I find it ridiculous that anyone would think that Z's BCC win will do anything to greatly influence those who "have only the mildest of interest in whether horse racing continues to exist". To be fair, I also don't believe any of Rachel's big wins have greatly influenced that group. The great racing memories this filly and mare have provided us with this year will be remembered only by those of us who follow this sport week by week, year by year. The sad truth is, these moments and memories will fade from the minds of those with only a mild interest.
That being said, and as long as this is actually being used as an argument for Z getting HOY, the fact is the same argument can be made concerning Rachel. One could argue that even after Z's big win, Rachel is still the one that has had more of an impact concerning this "hugely important sphere". While most residing in the West will shout "bias!" from the rooftops, one needs only to look at the poll being conducted by the NY Times concerning HOY.
As it stands now, Rachel is in the lead over Zenyatta 69% to 31%. The poll up to this point has accumulated a total of 2,707 votes. Unless each of these votes has been cast by hardcore racing fans or experts, which we all know isn't the case, I think we can agree that Rachel has also greatly influenced even the mildest of players. So let's call it a draw concerning this type of nonsense and just get back to the facts. The one's that all support Rachel for HOY.
|