Zenyatta, Connections Finally Win Horse Of The Year

It may have been a long wait, but for the Mosses it might have been well worth it.

After finishing as the runner up for the Horse of the Year award in each of the past two seasons, Zenyatta was named the 2010 Horse of the Year at the 40th annual Eclipse Awards, held last night in Miami Beach, Florida. In an interesting role-reversal, Zenyatta captured the award by securing 128 votes, only 26 more than the runner-up, Blame, who received 102 votes. Just two months ago, Blame snapped Zenyatta's 19-race winning streak by defeating her in the Breeders' Cup Classic by the slimmest of margins.

Goldikova, who became the only horse to win three Breeders' Cup races in a career, rounded out the finalists by receiving five votes.

Blame and Goldikova did not go home empty-handed, however, as all three horses each won Eclipse Awards in other categories. Zenyatta captured top Older Female horse for the third straight year, Blame secured top Older Male and Goldikova was named top Turf Female.

The Horse of the Year debate between Blame and Zenyatta was fierce and it seemed that if you had an opinion, it was a strong opinion for the horse you were picking. For the record, I was really pulling for Zenyatta to win it after being shut out the past two years, but Blame would have been more than worthy of the award had he won it. When comparing their seasons on the track, both horses won their fair share of graded stakes races. Zenyatta captured five Grade I wins, most of which came in California, and finished second to Blame in the Breeders' Cup Classic in November. Blame won four of his five starts in 2010, with three Grade I wins, including the Classic, a Grade III victory, and a second place finish in another Grade I race. Both horses have had phenomenal years and probably would each have been named Horse of the Year if not going up against each other.

When it comes down to it, I believe Zenyatta's raging popularity over the past year was a primary reason why she won. Some will say that the award should come down to what happened on the track but I think this year is a little unique. With their achievements fairly even for the most part and the face that Blame and Zenyatta were only separated by a nose when they raced each other head-to-head, you need something else to separate the two horses.

This is where I think the buzz Zenyatta generated this year benefited her in the minds of the voters. Many people were brought into a sport they maybe had never paid attention to before, instantly falling in love with Zenyatta's personality. From the 60 Minutes feature on CBS, to the commemorative Zenyatta issue of the Bloodhorse, fans could not get enough of the six (now seven) year-old mare. Zenyatta's publicity over the course of the season was probably worth millions to the horse racing industry, and it's now up to the governing bodies to take it and run with it, developing fans for life. Although it may be outside the intent of the award, all around, Zenyatta truly was a Horse of the Year.

There were other awards handed out last night too. Imagine that! Here's the complete list of winners in each category:

2-Year-Old Male: Uncle Mo
2-Year-Old Filly: Awesome Feather
3-Year-Old Male: Lookin At Lucky
3-Year-Old Filly: Blind Luck
Older Male: Blame
Older Female: Zenyatta
Female Sprinter: Dubai Majesty
Male Sprinter: Big Drama
Male Turf Horse: Gio Ponti
Female Turf Horse: Goldikova
Steeplechase Horse: Slip Away
Owner: WinStar Farm
Breeder: Adena Springs
Jockey: Ramon Dominguez
Apprentice Jockey: Omar Moreno
Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Finally, if you want to watch any of the award presentations from last night, check out the NTRA's YouTube Channel. All award videos are there with acceptance speeches from the winners. Below, you can watch the Horse of the Year announcement right here while visiting At The Post!

Posted in: US Tracks