The debate rages on..... even after these two wonderful and very talented horses continue to win, the ongoing and still troubling question to whose better; Zenyatta or Rachel Alexandra will not end. It’s been nearly a year now since the lines were drawn by both camps on which horse is the better animal. It’s a debate that continues today and one that has taken on a life of it’s own in media circles and especially on the internet. No matter what these two horses do (just win) the pundits take sides to which is better and who is ducking who. I’ve kept me mouth shut about this very subject and tried to enjoy just what they have achieve on the racetrack. After all, that is what matters the most in my opinion. But, it’s time to take a stand and give my opinion about this rivalry and what side I’m on. My answer is a simple one and good for the sport; I’m on both sides!
A middle of the road answer, you bet! Why you must ask? Because too much time has been wasted into the constant degrading of these two great horses by both sides of their camps and also the following that these horses have by their fans. You cannot just bring up one of these horses without including or talking about the other. It’s a constant war of words pitting Zenyatta versus Rachel Alexandra; not on the track, but who is the better horse. Their race records are always brought up and who they have faced. One runs on natural dirt and the other runs on synthetic surfaces. An east coast versus west coast bias is strong when it comes to these two animals. But, the real focus about these two horses gets lost in the shuffle each time the debate starts; it's the brilliance that both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra show on the track with thier racing.
This past week this debate reared its ugly head again on my favorite internet racing show. The debate got very heated and ugly and it was because of the merits that these two horses have "off track". One is not any better than the other and this can only be solved with a meeting “on track” of these two horses. Rachel Alexandra finally returned to her winning ways last Saturday and next will be racing at Saratoga for our enjoyment. Zenyatta made in 17 straight victories in a row and will remain on the west coast until the fall when she’ll return to defend her Breeder’s Cup Classic championship at Churchill Downs . Sorry folks, these two horses aren’t meeting in the near future! The connections of Zenyatta see no reason to ship across country twice when; “there are good races here in California and the Breeder’s Cup is at Churchill (not in New York )” said her trainer John Sheriffs. At least some credit should be given to Rachel Alexandra’s connections for giving us an opportunity to see their talented filly at thoroughbred racing greatest venue (Saratoga). So, any chance of the so-called “dream match up” would only occur at Churchill Downs this Fall and that is highly unlikely.
As thoroughbred racing fans, we should put aside the debates and bickering on which horse is better and enjoy the time each of these horses will be sharing with us on the racetrack. All too often that time is short lived and we are very lucky to have an extra year in 2010 to see these two fine animals. We live in a sports world today that analyzes every little movement of its stars and takes away their greatness with debate. It should be more like the pre-internet era, when there was less debate and more enjoyment of our equine athletes. This would be good for our sport, a breathe of fresh air in a rather bleak time for the industry.
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