Change in Horse of the Year Voting Rejected

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Photo: Tom Hall/Coglianese Photos

Zenyatta (left) and Rachel Alexandra (right) are the leading candidates for Horse of the Year.

Two of the three voting groups for Eclipse Awards have rejected a proposal to change this year’s voting procedures to allow for a vote for co-Horse of the Year, a move that could have led to Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra sharing that top honor.

According to an e-mail from National Turf Writers Association president Tom Law, the entire nine-member NTWA board participated in a teleconference discussion and vote Nov. 13, eventually voting to maintain the current voting format. Law wrote that the Eclipse Awards Steering Committee, comprised of two representatives from each of the three presenters of the Eclipse Awards -- the NTWA, Daily Racing Form, and National Thoroughbred Racing Association -- subsequently met via teleconference to vote on the co-Horse of the Year, option, which would have been offered in addition to the standard voting format.

With the NTWA and the NTRA both voting against the proposed change, the 2-1 vote means the format will remain unchanged.

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