Let's get one thing straight - Rachel Alexandra is going to win Horse of the Year when the award is given out at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Jan. 18.

Nothing short of Zenyatta or Summer Bird lapping the field in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7 is going to change the inevitable, and we all know that's not going to happen.

Rachel Alexandra just did too much in 2009 by winning all eight starts and beating the boys three times, including older males in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga on Sept. 5.

How dominant was she?

In their lone matchup, Rachel Alexandra beat Summer Bird by six lengths in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. It was Summer Bird's only loss during a period when he won the Belmont, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Still, trainers Tim Ice (Summer Bird) and John Shirreffs (Zenyatta) tried to make cases this week why their horses not only should be considered for Horse of the Year but win the award if they can come out on top in a Classic that is shaping up as one of the best.

"My opinion is that each sport has its championship game, and I feel if you don't compete in the championship game then you shouldn't win a championship," Ice said. "Definitely, this is the spot, the highlight of the year as far as all the great horses getting together, and I feel like this is the stage that you want to be on.

"This should (determine) Horse of the Year."

Shirreffs echoed Ice's sentiments.

"I thought this was what the Breeders' Cup was all about," he said. "I think you certainly have somewhat of a responsibility to participate.

"These are the surfaces we have in California, and all around the country there are different surfaces. This one (Santa Anita's Pro-Ride), I don't think it should be the topic of conversation other than if a horse is handling it or not."

But should a horse and her fans be penalized because the owner - i.e. Jess Jackson - makes a bad decision and chooses to stay away on Breeders' Cup weekend because he doesn't like synthetic surfaces?

This sport is all about - or should be about - the fans, and there is nothing in the guidelines that states a horse must run in the Breeders' Cup to be considered for Horse of the Year.

There's also the added bonus of the publicity and exposure Rachel Alexandra brought to the sport. It's one thing for Madonna, Angelina Jolie and Britney Spears to grace the pages of Vogue magazine, but Rachel Alexandra?

Check out the August issue.

There is no question Ice and Shirreffs have ultra-talented horses.

Zenyatta, in particular, is a treasure and Shirreffs already is dreading the day when she isn't around the barn to lift everyone's spirits.

"She's like a stopper on a baseball team," Shirreffs said. "When you're not doing so well or you feel up against it, you bring out Zenyatta and you really feel well about it. She lifts the whole barn, everybody around her."

Zenyatta should have been Horse of the Year in 2008, when she went 7-0 against a group of fillies and mares that went on to win Grade I races after being whipped by the queen of racing. She dominated defending Older Filly and Mare Eclipse winner Ginger Punch, once in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park and again in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic.

In most other years, Zenyatta and Summer Bird would be preparing for a showdown in the Classic that would determine Horse of the Year. But in Rachel Alexandra, we're talking about a filly who enjoyed the type of season seen very rarely in this sport.

Top sprinter of the year, best 2-year-old male, No. 1 female turf horse?

They're all open for discussion and likely to be decided next weekend when Santa Anita's Oak Tree meet hosts the Breeders' Cup for an unprecedented second consecutive year.

But it says here Zenyatta already is the top older distaffer of 2009 and Gio Ponti will be difficult to knock off his pedestal atop the male turf division.

It also says here nobody can match or surpass what Rachel Alexandra accomplished in 2009 - Breeders' Cup or no Breeders' Cup.