I love Zenyatta, but yet I must admit there have been times in the last eleven months where I felt that some of her fans have a chip on their shoulder the size of the mighty mare that they adore. Over this period, I could not write anything positive about Rachel Alexandra without being chastised or lectured in the process. Now of course, this is not all Zen fans. Far from it. Most are wonderful admirers, gracious in victory, who do not seek to insult others, in order to build up their own rooting interest. I understand, I get it. Zenyatta was the victim of circumstance when it came time to decide Horse of the Year two years in a row. Zenyatta is a hero to millions. She has drawn in new fans in droves, and quite simply is a godsend for the sport. On the track, she is one in a million. I believe she is a fantastic race mare, hell, I think she is the best female athlete we have seen in the universe. Sorry. I did qualify that as female, seeing as I am a Chicagoan, and we had a guy a few years back named Michael.
On Saturday, the world has the privilege to witness Zenyatta racing again. The undefeated, and soon to be three-time champion, Zenyatta towers over the field like a skyscraper in the middle of a corn field, as she goes for lucky number 19 in the $250,000 Lady's Secret Stakes (formerly the Zenyatta Stakes [formerly the Lady’s Secret Stakes]).
Now for the bad news … Zenyatta’s 2010 campaign, including her race in two days, does not deserve to place her atop the current Horse of the Year polls. {Insert expletives here.} The only reason that she holds this spot, is because of what she has accomplished over her career. She simply has not beaten one horse of top quality this year. The only notable horse she has raced against in 2010 is St Trinians, and she was coming off a 6th place finish in her previous start.
Does this fact take anything away from Zenyatta as a racehorse? Absolutely not. Rather, it is only an assessment of the campaign her handlers have chosen for her to this point of the year.
Am I hear to announce that her owners have cheated the racing public? No. They are her owners, and they can choose to do whatever they want, which of course could have spelled retirement a long time ago.
If Zenyatta is not my current Horse of the Year, who is? This year there are no historic seasons to compete against. My current leader is Blame, because of the quality of the fields he has defeated in his undefeated season so far, but he is on schedule to run only five races the entire year for crying out loud. Ahhh, but that is a rant for another day
Do all these mismatches take anything away from her career as many have suggested? I honestly don’t think so. It seems like an apples or oranges situation. If she had been running in hard races against males regularly, like some other great mares of the past have done, we may have been treated to some great races along the way, but I doubt that she would still be undefeated, and I feel that it is very likely that she would have already been retired. There is a lot to be said for longevity and perfection.
Do I think she can still deserve to win Horse of the Year at the conclusion of 2010? That’s an easy one … Yes! If she wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic, her easy campaign leading up to it will just have been a perfect series of preps. If she wins the Classic, Zenyatta will be Horse of the Year, and the vote will be deservingly unanimous.
Love them, hate them, or somewhere in between, these are my opinions. Thank you for listening. |
