(Monday, December 21) There was plenty of gloom to go around horse racing in 2009, from the falling handle, inept management, the loss of legendary trainers Bobby Frankel and Vincent O’Brien, to the tragic loss of jockey Mark Pace, and the catastrophic injuries to fellow riders Rene Douglas and Michael Straight.

However, it is hard to deny that on the racetrack, we saw many brilliant performances, incredible upsets, and the ladies dominating the boys, making 2009 perhaps the most exciting year of the decade.

I do not have an Eclipse vote (I would rather spend my money at the windows than dues to the National Turf Writers Association), but I thought I would share who I would vote for.

I do think fans should have a vote, as should every talking head on TVG and HRTV, along with dozens of legitimate online writers and bloggers.

I would take away the votes of anyone employed by a racetrack, where horses that patronized a certain track could sway the votes.

Here is how my ballot for the equine stars would look for this year:

Older Male: Gio Ponti was my top pick in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at a juicy 12/1, and I was looking at a big score until Zenyatta came running home late to beat me. I mean beat Gio Ponti.

With the handicap division lacking a true star, Gio Ponto gets the call despite doing his best work on turf where he won four Grade 1 races. The colt ended the year with $2,333,000 in earnings in seven starts.

Older Female: Zenyatta is a slam dunk after winning the Classic, ending her year perfect in five starts and ending her career perfect in 14 starts.

Many of us thought she was not beating much in her starts in Southern California, earning Beyers of 99 and 97 in her two starts leading up to the Classic.

We got a hint the day before the Classic when her stablemate Life is Sweet rolled to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic, earning a 107 Beyer.

I did not get the memo, as I thought she had little chance to beat the boys in the Classic.

Oops.

Three Year Old Male: Mine That Bird pulled off a 50/1 shocker in the Kentucky Derby, but the gelding faded as the year went on, failing to fire twice on the Pro Ride surface at Santa Anita, checking in ninth in the Classic.

Summer Bird, who was 43/1 in the Kentucky Derby, checking in sixth, came alive with three Grade 1 wins, taking the Belmont Stakes, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

The colt finished his year with a decent effort in a fourth place finish in the Classic, which was his first go over a synthetic surface.

I have to wonder how things would have turned out for this colt had the Classic been run over a conventional dirt.

Although, had that occurred, he likely would have been staring at Rachel Alexandra in the stretch.

Three Year Old Female: Rachel Alexandra was perfect in ’09, winning all eight of her starts including beating up on the boys not once, not twice, but three times.

She was light years better than two time Grade 1 winner Flashing and Careless Jewel, who went into the Ladies’ Classic riding a five race win streak and faded badly after setting the early fractions.

Anyone not voting for Rachel Alexandra here should have their vote taken away and be sent immediately to the drug testing barn.

Two-Year-Old Male: Lookin At Lucky was certainly not lucky when he drew the 13 post in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and he came up a neck shy at the finish, the outside draw probably the difference.

The Bob Baffert trainee put a stamp on a brilliant year by taking the Cashcall Futurity (G1) last Saturday at Hollywood Park, beating Noble’s Promise by ¾ of a length.

Had it not been for that lousy post in the Juvenile, the colt likely would have ended the year undefeated in six starts.

Noble’s Promise could have garnered some votes with a win on Saturday. The Ken McPeek colt won the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland in October and was third in the Juvenile.

The colt now will be a distant second in the voting.

Two-Year-Old Female: She Be Wild won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, her fourth win in five starts on the year, her lone loss a runner up finish in the Alcibades (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 9.

Blind Luck was third that day, beaten ¾ of a length for the top spot.

The Jerry Hollendorfer filly came back to win Sunday’s Starlet Stakes (G1) by seven lengths in jaw dropping fashion.

She showed a turn of foot and acceleration coming into the stretch that you just do not see very often with two-year-old fillies.

She does have two Grade 1 wins to She Be Wild’s one Grade 1 victory and has a shot if voters did not fill out their ballots the day after the Breeders’ Cup.

Male Sprinter: Dancing in Silks pulled off the upset in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at 25/1, his only graded win on the year.

Zensational won three Grade 1 races, the Triple Bend, Bing Crosby, and Pat O”Brien, but did not beat much in those races and I thought was vastly overrated coming into the Sprint, where he checked in fifth.

Why not give the award to Kodiak Kowboy? The colt won the Grade 1 Carter and Vosburgh, and capped off the year winning the Cigar Mile (G1).

Sure, the Cigar Mile is not a sprint, but it is around one turn. In addition, I have a soft spot for this guy since we cashed tickets on him in three of his four wins on the year.

Female Sprinter: Informed Decision won six of seven starts on the year including the most important one, winning the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, edging Ventura by 1 ¼ lengths.

The filly earned $1,435,030 for hall of fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard and won Grade 1’s on both conventional dirt and the fake stuff.

Turf Male: Conduit won the Breeders’ Cup Turf, but Gio Ponti was the best turf runner in the U.S. in ’09 with four Grade 1 wins, taking the Kilroe, Manhattan, Man O’ War, and the Arlington Million.

The 1 ½ miles appeared to be just beyond his reach when he was second in the Joe Hirsch over soft footing, and trainer Christophe Clement looked like he made the right choice going to the Classic, where he nearly pulled off the upset.

Turf Female: Goldikova was simply brilliant winning the Breeders’ Cup Mile for the second year in a row in her lone U.S. start.

Magical Fantasy certainly had a solid year with wins in the Grade 1 Gamely, John C. Mabee, and the Yellow Ribbon, but she came up short in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, checking in fifth.

Horse of the Year: I said all year there was no way Zenyatta could beat Rachel Alexandra, on any surface.

Of course, I also said there was no way Zenyatta could win the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Sure, Rachel won five Grade 1 races, beating the boys in three of them. Zenyatta won four Grade 1 races, beating the boys in one.

However, Zenyatta beat the boys where it counted, the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

It is Zenyatta by a hanging chad for Horse of the Year.