Colins Ghost

On Saturday, Rachel Alexandra will launch her 4-year-old season at the Fairgrounds in New Orleans. In 2009, Rachel A. became just the third 3-year-old filly to be awarded Horse of the Year. She has a challenging road ahead and has much to accomplish to meet the expectations imposed on her by the racing world. Her second start of the year is scheduled for the Apple Blossom, where she would face the undefeated Breeders Cup Classic winner Zenyatta.

Rachel Alexandra, 2009 Horse of the Year (AP)

If Rachel Alexendra can notch a single victory in 2010, it will be one more than the other two 3-year-old filly Champions could manage. Busher and Twilight Tear — the other 3-year-old fillies named HOTY in 1944 and 1945 — only raced one time each after their sophomore campaigns, both starts ended in losses and subsequent retirement.

Busher did not race as a 4-year-old because of an injury suffered at the end of 1945. In January 1947, she made her 5-year-old debut in an allowance race, and finished an uninspired 5th, in what was the final race of her career. Her owner, the movie mogul Louis B. Mayer, was said to be so devastated by Busher’s retirement that he sold his racing stable. The Associated Press reported on the end of Busher’s career on February 10, 1947:

“…Close observers declared that [Louis B.] Meyer’s heart went out of racing when Busher failed to come back, and the evidence points that way.

Busher, 1945 Horse of the Year

“Mayer bought Busher from Col E.R. Bradley for $50,000 at the end of her two-year-old season.

“In 1945, as a three-year-old, Busher nearly swept the boards at Santa Anita, Washington Park and Hollywood Park. She became the darling of the turf and of Mayer’s affections. The movie magnate was never happier than when standing in the winner’s circle with the glistening bay filly.

“Then after clinching horse-of-year honors, Busher broke down in a prep for the Hollywood Gold Cup…”

“…Intensive plans were laid to bring back the No. 1 filly at the 1946-47 Santa Anita meeting. Now a five-year-old, she was nominated for the $100,000 Santa Anita handicap March 1 and all efforts pointed toward that goal.

“On Jan 2, Busher was started in a six-furlong sprint test. She ran fifth in a field of six fillies and mares she used to beat with one hoof tied behind her back.

“She was nominated for the $50,000 San Pasqual, then scratched a few hours before the race Jan 11.

“On Jan 13, a Mayer spokesman disclosed that ‘L.B. wants to sell and get out.’

When Mayer dispersed his stable for $500,000, he sold his beloved Busher for $135,000. She eventually landed at the Maine Chance farm in Kentucky where she delivered five foals. She died in 1955.  A few years after the heavily publicized sale of his racing stable, Louis B. Mayer re-entered the horse business and bred the 1959 Preakness winner Royal Orbit

Twilight Tear also fizzled after winning Horse of the Year. She closed her 3-year-old campaign by beating handicap champion Devil Diver in the Pimlico Special. She scratched from what was to be her final start in the Riggs Handicap at Pimlico on Nov 20, 1944 because of track conditions. Twilight Tear did not make her 4-year-old debut until August 1945. The Associated Press reported on her final career start:

“It looks like the end of the trail for Twilight Tear, Warren Wright’s great filly who has won more than $200,000 and last year was named ‘horse of the year.’ The Tear bled in her four-year-old debut at Washington Park [Chicago] yesterday and faltered to finish last in a five horse field.

“Trainer Ben Jones declared she ‘hemorrhaged** through the nose during the race, then had another attack on the way to the stable. I have informed Mr. Wright that we ought to retire her, but I won’t know until I hear from him.’

Twilight Tear was indeed retired and sent to the legendary Calumet Farm. She foaled a number of stakes winners including A Gleam (pictured below, as a foal), who won the Hollywood Oaks among her dozen wins.  Twilight Tear died in 1954.

Twilight Tear, 1944 Horse of the Year

If Rachel Alexandra can return to form in 2010, she will surpass Busher and Twilight Tear among the all-time great fillies. Busher and Twilight Tear’s 3-year-old campaigns might be more impressive because they notched more wins, and raced in open company more often, but neither did anything beyond their stellar sophomore seasons.

Another full season of racing where Rachel Alexandra beats high class competition, will elevate her into another stratosphere. When all is said and done, she might turn out to be a once-in-a-lifetime filly.

SOURCES, NOTES, AND OBSERVATIONS

** NOTE: When a horse “hemorrhages” or “bleeds” its not as horrific as its sounds.  When horses are running, and they over-exert themselves, they sometimes burst blood vessels in their lungs.  This condition effects their breathing and, obviously, ability to race.  The drug Lasix, legal in American racing, is used to treat this condition.  Joe Drape, of the New York Times, wrote about Lasix in an article in 2009.

Associated Press. “Twilight Tear at Trail’s End,” The Spokesman-Review, August 30, 1945

Associated Press. “Busher Injured Out of Big Race,” The Spokesman-Review, October 16, 1945

Associated Press. “Busher Failure Leads to Sale,” Kentucky New Era, February 10, 1947

Twilight Tear at the Unofficial Racing Hall of Fame

Image of Twilight Tear from H.P. Richardson’s The History of Thoroughbred Racing in America

Read more about Twilight Tear at Brooklyn Backstretch

Ron Micetic — a reader who has been tremendously generous in providing scans of his extensive racing program collection — has come through again, in a big way, with a ticket for yours truly to this year’s Apple Blossom. I have hammered out all the logistics and will be hitting the road on Tuesday April 6 with a stop at Keeneland to visit the library and watch the races. Then its off to Hot Springs for two days of racing at Oaklawn. I will be posting images and reports throughout the trip here at Colin’s Ghost. Should be epic — hoping the big race goes off as planned.

THANKS FOR READING AND GOOD LUCK!

Without insulting those who are going to be talking and writing about this ad nauseum for the next few months, I say “who cares?” I think we should all take a page from our pal Lisa at the Superfecta blog who wrote this in an outstanding piece after Zenyatta’s unbelievable win in the Breeders Cup Classic on Saturday:

“In the end, Horse of the Year will not matter; the votes of a select few will bestow that title on one (or, ideally, both) of these outstanding fillies, but our collective memory will do them a better sort of justice – we will count Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta among the very greatest horses ever to have graced the track.” (On Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra and Memory)

Brilliantly and beautifully said, I could not agree more. Whichever filly finishes second in the voting won’t make me (or most race fans) think any less of their accomplishments this year. I realize that content producers need something to talk and debate but I find that such debates can devolve into combativeness where one side begins to denigrate the resume of the other (i.e.: Jerry Baily, on the ESPN telecast, knocked Rachel Alexandra for ducking the Travers within minutes of Zenyatta winning the Classic). Neither of these fillies should be denigrated to prove the superiority of the other – they are both great racehorses.

The only way we might determine the better horse would be if they actually raced each other (and even then, questions would remain). If Zenyatta beats Rachel Alexandra for Horse of the Year (or vice versa) does that mean one is “better” than the other? I don’t think so.

I have seen a number of people express the hope that the two fillies could share the award. This would be OK by me but barring a mathematical miracle where the voting ends in a dead heat or the voting is fixed or suspended this year – it’s not going to happen. Talk of a shared Horse of the Year sparked a memory of something I read in racing historian Edward Bowen’s excellent Masters of the Turf . Bowen wrote this about the evolution of the “official” Horse of the Year award:

“In 1936 Daily Racing Form began a formal vote to designate champions in various age/sex divisions. In 1950 the Thoroughbred Racing Associations began conducting a vote on its own, and from time to time American Thoroughbred racing might have duplicate champions. Among examples, Bold Ruler and Dedicate split the honor of Horse of the Year in 1957, as did Mocassin and Roman Brother in 1965, and Fort Marcy and Personality in 1970.”

“Beginning in 1971, the Eclipse Award format unified the Racing Form and TRA polls and also incorporated the National Turf Writers Association. Since then, there has been one Horse of the Year per season, and jimmying of procedures has more or less eliminated ties in the various divisions.”

“Well, starting with 1936 as the dawn of official championships meant that a great deal of American Turf history existed in a sort of limbo. Not long before the advent of the Eclipse Awards, Kent Hollingsworth, then editor of the Blood Horse, pored over the history of racing as passed down by such stalwart journalists as John Hervey, Walter Vosburgh, Joseph A. Estes, and Joe Palmer. Based on his conclusions relative to their opinions, Hollingsworth published in The Great Ones a list of division and overall champions (Horse of the Year) starting in 1870,”

“The Blood-Horse from time to time has published this list, which in many circles has taken on the imprimatur of officialdom. There are individuals within the racing press today who actually use the phrase ‘voted Horse of the Year’ about some long ago beast who predated by many years anything that could be reasonably called a vote. The late Hollingsworth would be pleased by the credibility assigned his efforts, while at the same time aggrieved by the sloppiness of reporting and general lack of understanding that everything prior to 1936 should be looked upon as different from votes commencing in that year.”

SIDENOTE: The book Bowen refers to above – The Great Ones by Kent Hollingsworth – is impossible to find and is due for a reprint. It appears the initial printing was small.

Even in 1972, after the Horse of the Year became “official”, publications like Turf and Sports Digest continued their own end of the year awards. We recall Secretariat as a two-time horse of the year recipient. Not according to Turf and Sport who crowned Key to the Mint the 1972 Horse of the Year. In fact the two-year-old filly La Prevoyante received more HOY votes than Secretariat.

When it comes right down to it, awards can be pretty meaningless except to those with the power to vote. The long range importance of any race horse, as Lisa so eloquently pointed out, is how they are remembered. For anyone who witnessed the amazing feats of Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra, they will be remembered for what they did on the track, not for winning (or losing) Horse of the Year.

And let’s watch this year’s racing masterpieces one more time…

Be sure to check this out: On Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra and Memory. This is the best take on the Zenyatta-Rachel A debate I have read so far.

Jessica from Raceday360 put together a handy spreadsheet listing the 2009 accomplishments of Rachel A and Zenyatta.

Hope everyone had a good Breeders Cup…

THANKS FOR READING AND GOOD LUCK!

Of everything written so far about Rachel Alexandra’s historic performance in the Woodward on Saturday, nothing carries more significance than this:

“I think she’s the best I’ve ever seen,” said 96-year-old racing legend John Nerud. “I don’t compare her to anyone. I’m not afraid to say she’s better than Ruffian, because she is. They sent two speed horses after her and made her go in :22 4/5, then they came after her one at a time and she put them all away. Those were tough older horses and they tried everything they could to get her beat and they couldn’t.”

That quote — from Steve Haskin’s brilliant story about the Woodward – is from a man who has spent at least 75 years of his life in racing.  John Nerud has seen Gallorette, Busher, Twilight Tear and every other filly who has raced in this country since the Great Depression.  Can you think of anyone more difficult to impress than someone who has seen it all?  If John Nerud says she is the best – who can argue with that?

I have already watched this at least a dozen times since Saturday — something tells me it will never get old:

What a moment….hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

THANKS FOR READING AND GOOD LUCK!