Daily Racing Form newspaper cover for Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011.
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MIAMI – Three years of pent-up emotion for the connections of Zenyatta came bursting forth Monday night when Zenyatta was announced as the 2010 Horse of the Year, a title for which she had finished second the two previous years.
Jerry and Ann Moss, the owners of Zenyatta, reacted with great emotion. Jerry Moss largely held it together while making an acceptance speech, but his voice at times cracked, betraying the intense feelings he had for this moment.
The most anticipated Horse of the Year announcement in 26 years highlights the 40th annual Eclipse Awards dinner, to be held Monday night at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Florida.
Will it be Blame, the nation’s leading older horse, who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic against a star-studded field featuring all the leading contenders for Horse of the Year? Or will it be Zenyatta, the wildly popular mare who had won all five of her starts in 2010, running her record to 19-0, before Blame held her off in the Classic?
Voters at the website of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association tabbed the victory by Blame in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic as the “2010 NTRA Moment of the Year,” the association announced on Thursday.
BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC: Watch replay >>
The victory by Blame over fellow Horse of the Year candidate Zenyatta was selected by 36 percent of the respondents among 11 other races, according to the NTRA. Zenyatta had won all 19 of her previous starts prior to the narrow defeat.
The Horse of the Year winner will be announced Monday night. Watch DRF.com for full coverage. Profiles of Eclipse finalists >>
The near-perfect campaign by Zenyatta in 2010 was enough for her to merit the title as Horse of the Year.
Consider the status of Zenyatta and her leading rival Blame as they entered the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 6.
There are three finalists for champion older filly or mare, but the other two finalists are merely understudies to racing’s diva, Zenyatta. For the third straight year, Zenyatta is an overwhelming favorite to win this divisional title. And for the third straight year, she is a top contender for Horse of the Year, a prize that eluded her in 2008 and 2009.
The three brightest lights in racing in North America in 2010 -- Blame, Goldikova, and Zenyatta -- on Thursday were announced as finalists for 2010 Horse of the Year by the three sponsoring organizations of the awards, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.
What distinguishes greatness in sports? Certainly performance – of that there is no question. But the most popular athletes, those remembered as legends, were not only great for what they did, but also for the manner in which they did it. They had style, likeability, and flash that made fans drop their mouths in amazement, wondering if they would ever see the likes of them again.
Horses, just like human athletes, can inspire these same feelings. And to my eyes, only two horses dazzled in that way this year: Zenyatta and Goldikova.