Horse Racing: Zenyatta ready for a perfect career closing
American Horse racing has seen some of the most remarkable animals, but Zenyatta is one of her kind in the industry. Taller than most male horses and weighing above most of the heavy colts, Zenyatta can rightly be called the perfect racehorse in the history
of the sport. Despite all this though, she was denied the Horse of the Year Award 2009, the legendary filly has always proved her exceptional talent and invincible power on the racetrack.
Citing some of the greatest horses of the modern horse racing arena, one discovers that she is so far the only thoroughbred racehorse who has the perfect record of credentials. Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown champion and the most celebrated racehorse
of the industry, was disqualified four times before he finally won the Triple Crown races. Other fancied colts including Native Dancer and Man O’ War, also lost one race during their athletic careers.
Taking over the field in the Lady’s Secret Stakes on the 2nd of October, Zenyatta is now all ready to steal the show on Saturday when the $ 5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic will kick off at Churchill Downs. So far, the Kentucky bred mare has contended
19 races, won all of them passing by 107 horses including some of the strongest male horses of older age. This event is particularly significant for Zenyatta, her fans and associates because she will be retired after this race. Her fans are aspiring that the
racehorse will finish her career a perfect 20-for-20.
The race for which Zenyatta has been flaunted and advertised the most will be run for the same distance as that of the Kentucky Derby and on the same track. Those who have witnessed the filly win the races, say that the speed of Zenyatta cannot be explained
or described, it is an experience that one must appreciate.
Now that there are only two days left for the mile and a quarter race to be run at Churchill Downs, Zenyatta’s regular jockey Mike Smith has started to feel the pressure. When questioned about the upcoming race, Smith told the correspondents “Don’t worry
about Zenyatt. She is very aggressive. Right now, she is training probably as well if not better than last year going into the Classic.”
Mike Smith has ridden Zenyatta in 16 of her great victories. The racehorse’s owners Jerry and Ann Moss and her fans believe in Smith and John Sheriffs’ training.
“I think everyone feels it. Even the people in the grandstand do, to be honest with you”, Smith added.
Zenyatta’s trainer, John Sheriffs said, “I would think that would be almost too much. I would have to say that would be a real slap in the face. Not only her performance, but what she is doing for racing.”
The trainer of the fan friendly racehorse went on to say, “Walking to the paddock with Zenyatta is such a personal experience. As soon as the crowd sees her, they start yelling. It is an amazing feeling. You feel like everybody loves your horse, loves you.”
The excitement for the much anticipated and the most exalted event of American Horse racing is at its peak at the moment Zenyatta is being considered the strongest contender and the “brightest star of the Churchill galaxy”. The champion filly will be facing
very talented competitors including the Preakness Stakes winner Lookin At Lucky, the amazingly fast Quality Road and the consistent Blame.
There is only one unanswered question about Saturday’s event, will Zenyatta be able to hold off the male horses on a dirt track? 17 out of her 19 wins have been on the synthetic track which makes her critics sceptical of her victory at Churchill Downs. However,
on the other hand, her fans believe that Zenyatta cannot be beaten, no matter how strong the opposition is.
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