ZEVENTEEN!
Zenyatta made number 17 one of her most suspenseful victories ever, getting up in the final few strides to pass a stubborn St. Trinians and win the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap by a half-length at Hollywood Park on Sunday. Under Mike Smith and carrying top impost of 129 pounds, the undefeated, two-time champion drew a huge roar from the crowd as she crossed the finish line with the narrow victory.
Chart of Zenyatta’s victory.
The win was Zenyatta’s third straight in the Vanity, but more importantly extended her unbeaten streak to 17 races, putting the grand mare ahead of two great champions, Citation and Cigar, who won 16 consecutive races against top-level competition. Peppers Pride, the pride of New Mexico, retired undefeated with 19 victories, but none of them were in graded stakes. Zenyatta still has a way to go to catch Camarero, the legendary Puerto Rican favorite who won 56 races in a row from 1953-55.
"What can I say? I’m in love with her," a relieved Jerry Moss said on TVG after Zenyatta’s historic win. Moss, who owns the 6-year-old daughter of Street Cry with his wife, Ann, admitted to being "just a tiny bit concerned" when victory seemed in doubt in mid-stretch. He quickly added, "She had to give away some weight and (Smith) went way wide with her."
Zenyatta dropped back to trail the field early, as is her custom, as Miss Silver Brook set moderate fractions of :24.05, :47.54 and 1:11.91 for the opening six furlongs. Martin Garcia had St Trinians in fifth, ahead of only Zenyatta, and as the field rounded the far turn swung her four wide to tackle the frontrunners.
Smith also had Zenyatta in gear, and though he later said he thought about trying to split the field instead went six wide for the drive. Zardana, who like Zenyatta is trained by John Shirreffs, had moved to the lead at the top of the stretch, but St Trinians quickly took over and appeared headed to victory. Smith went to the right-handed whip, using it nine times before putting it away in deep stretch when Zenyatta found another gear and swept by St Trinians on the outside. Zardana finished third, with Will O Way fourth in the field of six fillies and mares.
Final time for the mile and an eighth was 1:49.01 after a one-mile split in 1:36.98. Zenyatta was 2 1/2 lengths back at the eighth pole, giving her a final furlong clocking of about 11 3/5 seconds.
"Oh, my Lord, that mare run her eyeballs out," Smith said of St Trinians, who carried 120 pounds, nine fewer than Zenyatta. "I was just amazed at how hard that other mare tried….I knew had at it at about 100 yards out."
It was Zenyatta’s narrowest margin of victory since she won the Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar last year by a head in another dramatic finish.
St Trinians, coming off a sixth-place finish as the favorite against males in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, was one of two Grade 2 opponents Zenyatta had to beat, the other being Zardana. Trained by Mike Mitchell, the 5-year-old daughter of Piccolo was a British important who won four straight after coming to the United States after the 2008 racing season in Europe had ended.
Zardana, a 6-year-old Brazilian-bred by Crimson Tide, won the Grade 2 Bayakoa Handicap over the Hollywood Park surface last fall, then upset Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies at Fair Grounds in March. That race was to have been a springboard for the 2009 Horse of the Year to meet Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park after track owner Charles Cella offered to put up a $5-million pot if both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra ran. But following Rachel Alexandra’s defeat, she was pulled from the race. Zenyatta won the Apple Blossom by 4 1/4 lengths.
Hollywood Park fans crowded around the paddock and filled the stairways behind the grandstand to view Zenyatta in the saddling area, and they cheered loudly when she emerged from the tunnel for the post parade. They roared again when she surged to the lead in the shadow of the wire, and cheered loudly when Smith brought her back to the winner’s circle.
The victory was worth $150,000 and moved Zenyatta’s lifetime earnings to $6,074,580.
But on this Sunday afternoon, the most important number was "Zeventeen."
POST RACE QUOTES, COURTESY OF HOLLYWOOD PARK MEDIA OFFICE:
JERRY MOSS, ZENYATTA: I’m going to be watching that (replay) 30 or 40 times. I had a feeling she was going to make it somehow like she always does, ever since she caught Anabaa’s Creation in that race at Del Mar (the 2009 Clement L. Hirsch when Zenyatta won by a head). She won, she got there, she gave away the nine pounds (129-120) and she came about seven wide. She’s just awesome. What can I say. The reaction of the crowd was amazing. She’s such a fan pleaser. Everybody here loves her.’’
JOHN SHIRREFFS, ZENYATTA, Winner: “I was just watching the race unfold and hoping to see her make her big run. What I was watching was the distance between her and St. Trinians and it seemed to stay the same, so I thought, ‘Well, the margin is staying the same and Zenyatta hasn’t made her kick, so she should cut into it. (When asked if he ever had a doubt Zenyatta was going to win). “It’s a horse race and they have to fight it out down there at the wire. Her last couple of works were a little on the slow side, so we were kind of concerned about that. She was always finishing well in her works, they just didn’t set up the way we wanted in the morning. When it’s done perfectly, you say, ‘OK that’s done we’ve taken care of that and we go on to something else,’ but when you can’t completely close the book it leaves some uncertainty.’’
MIKE SMITH, ZENYATTA, Winner: "It’s just incredible. It was a great, great race. It was a gallant effort on St Trinians’ part, she really ran huge. When we headed for home I hit a real big gear and she hit another one right back at me and I said ‘Whoa, she’s serious, she’s going to make me run.’ I was working at it until the last hundred yards and then I knew I’d out grind her. We’re carrying a lot of weight and I just wanted to get that weight moving forward so I tried to tip out as we came off the turn and use that momentum to kind of slingshot me even though I was a little wide, to get her at least running. I didn’t want to take a chance splitting them because if Martin (Garcia) saw me do that he might make it tight on me. If I had to steady just for a jump, to get that weight going again is asking an awful lot. I knew he was probably going to take me out (wide), it was great race riding on his part. But it was just me and him. So as wide as he is, that’s as wide as I’m going to be. Nothing matters at that point."
MIKE MITCHELL, ST. TRINIANS, Second: “I thought I had her just the way I wanted her and I knew John had his mare just the way he wanted her. It was a good horse race. What can you say. I wanted to be a little farther in front of her turning for home because I know the kick that Zenyatta’s got. My mare has a big kick, too. She just got outrun. I’m happy. I just wanted it to be a good race. We’re all big fans of Zenyatta in my family. I know that (St Trinians) didn’t shame herself.’’
MARTIN GARCIA, ST TRINIANS, Second
: "I don’t know what to say. I can’t say anything right now. I couldn’t have asked her for any more. The other mare is just too much horse. But mine is too."
VICTOR ESPINOZA, ZARDANA, Third
: "Zenyatta is just an unbelievable horse to ride against. Everything was good during the race, but to stay with her, it’s impossible."
Tags: Ann Moss, camarero, cigar, Citation, Hollywood Park, jerry moss, john shirreffs, mike smith, Paulick Report, pepper's pride, Ray Paulick, Street Cry, Vanity, zenyatta
June 13th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Absolutely spine tingling
June 13th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
OMG!!!
Six years old, toting 129lbs., giving her rivals sacks and sacks of pounds, going fourteen horses wide.
What a horse!
PS-St. Trinians will beat Rachel Alexandra any day, any track, any time.
June 13th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
OMG!!!!!!!I OMG!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!! and OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 13th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Wow! I don’t know about anyone else, but it sure made me nervous!
I loved how the TVG announcers stayed quiet right after the win, as the cameras panned the crowd and all you could hear was the cheering crowd.
We can talk about slots, etc., but when Z and RA are running everything is right with the world.
June 13th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
I’m breathing into a paper bag….what a gut check. Getting up in the final strides….shades of Forego in the 1976 Marlboro.
June 13th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
She hit the top of the stretch and I was worried because St. Trinians was rolling, but she seemed to pick up speed and rolled by St. Trinians at just the right moment. What a wonderful horse. Thank God they all came out safe. Plus the record will stand for years and everyone will know what a great horse she is. One problem, this may sound stupid but why can’t they tie her tongue in her mouth? I have a picture I took of Winning Colors in the Breeders Cup and her tongue is hanging out of her mouth too. My pet peeve I guess.
June 13th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Simply the best!
June 13th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
The quote of the day from Todd Shrupp at TVG…
“Zenyatta makes horseracing matter again”
June 13th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
That was close….Wide on the first turn and very wide turning for home…..EXCITING!!
June 13th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Interesting the comment on the tongue tie. I was fixated on her blue tongue as well. I recently listened to an world reknowned veterinarian review his findings after conducting over 300 on board endoscopes to see what happens in the through and trachea during high intensity work. Afterwards I asked him if tying the tonque really helped to prevent displacing and his answer was “it has no usefullness at all”. Lasix and tonque tying… we will ever change??
Regardless…thank you Zenyatta!!
June 13th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Breathtaking and incredible - she ran her last furlong in 11 and change. I really wondered if Mike had given her to much to do in too little stretch - but she leveled out and looked like she was flying at the wire. And did you see that gallop out? She’s screaming for another mile and a 1/4 race. She was just getting started!
Now - really? The Clement Hirsch? Can’t she come east before Breeders Cup weekend?
June 13th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Re the tongue tie–the photo on the front page of today’s DRF shows her tongue tied during what I guess is a work. I think the way she works her tongue around in the paddock and post parade is just another part of her amazingly individual personality.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Jerry Moss may be the ray of hope we need in racing. A Derby winner -Giacomo-on a $15,000 stud fee. A grade One winner-Tiago- on a $10,000 stud fee, and the great Zenyatta….a $60,000 yearling purchase. Good horsemanship trumps big wallets!
Today thousands of owners realize that they really do have a chance in this game.
There is hope for all of us, not just the Kings and Chieftains.
Hooray for Jerry and Zenyatta! Hooray for all of racing! Hooray for horsemanship!
June 13th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Fabulous race by Queen Z and St. Trinians. Z is an amazing racing machine.
Regarding tongue ties, white and blue tongues flapping on one side are a sorry sight: most if not all horses in Europe race without tongue ties including top horses. Same horses. American racing is addicted to its chemical and equipment additives.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
st. trinians will never be the same after that effort. i think she gave every piece of her soul into the race today. it had to be shocking to her seeing that big flash run by. the best horse ive ever seen, and barely a blip on the sports radar. both beautiful and sad at the same time. she is special.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
Hey Ray — nice recap of yet another amazing race by this breathtaking mare. One note: Will O Way was fourth in a field of six, not third of five.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Simply amazing. Zenyatta always knows EXACTLY where the wire is - it’s eerie. Twelve lenghths back, seven wide, giving nine pounds, no problem. Long Live the Queen!
Additional FYI: Camarero won 56 in a row, all in Puerto Rico in the 1950s; I couldn’t find his complete record, but Wiki said he had defeats-before or after it didn’t say. The Hungarian mare Kincsem won all 54 in the 1870s, in races all over Europe, including England and France. The immortal Eclipse in 1780s England won all 18. This is the company Zenyatta is in.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Number 17: Piece of cake. Thanks, Mike!
“Fans…they cheered loudly when [Zenyatta] emerged from the tunnel for the post parade. They roared again when she surged to the lead in the shadow of the wire, & cheered loudly when Smith brought her back to the winner’s circle.”
A day doesn’t go by without racing idiots destroying their product. Not ONE.
Almost immediately after Z & Pal crossed the finish line, someone at HP – Vic Stouffer? - TURNED THE AUDIO OFF. As Z returned to the winners circle, & thousands were cheering, all anyone heard on the New Jersey Account Wagering system heard was –
DEAD SILENCE.
Just seconds earlier, Stouffer had promised that when she returned from galloping out, the roar of the crow would be enormous. So if he was the dolt who pulled the audio plug…
Incredibly, this isn’t the first time this has happened. And it’s reason #378 why at Hollywood Park & other tracks, the wrecking balls being assembled in the parking lots at the same time that racing executives are waiting, “I don’t understand why this I happening!”
Unfortunately, we can’t say that Calracing.com was any better. Their system, much preferred over NJAW, would not open up - having probably crashed before the race (unable to handle the demand); ergo, the fall-back video system had to be used.
Whether or not this had anything to do with their revised format (home page, etc.) is unknown. What I do know is that we never once had a problem with the old system, which last year was infinitely superior to anything else offered by any other track in the United States.
Can you take a wrecking ball to an Internet system? If so, why are the Calracing.com people intent on proving that it is possible? Didn’t they get the hint when Bay Meadows was annihilated?
June 13th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Thanks, Dreamweaver….fixed.
June 13th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
I missed the race today but was able to re-live the excitement via this report, e-mails, and the comments from the readers of the Paulick report., etc………I loved #4 (lauries ) comment;
“Breathing into a paper bag”….that is how ZENYATTA makes us feel. The roar of the crowd in the 2009 Classic at Breeders Cup was un-forgettable. Today , ZENYATTA carried 129 pounds, went wide and still had enough. INCREDIBLE & AMAZING.
It is a true horseman who can manage a horse so well , so long ,for such an illustrious career . ZENYATTA YOU BEAUTY , ALL HEART !!!!
CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE. I am SO happy for all of you as always !!!
June 13th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
After watching this mare run on many occasions I believe that Ray Paulick could ride her to victory.
June 13th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
I said it before & will say it again, I’ve seen many great racehorses in my 40 + yrs. of racing , ZENYATTA is as good or even better than BIG RED , SECRETARIAT !
June 13th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Myec: Oh, great. Now Ray’s got to give 10% to an agent.
June 13th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
BLOODHORSE has a slide-show of 46 pictures of ZENYATTA that I was just enjoying. I see one thing in ZENYATTA in the multiple pictures. She appears to be smiling most of the time, and is happy. The Moss’s and Mike Smith are smiling. What a pleasure to see so much happiness…it just makes me smile all over again !
I fished a big gelding out of the loose horses at auction three weeks ago. He was not smiling then ,was badly beaten up, and was about to drop to his knees. Now it has been barely a month and he is sharpe and fresh, he too wears a big smile now. WHAT a difference love makes.( I named him Tuff Enuff ) This smile upon ZENYATTA is why I always cheer for the Moss’s and thier connections. THANKS SO MUCH ! That smile on ZENYATTA pretty well sums it all up for me !
June 13th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
As a current resident of New Mexico, I have to say that when it comes to consecutive victories, don’t forget Peppers Pride — 19 in a row!
June 13th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Agreed Mike.
This was the best horse race of the year! Period!
Who said racing was dead?HA!
June 13th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
That was incredible! I also was a bit worried for her in this race almost quotiing to a tee what John Shireffs was saying about her works. I guess she does know what she is doing and does know the difference between a work now and a race. But it sure made me worry.
She was VERY wide, carrying 129 and still some how she made it to the wire first. She must have an angel on her shoulder. I hope that angel stays with her forever!
What a race! Yet another of her races I will never forget.
Why isn’t the industry making more of a deal about this? It doesn’t have to be an east coast west coast thing. This should have been promoted more. Who knows if there will ever be another horse to win 17 in a row. I don’t get it!
Thanks Susan for your Todd Shrupp comment. I loved it!
June 13th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
zenyatta you are a truly amazing th filly. number 17. god love ya girlfriend. bravo.slainte. girlpower. wahoo. kathleen and the ottb rescue horses and my 18 hand bay tb geling by private account.You are a legend and we all admire your spirit,heart and athletic capabilities as being number 1 in the thoroughbred world. gotta love my Tb’s.ZENYATTA IS NUMBER 1 IN THE WORLD. BRAVO. ZENYATTA.
June 14th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Can we please just give her Horse of the Year now, to make up for that joke of an award last year? This horse is a freak. I didn’t think there was anyway she would win that race today, and yet she did it again.
June 14th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Great coverage, Ray.
Here is Los Angeles, coverage of Zenyatta’s race has been virtually non-existent. Aside from a commentary by a sports writer, there are just a few lines about it in the local paper (LA Times), which has far more on the Dodgers-Angels game, World Cup, and Lakers game. As far as I can see, on TV it has been the same. This tells me that the argument for siting the Breeders Cup here that media coverage would expose racing to the masses has a long way to go. And that the PR staffs for racing at the local and national levels are, to put it mildly, not competent.
June 14th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Watched the race here in S.C. during crashing thunderstorm-(don’t let the lights go out! ) Like the BC classic, it looked hopeless, but Z is too much. Too bad the charisma, the style and the greatness of this mare is still ignored by the main line media. And we have still three more world cup drenched weeks! Great morning a.m. stories about those noise makers.
June 14th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
What a race! I almost had a heart attack and I’m a heart patient. But what a way to go! The X Factor heart lady done in by a horse who is all heart! It just doesn’t get any better than this….another perfect day…Marianna Haun
June 14th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
OK, now that I can talk. That Zenyatta is going to be the end of me. My husband was trying to get me to sit and put my head between my knees cause I looked so pale. I, for an instant, doubted my Queen and thought she was actually going to lose. I will never doubt her again. I can’t believe I actually am able to watch the greatest Mare ever. Having said that, as much as I adore her, please let’s not get carried away and say she’s better than Secretariat. Nobody is better than Secretariat and nobody ever will be. He is the God of all Things Equine. P.S. That St. Trinians was great yesterday. That little horse was something else. I will follow her career very closely.