HOTY Race Heats Up
The contest for Horse of the Year comes down to two: Smarty Jones and Ghostzapper. Which deserves the honor? The chestnut colt who electrified crowds with his Kentucky Derby and Preakness performances against the best three-year-olds, or the lightly-raced four-year-old 4-for-4 against the best older horses?
Maryjean Wall says Smarty is still in the picture. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
Mike Brunker wants to compromise. (MSNBC)
And Bill Finley couldn’t be plainer in his preference: “Ghostzapper earned my Horse of the Year vote Saturday.” (ESPN)
Wait, says Richard Rosenblatt: “When cooler heads prevail, there’s little doubt that Smarty Jones is more deserving of Horse of the Year.” (Trentonian)
Related: Andrew Beyer writes that there’s one word for Ghostzapper: “Freak” (Daily Racing Form); Wall says Ashado has staked a claim as top three-year-old filly (Lexington Herald-Leader); Sherry Ross predicts Sweet Catomine for two-year-old filly Eclipse, Ouija Board for top turf mare, and Ghostzapper for top handicap horse (New York Daily News)
Comment: I’m with Brunker. Smarty Jones proved himself the best three-year-old and deserves that award; Ghostzapper proved himself versatile and fast and so deserves HOTY. If only there were an honorable mention for that prize — I’d love to see Funny Cide recognized. After his fabulous Jockey Club Gold Cup victory, there was some talk of the gelding carrying off the big award. Obviously, that won’t be happening, but I can think of no other horse that runs with as much heart as he does.
