These two horses are in a league of thier own. They both earned Horse of the Year based on their outstanding 2009 accomplishents...A vote for both—is a vote for horse racing There is an old saying—“where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Of course the will among enough voters to go this way has to be there, and the belief they are both worthy—they are. Chances of this happening are slim. Voters probably have already decided which one of these special horses should win Horse of the Year, but they should also realize, whoever does not win will be getting to an extent a raw deal. Thoroughbred racing will also be getting a raw deal in the process. What else is new? Would Co-Horses of the Year help the sport? Well, how could it not? It would be a move that should generate positive media attention, to a sport that has not gotten too much of that in the past few years. Thanks to both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta and their brilliance they have displayed on the track this year, they have given racing something it needs, even if it’s short term, it’s something the industry can build on. A vote for both would also be seen as revolutionary, an action done outside the box in a sport that has done things inside the box for too long. What a novel idea. Horse racing, as we know, is a much different sport then any other, so why not do something different here? If Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta did not have the spectacular year they have had, nobody would even be discussing this right now. They have generated a buzz in the racing world. A buzz that gets louder and louder as we close in on the New Year. We can thank the brilliance of Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta for that. The one thing I do know is that Co-Horses of the Year can’t hurt the sport. They should just ask themselves that question again—who deserves not to win Horse of the Year? That is the question we should all ask ourselves, in particular the ones who will cast their vote in a few weeks. I say neither one of these great champions deserves to lose, but in all likelihood, one of these leading ladies will come up short for the Eclipse Award for the 2009 Horse of the Year. Knowing there will be a loser, or runner up at the end of the day will leave a sour taste in the mouth of many, not just the connections. There will be no winners if there is a loser. Unfortunately racing will come up a loser as well. The sad fact will be, long after the votes are in, and the winner is selected, we won’t be discussing who won the 2009 Horse of the Year, but we will be discussing the horse who lost and why they should have not for years to come. And that will be the biggest shame of it all. The voters have a chance to make history here, a positive, lasting recognition of two great champions that have wowed and thrilled the racing world in 2009. With that being said, it’s a no-brainer to me. Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are both the 2009 Horse of the Year.