My '3' Cents - by Tom Dawson

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Since it’s my first chance to comment since the 2010 racing awards were announced, here’s my 3 cents.

I don’t see how one can be upset over the selection of Zenyatta as Horse of the Year, even if you believe, as I did, that Blame earned he award. As it turns out, there is probably no other way to appropriately recognize the big mare’s accomplishments and value to the industry. Her first and only Horse of the Year title brings appropriate closure to a uniquely spectacular career.

The fact that Blame finished second this time probably won’t have much of an impact on his stud career. He was a deserving winner who lost out to forces greater than 12 months of racing accomplishments. But now that they are both retired, I hope the Horse of the Year award for 2011 can go back to being just that.

The AQHA awards were also presented in January, bringing an interesting poll disparity to light. Noconi won the Aged Gelding title after being ranked behind three other divisional candidates in the final weekly poll of 2010. Spit Curl Diva took the Aged Mare award despite finishing three spots below Feature Jess Rockin.

Is the poll misleading or inaccurate? Was the voting off base?

To get another view, I solicited an opinion from Los Alamitos race caller Ed Burgart, who votes in both the weekly poll and for year-end awards. In part, Ed wrote, “When I vote for year-end championship honors, I look at a horse’s performance in open graded company, and what it achieved throughout the year. In my opinion, the weekly polls didn’t take into consideration a horse’s overall performance for the year. If a horse turned in a spectacular performance, it would get a high vote. The weekly polls don’t have the same voting criteria as the AQHA championship awards do.”

I agree in general with Ed’s assessment, but I’m wondering why Noconi’s double grade 1 December didn’t earn him a higher poll spot. But regardless of that anomaly, I don’t have any problem with the differing approaches. The weekly polls are a good thing for publicity and to make the stars of the sport more familiar to the fans. The voters for AQHA awards are mandated to take the long view of the entire season, which is exactly what championship balloting should do.

The same phenomenon occurs in college football. At the end of the 2010 regular season, I heard several sports talk radio discussions on the volatility of the week-to-week voting, particularly how a loss, even to a top team, often sent a school tumbling down the list. Actually, I think we go the BCS one better in that we don’t even start the championship process while tied to an opinion that has been formulated on the move.

New Leader

The AQHA awards night also honored Stolis Winner as the new all-time quarter horse earnings leader. His total of $2,163,581 surpassed Refrigerator’s mark of $2,126,309. All records are made to be broken, and I think it is amazing that Refrigerator’s mark stood for 15 years. Just think how many new high-dollar opportunities have come into being since Fridge’s era. Here’s a simple stat to demonstrate. The gross total of Quarter Horse purses was in the $50 million range in the early 90s. In 2009, that number was $127 million.

Refrigerator’s owner, Jim Helzer, has been in the Quarter Horse spotlight more than 20 years. It is a lesser known fact that he also races Thoroughbreds. He has had some nice ones, but Euroears may take the Helzers on a trip, and not just to the winner’s circle.

A couple of weeks ago, Euroears scored a 2 1/2 length, front-running victory in the Grade 2 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita. The 7-year-old was making his first start since July and his debut for trainer Bob Baffert.

The conditioner has indicated an interest in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 26. If he made the trip, maybe Mr. Helzer could get Sheikh Mohammed interested in some Quarter Horses. Talk about a game changer.

Guilty, as viewed

We all acknowledge that horseracing has its problems, but I recently found one that we don’t have. At least, not yet.

Twice, during recent PGA tournaments, a player was disqualified for infractions that weren’t seen by officials, but reported by TV viewers. The misdeeds carried a two-stroke penalty, but because the enforcement came after the conclusion of a round, each player was disqualified for signing what became an incorrect scorecard.

Now that’s scary. Not only the DQs for seemingly minimal infractions, but the fact that spectators are throwing the flags. Consider that viewers of televised golf generally don’t have an economic interest in the outcome. Can you imagine the chaos if simulcast players had the same opportunity?

There are roles for those watching or wagering, and roles for those adjudicating. Hearing from one doesn’t necessarily help the other reach a solid conclusion.

Tom Dawson – Owner of Mirage Media Inc. Free Lance sports Television producer for horse racing and other sports airing on ESPN, ABC & other networks. Over 500 live remotes produced. Joined SureBet in 2010. Email: Tvtomd@aol.com