Zenyatta, A Perfect 14 - 0 Record
By Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy on November 9, 2009 at 1:45 PM in Chicago politics, Congress (House & Senate), Current Affairs, Democrats, Health Care, President Barack Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Unemployment/Jobs
Yesterday was one for the ages. No, I’m not talking about the House of Representatives passing their Health Care Reform Bill. No, I will give you a break from the lunacy that is our Congress, one that passes a bill with little time for review thus resulting in Nancy Pelosi violating her promise of transparency. Big surprise. Not. And the cost of this bill? $1.2 TRILLION dollars. When we have staggering unemployment. What the hell is WRONG with these people?? Sigh.
No, no, I am not going to focus on their insanity this morning. Rather, the run for the ages was none of those things. It was the running of the 2009 Breeders’ Cup, with a stacked field you wouldn’t believe. There was Mine That Bird, with Calvin Borel on board, the little wonder horse who won the Kentucky Derby this year (and who had had a stellar career in Canada with rider Chantal Sutherland guiding him to a number of victories). And Summer Bird, the Belmont Stakes Winner of 2009. And yes, they have the same sire, Birdstone. The Preakness winner, Rachel Alexandra, with her historic win*, did not make the trip. Her owner and trainer did not want her running on the artificial surface of Santa Anita. Still, as I said, the field was LOADED with exceptional horses. A number of fillies have raced in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but none have ever won it.
There was quite a bit of drama as they were loading the horses into the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The horse at the number 12 position (out of 13 horses), Quality Road, would not load. It was a tense few minutes as they tried to get him in. He was bucking, rearing, and would have none of it. They put a blindfold on and tried to trick him into going into the gate. They did get him in, but he freaked out again, scratching his hind leg, which meant an immediate scratch (while they were fairly sure it was nothing serious, they weren’t going to take any chances). All of the horses had to be unloaded, and reloaded, into the starting gate, which makes for a tense situation for all of them, and can be quite confusing for the horses.
A little more about Zenyatta. Not only was she undefeated - 13 wins under her belt, but she is a beast - a huge horse at 17 1/2 hh. For comparison, the great horse, Secretariat, was 16.2hh (the same as my Jordan). She loves the crowd, and plays up to them, with a straight-legged front step and pawing of the ground. To say she rises to the occasion is an understatement.
And now, the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic - the culmination of the horse-racing season:
Amazing, right? Did you hear Mike Smith say he didn’t even take her through all of her gears? (If she still has more gears to go, I’d sure love to see them. Wow - it’s unimaginable.) How she slowed a bit to pose for the crowd as they roared? And how about her affect as she came back to the stands? Head held high, prancing for the crowd? What a champion. Undefeated, bad start out of the gate, wrong lead, and she STILL wins it against a formidable field. No wonder she is in the discussion for Horse Of The Year, against another amazing filly, Rachel Alexandra. But today was most definitely Zenyatta’s day.
And watching the Breeders’ Cup beats the hell out of having my head explode over the House of Un-Representatives…
*As a reminder, here was the Preakness with Rachel Alexandra going for the first win of the Preakness by a filly since 1924:
Amazing horse - definitely a Horse of the Year contender.
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Another time, another place, there would have been a match race to settle it, no? Saturday’s race with totally amazing. I had never seen Zenyatta run before Saturday’s Breeder’s Cup. I did watch the whole card on Satruday but that final race with Zenyatta, and the way she pulled it off, just knocked my socks off. And in the same week as the Yanks. A little bit of heaven!
I know, right? I sure would have loved to see Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra go head to head, wouldn’t you?? Oh, wow…
Yes, Zenyatta is just unbelievable. Most definitely a reason why those two fillies are being considered for Horse of the Year!
And get this - her purchase price, when she was a yearling, was $60,000. I’d say she’s been a darn good investment!!
Thanks for this article, Rev. Amy. This depressed country could use another Seabiscuit–the little unimpressive looking horse who defeated the great War Admiral in 1938. My grandmother took the train from San Rafael, CA back to New York just to watch that race at Pimlico. Heart and spirit–that’s what it’s all about, and that’s what we need.
Oh, wow, oowawa - that is incredible! I bet that was an experience of a LIFETIME! Seabiscuit was an amazing little horse, wasn’t he? A little “claimer,” did he ever show the stuff of which he was made…
My friend, Logistics Monster, asked if, by any chance, Zenyatta was related to Man O’War. After a little digging, I found out, indeed, she is! On both sides, in fact. You have to go WAY back to see it.
If you’re interested, this is where you can see the pedigrees: http://www.pedigreequery.com/
And this is a list of Man O’War’s offspring: http://man-o-war.info/offspring.html
Interestingly, to me, anyway, is that Man O’War, whom I always thought of as larger-than-life, was also 16.2hh, same as Secretariat (and my Jordan). That’s big - don’t get me wrong, especially for a racehorse, but Zenyatta is 17 1/2hh. She is HUGE!!
Does Zenyatta have any Freisen in her background?
If you mean “Friesian” the breed, then no, she does not. All Thoroughbreds are pure breds, with no other breeds in their pedigrees. The Jockey Club Stud Book was founded in 1868, with previous records being recorded in the English Stud book, since Thoroughbreds were imported from England and Europe from Colonial days. The Jockey Club does not allow registration of any horse that cannot prove, through DNA, that they are the offspring of the stated sire and dam. When you send in the foal report, ie, that the foal has been born, the next thing that happens is the DNA test arrives in the mail from the lab. You get mane or tail hair, with root, and send it off in the kit. If the DNA doesn’t match, you don’t get to register the horse. Outcrosses are not permitted. The Jockey Club is, as far as I know, the only registry that does not allow cross-breds in any way, shape or form. I have Thoroughbreds and can trace their bloodlines back to the mid-1700’s. If you want to see Zenyatta’s pedigree, go here. http://www.pedigreequery.com/zenyatta That shows a five generation pedigree, but you may be able to reset the options to seven generations..or more.
FlDemFem, I think I speak for everyone here when I say we would LOVE to see some photos of your thoroughbreds. How did you get into the business? And can we all come visit your farm???
Btw, do you have an opinion on The Horse of the Year honors?
And for some bizarre reason, your comments are being held. It was only a fluke that I saw them. I’ll see if I can get that cleared up.
Excuse me–just found out Pimlico is in Baltimore. All my life I’ve imagined it being in New York–oh well . . .
I knew what you meant, oowawa - no worries!!
But now you’ll have to change all of those pictures in your head…
Portia Elizabeth, isn’t she just amazing? And talk abt imagining - imagine had she not lingered in the stall, started out on the wrong lead, vogued for the crowd, or even hit her next gear - she could have blown them out of the water. But no, she did enough to win, and that seemed to be good enough for her!
I was trying to get a picture of the relative size of Zenyatta at 17 1/2 hands, so I looked up “Clydesdale horses” which we all know are huge: “Clydesdales are noted for grace and versatility; they stand on average between 16 - 17 hands.” And so, Zenyatta is, as you say, one big racehorse!
Yes, she is 70 inches tall at the withers, almost 6 ft tall. That is mighty big indeed! Wow!
No, she is 68 inches at the withers. A “hand” is four inches. 17×4=68. Either way, she is a big girl. Though not really that outsized for a TB, I have three who are just an inch shorter than Zenyatta, and have ridden/galloped Thoroughbreds as big as she is. Most of the big ones are colts, though, it is unusual for a filly to get that big that early.
Right, but she is 17.2, thus 70 inches, correct? My horse is 16.2, thus 66 inches.
WOW - that must be quite the experience to be able gallop those thoroughbreds, FlDemFem! You are so lucky!!!!
And I know they can certainly be that large (ave. 16 - 17hh), but it seems that the other champions that were considered big were a full hand shorter than she is, and she did tower over the other horses on the field. Mine That Bird is only 15.1hh, though I know he is smaller than many.
What a beautiful, amazing girl!!!
I’m going to be watching this video again and again.
It wasn’t that long ago that two beautiful animals were put down because they had been so altered in their breeding, as to encourage thinner legs and faster running, that their bones cracked under the pressure. Horse racing is not a humane sport…no matter how beautifully the races may be framed in anecdote and narrative.
The worst three years of my life were spent working on a track in California; I was young and uninformed then…but not now.
I can’t share your excitement on this one, Rabble Rouser.
Are you talking about Eight Belles?
I cried when they had to put her down.
She was from a farm here in SC. That was tragic, absolutely tragic. I cried, too. Ok, sobbed is more like it. Just terrible…
The track at Santa Anita has Pro-Ride, a synthetic, instead of hard dirt, to try and minimize joint injuries. They are making some strides (though some owners/trainers don’t like it. That’s why Rachel Alexandra didn’t run in the Preakness.).
I read NQ because you supported Hillary. I am disappointed that no one has written anything on NQ about the Stupid Stupak amendment and how the 64 Democrats sacrificed womens’s reproductive rights just to get a lame healthcare bill passed.
Lowdowndog, be patient! A post is forthcoming (not from me, but another writer). And thank you for reading NQ. I hope you will continue to do so.
Woo hoo, YOU GO, GIRLS!!! Thanks once again, R3 Amy, for brightening our day. I saw the Rachel Alexandra clip at the Hillary is 44 blog, another pro-common sense/may the best person (woman) win site and was just stunned. Then, Zenyatta last PM and I must say, this makes November a happy month on the home front.
Just what we need–Americans having fun. Training smart, training hard to improve their skills and amaze us with their gifts. Sure, a lot of our DC folks are doing awful, awful things to We the People (IF WE LET THEM). In the meantime–we live in the meantime–these two lovely horses sure made me appreciate the USA. Kudos to them, their trainers, jockey and owners.
What an upbeat comment, Texas Playwright! You gave me a big smile on my face!
As I mentioned, there is a huge debate over who is going to be Horse of the Year. Zenyatta is undefeated, of course, but Rachel Alexandra is no slouch, by a long shot. Oh, and that’s by how much she won the Kentucky Oaks this year - a long shot - 20 1/4 lengths. Here’s just one article abt the discussion: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/11/08/sports/AP-RAC-Breeders-Cup.html
Great comment - thanks for the smile!
I think Rachel won the Preakness, Rev. Amy and the little guy, Mine that Bird, won the Derby if I recall. Mine that Bird was in the Breeder’s Cup as well. Zenyatta is a wonder horse. Haven’t seen such an exciting come from behind win since the old days with my fave, Kelso. Do you know of Kelso, Rev. Amy. He had a long career and also did some dressage in his later years. When I was a kid, they’d show “the big race” from Aqueduct or Belmont or Saratoga on a Saturday … late afternoon. I was a wide-eyed kid totally amazed by Kelso. Felt the same way watching Zenyatta. Amazing! Thank you so much for posting the video of the race and its aftermath. It’s thrilling!
Right, that’s what I have in the post, that RA won the Preakness, the first time a filly has won it since 1924.
Mine that Bird won the Derby, and Summer Bird won the Belmont. Yes, they were both on the Breeders’ Cup Classic, along with a number of other highly ranked horses, which I mentioned, too. It was quite an illustrious field.
Here’s something abt Mine That Bird, or rather, abt the jockey used for the Derby. I saw this on the Animal Planet show, “Jockeys.” One of the top female jockeys is a Canadian, Chantal Sutherland (who also happens to be model-gorgeous). She was the jockey for Mine That Bird, had been on him for all of the wins that got him to the Derby. The morning they announced the jockeys, she had been told by one of the owners, that it was going tp be her. A couple hours later, her agent called and told her it was Borel. Wow…
I don’t know Kelso. I just took a quick look at Wiki, but will go to YouTube and see if there is any video of the great horse from humble beginnings!
I think Kelly holds the record for Horse of the Year (5 times?)… also, he repeatedly won the Jockey Club Gold Cup when it was still a two-mile race. He had a long racing career and ran in a lot of handicaps, carrying loads of weight. Alas, he did not run in the any of the Triple Crown races. Had a big fan club and, reportedly, received tons of mail after he retired. Much loved and ran a lot at the New York Tracks. The outpouring of affection for Zenyatta was very, very similar to crowd reaction to Kelso. It brought back lots of happy memories! Hope you find some film of him. I am still smiling over Saturday!
Oops - I accidentally answered you down-thread. I got you a video of Kelso, and yes, what a career!
I was interested to see that Kelso went on to become a hunter/jumper (what Jordan was) after sustaining a hairline fracture of the sesamoid, according to Wiki. You’d think the jumping part would be hard as a result, but apparently not. He lived a long life, that Kelso!
I was never a horse racing fan. I didn’t dis-like horse racing, just wasn’t drawn to it. Until I saw Secretariat up close and in person just prior to the Arlington Stakes in 1973 (I think) at Arlington Park. O.M.G. what a beauty! Then I saw the race. It was breathtaking.
Saturday, I was just fiddling around with my old teevee and vcr. I had taped ESPN and was looking to see if the machine worked. When I switched back to live teevee, I saw the drama with Quality Road and then the race. It was like a gift from the gods. I couldn’t believe it. I sat on the edge of the chair just glued to the teevee. And when Zenyatta won that race, I cheered! It was a thing of beauty. It still is. What an amazing horse.
Thank you RRRA for this wonderful post. It is simply wonderful to be able to see it again. (and Rachel Alexandra, too).
Oh, Leslie, that is so cool!! What an amazing experience that must have been for you! And I am so glad you were able to catch the running of the Breeders’ Cup, too! (Ohmygosh abt Quality Road - you know, come to think of it, when you watch the RA video, wasn’t Velasquez on board that horse that was not interested in going into the gate? Anyway - that was mighty scary, and very, very difficult on those horses already in the gate. Yikes.) Wow - you are one very lucky person!!
Thomas, you have a whole bunch of company in your vote. Rachel Alexandra is an amazing horse. Some people are talking abt having CO-Horses of the Year since both of their careers have been stellar. Either way, whoever it is, or if it is both, we know they deserved it, that’s for sure! They are both heads and shoulders above the rest of the field, so I would be happy either way…
Hey - I just read that Kelso is related to Man O’War through his dam! WOW!!!
And here is a video of your horse, Five Time Horse of the Year winner in a ROW, Kelso: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIM2AX_u9HU
Rev. Amy, I found a gem of an article and a snippet of the win (on turf, yet) at the International (against frequent rival Gun Bow–this rivalry was like Yanks/Bosox in many ways) — enjoy!
http://www.colinsghost.org/2008/11/kelso-and-dc-international-1964.html
WOW, thanks!! What a great story!! What a great horse!
Zenyatta……incredible performance and beautiful huge horse. But……
Rachel……TOTAL COMMAND….absolute total command of nearly entire race against equally, if not tougher, competition…and on a traditional surface.
My vote…..RACHEL ALEXANDRA
Either case…both will have some pretty expensive babies.