No decision made yet on the future of Zenyatta
People may have been calling it a fairytale without the happy ending, but the career of Zenyatta may not be over just yet.
Her trainer John Shirreffs has revealed that discussions are ongoing in regards to her future, with the prospect of another year in training looking increasingly possible.
Shirreffs had previously suggested that this would be the end of the road for the star mare, but her owners Jerry and Ann Moss, who look to have the major say, have yet to decide whether she will return to a racetrack.
Shirreffs told Reuters the owners could make a decision by the end of this month, but was unable to confirm that the plans for her future would be determined by then.
Unbeaten in her previous 19 starts, Zenyatta grabbed the attention of racing fans across the world in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday, looking to make it 20-20 and renew her crown as the Classic champion. But things didn’t go quite to plan as she was defeated by Blame in controversial circumstances, with many people pointing the finger at jockey Mike Smith, who left the mare too much to do in the home straight.
But Shirreffs remains adamant that it was bad luck and an inability to find a clear path through the field that were her main downfalls on Saturday, rather than the ride given to her by Smith.
The 65-year-old went on to admit that despite the loss, Zenyatta’s fan-base had been boosted by her narrow defeat, with the trainer receiving a slew of emails and phone calls from fans admiring the courage the mare showed in the Classic, despite the fact she couldn’t produce the perfect ending to what had until then been an unblemished race record.
Hopefully, for racing, she will get another chance to show everyone in the near future, just how good she really is.
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