Zenyatta, Winner of Eclipse Horse of the Year 2010
Last year’s Horse of the Year, Zenyatta, has had a career filled with numerous victories and awards.
Zenyatta holds a record of winning nineteen races in a row out of the twenty races he competed in during the course of his career. This is a record unprecedented in the United States.
Born to dam Vertigineux and sire Street Guy in April 2004, Zenyatta grew up to be a legendary thoroughbred of the modern times.
She was bought by Ann and Jerry Moss, Co-founder of A&M Records, for sixty thousand dollars when she was just a year old.
She won earnings worth seven million for her owners. Trained by John Shirreffs, Zenyatta was considered a ‘Queen’ by her trainer among the other thoroughbreds he was training at the time.
Jerry Moss chose the name ‘Zenyatta’ for this gifted thoroughbred after the album ‘Zenyattá Mondatta’ that his records company had produced.
Zenyatta was ridden by only two jockeys for the entire span of her racing career, namely, David Flores and Mike Smith.
This Champion thoroughbred was way taller than her peers with a height of roughly seventy inches.
Her title as ‘Horse of the Year’ by Eclipse Awards in the year 2010 was a result of 87% public votes in her favour. The voting was carried out by Daily Racing Form on their website.
Zenyatta holds the privilege of winning the Eclipse Award for Top Older Female in 2008 and 2009.In 2010, she was presented with the Vox Populi Award.
She is also the first horse to be honoured with the William H. Award in March 2011.
Previously this award had only been presented to humans among them notably included is Joe Hirsch who founded the National Turf Writers Association and John R. Gaines, founder of
Out of her nineteen victories, thirteen have been in Grade I races, namely, Apple Blossom Handicap, Vanity Handicap twice, Lady’s Secret Stakes twice, Breeders Cup Ladies Classic, Breeders Cup Classic twice, Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap, Apple Blossom
Invitational Handicap, Vanity Invitational Handicap, and Clement L. Hirsch Handicap,
Zenyatta’s outstanding achievements in the last decade make her a rare prodigy. She has skills and talent with the likes of Sky Beauty in the 90s decade or Eclipse more a century ago.
She has provided thrilling performance during her racing career. Therefore it is expected of her that as a dam she would gift the thoroughbred industry with fillies and colts which scintillate on the race track in a flash.
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