Don't reward lack of RA-Zen matchup with split HotY

When it comes to the Horse of the Year debate it is clear that either horse would be a worthy recipient, but that does not mean that both should win.

Had Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta faced each other then the winner would be Horse of the Year. The fact that they did not should not entitle both of them to share the prize. The connections of both horses gambled by avoiding each other. Now, instead of letting the racetrack decide Horse of the Year, voters representing the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers Association will have that honor. Complicating the voting procedure is there are no set guidelines for who to vote for other than you can only vote for one horse per category. I.e., you can't split votes, so the only way there is a co-Horse of the Year is if each horse gets the same number of first-place votes in that category (voters pick second- and third-place as well, but those only count for finalist purposes and not for who wins). Each voter values certain races and campaigns differently, but that would not be an issue had Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta faced each other.

Again, either is deserving, but honoring both would be rewarding the fact that they didn't face each other and that seems wrong. I will applaud whomever wins as enthusiastically as I applauded Rachel Alexandra after she won the Preakness Stakes and as fervently as I cheered for Zenyatta after she won the Breeders' Cup Classic. I am privileged beyond the words of this blog to have seen both races live and to have seen each horse race in person multiple times. As strong as my opinion is for who should win, I feel even more strongly that either is a truly deserving Horse of the Year.