Horse Racing: Mike Smith to face pressure on Saturday
Zenyatta is being considered the strongest contender of the Breeders’ Cup Classic that will be run at Churchill Downs on the 5th and 6th of November. The undefeated mare’s regular jockey, the Hall of Fame Mike Smith has a huge responsibility
on his shoulders for the Breeders’ Cup.
It has been discovered that the nights before Zenyatta’s meets are the toughest times experienced by Smith. At the moment, the jockey is trying to relax and take his mind off the great racehorse’s 19-0 winning streak by watching his favourite sport football.
Riding the champion Zenyatta is no doubt an easy job for any jockey, let apart Mike Smith. The filly is taller than most of the male horses and carries a weight of 1100 pounds. The meet at Churchill Downs is particularly significant for Zenyatta and Smith,
because a victory in this race is most likely to get the legendary racehorse the Horse of the Year Award, an honour that she lost to Rachel Alexandra. Moreover, she is the only contender who has been advertised and flaunted the most by the management of the
Breeders’ Cup Classic.
When Smith was questioned about how it feels to ride invincible Zenyatta, he said, “Then the floodgates open. What of this happens, what if this happens? It just never stops. As blessed, believe me, as I am, and I am not complaining by no means, to ride
her also becomes a lot of responsibility”, the Hall of Fame jockey went on to say, “If we are blessed enough to finish this thing 20-0, how do you even describe it? It would just be incredible”.
On the other hand, the trainer of another string contender at Churchill Downs Lookin At Lucky, Bob Baffert said, “It is the first Classic ever that everybody is going to be rooting for one horse”.
Bob Baffert is just one of the big fans of Zenyatta, who is being named as the “brightest star of the Churchill Downs galaxy”.
Apart from being just a talented racehorse, Zenyatta has the honour of being one of the very rare fan friendly horses. As Smith said, describing her attitude towards her fans, “People really watch her now. The fans adore her. I feel the pressure for them,
too. I got to get it right, at least do my part”.
Fans will be coming from all over the country to witness the great Zenyatta win her 20th career meet.
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