I have to be honest, I was rooting for Zenyatta to win Horse of the Year honors on Monday night at the Eclipse Awards, and I was a bit disappointed the mare did not win.

Didn’t it seem most of the crowd gathered at the Beverly Wilshire were also disappointed?

There really were no surprises during the evening, although I thought the vote for Horse of the Year would be closer than the final tally of 130-99.

I also thought the jockey voting would be close, but Julien Leparoux ran away with honors, with 122 votes, more than Garrett Gomez and Ramon Dominguez combined.

One vote that does have me scratching my head was in the Older Female division. While Rachel Alexandra was a unanimous choice for Three Year Old Filly, Zenyatta garnered only 231 of the 232 votes.

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It seems somebody voted for Icon Project.

What????

Don’t get me wrong, Icon Project is a nice filly. She won three of her six starts last year, including finishing off her year winning the Personal Ensign at Saratoga by 13 ½ lengths.

I would be curious to see who voted for her. Unfortunately, the voting is not made public.

I hope that whoever voted for Icon Project could step forward and give us a good reason the filly deserved the honor more than Zenyatta.

Then his or her vote should be taken away.

As should the ballots of the 30 or so voters that did not vote this year.

It is time the NTRA changes the way the Eclipse Awards are voted on, and that should include the public having a vote.

Horseplayers keep the entire game going, and I would trust us voting more than many of the National Turf Writers Association, some of which I have never heard of and probably actually cover horse racing no more than three days a year.

To purchase my full card report for Aqueduct that includes analysis, selections, fair odds, and wagering recommendations for today, click here.

Here is today's opening race from Aqueduct to get our day off to a good start:

AQU Race 1 Clm $16,000N1Y (12:30 ET)
#3 Untopable 7/2
#8 Newfy 5/1
#4 Crafty Mark 5/2
#1 All in No Outs 6/1

Analysis: #3 Untopable caught a muddy track last out against open $25K claimers, setting the early fractions and fading to finish a well beaten eighth. Four runners have come out of that race to run back with a pair of them next out winners. Two back this guy set the early pace and held on for a solid second, an effort that likely would be good enough to beat this group. The gelding cuts back to a mile and catches a fast track and a field without much early zip. Note Chuckie also rode our third choice last out and sticks here for Levine.

#8 Newfy dueled for the early lead and weakened to finish third last out at Philly for a $25K tag. The runner up Habitual came back to beat Alw-2 optional claimers in his next outing on Jan. 9 at Laurel Park. He has done his best running coming from off the pace and may have been out of his element last out. He will appreciate the drop in here facing non winners of a race in six months.

Wagering
WIN: #3 to win at 5/2 or better.
EX: 3,8 / 1,3,4,8
TRI: 3,8 / 1,3,4,8 / 1,3,4,7,8

Today's Featured Race of the Day from Aqueduct:

AQU Race 8 Alw $42,000N1X (3:49 ET)
#4 Unbridled's Ghost 12/1
#6 Regal Prince 10/1
#1 Rereadthefootnotes 8/5
#10 Great Emperor 8/1

Analysis: #4 Unbridled's Ghost is 0 for 5 at today's condition, but now returns with a two month freshening and lands with the Volk barn that is 24% winners with newcomers to the barn. Last out at Philly the five year old set the early fractions and weakened to finish third. The winner of the race was Map of the World, who returned to beat Alw-2 foes on Dec. 6. The runner up Cuvee Rouge was also a next out winner, taking an Alw-1 race on Dec. 5. There are two quick works over at Belmont Park and the 12/1 morning line sure looks generous.

#6 Regal Prince was off poorly and raced wide on the turn last out in a sixth place finish in his first go off a long layoff. The gelding showed promise by winning his first three starts, all against state breds before going to the bench. He is in good hands with the Violette barn and with a better break and trip, this guy figures to move forward second off the layoff.

Wagering
WIN: #4 to win at 5/1 or better.
EX: 4,6 / 1,4,6,10
TRI: 4,6 / 1,4,6,10 / 1,4,6,9,10

Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.

Aqueduct
R3: #2 Onota 8/1
R8: #4 Unbridled’s Ghost 12/1
R8: #6 Regal Prince 10/1
R8: #10 Great Emperor 8/1
R9: #6 Best Note 8/1

Good luck today!