By Stephen Alicknovic
It’s funny how some people like to diminish Zenyatta’s competition, instead of realizing what a big race St. Trinians ran. St. Trinians did just that in the Vanity Handicap, and Zenyatta had to come from far behind to get her. She really had to make up a ton of ground while going wide to get it done—while giving away 9 pounds to St. Trinians. She was awesome in winning—as usual.
Anybody who thinks lightly of winning 17 consecutive races without a loss, and winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic does not fully understand or appreciate the greatness of this once in a life time mare. It’s plain and simple.
Who did Eclipse beat? He beat them all. He retired undefeated—an accomplishment that will live on forever in the annals of thoroughbred racing history. No one knows for sure if Zenyatta will leave racing undefeated, but we do know she has finished ahead of every single horse she has faced up until now. And that is mighty accomplishment indeed.
Zenyatta has one of the longest strides I have ever seen in a thoroughbred. It’s thrilling to watch her cover the amount of ground she does when she is extended. Does anyone see that when they watch her run? I don’t care who she runs against. She will rally in that final furlong no matter what. She just covers more ground faster because she does things no other horse can do.
Physical handicapping is an important aspect in my evaluation of thoroughbreds—she is without a doubt one of the most physically impressive horses I have ever seen. There are not enough adjectives to describe her. Physically she is a gifted horse who stands out heads and shoulders above the rest—a very unique thoroughbred in many ways. We should be lucky we have been able to witness such and amazing phenomena.
There is only one word to describe Zenyatta. Perfect.
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