens, the greatest trainer of my lifetime, and the one who is looked up to and called "The Chief" by all other trainers, said it best. "To do what Curlin has done in so short of time, well he's not one in a million, he's one in a zillion". Enough said.

HOY goes to Zenyatta who won on MORE than one kind of fake track AND on dirt. She competed the WHOLE year and dominated from start to finish. Not as strong a pick as in the past but for this year she's deserving.

Champion Older Horse to Curlin. He travelled the world over as his connections sought out the best competition they could find. He didn't duck anyone and they even tried the turf where they had hopes of running him in Europes biggest race the ARC. He ran a respectable race there but wasn't good enough to attempt the ARC. Kudos to the connections for bringing him to the Cup when they could have retired him after a long and exhausting year of huge travels to run on a fake surface he had never tried before. To run under a 2:00 mile and a half on a new surface after all he had been through this year was too much to ask for and he still almost pulled it off!! The travel alone this year was enough to wear any animal out.

Raven's Pass gets 3 yr old of the year not Big Brown. He beat the reigning HOY and won the Classic on top of beating very good Europeans on the turf. He was by far the best 3 yr old at the end of the year. Big Brown beat only weak 3 yr olds all year and his connections ducked better competition when they had the chance to go against them. His one grass race was written specifically for him. The distance was what his connections believed his best, the timing of the race meant he could point specifically to it but didn't give others the same opportunity. They had to alter plans to get there and as a result he beat only 2nd level animals and not even america's best on the grass. You can spout his G1 wins all you want, they just don't mean as much this year in light of the weak animals he faced. Raven's Pass is a far superior horse than Big Brown and proved it on the world's biggest stage. He beat top europeans on the grass in a true G1 race, he took down the reigning HOY in another true G1 race, and he won the Breeders Cup Classic which many have stated was the best field they have seen in a Classic(although there is at least one other I think was as good), something Big Brown never did and was never capable of doing. Raven's Pass beat top level horses and Big Brown for all his G1 wins never faced any.

I don't know why everyone is getting so bent out of shape about this we don't get to choose who HOY is anyway. I think Zenyatta has a good shot despite the fact that she didn't race against colts Azeri didn't race against colts in 2002 when she won it she got it. A because War Emblem lost the classic. Just as Curlin did on Saturday. And why in the heck should Raven's Pass be champion 3 year old he's only had one start in the US that should not constitute a championship. and those of you who think Zenyatta shouldn't be HOY because she raced only on Synthetic track is  BS because sooner or later whether we like it or not all tracks will be synthetic. so get over it just because horses race on synthetic surface doesn't mean they aren't great horses and should be denied the championships they deserve.    

The Wiz your right I will never put Big Brown in Curlin's class... I will put him in the same class with Ghostzapper.  

wizard,

 please read, I said equilbase numbers not Beyers yes Curlin Beyers are better than Zenyatta but equilabase numbers are not 113,111,113,111 are last 4 in breeders cup program. And Curlin beyers are just allright for his career nothing great. I think the Beyers are the worst of the speed rating speeds. His equilabase numbers are below Invasor for his career his Beyers are about the same, His ragaozin are about the same, therograph are little bit slower Invasor. In my opioon Invasor was slightly better horse than Curlin. They both won 6 grade 1's  versus older males with Curlin getting one of his victories against Lawyer Ron getting 4 pounds that Curlin won by a nose maybe he might have lost with 4 more pounds. Invasor ran faster in Dubai broke 2 minutes. I just saying Curlin was great because of competion and when somebody steped up and ran a big he wasn't in the winner circle. He and Invasor numbers are slow campared to Cigar and Skip Away and Ghostzapper. The big difference that Invasor only lost one time and always fiqued out a way to step up his level comapared to competion in his races to win, Curlin lost 5 times and lost by more than a length in all 5 races.  Cigar is best horse in last 15 year than Skip away, than Invasor, and than Curlin, Ghostzapper didn't run enough 1 1/8 routes to put him in top 4 in last 15 years. Curlin was very consistant 3 -5 lengths slower than Cigar every race if you take there last 10 races he was no Cigar but Curlin  and Invasor or

about the best we can hope for these days in a span of more than 5 grade 1's in row versus older comapany. Because everybody else will retire after 4 grade 1 victory's in a row in the older male division unless their a gelding. Worth to much in breeding so you better go to You Tube and type in Invasor, and Curlin because win it comes to going against older horses best of luck finding anybody else like them.

mike

Zenyatta=west coast specialist. Yeah, she won in Arkansas, but every other race on artificial surface. Bring her east & let's see what she can do. HOY? No!

Curlin is still the best!

HEY GUYS, AFTER ALL THE POLITICS LET'S HAVE THESE TWO EQUINE SUPERSTARS MEET IN THE CLARK AT CD FOR $2 MILLION AND LET THE RACE BEGIN TO SETTLE HOY HONORS!!!!

I'm not entirely sure what you are talking about draynot. I never said Big Brown was a brilliant turf horse, I just pointed out that if you are going to knock him for only beating Shakis, then Curlin should get a knock for being beaten by Red Rocks, if you are comparing Breeders' Cup form, I would take beating Shakis to being beaten by Red Rocks at this point in the year.

Big Brown is definitely not in my consideration for HOTY, if anything he's 3rd or 4th on the list. I feel a horse that had an undefeated year and proved herself on two different surfaces (along with multiple forms of fake stuff) and defeated the best of her class with absolute ease without missing a beat throughout the entire year deserves horse of the YEAR.

And the Dubai World Cup should NOT count towards Curlin's HOTY consideration. The travel perhaps, the race, no. These are the AMERICAN awards and thus Curlin races in Dubai should not go into HOTY in this country. Just as Raven's Pass's races in England do not count towards our Eclipse awards, only his Classic does.

Draynay,

Are you forgetting about the Belmont flop? Or the Monmouth (UNGRADED) Stakes? Who exactly did he run against in THAT one? And what have they done since that race?

And you put him in the same class as Ghostzapper?

Give me a break. Big Brown did have some nice races, but he does NOT deserve to be HOY. Especially since he didn't run against very many "good" horses.

I love Zenyatta, but Curlin was the most dominant horse this year.  I'm afraid next year all the great American horses will skip the BCC because of what happened this year.  I will not be as enthusiastic it about it next year as I was this year.  All the great horses that I watched all year long win numerous races finished in the back.  I was very dissappointed.  I'm not knocking any of the horses, I love them all.  Curlin ran the BCC because everyone wanted him to bring fans back.  I read numerous articles before the race about how the track owner begged them to bring him.  Remember, he did it for the fans.  I quit watching horse racing for a long time, and then came Curlin.  I have kept up with him and love watching him.  Before the Classic, everyone thought he should get HOTY.  Is one race going to change your minds.  Bashing horses to me is ridiculous.  They can't choose what life brings them.  I must say, Curlin looks like he is well taken care of.  He loves racing and you can tell.  If he doesn't receive the honor, his great racing this year was not taken into consideration.  I respect Zenyatta, but she has to try other places to race more competitive horses.  Curlin should definitely be HOTY.  Just my opinion, and please don't bash any more horses.

Who gets to vote for Horse of the Year?

Who gets to vote for Horse of the Year?

• Scot's reply:  You can find some basic information about the Eclipse Awards (including Horse of the Year) here.

For all of you Big Brown and Curlin fans,  they are related.  Northern Dancer is the great grandfather of Big Brown and the Great Great Grandfather of Curlin.

Match Curlin vs. Zenyatta.  Dirt, synthetic, turf.  You name it.  She wins.  Ditto Big Brown. You saw what happened when his steroids were withdrawn.  Pathetic.  She is from another planet.  Curlin will defintely get Horse of the Year.  Male, East Coast-oriented, right connections.  Same old story.  Zenyatta has not even displayed half of that which she is capable.  Curlin will be retired ASAP.  Watch.

VT,

It was draynay who said the Big Ole Browneye was a "brilliant " turf horse and I was just stating that he in fact never proved anything over the turf. Two wins against nobody that could even be considered near the top doesn't make you brilliant, it makes you just another one of the crowd. I don't know where you came up with the notion that I was comparing him to Curlin on the turf. My point was strictly that Brownie never beat anyone of top quality on the grass just like he never beat anyone of top quality on the dirt. Quite frankly never faced anyone who at the time could be considered one of the top horses on any surface. Hope that clarifies what I meant for you. The Big Ole Browneye will go down as just another Derby/Preakness winner who failed in the biggest race of his life and won the other two against some very weak compwtition at the time. In a couple of years most will have forgotten who he was.

Hmm, I must have mixed up display names.

It does drive me up a wall when people say Curlin was beat by a good turf horse while Big Brown proved nothing beating a horse like Shakis. Yes, Red Rocks was a good horse a couple years ago, but he is a few notches below the top now...along with Better Talk Now. I would put him at a similar level as Shakis, so in my eyes I say atleast Big Brown BEAT Shakis, while Curlin was beaten rather easily by Red Rocks.

Sharon,

What draynay meant by he would put Big Brown in Ghostzapper's class is that they are both part of the "retired class".

There is no other comparison to be made with the two. Ghostzapper like Curlin and many others would have had Big Brown for lunch over the track. Big Brown never beat anyone that would be in consideration for any type of honor. In reality he never faced anyone that was very good at the time. nay nay can spout all he wants about Big Brown but the facts don't lie. He was never tested by top notch competition and was beaten by less than stellar animals. It's off to retirement with a nice looking resume but it's tainted by lack of competition.

You are right on The Wizard when you say Curlin is a sure thing Hall of Famer and Big Brown should never get there.

Hall of Famer's have to have beaten someone, anyone more than once in their career that was one of the best at the time they faced them and Big Brown can never say he faced anyone like that much less beat them. G1 wins against 3 yr old only are deceiving to say the least. The animals Big Brown faced in his G1 wins were nowhere near G1 caliber when he faced them. They need to further clarify what a G1 race is, maybe G1-A for 3yr olds and up and just G1 for 3 yr olds. Better yet don't grade the race until the year is over and then grade it on where the competition was at as a whole at the time of the race.

Last years Derby was certainly a true G1 with the likes of Curlin, Street Sense and Hard Spun. To make this years renewal a G1 because of last years competition is not right. This years edition was a G3 level if that based on competition. No animal has come out of that race to consistently win anywhere else. Any that have met true G1 competition have failed.

Curlin: Future Hall Of Famer alongside the likes of Secratariat and many others who would have left Big Brown in their dust.

Big Brown: Just another in a long line of those who failed to beat true top notch animals at anytime in his very very short career. His G1 wins were not against anything that approaches true G1 competition when he faced them and against 3yr olds only. Not the resume of a Hall Of Famer by any means. He'll be forgotten in a few short years maybe less.

Curlin is my favorite, but I love all of them.  Big Brown did his best with what he had to offer.  He couldn't choose his fate.  I love him for trying his best.  He is related to Curlin by Northern Dancer.  I hope Big Brown is recovering well from his injury.

VT,

I do agree that neither Curlin or Big Brown beat or faced real top notch turf performers. Neither can ever be considered top notch or "brilliant" turf animals based on how they performed and who they beat on the grass. I've been winning money betting against Better Talk Now for a couple of years and Red Rocks has certainly dropped off from his Breeders Cup win a few years back. By the same token Shakis is no better than a G2 level animal talentwise either. He showed over the weekend that he does not belong in the same category as true G1 horses.

I think it was great that the connections of Curlin tried the turf and considered the ARC in an attempt to give racing fans all over the world a look at whether or not he was more than one of the greatest dirt horses ever. It didn't turn out that way but I commend them for trying.

The connections of Big Brown however had another agenda on their mind. That was to get a race over the grass to protect Brownies feet and get it written specifically for him so he could get a win. I believe their idea was to hope they could nuture him to the Classic and hope to pull off a huge upset and capture the HOY honors with a one time shot. Shame on them for putting Big Brown through more agony in spite  of his bad feet. They should have retired him after the Belmont but instead were hell bent on finding weak competition and more wins to preserve his value at stud.

Kentucky Derby hopeful Desert Party has a re-emerging female family, the world's most prominent racing stable -- and maybe the most important sire at stud today.