Mike Watchmaker

Big Drama was absolutely brilliant winning the Mr. Prospector Stakes last Saturday at Gulfstream. In his first start since his decisive score in last fall's Breeders' Cup Sprint, Big Drama whipped a very good horse in Custom for Carlos by four lengths, with there being another huge bulge of 13 lengths back to the third finisher. And Big Drama sped the six furlongs in a track record 1:08.12. By contrast, solid Grade 2 to Grade 3 type mares went the same distance two races later in the Sugar Swirl Stakes in 1:09.75, and that after a comparable early pace.

Most of us have learned the hard way not to speak in absolutes when it comes to race horses because they do have an uncanny knack of later making fools of us. But even knowing that, it's difficult not being disappointed with Morning Line's third-place finish in the Hal's Hope Stakes at Gulfstream last Saturday.

For the last three years, Zenyatta thoroughly dominated the older female division. She is, of course, retired now. Usually, when a standout figure like Zenyatta departs the racing scene, the division she or he leaves behind feels empty by comparison. That is not the case this time. Instead of being left with as division punctuated by mediocrity, the 2011 older female divison boasts at this point in time a potential depth of quality unsurpassed by any other division.

One point of argument in the ongoing Horse of the Year debate concerning Blame and Zenyatta has been that Zenyatta won five Grade 1 races this year to Blame's three. While this is indeed a fact, this also underscores the importance of recognizing that all Grade 1 races are not created equal. There is a much lower degree of difficulty to winning, for example, the Grade 1 Prioress Stakes, a race restricted to 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs, than there is to winning the Grade 1 Whitney, a race open to all comers older than 2 years of age at nine furlongs.

The second I woke up this morning (Wednesday) and heard the wind and saw the rain, I knew the New York Racing Association would cancel the card at Aqueduct.