Eclipse Awards Shower Fortune On Rachel Alexandra
January 19th, 2010 - 8:34 pm ICT by GD ( 4 comments )By Ranjan Bhaduri
Jan 19, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Eclipse Awards 2010 sprang a few surprises for the racing enthusiasts. The results were declared on Monday and it brought good news and luck for Jockey Julien Leparoux. He was selected as the outstanding rider of North America in the Eclipse awards. He became the 4th person to win both an apprentice jockey award and a jockey Eclipse award. The apprentice award came to him in 2006 and he led the country with 403 wins.
Julien Leparoux won near about 250 races in 2009. These included 10 Grade One events. The horses that stole the spotlight at the awards were Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. Rachel Alexandra zoomed ahead of rival Zenyatta and walked away with the 2009 Horse of the Year award. Zenyatta was considered by many as a top contender for the position. However, Zenyatta managed to get only 99 votes. Rachel Alexandra whizzed past Zenyatta with 130 votes.
Rachel Alexandra’s majority owner Jess Jackson grabbed the Horse of the Year title for the 3rd time. Ann Moss, Jess Jackson and Jerry, Zenyatta ’s owners, said that they expect 2010 to bring more good news for them. Zenyatta is 6 years old and the horse will race this year. Jess Jackson expressed his thanks to Jerry and Ann Moss for their co operation when he was receiving the Horse of the Year award. Jerry Moss was a bit disgruntled with the fact that Rachel Alexandra was selected over Zenyatta. He said in an interview that the mare never lost a race to anyone. However, he thinks the mare will shine in 2010 and emerge a winner.
- Zenyatta Wins, Honored As Horse Of The Year In Eclipse Award - Jan 18, 2011
- Zenyatta Loses To Blame In Breeders Cup Classic - Nov 07, 2010
- Zenyatta Creates History At Breeders' Cup Classic On Saturday - Nov 08, 2009
- "60 minutes" features 'Horse of the Year' Zenyatta - May 02, 2011
- Zenyatta Registers 17th Consecutive Victory - Jun 14, 2010
- Zenyatta Horse Featured On "CBS 60 Minutes" - Nov 01, 2010
- Breeders Cup 2010 To End Today - Nov 06, 2010
- Zenyatta Clinches 19th Consecutive Victory - Oct 03, 2010
- Zenyatta Registers Her 18th Victory At Del Mar - Aug 08, 2010
- Goldikova Steals The Show At Breeders' Cup - Nov 07, 2010
- "Breeders Cup 2010" All Set To Start This Weekend - Nov 01, 2010
- History made as all horses fall during UK race and fail to finish - Mar 19, 2011
- Jockey Randy Romero And Point Given Along With Two Others Enter Racing Hall Of Fame - May 30, 2010
- Breeder's Cup lacking in star power - Nov 06, 2009
- Rachel Alexandra becomes the first filly to win the Preakness Stakes - May 17, 2009
Tags: 6 years, alexandra, ann moss, apprentice jockey, eclipse, enthusiasts, few surprises, fortune, horse of the year, horse of the year award, horses, jan 19, jerry moss, jess, julien, majority owner, mare, ranjan, time ann, top contender
January 19th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
What a complete joke. Zenyatta
beat older males, the best in the
world and Rachel beat some hacks. Talk about an East Coast bias! Everyone in racing knows
that Zenyatta accomplished more.
January 20th, 2010 at 6:30 am
we were at mezzanine rail sixteenth pole for Woodward. every other time I have seen a race unfold that way(thousands):hold off the speed and the stalkers, the horse gets caught by the quality closers. Rachel did not, but the “quality” was Macho Again. Her other three grade I’s were against 3-year olds. Summer Bird and Mine That Bird were both beaten by Zenyatta in the BC Classic along with a number of good Euros. Granting that most of them were not classic distance horses and were ducking Goldikova, it was still a much better field that Zenyatta beat. If a horse is a legit contender going in and wins the Classic, that should win the title. I was born 66 years ago in NY and live in Saratoga in the summer, so I am not West Coast biased. Mark the Apple Blossom which Zenyatta won by 8 in 2008 at Rachel’s best distance. Will she show up?
January 21st, 2010 at 6:57 am
Please say again the field that
Rachel beat was better than the
BC Classic. The field Zenyatta
beat has a combined 17 Grade 1
and Group 1 victories, this is
not including the 7 Grade 1 races
that Zenyatta has won at 4 different racetracks. Did I mention she is undefeated?
I know exactly where your head is.
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:10 pm
It is not just East Coast bias but triple crown bias some people care only about these “big” races, but historically, a 3year old can’t be rated until it faces its elders. The “Birds” may be nice horses, but Zenyatta beat them soundly. Rachel was brilliant and a media and fan phenom, but beating up on 3yearolds and overrated “quality” like Macho Again and Bullsbay(?!) should not have been enough. Let’s see if Rachel comes to Hot Springs for the Apple Blossom at her distance, or a mile and a quarter classic distance anywhere in 2010. Did someone mention that the Classic is at Churchill this year?