Comments on: A BETTER SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING HORSE OF THE YEAR http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/a-better-system-for-determining-horse-of-the-year-3542.htm William Shanklin Mon, 26 Jul 2010 23:13:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Anne http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/a-better-system-for-determining-horse-of-the-year-3542.htm/comment-page-1#comment-428 Anne Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:30:55 +0000 http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/?p=3542#comment-428 If racing is to go on until the year is over, then every race should be used for the vote. This comment about synthetics is getting old as both have run and won on different surfaces. It was the distance that Jackson truly objected. The horses that were 1-2 in the Derby last year had success on synthetics. A graded stakes at SA last weekend, horses 2nd and 3rd were dirt horses first start on synthetics. Those are just a few to prove the synthetic surface is not always detrimental to dirt horses...handicappers who can't handicap on it, maybe. Remember these surfaces started on the concept they would save horses lives not the human need. In most cases, the injuries are there but not as catastrophic as the one we just witnessed yesterday at the Big A with both sesamoids snapping or the Barbaro, Pine Island and 8 Belles incidents.( all on dirt tracks, two at Churchill) Weight, all graded stakes accompishments, competition levels of all horses who particiapate and where they go from there, (the Woodward group were from what I found, not multiple grade 1 winners and Pass the Points ran two weeks ago and could not beat a grade 3 group, before the HOTY was even announced) and if they need the vote to include 8 different tracks with victories to win HOTY then it needs to be stated. If Goldie can win in one US race which happened to be a BC, then any horse is eligible as well. Voters need to be equal in knowledge of all the horses nominated not just their favorite. Actually, watch all of their races.The names on the turf list were commical at best as I recognized their names and know their knowledge base. I also felt is was rude of some of those voters making up their minds in Setember...if that is allowed then racing should end in September and that being the last race month to be included in the voting process thus ending racing until the beginning of the new year. If racing is to go on until the year is over, then every race should be used for the vote. This comment about synthetics is getting old as both have run and won on different surfaces. It was the distance that Jackson truly objected. The horses that were 1-2 in the Derby last year had success on synthetics. A graded stakes at SA last weekend, horses 2nd and 3rd were dirt horses first start on synthetics. Those are just a few to prove the synthetic surface is not always detrimental to dirt horses…handicappers who can’t handicap on it, maybe. Remember these surfaces started on the concept they would save horses lives not the human need. In most cases, the injuries are there but not as catastrophic as the one we just witnessed yesterday at the Big A with both sesamoids snapping or the Barbaro, Pine Island and 8 Belles incidents.( all on dirt tracks, two at Churchill)
Weight, all graded stakes accompishments, competition levels of all horses who particiapate and where they go from there, (the Woodward group were from what I found, not multiple grade 1 winners and Pass the Points ran two weeks ago and could not beat a grade 3 group, before the HOTY was even announced) and if they need the vote to include 8 different tracks with victories to win HOTY then it needs to be stated. If Goldie can win in one US race which happened to be a BC, then any horse is eligible as well. Voters need to be equal in knowledge of all the horses nominated not just their favorite. Actually, watch all of their races.The names on the turf list were commical at best as I recognized their names and know their knowledge base. I also felt is was rude of some of those voters making up their minds in Setember…if that is allowed then racing should end in September and that being the last race month to be included in the voting process thus ending racing until the beginning of the new year.

]]> By: Frank Lancelotti http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/a-better-system-for-determining-horse-of-the-year-3542.htm/comment-page-1#comment-426 Frank Lancelotti Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:45:01 +0000 http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/?p=3542#comment-426 First, it was the Breeders Cup that opinoned "World Championship". The best from all over the world rarely raced in the Breeders Cup. Using "World Championship" is a marketing tool much like world's best hamburger. Also, when you have a championship it should be raced on the same kind of surface as the majority of contestents have raced, eliminating synthetic. A synthetic surface is an individual surface unto itself, as is grass, an dirt. You cannot crown a champion racing on a preferred surface at the expense of those not racing on their preferred surface. bottom line --- the Breeders Cup IS NOT a world championship. It is a misnomer, stolen to boost dollars at the dexpense of creditability. As a "World Championship", how many Horse of the Year winners have raced outside the U.S., even once. Further, one race, again, one race, does not crown a champion. A true champion is DEVELOPED over a period of time, through extraordinary accomplishments, plural. Horse racing is NOT similar to any other sport, further, Horse Of The Year should never be awarded on the basis of one race. First, it was the Breeders Cup that opinoned “World Championship”. The best from all over the world rarely raced in the Breeders Cup. Using “World Championship” is a marketing tool much like world’s best hamburger. Also, when you have a championship it should be raced on the same kind of surface as the majority of contestents have raced, eliminating synthetic. A synthetic surface is an individual surface unto itself, as is grass, an dirt. You cannot crown a champion racing on a preferred surface at the expense of those not racing on their preferred surface. bottom line — the Breeders Cup IS NOT a world championship. It is a misnomer, stolen to boost dollars at the dexpense of creditability. As a “World Championship”, how many Horse of the Year winners have raced outside the U.S., even once. Further, one race, again, one race, does not crown a champion. A true champion is DEVELOPED over a period of time, through extraordinary accomplishments, plural. Horse racing is NOT similar to any other sport, further, Horse Of The Year should never be awarded on the basis of one race.

]]> By: tvnewsbadge http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/a-better-system-for-determining-horse-of-the-year-3542.htm/comment-page-1#comment-425 tvnewsbadge Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:42:06 +0000 http://www.horseracingbusiness.com/?p=3542#comment-425 The real solution is to be honest as to what Horse of the Year truly represents. I was shocked to discover this year that the voting pool was so small and represented in large part people who may have had personal agendas, like that famous handicapper who had his head handed to him when he blew the BC Classic this year big time. The fact that such a large percentage of voters didn't even bother to show up to the polls speaks volumes. I would suggest adding a substantial "public" component to the mix... while still subjective, it would at least offer a bit of balance to the a process that is so heavily weighted toward the bettors and handicappers. The real solution is to be honest as to what Horse of the Year truly represents.

I was shocked to discover this year that the voting pool was so small and represented in large part people who may have had personal agendas, like that famous handicapper who had his head handed to him when he blew the BC Classic this year big time.

The fact that such a large percentage of voters didn’t even bother to show up to the polls speaks volumes.

I would suggest adding a substantial “public” component to the mix… while still subjective, it would at least offer a bit of balance to the a process that is so heavily weighted toward the bettors and handicappers.

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