Horse Racing: Mike Smith still upset over The Queen’s defeat
Zenyatta was more than just a thoroughbred racehorse for those who had witnessed her run and take over the fields against some of the strongest colts of the country. Her fans adored her and absolutely loved watching her cross the finish line, holding off
all the other contenders. Those who used to watch her run in her career call it an experience that cannot be described. Zenyatta was one of the very few racehorses who reciprocated the love that her fans and connections had for her. After winning 19 out of
her 19 career meets, she was popularly referred to as The Queen of the thoroughbred racing.
After Zenyatta bagged five victories earlier this year, all eyes were set on her to win her 20th and last career meet at Churchill Downs in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, last weekend. She was the most fancied contender of this event, meanwhile her
jockey was under intense pressure. After she was defeated by the four year old colt Blame by just a narrow margin, the famed jockey Mike Smith felt devastated. He felt like he “had let the world down” by not crossing the line before Blame. Consoled by Zenyatta’s
trainer John Sheriffs, Mike Smith kept blaming himself for finishing the start in the second spot. As intriguing as one could imagine, her loss at Churchill Downs caused the crowd of more than seven thousand people to observe pin drop silence for about 30
seconds. That was just epic.
The trainer John Sheriffs said he had to let go of it, but Mike Smith is still haunted with Zenyatta’s loss. Talking to the correspondents in a telephone interview, the jockey said, “That is one I will never get over to tell you the truth. I did my best.
We just came up short. It is a tough one to swallow.”
“This is one I always feel. To go 19-0, and in the last race come up half a head short. The shorter the margin of the victory the greater ways I can second-guess myself. It bothers me every time I think about it. The fans, the owners, I just feel like I
let the world down.”
Mike Smith, who returned to the jockey with a heavy heart and with tears rolling down added, “She did not handle the track at all early in the race and we got too far out of it. When we went under the wire for the first time it is obvious she was struggling.”
He went on to say, “It caused me to drop 10 lengths back from where I wanted to be. I was hoping to be right behind the group instead of 20 or 30 lengths behind them. It was too much to make up.”
Smith has ridden Zenyatta in 17 of her 19 races that she contended in her racing career. The Kentucky bred filly and the Hall of Fame jockey was the best pair that clinched some of the most spectacular victories in the history of the sport.
Appreciating Zenyatta’s performance in the event, the upset jockey said, “It was amazing on her part for her to run as well as she did. It is not just one of her favourite tracks. She did not grab it as I would have liked. In training she was OK with it.
But when it came to race time, she struggled.”
Zenyatta is still loved by all her fans. She made remarkable contributions to the industry and thus was the hero for all those involved in the horse business. Even though she could not end her career in perfection, she will continue to rule people’s hearts
and will be fancied forever. It will be very unfair if this talented filly is once again denied of the Horse of The Year Award.
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