Submitted by walter brown, Jun 2, 2007 01:27

Max you made a good point but lets direct some of the blame where it belongs-on the media. This is shameful but so was the balloting for Horse of the year in 1990!  Unbridled won the Derby,was runner up in the Preakness behind Summer Squall and 4th in the Belmont,runner up in the Gr1Secretariat on turf,runner up in the Gr1Super Derby both at 11/4 miles and then closed out the season with a win in the Breeders Cup Classic. And yet did not receive Horse of the Year! Horse of the Year honors of 1990  went to  a horse who missed the Breeders Cup & Jockey Club Gold Cup- Criminal Type ,Calumet Farm{J.T.Lundy} and trainer D.W.Lukas. This really  hurt  Mr.Nafzger  and may be  influencing him more now than any of us imagines. If competing did not help get the big prize in 1990,then maybe it won"t pay now either. Ask Caroline Hine about bogus Horse of the Year awards. Did anyone really think Favorite Trick could Beat Skip Away at any distance in 1997? Perhaps  the year end balloting should start rewarding those who have championship campaigns!  Horse racing at the Gr1 level is about championships. Mr.Tafel does not need money. Like it or not the Breeders Cup has taken over so completely that those are the races everyone now points for and the Triple Crown is the worse for it. Lets hope that Invasor,Curlin,Sreet Sense and Hard Spun all show up for the Woodward,Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Breeders cup and lets give the championship to the horse who earns it the old fashioned way -by showing up and winning Gr1 races against top company.  

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