The greatest horse to have ever raced – Zenyatta and her illustrious career
The greatest athlete in the world for either s*x and most probably the greatest female horse to ever run, many believed that Zenyatta was one of the greatest but not the number one. One thing is for sure that no one has ever seen a horse that comes back
from way behind and goes on to win a race like Zenyatta.
Foaled on 1st April, 2004, in Kentucky, Zenyatta won 19 consecutive races out of her 20 lifetime starts, and everyone hated the fact that she lost the last race of her career, but she was such a show woman.
She was a fabulous horse, an American record breaker for the most consecutive wins without defeats.
Owned by Mr. & Mrs. Jerome S Moss, Zenyatta was trained by John Shirreffs, and she was the daughter of Street Cry out of Vertigineux by Kris S. Jockey David Flores was the one who rode the young Zenyatta for her first three career starts, but then she was
handed over to the Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who rode Zenyatta on 17 occasions out of the 20.
It is always hard to say whether she was the greatest horse ever to run, because the likes of Man O’ War and Secretariat and maybe Native Dance have proven and came up with better stats, but Zenyatta doesn’t belong to any league, she is her own league.
She won hearts and gained popularity when she was picked the NTRA’S Moment of the Year Award for three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010. The champion mare earned the prestigious award for three breath taking performances.
Her first Moment of the Year Award was won by a comeback from behind win in the 2008 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Ladies Class, her second award came after her poorly started race in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic which she again came back from way behind to win,
and her third award in 2010 did not come for winning but it came for narrowly losing in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The daughter of Street Cry went on to win 17 graded stakes over all, which included thirteen Grade 1 victories and she boldly defeated 4 horses who have won 8 different awards, and she managed a lifetime earnings of a whopping $7,304,580.
Her adventurous career ended on 17 November, 2010, and she was sent back to Kentucky at Lane’s End Farm. Zenyatta was sent to be bred by Bernardini on 23 February, 2011 at Darley Stud.
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