Horse Of The Year 2010

I am aware that this is supposed to be a blog about fictional horses and their exploits, not so much about reality. But when reality begins to rival a Dorothy Lyons story, how can I resist?


Gallant Fox, Horse Of The Year in 1930. This beautiful photo is from the 1964 book The Thoroughbred by Bert Clark Thayer.


In the 123 years of the American Thoroughbred racing world naming one racehorse as the best of the year, regardless of age or gender, only 10 fillies have won the honor. This year, the only horses nominated are fillies. The California 5-year-old Zenyatta and the 3-year-old sensation Rachel Alexandra have this field all to themselves.

The winner of the Horse Of The Year award will be announced on Monday, January 18, 2010. As an Easterner, I have a sentimental favorite in Rachel and an even more sentimental ax to grind with California. But Zenyatta's Breeder's Cup was something else again, and was voted the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Moment Of The Year.




But, then again, Rachel's Haskell...



What a choice. And what a year for the other sex of Thoroughbred racing.

There is a book from Eclipse Press about the first ten female winners, Women Of The Year: Ten Fillies Who Achieved Horse Racing's Highest Honor, which looks very interesting. The winners were: Busher (1945), Twilight Tear (1944), Regret (1915), Miss Woodford, Imp (1899), Beldame (1904), Moccasin (1965, shared with Roman Brother), All Along (1983), Lady's Secret (1986), and Azeri (2002).


Links
Only Two Horse Of The Year Finalists - ESPN

TV coverage of the awards show on Monday, January 18

A Look At 2010 - ESPN
Tongue-in-cheek predictions commenting on, among other things, the California fans of Zenyatta, her rather unusual retirement training, Rachel Alexandra's owner's dislike of artificial tracks, and Philly Park's current role as the wackiest track in America. See below.

Jockeys Battle - Literally - At Philadelphia Park - Philadelphia Daily News
Account of a fist fight that broke out during a race between rival jockeys. I only wish I rode well enough to conduct a brawl while galloping. Or cantering. Or trotting. Or, hell, at a standstill.


Note
My March 2009 blog post for the Jessie Haas book Working Trot has been updated (finally) with a cover photo.

Horse news

Since it was the big harness weekend just past, all the images today will be of harness horses. Please note, all photos are taken from the book The Light Horse Breeds by John W. Patten.

Thoroughbred Racing
Rachel Alexandra blew away the colts again at the Haskell Invitations at Monmouth Park on August 2. The race can be seen here.

Below: Another great filly, Rosalind, star of Marguerite Henry's Born To Trot.



The famous Fasig-Tipton auction is under way in Saratoga Springs, New York. The auction, which lasts through today, is viewable online.


The 1945 Hambletonian winner Titan Hanover, as a stallion.

Harness Racing
Muscle Hill won the 2009 Hambletonian at The Meadowlands (NJ is having a very good racing month) on August 8. It was a stakes record and his 13th straight win. It can be seen here.

Shadow Play, the winner of last year's Little Brown Jug, won the U.S. Pacing Championship at The Meadowlands on the same day. It can be seen here.

It's interesting how harness racing has a much lower profile than Thoroughbred racing. Big Brown's feet became a subject of debate last year, but it wasn't until I noticed the pacing story that I heard anything about Shadow Play's hoof problems.

The 1935 Hambletonian winner, Greyhound.

Other News
The J4S Equine Nursery in Australia is suffering an outbreak of the Hendra virus. The virus was first found in 1994; of the three people found infected with it back then, two died. This time, so far at least one horse, an Anglo-Arab filly named Jackowah's Regal Princess, has died and the people on the farm are understandably worried about their own health. Story here and here.

South Florida horses being killed for meat in their own pastures? At least 19 horses appear to have been butchered illicitly by thieves in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Thoroughbred breeder Ernie Paragallo has been indicted for neglecting horses on his New York farm. Photos of the horses, which are described as emaciated and suffering from parasites and infections, are available at the Columbia-Green Humane Society. The property, Center Brook Farm, has been in the news since April, along with the Paragallo family's Thoroughbred facility, Paraneck Stable.

And the latest in the trend of big city police departments pressured to cut their mounted units, Baltimore is faced with raising $200,000 before September to feed their 6 horses. Boston lost it's horses this spring. Philadelphia, which eliminated the mounted unit in 2004, is supposedly hoping to resurrect it once the city's economic situation improves.