The last male tennis player to receive the Associated Press’s Athlete of the Year Award was John McEnroe back in 1981. The only other was Don Budge in1937 and 1938, for being the first player to complete a calendar Grand Slam. Though the AP prefers to pick Americans for their annual sports award – unless a foreign athlete does something extraordinary – neither Pete Sampras nor Andre Agassi has ever made the cut. So maybe it shouldn’t be the biggest surprise that NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson won out 42 to 30 votes over Roger Federer and his world record 15 Grand Slam titles. Even if Johnson is a race car driver, which I’m told takes ‘skill’.

At first glance the women’s Awards seem to be just as shocking. Placed right between first place winner Serena Williams, honored for reclaiming her spot at the top of the rankings, despite her outburst at a lineswoman during the US Open and Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, who won the 2009 US Open just two months after returning to the pro tour, is Zenyatta, the 5-year-old mare that capped her 14-0 career by becoming the first female horse to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. But as I quickly learned, Zenyatta shouldn’t be compared to a race car driver. 

Dr. Dean Richardson, the veterinarian that led the valiant efforts to save Kentucky Derby champion Barbaro and who is the Chief of Large Animal Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, told me being a thoroughbred race horse takes more than just ‘skill’, “By many definitions race horses certainly are professional athletes. They train, they perform – for money – they’re cared for and get whatever they need. What’s your definition of professional athlete? They work hard for what they get.”

Dr. Richardson explained that as with human athletes, the highest quality horses are picked out as young individuals and are given the best opportunities. “When you think about how racehorses are developed – they are developed as athletes. They are way in front of the human curve in terms of breeding for improving performance, to the point of where it’s difficult to genetically make a better racehorse because it is done so well.”

But just like tennis players, you can’t force a champion; it takes more than talent – or breeding – to succeed, “There are many horses that have plenty of ability but no desire or drive. Those horses don’t make it.”

Alex Brown, who has worked in the horse racing industry for many years (Alexbrownracing.com), believes that the only substantive difference between a human athlete and a race horse is that a human can give you feedback. “You really think of the horse as a straight-forward athlete,” says Brown, “In modern racing history Zenyatta has set a precedent for winning races, but it’s quite a challenge for a trainer to get it right because the horse can’t speak and say what they need.”

And as we know that communication can be crucial to preventing injuries, something which can halt any professional athlete’s career. “It’s the same with horses,” Dr. Richardson explains, “One of the big things that stop a horse from achieving their full potential is injuries.”

Another similarity is the heart inside every champion. “Some say a difference is that a horse doesn’t know it is competing in the same way as a human athlete,” says Dr. Richardson, “but when you are around thoroughbred racehorses, they certainly seem like they know they want to win.”

Brown agrees, “Zenyatta exudes personality; she makes a big show and her fans show up with large posters.” Much like a tennis tournament. “She knows that she’s good. The difference is that with a human athlete when you know that you’re good it can manifest into arrogance, but animals aren’t like that. Zenyatta shows off, but she does it with brilliance and class.”

Despite the well-deserved recognition for Zenyatta, racing fans still had trouble with the AP’s Awards. In a situation known too well by human athletes, horse racing is a sport where the females are thought not strong enough to compete against the males.

“It’s sexist, it was always thought the girls couldn’t win so they rarely race against each other,” says Philadelphia-based photographer Sabina Pierce, whose portfolio includes the likes of Venus and Serena Williams and Barbaro. 2009 was a big year for breaking gender barriers; a second female racehorse, Rachel Alexander, a 3-year-old filly came in 7th on the AP’s Top Female Athlete list for having won the Preakness Stakes and then beating older males in the Woodward Stakes to complete an 8-0 season. “Rachel Alexranda kicked boy butt this year, as did Zenyatta. Two big firsts” says Pierce.

Billie Jean King would be proud, as is Dr. Richardson, “It was a very special year to have two females. That poll was interesting – both horses deserved to be up there at the top.”

But they’re not race car drivers.

Released: January 2010 - thanks to TennisLife www.tennislife.co.uk (by Beth Rifkin)