Vox Populi Award

[janpal]

After further reflection, I think that Havre de Grace ( along with her being made available to the public and winning a race that has only been won by fillies 4 times in over forty years) will over the long run be viewed as having done more for the over-all sport. She also will be making history for the female horse if she wins HOY by representing the first time in history that fillies/mares have won the award three years in a row. So, to me, Grace has had the most over-all effect on the sport of horse racing this year, and RR has had the greatest effect on the claimer. So, whereas I believe Grace is a more appropriate recipient of the Vox Populi Award, there definitely should be something given to RR to recognize this outstanding achievement by a claimer, the back-bone of horse racing.

[Man o' Taz]

But this is what the Vox Populi award is all about...

I think I conceded that...

But as a fan...I vote for RR.

[LifeAtZen]

How will the winner of the Award be decided?
Each year the winner will be selected based upon the horse who most resonates with the public and gains recognition for the sport.

Sounds like Mo or Grace to me.

[Man o' Taz]

Sounds like Mo or Grace to me.

Yes it does.

The irony...is that if it goes to Grace who is well deserving like Mo...it will be two years in a row the HOTY has won it...when it was designed it seems to go a horse that was not necessarily receiving the usual plaudits...

[LifeAtZen]

I think I conceded that...

But as a fan...I vote for RR.

But you're not using the definition of the award to make this choice. You're doing it because you think the horse performed well.

Eclipse = performance
Vox = popularity

Mo and Grace brought more people to this sport this year than any other horse. It's between these two.

[Man o' Taz]

But you're not using the definition of the award to make this choice. You're doing it because you think the horse performed well.

Eclipse = performance
Vox = popularity

Mo and Grace brought more people to this sport this year than any other horse. It's between these two.

Its for a fan popularity...

This fan, if he had a vote, votes for RR.

I am acknowledging I may be in the minority of fans, but I still am a fan and entitled to issue my vote...no?

And I am not just voting on performance...I am voting on endurance...if I were voting on performance I would vote for stakes winners...which he is not...

[LifeAtZen]

Yes it does.

The irony...is that if it goes to Grace who is well deserving like Mo...it will be two years in a row the HOTY has won it...when it was designed it seems to go a horse that was not necessarily receiving the usual plaudits...

Funny things happen at the Eclipse so I wouldn't count Grace as a lock for HOTY, but yeah it's funny how that might work out. It was also based on Smarty Jones and Funny Cide, too, though. Not just Z, though I think she was the one that spurred it into being real.

[Curlin]

I don't see how Mo could even be under consideration, except for the fact that he came back after an illness to perform well in 1 graded race. To me, illness notwithstanding, he's just another good 2 year old who didn't pan out to be as good as a 3 year old. I understand this is a popularity award but performance IS a part of it too, so my vote would be for Rapid Redux.

[Beandog]

With the inspiration of the award being this:

“Horse racing already has established avenues to award outstanding accomplishments, and we certainly should honor superior performance. But achievement can be measured in many ways, and fans occasionally feel a disconnect when the horses who most impacted the public are not recognized through the traditional equine awards. The industry is long overdue in annually acknowledging the star horse who brings the most excitement and attention to the sport. It is my hope that the Secretariat “Vox Populi” Award will be an honor that reflects the heart and soul of racing and will help build upon the devotion the public has for a horse they love.”

~ Penny Chenery, 2010

I can't see where any of the horses who are up for the big awards really merit this one. There isn't a Zenyatta in the bunch, and by that I mean a horse that if it did not win an eclipse you would be left feeling almost cheated.

Sure Mo and a few of the big guns had the benefit of good PR, featurettes done about their story in order to fill time during the broadcasts of the major races, but if they don't get an eclipse, it won't be the end of the world.

I, for one, hope this award does not turn in to an also ran, the Miss Congeniality of the year end awards, open only to the highest echelon of horses. Zenyatta was a great inaugural choice and she set the bar pretty high. Does an Uncle Mo or even an Animal Kingdom, talented as they may be in their own right, really have the same heft? Uncle Mo wins the "what might have been" award, Animal Kingdom could be a close second for that one, if not for the injury, what could he have done...?

Sure Redux only won in low company, but he stamped his shoeprint on the history books and got people talking. It would really be a shame if his 18 in a row this year and 20 overall was overlooked.

It will be interesting to see who does make the cut for consideration, that's for certain.

*Steps off the soap box and wonders if his connections are going to send me an endorsement check or something*

[Ballerina]

*Steps off the soap box and wonders if his connections are going to send me an endorsement check or something*

Well they better cut that check two ways since I'm the one who started this thread suggesting RR get a whack at Vox Populi.

Oh, and by the way, DRF managed to find some ink for him.

http://www.drf.com/news/rapid-redux-...raight-victory

[Beandog]

Well they better cut that check two ways since I'm the one who started this thread suggesting RR get a whack at Vox Populi.

Oh, and by the way, DRF managed to find some ink for him.

http://www.drf.com/news/rapid-redux-...raight-victory

Heck, I'll share. I reckon we can afford a gumball with what we've earned. Providing, of course, that we kick in a quarter each.

[Ballerina]

Heck, I'll share. I reckon we can afford a gumball with what we've earned. Providing, of course, that we kick in a quarter each.

We should definitely get in touch with RR's connections and bring them on board with this plan.

[GinTalking]

Hey, I'm all for throwing votes to somebody who doesn't fit the bill. After all, look at the jackass who got voted into office on Pennsylvania Avenue.

But that doesn't mean that Rapid Redux symbolizes anything that this award is about, citing the exact quote from Ms Chenery as reference.

As for the national media bit - go to ESPN.com and do a search for "Uncle Mo" and then do one for "Rapid Redux." One yields about 115 articles, the other 2 articles. I don't think we have to guess which one is which.

What does a search on ESPN have to do with who wins an award? Just curious. I think this particular award was just made because it was one more leap onto the Zenyatta bandwagon. That's fine, but Uncle Mo? Please. He is a BC winner. He won a Championship off that win. Why does he deserve a special award? What's he done this year that is so darned special? Unfortunately, he's a horse who had the misfortune of being sick (a couple of times) and apparently an owner and trainer who weren't clever enough to notice it until after they'd tossed him to the wolves first. Good job fellas.

[Ballerina]

RAPID REDUX DESERVES HIS OWN ECLIPSE - Dick Jerardi

http://www.drf.com/news/rapid-redux-...is-own-eclipse

[dustino140]

What does a search on ESPN have to do with who wins an award? Just curious. I think this particular award was just made because it was one more leap onto the Zenyatta bandwagon. That's fine, but Uncle Mo? Please. He is a BC winner. He won a Championship off that win. Why does he deserve a special award? What's he done this year that is so darned special? Unfortunately, he's a horse who had the misfortune of being sick (a couple of times) and apparently an owner and trainer who weren't clever enough to notice it until after they'd tossed him to the wolves first. Good job fellas.

A search on ESPN has a lot to do with it. A large part of the criteria for the award is "acknowledging the star horse who brings the most excitement and attention to the sport."

What better way to gauge the attention brought to the sport than to actually check to see which horses are being written about, publicized, and the like by national outlets? The fact that nobody is talking about Rapid Redux outside of racing is really indicitive of how little attention he brought to the sport.

And Uncle Mo would deserve a special award for the exact same reason that Zenyatta deserved the special award - because, during their respective seasons, they best fit the criteria of which the award is based. No, Uncle Mo's season wasn't the glorious crowning that was expected, but he certainly received a significant amount of attention and brought more attention to the sport than Rapid Redux did.

Think back to the Spring - Uncle Mo's Facebook was booming, and his run in the Wood was making news on SportsCenter, ESPN, other national outlets, etc. Heck, even the "big" Derby story leading up to the race was - Uncle Mo: Will He or Won't He Run? For the first 5 months of the year, he was the face of racing. And then, after his ailment, he came back at Saratoga and promptly grabbed that status once again. I know this is a "what have you done for me lately" society, but if you really think back to the first 5 months of the year, Uncle Mo was #1, and frankly, there was no #2 story. And once he returned from injury, that picked back up again. It never hit the level that it was at in March and April, but the horse did bring a lot of attention to racing. There is no denying that.

Furthermore, there is no way you can say that Uncle Mo didn't bring excitement each of his races this year. I understand that individual excitement depends on the person, but I think that, on the whole, his runs at Gulfstream, Aqueduct, Saratoga, and Belmont were probably some of the most widely watched, cared about, and "hair raised on your arms" moments this year. Again, it's both individual and personal, but I'd venture to guess that his races in the Bishop, Wood, Writer, and Kelso garnered much more general excitement than Rapid Redux's races at Charles Town, Laurel, Mountaineer, and Parx. Uncle Mo was simply that kind of horse. He brought the electricity with him. In the case of Rapid Redux, nobody knew who he was until September or October, and even then, I really don't think his fanbase was passionate. He didn't bring that can't-miss excitement anywhere he went. People weren't passionate about him. Sure, it was nice if he won, and a lot of people supported him, but had he lost #18 at Timonium or wherever it was, nobody would have really cared much. I just don't think that is the 'excitement' behind the premise of the award.

Somebody else brought up Goldikova. I can see how she'd fit as well.

[Secretariat Forever]

I love Mo...

And he probably was the most popular horse of the year...

But my vote goes for Rapid Redux...as the truer symbol/standard-bearer for the sport this year.

Mo raced 5 times...and RR 20...Mo won twice...RR 20 times.

There is no doubt if they faced each other, Uncle Mo would win but the award is not about that.

And there is probably little doubt that if you polled more people, more people would probably know Mo more than they would know Rapid Redux.

So, while Mo might be a star horse who brings the most excitement and attention to the sport, I think Rapid Redux is more deserving for the reasons I mentioned. He raced a ton. And he won a ton. And while he is not a major stakes winner. He is certainly a fan favorite.

Attachment 2693

Heck The Guardian even covered the story...
http://friendfeed.com/theguardian/2c...tta-record-for

actually RR raced 18 times this year.

[Ezariah]

Make that 3 ways as I suggested it on here earlier yesterday and started a big long conversation about it on FB. If only a portion of the people who were talking about him on FB the days leading up to the race and that night after the race vote for him, he'll win.

Well they better cut that check two ways since I'm the one who started this thread suggesting RR get a whack at Vox Populi.

Oh, and by the way, DRF managed to find some ink for him.

http://www.drf.com/news/rapid-redux-...raight-victory

[GinTalking]

A search on ESPN has a lot to do with it. A large part of the criteria for the award is "acknowledging the star horse who brings the most excitement and attention to the sport."

What better way to gauge the attention brought to the sport than to actually check to see which horses are being written about, publicized, and the like by national outlets? The fact that nobody is talking about Rapid Redux outside of racing is really indicitive of how little attention he brought to the sport.

And Uncle Mo would deserve a special award for the exact same reason that Zenyatta deserved the special award - because, during their respective seasons, they best fit the criteria of which the award is based. No, Uncle Mo's season wasn't the glorious crowning that was expected, but he certainly received a significant amount of attention and brought more attention to the sport than Rapid Redux did.

Think back to the Spring - Uncle Mo's Facebook was booming, and his run in the Wood was making news on SportsCenter, ESPN, other national outlets, etc. Heck, even the "big" Derby story leading up to the race was - Uncle Mo: Will He or Won't He Run? For the first 5 months of the year, he was the face of racing. And then, after his ailment, he came back at Saratoga and promptly grabbed that status once again. I know this is a "what have you done for me lately" society, but if you really think back to the first 5 months of the year, Uncle Mo was #1, and frankly, there was no #2 story. And once he returned from injury, that picked back up again. It never hit the level that it was at in March and April, but the horse did bring a lot of attention to racing. There is no denying that.

Furthermore, there is no way you can say that Uncle Mo didn't bring excitement each of his races this year. I understand that individual excitement depends on the person, but I think that, on the whole, his runs at Gulfstream, Aqueduct, Saratoga, and Belmont were probably some of the most widely watched, cared about, and "hair raised on your arms" moments this year. Again, it's both individual and personal, but I'd venture to guess that his races in the Bishop, Wood, Writer, and Kelso garnered much more general excitement than Rapid Redux's races at Charles Town, Laurel, Mountaineer, and Parx. Uncle Mo was simply that kind of horse. He brought the electricity with him. In the case of Rapid Redux, nobody knew who he was until September or October, and even then, I really don't think his fanbase was passionate. He didn't bring that can't-miss excitement anywhere he went. People weren't passionate about him. Sure, it was nice if he won, and a lot of people supported him, but had he lost #18 at Timonium or wherever it was, nobody would have really cared much. I just don't think that is the 'excitement' behind the premise of the award.

Somebody else brought up Goldikova. I can see how she'd fit as well.

Aw, I'm sorry you wrote so much. Sorry, but this isn't an award that I'm all that crazy about. It's pretty much of a result of joining the Zenyatta bandwagon and wasn't really all that necessary. As if Zenyatta needed another award.

I was kind of hoping it was something that might be given out sparingly, like the Cecil B. deMille Award ... for doing something unique, not just a popularity contest.

So you think Mo brought new people to racing? Really? I'd almost guarantee you if you went out on the street, 99 of the first 100 people you asked wouldn't know Uncle Mo from Havre de Grace from Rapid Redux. They knew Zenyatta primarily after she appeared (thanks to a horsey person employed there) on 60 Minutes.

And this might prove my point. At a horse racing function the other night, there were items in the auction of HdG. One person was really interested in seeing what we had ... and then realized it wasn't a photo of the TOWN, it was of a horse. And this is someone from a horse family. So I'd question just how many non-racing fans know any of these horses. If that's the criteria, then I'm not seeing anyone winning it this year ...

but if it's racing fans voting, then sure. I'd be more inclined for the NTRA to just hand out a special achievement award and leave it at that.

[Secretariat Forever]

Honestly, my vote would be for Goldikova. If record isn't really a big part of the criteria for this award, then the fact that she only raced in the U.S once this year shouldn't matter. The talk of the BC besides HDG vs Uncle Mo was Goldikova. And the talk through out this year was a lot about Goldi pointing for a record 4th BC win. Most, if not all, people who know about HDG and Uncle Mo, know about Goldikova too. A European horse that can gather so many fans in the U.S. should definitely be considered a people's horse.

[second_glance]

I was kind of hoping it was something that might be given out sparingly, like the Cecil B. deMille Award ... for doing something unique, not just a popularity contest.

Me too.