It appears that there will be five horses competing for year end honors and the chase is led by superfilly Rachel Alexandra. By the end of Saturday's races, the chase could either be over or a little more wide open.
Here are the contenders and some quick facts:
Rachel Alexandra (2009 Record - 7-7-0-0) - Simply put, she's the odds-on favorite to win Horse of the Year. Her string of impressive wins in 2009 add up to a 65-length margin and include the Kentucky Oaks, Preakness, Mother Goose and Haskell. The breathtaking victories in the Oaks and Mother Goose were some of the more impressive you'll ever see but the fact she has beaten the boys twice is equally as amazing. A win in the Woodward would secure her place as one of the best fillies of all-time and basically guarantee HOY.
Zenyatta (2009 Record 3-3-0-0) - The other "big girl" in racing has a career perfect record (12-for-12) but has only raced outside of her home base in Southern California once. Her best chance of winning Horse of the Year is if she beats Rachel in the Breeders' Cup (which is highly unlikely as Rachel's owner has said she is not running in the BC), or if some sort of match race is agreed to. If she does finish her career unbeaten, she still would rank as one of the best fillies of all-time but a notch below Rachel.
Gio Ponti (2009 Record 5-4-0-0) - The four-year-old colt has quietly had a great 2009 as he's rattled off four straight wins, all Grade 1's. The highlight came last month when he beat an international field in the the Arlington Million. The big knock against Gio Ponti is that he's a turf horse and there has only been one grass horse to be named Horse of the Year in the last 25 years. The only chance he has for HOY is if he switches to (artificial) dirt in the Breeders' Cup and wins the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Summer Bird (2009 Record 7-3-1-1) - The winner of the Belmont and Travers has gotten better with each start. His only hiccup this year was a 6th place finish in the Kentucky De
rby which is forgiveable considering he only had three outings before the "Run for the Roses." His best chance to capture HOY will be if he wins the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont and Breeders' Cup Classic plus a Rachel loss. (Remember: Rachel did beat Summer Bird in t
he Haskell).
Einstein - (2009 Record 5-2-0-2) - He is the longest shot of the group. In early summer, the venerable 7-year-old looked to have climbed back as the top older horse after winning the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic on Kentucky Derby Day. But since then, he's run third and fifth. He'll need to win the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Saturday and the Breeders' Cup Classic if he has any chance combined with a Rachel loss. Either way, he's a great story and will probably head off to stud at the end of the year.
Honorable Mentions: Mine That Bird, Macho Again, Rail Trip
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