Zenyatta vs. Blame for Horse of the Year

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A race along the beach would be one way to decide the debate, with Zenyatta and Blame side by side as they kick up sand like a couple of half-ton bullies.

Instead, the question will be settled by a vote - less dramatic, more democratic - with the result announced Monday night in an oceanfront hotel ballroom.

Who's the Horse of the Year? Beloved Zenyatta, the sport's leading lady? Or Blame, the only horse to beat her?

For this showdown, the two thoroughbreds won't even be in the same zip code. Both were retired after Blame held off a hard-charging Zenyatta by a head in the Breeders' Cup Classic in November.

Zenyatta's now in a stall at Lane's End Farm near Versailles, Ky., awaiting her first breeding date, with the stallion to be announced soon. On the other side of Lexington, Blame will stand at stud and try to reproduce greatness at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Ky.

Some 1,200 miles away, one of them will be named Horse of the Year on Monday at the Eclipse Awards, the sport's Tonys, Emmys and Oscars.

As a popularity contest, it's no contest. Zenyatta, now 7, is perhaps the sport's biggest ambassador since Secretariat - a charismatic, genial ham from California with a fondness for Guinness stout and a flair for come-from-behind finishes.

Meanwhile, Blame is, well, the colt who beat her.

``If Blame is announced Horse of the Year,'' said his trainer, Al Stall Jr., ``on the Internet ... there will be a lot of rage.''

In Web debates, fans of each horse bad-mouth the other side, sensing there's no love lost between the two camps. Both have found the exchanges a little distasteful.

``There's so much 'my horse is better than your horse' stuff,'' said Jerry Moss, who co-owns Zenyatta with his wife, Ann. ``I love the horse business, frankly, because it's all about what he or she does on the race track. That's the way it has been, and that's what decides everything. And then you get into one of these where it becomes very subjective, and it's sort of an uncomfortable way to go.''

Goldikova, who won the Breeders' Cup Mile for the third consecutive year, is the other finalist for Horse of the Year and likely will finish third.

Because of Zenyatta's crossover appeal, fan support has tilted in her favor. The massive mare's popularity was evident last month, when she drew big crowds on consecutive days for her California farewell and her arrival in Kentucky.

Spectators were mindful of the Eclipse Awards during Zenyatta's final public stroll at Hollywood Park, chanting ``Horse of the Year.'' They yelled her name, roared when she briefly high-stepped and snapped photos with every shake of her head.

``The industry will miss a huge opportunity if they don't give her Horse of the Year,'' said Zenyatta's trainer, John Shirreffs.

``She could be the greatest filly of all time,'' Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito said.

``It's amazing the following she has,'' Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said. ``And we're fans ourselves.''

But fans don't decide Horse of the Year. Voting is done by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, Daily Racing Form and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

With the ballots already in, Moss lobbied for fans to be given a vote in the future - perhaps a sign he expects to lose. Again.

In 2009, Rachel Alexandra beat Zenyatta for Horse of the Year. In 2008, Zenyatta finished a distant second to Curlin.

How will Moss feel if his mare is again a bridesmaid?

``It would be bad. That's all I can say,'' he said. ``I just feel that with everything this great horse has accomplished, the fact that she's not acknowledged with at least one Horse of the Year title in her three-year campaign is to me a little ridiculous.''

Blame's supporters counter that the honor is for 2010, not 2008-10. Last year the late-blooming colt won the Stephen Foster Handicap and the Whitney at Saratoga before finishing second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. And then Blame did what more than 120 other horses had been unable to do: beat Zenyatta.

``He just overcame everything,'' Stall said, ``with his ability and his fight. And we ended up winning the Breeders' Cup Classic, which is hard to even imagine that that happened, but it did.''

Blame ran in much tougher races last year than Zenyatta, who left California only twice. And when they went head to head, Zenyatta's rally from far back of the pack came up just short. A photo resolved the difference - a matter of inches after 1 1/4 miles.

It was Zenyatta's lone loss in 20 career starts.

``Look, she got beat by Blame,'' Moss said. ``It's the one horse that has ever beat her on the race track. It was a narrow loss, but she got beat fair and square.''

Now comes the rematch.