Close Call
… not just between Curlin and Zenyatta for Horse of the Year, but for 3-year-old filly division honors. Will the champion be Proud Spell or Music Note [or Indian Blessing*]? Consider:
– Proud Spell went 4-for-8 in 2008, with two Grade 1 wins in the Kentucky Oaks and Alabama Stakes. In those races, she beat 13 rivals, including Music Note (by a head in the Alabama) and Indian Blessing. After finishing second in the Cotillion in September, trainer Larry Jones declared Proud Spell done for the year and the filly didn’t start in the Breeders’ Cup.
– Music Note wrapped up the year 4-for-6, with three Grade 1 wins in the Mother Goose, Coaching Club American Oaks, and Gazelle Stakes. All were at Belmont Park, in short fields; she beat 10 others in those races, including Proud Spell (by 3 1/2 lengths in the Mother Goose, a perhaps misleading margin due to traffic problems suffered by ‘Spell) and Little Belle. Unlike Proud Spell, Music Note did run in the Breeders’ Cup, finishing a very game third behind Zenyatta and stablemate Cocoa Beach in the Filly & Mare Classic.
If I had a vote, I’d lean toward Music Note, but Proud Spell has a strong claim.
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