Starlet Series: Zenyatta, Part I

Starlet Series
Number 1, part I: Zenyatta

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the fifth of an occasional series on the careers of the six best female thoroughbred horses I have observed racing in the years 1959 to the present. I have chosen these females based on their performances in their respective races. This is my assessment alone and will undoubtedly differ with others’ opinions. This issue, the first of two, discusses the top ranked Zenyatta.

Zenyatta
bloodhorse.com

Zenyatta, foaled in 2004, was named by her co-owner, Jerry Moss, a recording producer, for the music group Police’s album Zenyatta Mondatta. Her incredible racing career began modestly in a 6½ furlong filly and mare maiden race on the artificial dirt surface at Hollywood Park on November 22, 2007. It seemed an ordinary middle of the week race, but what was observed that day was the first start for a legend in the making. Zenyatta, despite being sired by the internationally raced Street Cry and out of the same mare who produced the major stakes winner Balance, was purchased for only $60,000 as a yearling (she had hives). Unraced as a two year-old, trainer John Shirreffs gave her time to grow into her large and lankly frame. Given only lukewarm support (at 5-1) in her maiden outing, Zenyatta broke slowly under jockey David Flores and took what would be her customary position near the rear of the field. Seemingly, too far back and behind a wall of horses at the top of the stretch, Zenyatta was wheeled outside and then with giant strides quickly engulfed the field for an easy 3 length victory in a fast final time. Her owners, Ann and Jerry Moss, who had previously won both the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby were about to begin an exhilarating journey with the horse of a lifetime. 

Beginning her stakes career on January 13, 2008 in the 8½ furlong El Encino Stakes for four year-old fillies, Zenyatta again raced last in the early going and swung wide at the top of the stretch. Seemingly with a difficult task to accomplish, the daughter of Street Cry reached out with her enormous strides and engulfed the field for a surprisingly easy 1¾ length victory. 

Beginning her stakes career on January 13, 2008 in the 8½ furlong El Encino Stakes for four year-old fillies, Zenyatta again raced last in the early going and swung wide at the top of the stretch. Seemingly with a difficult task to accomplish, the daughter of Street Cry reached out with her enormous strides and engulfed the field for a surprisingly easy 1¾ length victory.

Some foot issues and bad California weather impacting the synthetic dirt surface at Santa Anita forced Zenyatta to miss intended starts. When she returned to racing, it would be in April on a conventional dirt track in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. In the field was the 2007 Eclipse Award Older Female Champion, Ginger Punch, who, although giving 6 lb. to Zenyatta, was the 2-5 favorite. David Flores had ridden Zenyatta in her 3 previous races, but he elected to stay in California. In his place, trainer John Shirreffs turned to Mike Smith, who once given the mount would never lose it. In what would be a coming out party, Zenyatta, who seemed to be lagging far behind Ginger Punch’s early pace, again mounted her rally around the stretch turn. Once in the clear, Zenyatta just devoured the field for a 4½ length victory. Brownie Points passed Ginger Punch for second place, 3½ lengths in front of the champion. Mike Smith expressed amazement at the ability of his filly to close ground suddenly. Unheralded no longer, Zenyatta from now on would race with the aura of a superstar.

Resisting the temptation to face open company, the team behind Zenyatta was content to continue racing her against her female peers. After her ascension to the top of the older female division as a result of her stunning victory in the Apple Blossom, Zenyatta returned to her home base in California and reeled off victories in the Milady, Vanity and Clement L. Hirsch Handicaps. Only in the Vanity was Zenyatta challenged. Tough Tiz’s Sis came close to Zenyatta in deep stretch, but the Mosses’ filly held that rival safe by a ½ length. In the other two races, she roared down the stretch for easy victories.

Zenyatta had her final prep for the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (formerly the Distaff) in the Lady’s Secret Stakes at Santa Anita. She was facing in the four horse field a presumed formidable rival in Hystericalady, who was a close second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Given that Hystericalady had a tactical advantage in terms of early pace, it was thought she could pose a threat to the slow starting Zenyatta. However, just as in all her previous races, Zenyatta just looped along in the early going oblivious to the moderate fractions. Once the 17 hand tall filly was taken to the outside at the top of the stretch by Mike Smith, Zenyatta just rolled home with her ground devouring strides for an easy 3½ length victory over Hystericalady.

Now a two day affair, the last Breeders’ Cup race on the Friday card (run in 2008 at Santa Anita), was by far the most anticipated. The Ladies’ Classic attracted, by all measures, a very strong field of females headed by the towering presence of the undefeated Zenyatta. Her seven rivals included last year’s Distaff winner, Ginger Punch, the strong Godolphin Racing entry of Cocoa Beach and Music Note, Hystericalady, and Stuart Janney III and Phipps Stable’s Carriage Trail, runaway winner of the Spinster Stakes on Keeneland Racetrack’s artificial surface. Despite the overall credentials of the field, Zenyatta went off as the 1-2 favorite.

In what was now typical Zenyatta style, she broke last, occupied that same position down the backstretch until Mike Smith asked her for run rounding the far turn. Then she passed horses easily while racing extremely wide around the bend. Once straightened out for the drive, Zenyatta powered home for the victory. Cocoa Beach made a strong rally up the inside in the stretch to gain second, 1½ lengths behind, with a similar margin in front of her stablemate, Music Note. Carriage Trail finished fourth, and Ginger Punch this year could do no better than sixth place.

There were all smiles for the Zenyatta team: Ann and Jerry Moss, John Shirreffs, and Mike Smith. At this point, they realized they were stewards of a racing treasure who had a huge fan base. The Eclipse Award for Champion Older Female assured, the Mosses had no intention of retiring Zenyatta, as Jerry Moss declared, “She’s just too good not to run again.”  

Zenyatta did not have her first start of 2009 till May as she was being prepared for another championship run. Actually, she made her five year-old debut a little later than originally planned. Zenyatta had shipped to Kentucky to run in the Louisville Distaff Breeders’ Cup Stakes at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks Day. However, when the track became wet, she was withdrawn, and trainer John Shirreffs shipped her back to California. Starting about three weeks later in the 8½ furlong Milady Handicap, she showed she was the Zenyatta of the previous year closing powerfully in stretch under 126 lb. for a cozy 1¾ length victory. Finishing second was Zenyatta’s stablemate Life Is Sweet (122 lb.) (owned by Pam and Martin Wygod, but trained by Shirreffs). Stretching out another ½ furlong and now carrying 129 lb. in an attempt to win the Vanity Handicap again, Zenyatta was not placed by Mike Smith as far back as she usually races. Nevertheless, she still closed in the stretch with her ground devouring strides for an in hand 2½ length victory for her 11^th straight triumph.

Less than 30 minutes before Zenyatta’s victory in the Vanity, Rachel Alexandra (see Starlet Series #4) ran in the 9 furlong Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park facing only two others. In her first start since winning the Preakness, the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro showed she was in a different league than her sophomore filly peers rolling to a 19¼ length victory in stakes record time. By the end of June, it was clear that the two best racehorses in America were females, one a five year-old (Zenyatta) and the other a three year-old (Rachel Alexandra). Not only did they tower over their contemporaries, but they both drew favorable comparisons with the great females of the past. A meeting between the two was highly anticipated at the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, but problematic in that Rachel Alexandra’s principal owner Jess Jackson, fresh off his champion Curlin’s defeat in the 2008 Classic, vowed he would never run his filly on a synthetic surface.

Zenyatta ran in August at Del Mar Racetrack in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes and made the race very interesting for her many fans. Sitting back in last place while slow fractional times where being set up front, Mike Smith had to really call on Zenyatta’s closing burst down the stretch to get up in the final strides to win by a head over Anabaa’s Creation with pacesetter Lethal Heat just ¾ of a length further back.

Zenyatta had her final prep for a Breeders’ Cup race in the Lady’s Secret Stakes. Racing against a field that included Life Is Sweet and Cocoa Beach, the gigantic daughter of Street Cry put in her now famous characteristic surge around the stretch turn, and then was gently handled down the stretch to win by 1¼ lengths over Lethal Heat with Cocoa Beach another neck back in third. This victory, Zenyatta’s 13^th in a row, put her even with the great Personal Ensign (see Starlet Series #2) who finished her unbeaten career with a victory in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The Mosses were noncommittal on whether their fabulous mare would attempt to duplicate her success in last year’s Ladies’ Classic or be reserved for the Breeders’ Cup Classic the day after. All that Jerry Moss would confirm was that Zenyatta would be seen next in a Breeders’ Cup race.

In the interim, Rachel Alexandra had won the historic Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Racetrack against older male horses, albeit narrowly.  As the result of this unprecedented victory by a filly (a sophomore at that) in the Woodward, Jess Jackson declared that Rachel Alexandra had staked her claim for Horse of the Year and decided to not race her again in 2009.

As in the previous year, the Friday of Breeders’ Cup weekend was devoted to female races with the irony that the most celebrated female in all the Breeders’ Cup entries, Zenyatta, was entered to run the next day in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. (As a footnote, this year’s Ladies Classic was won by the John Shirreffs’ trained Life is Sweet.)

The Breeders’ Cup Classic was the main attraction of the entire Breeders’ Cup weekend due to the presence of Zenyatta in her first start against male horses.  Among the thirteen entries, there were the three leading male sophomores (Kentucky Derby victor Mine That Bird, Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird and Florida Derby winner Quality Road) in the field as well as top older males Gio Ponti and Einstein. Europeans were hoping to duplicate their 1-2 finish in the 2008 Classic this year with Juddmonte Farms’ sturdy four year-old Twice Over and Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s sophomore double group I winner Rip Van Winkle. What this year’s Classic produced was a finish that will be forever remembered.  

As the field approached the starting gate for the Classic with Zenyatta accorded the slight favoritism over Rip Van Winkle, Quality Road became so stirred up he injured himself and was withdrawn. After a delay, the field was sent on their way with Zenyatta, a little unprepared, breaking slowly and assuming the last position on the inside. The pace set by Regal Ransom was not fast as he was tracked by Einstein, Colonel John, and Rip Van Winkle. As the field raced down the backstretch, Mike Smith still had Zenyatta many lengths back, now in eleventh place on the inside. As the field went around the final turn, Smith, elected not to take Zenyatta outside of horses, but instead he had the big mare make up ground on the inside. Near the top of the stretch, the situation for Zenyatta looked hopeless as she was mired in the pack behind several horses. Track announcer, Trevor Denman even exclaimed, “if she wins this, she is a superhorse”. Well that is exactly what she was, as Smith wheeled her quickly to the outside and then, having a path between horses blocked, took her even more outside. Once clear, Zenyatta showed the stuff of greatness and passed all in the stretch for a going away 1 length victory. Again in the words of Denman, “This is Un-Be-Lievable.” Finishing second was Gio Ponti who had a 1¼ length margin on Twice Over. Summer Bird in finishing fourth won the race inside the race for the sophomores with Mine That Bird a non-factor in ninth place.

To say the crowd at Santa Anita was happy at the result was an understatement. The cult of Zenyatta was in full voice at what everyone witnessed. Mike Smith when asked if the still unbeaten Zenyatta was Horse of the Year, boldly proclaimed, “She is the horse of the decade.” The Mosses, Ann and Jerry, were ecstatic but appreciative of the gift of this incredible race mare. Normally reticent John Shirreffs was near tears at the performance of his charge.

In terms of year end honors, Rachel Alexandra was the Three Year-old Filly Champion and Zenyatta, the  Champion Older Female Horse. In a much discussed and debated decision, Horse of the Year went to Rachel Alexandra over Zenyatta, a result I cannot in conscience agree with. The positive outcome to this was that Zenyatta’s owners reconsidered their decision to retire her at the end of 2009, mainly because they wanted her to face Rachel Alexandra on the racetrack.  

(To be continued in part II.)