Zenyatta First Female To Win BC Classic
Dominant Last to First Run Puts Mare in Horse of the Year Category
Nov 9, 2009
Who is 2009's superior Thoroughbred star, the fairest of them all?
She's Zenyatta
On all fours, she dances and prances, skipping her way to the track,
Acknowledging her fans in the crowd.
She lopes in the rear before finding her gear;
Then, in the end, she races past all.
She hits the wire in the lead, having beaten all steeds of pace and speed.
Unbeaten, even unbowed, she's Queen of the Year!
The Outstanding Legacy of Zenyatta
Zenyatta's Legacy
- Undefeated in 14 career starts
- First Female to Win Breeders' Cup Classic
- Only Thoroughbred to Win Ladies Classic (formerly Distaff) and (boys) Classic
With her fourteenth straight career triumph achieved against males in the November 7th, $5 Million, 1-1/4 miles Breeders' Cup Classic, she of the musical name surpassed the racing record of unbeaten (13 for 13) Personal Ensign, and may join female Horse of the Year winners Lady's Secret, 1986; Busher, 1945; and Twilight Tear, 1944.
Owners Jerry and Ann Moss, who named Zenyatta after a musical entry from an album by their favorite band group called "Police", have not decided if fans have seen the garganutan five-year-old mare race for the final time.
Gate Problems Prior to the BC Classic
After dancing her way to the starting gate Saturday, Zenyatta characteristically balked at entering stall No. 4. With a little patience and determination, the starter crew got her in, but tension reached a high level when Quality Road, loading last, refused to join his competitors.
In a common technique, the thrashing Q.R. was blindfolded and circled, then loaded in Gate No.12, but with the blindfold still on he became extremely agitated. Kicking and bolting in the narrow stall, he threw off the track handlers and tried to rear. Finally, Q.R. was pushed forward through the gate by one crew member who clung to a rein while he straddled the gate rail and reached for the blindfold. A second crewman outside the stall grabbed the remaining dangling rein, singly pulled the angry colt forward, and successfully settled a thousand pounds of struggling Thoroughbred.
Q.R. earned a dismissal for the day. He escaped the scene with just a scraped leg and a badly bruised ego. His scratch meant an automatic backing out and reloading of the entire remaining field of twelve. Fortunately unaffected by the pre-start antics, all Thoroughbreds dashed off well.
Rachel Alexandra Not Entered
Three-year-old Rachel Alexandra's fans were disappointed not to have the boy-beating Preakness-Haskell-Woodward-winning filly on hand. The lack of a showdown between Zenyatta and Rachel A. may lead Horse of the Year votes away from Zenyatta.
However, the 17-1/2 hands, crowd-pleasing mare proved her sure-footed worth in a first test against males. In typical fashion, Zenyatta produced her smart-stepping pre-race dance, was a handful at the starting gate, zipped out dead last, and came blazing down the lane on the outside to no-holds-barred victory under regular rider Hall of Famer Mike Smith.
Zenyatta's tense tactical move through the field awed the wildly cheering crowd of 58,000. She was the Queen, picking off horses, colts, and geldings one by one while angling to the outside. Down went Regal Ransom, Einstein, Girolamo, Colonel John, Summer Bird, Twice Over, and Gio Ponti as Zenyatta unstoppably slashed to the wire in 2:00.62 on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface of carpet fibers, synthetics, and rubber.
Horse of the Year Finish for Zenyatta?
The finish of the 26th running of the BC Classic:
No.1 -- Zenyatta; No.2 -- Gio Ponti; No.3 -- Twice Over (GB); No.4 -- Summer Bird; No.5 -- Colonel John; No.6 -- Richard's Kid; No.7 -- Awesome Gem; No.8 -- Regal Ransom; No.9 -- Mine That Bird; No.10 -- Rip Van Winkle (IRE); No.11 -- Einstein (BRZ); No.12 -- Girolamo.
In a post-race observation from his television commentary position, former jockey Jerry Bailey said, "She's got my vote" for Horse of the Year.
At race's end, Zenyatta's trainer, John Shirreffs, leaped the track fence and tossed his cap into the crowd. When asked by interviewers if Zenyatta is Horse of the Year, Shirreffs grinned and said, "You saw it."
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