Posts Tagged ‘eclipse’

By Ray Paulick
They all get beat, or so the saying goes. Eclipse never did though. In fact, the English colt retired in 1771 with a perfect record of 19-for-19 because there was no competition left to take him on. You know the saying: “Eclipse first, the rest nowhere.” Colin was undefeated, too, winning 15 straight races in the United States in 1907-08 before an injury ended his career after he’d gone to race in England.

In modern times, we’ve seen Personal Ensign make 13 a lucky number for trainer Shug McGaughey and the Phipps family. Her final victory under jockey Randy Romero, in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, is one of the greatest races of modern times. Peppers Pride, the New Mexico-bred filly went 19-for-19 from 2005-08, but she never left the Land of Enchantment and was hardly a marquee horse outside of her home state.

And now there’s Zenyatta, with Sunday’s victory in the Vanity Handicap extending her unbeaten streak to 17 races in a row—15 of them Graded stakes and 11 Grade 1. That is one remarkable record and this daughter of Street Cry–bred in Kentucky by Maverick Production Ltd., owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, trained by John Shirreffs, and ridden by Mike Smith—is one incredible racehorse. Her hard-fought half-length victory over St Trinians edged her past Triple Crown winner Citation and two-time Horse of the Year Cigar, who had each won 16 consecutive races during their careers (though they weren’t undefeated).

Everyone loves a winner (well, everyone except Chicago Cubs fans like me), and Zenyatta’s accomplishments now put her in the pantheon of some of the most famous winners in the world of sports.

Puerto Ricans went wild for a horse named Camarero, who was like money in the bank when he rolled to 56 victories in a row from 1953-55. Zenyatta may have a race named after her (the former Lady’s Secret Stakes at Oak Tree that she’s won twice), but Camarero has a racetrack in Puerto Rico named after him. That’s impressive.

One of the longest winning streaks in all of sports was the 122 consecutive victories rung up by 400-meter Olympic hurdler Edwin Moses from 1977-87. In women’s tennis, Martina Navratilova won 74 straight matches without a loss in 1984. Boxer Sugar Ray Robinson went 91 fights before losing, and heavyweight champ Rocky Marciano won 49 bouts from 1948-55 before retiring undefeated. That’s rare.

Byron Nelson won 11 consecutive PGA tournaments in 1945 and NASCAR legend Richard Petty won 10 straight races in 1967.

In team sports, we’ve had the Bud Wilkinson-coached Oklahoma Sooners rack up 47 straight college football wins from 1953-57. Two decades later in college basketball, John Wooden, the late Wizard of Westwood, coached his UCLA team to 88 wins in a row, from 1971-74. The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team could exceed that record next year. They’ve won 78 straight from 2008-10.

In pro sports, the Los Angeles Lakers hold the NBA record with 33 straight in 1971-72, and the New England Patriots won 21 in a row in 2003-04 to claim the longest winning streak in NFL history. The NHL’s longest winning streak is 17 games, set by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1993, and the old New York Giants hold the Major League Baseball record with 26 consecutive victories in 1916.

But the longest known winning streak in all of sports may belong to Jahangir Khan of Pakistan. From 1981-86, Khan, the world’s No. 1 squash player. went 555 consecutive matches without a loss. Whether it’s bean bag or baseball, winning anything 555 times in a row is amazing.

But so is Zenyatta and her 17 thrilling triumphs.

PRESS RELEASE

Bill Mott, trainer of 2010 Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer, will participate in a live web chat Friday, June 11, at 8:00 p.m. EDT on nyra.com.
 
Drosselmeyer’s victory was the first in a Triple Crown race for the Hall of Fame trainer, who has won 19 individual training titles at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.
 
Born in Mobridge, S.D., Mott knew he would be involved with horses at a young age, accompanying his veterinarian father as he made his calls. He owned and trained his first racehorse, a $320 mare named My Assets, when he was 15, and won his first official race with her at Park Jefferson Racetrack.
 
Later, Mott began working for Hall of Famer Jack Van Berg and went out on his own in 1978 at the age of 25. His first Eclipse Champion was Theatrical (Top Male Turf Horse of 1987); Mott would go on to saddle four more champion horses including the one for which he is best known, two-time Horse of the Year and Older Male Cigar, whose record-tying 16 straight victories encompassed the 1994 NYRA Mile (now the Hill ‘n’ Dale Cigar Mile), the 1995 Jockey Club Gold Cup, the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Classic, the 1996 Dubai World Cup and both the 1995 and 1996 editions of the Woodward.
 
Other champions conditioned by Mott include Paradise Creek, Top Male Turf Horse of 1994; Ajina, the Top 3-Year-Old Filly of 1998, and Escena, 1998’s Top Older Filly.
 
The Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top trainer in 1995 and 1996, Mott was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in 1998 at the age of 45, the youngest trainer to achieve the honor.
 
Fans who wish to participate in the live dialogue with Mott may log on to http://www.nyra.com/livechat beginning this Friday at 8 p.m. No pre-registration is necessary and users may simply type questions and comments in the chat field at the bottom of the page for Mott to address. At the conclusion of the chat, an “instant replay” is created for future reference.

All eyes will be on last year’s champion fillies, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, as they both make their 2010 debuts on Saturday. While the Steve Asmussen-trained Rachel Alexandra is set to race in the ungraded New Orleans Ladies Stakes at the Fair Grounds (approx. post time 6:15 e.t.), Zenyatta has her sights set on the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita. The John Shirreffs-trained Zenyatta will carry 127 lbs., conceding up to 19 lbs. to her opponents, which include Striking Dancer, Floating Heart and Pretty Unusual. The Santa Margarita is 1 1/8 miles on the Pro-Ride surface; the scheduled post-time is 6:40 e.t.

Also, on Saturday’s card at Santa Anita is the G2 San Felipe, a Derby prep at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The line-up appears familiar with the first three finishers from the Feb. 13 G2 Robert B. Lewis in action again—Caracortado, Dave In Dixie and American Lion.

The other Derby prep of interest is the G2 Rebel at Oaklawn Park. Shipping in from California is 2009 2-year-old champion Lookin at Lucky, who will be making his 2010 bow for trainer Bob Baffert and regular rider Garrett Gomez. Others in the 1 1/16-mile Rebel with possible Kentucky Derby aspirations are Noble’s Promise, Cardiff Giant and Dublin. Three-year-old fillies are in the spotlight in the G3 Honeybee, also 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. Heading the field is Decelerator, a stakes winner at Oaklawn on Feb. 13. Brereton Jones’s homebred No Such Word and Beautician, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, are entered as well.

Tampa Bay Downs will host a 12-race card on Saturday which includes three graded stakes. Eclipse winner She Be Wild will try to avenge her fifth-place finish in the Forward Gal in the G3 Florida Oaks (1 1/16 miles on turf for 3-year-old fillies). The G3 Hillsborough, for older females at 1 1/8 miles on turf showcases Mushka, the favorite at 5-2 on the morning line, Lady Shakespeare, and Tottie, who is undefeated in two U.S. starts. The Tampa Bay Derby (G3) has a contentious 7-horse field headed by slight favorite Super Saver. Making his 2010 debut here, the Todd Pletcher trainee last won the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs by five lengths in November.

The Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) at one mile on the dirt for older horses will take place Saturday at the South Florida racetrack of the same name. The morning line favorite is This Ones for Phil, from Rick Dutrow’s barn. He will face two entries from Kiaran McLaughlin’s shedrow—Grasshopper and Past the Point, as well as Harlem Rocker (Todd Pletcher) and Cool Coal Man (Nick Zito).

Sunday’s Gulfstream program features the G2 Inside Information, a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares on the main track. The top four finishers of last month’s Hurricane Bertie return for Inside Information. Kays and Jays was the winner of the 6 1/2-furlong Hurricane Bertie, who outfinished Tar Heel Mom, Warbling and Pretty Prolific.