Click Photo to Watch Zenyatta Video
With Zenyatta’s final race scheduled for the Breeder’s Cup Classic, it is hard to find any new words to say about this amazing champion.
I’ve written several articles about Zenyatta at this point.
They mark out her many endeavors and outstanding achievements in her career.
But, the bottom line remains the same - I think she’s absolutely perfect.
Rather than write another piece about the greatness of Zenyatta, I wanted to show her in motion. The beauty of watching her move tells her story better than any words I can find.
I believe she is the best racehorse that I will witness in my lifetime.
Zenyatta has traveled beyond my wildest dreams of a racehorse. She dances. Paints for charity. Celebrates her birthday (with cake). Drinks Guinness. And, Zenyatta proved she could beat the boys in the richest race in North America in 2009 – The Breeder’s Cup Classic.
Zenyatta remains perfect with a 19-0 racing record as she heads into her last start. She has amassed thirteen Grade I victories. And, she has surpassed the 18-0 undefeated record of Eclipse, the namesake to the Horse of the Year award.
I wholeheartedly believe Zenyatta deserves the “Horse of the Year” award whether or not she wins the Breeder’s Cup Classic. And, if they invent a “Horse of a Lifetime” award, my vote goes to Zenyatta as well.
In celebration of her career as she heads into the Breeder’s Cup Classic, I am posting a video montage of Zenyatta’s previous Breeder’s Cup victories, along with footage of her dance routines and photos. Click here to view the Zenyatta tribute for the Breeder’s Cup.
I hope you enjoy the Zenyatta show.
I believe it is the greatest show on earth.
Thank you for the show, Zenyatta.
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Saying “Uncle!” used to mean you had given up in a contest.
Remember that one? “Uncle!” is a word that has resolved countless childhood conflicts throughout the ages.
Once you recognized your opponent had you licked at arm wrestling or a thumb war, “Uncle!” was the magic word that conceded the match. And, upon uttering the word, it was time to walk away in humiliation and heal your wounded ego in private.
That used to be what saying “Uncle!” meant between two-year-olds in contests.
And then, Uncle Mo showed up and changed the game for two-year-old racehorses.
Say “Uncle!” if you’re winning well beyond daylight.
Say “Uncle!” if you’re breaking your maiden by 14 ½ lengths in your first lifetime start.
Say “Uncle!” if you just won a Grade I race on your second outing at a track.
In his two career starts, Uncle Mo has proven that screaming “Uncle!” isn’t what it used to be back in the day.
It’s all about winning now.
Uncle Mo, owned by Mike Repole, may be the best two-year-old pointing toward the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile on November 6, 2010. In six years of owning horses, Repole was 0-26 in graded outings. And then, Uncle Mo showed up.
On August 28, 2010, Uncle Mo delivered a stunning 14 ½ length maiden victory at Saratoga in his first lifetime start. It wasn’t your ordinary maiden. Uncle Mo led the field through the entire race and earned a 102 Beyer figure in that outing. He is currently tied with Boys at Toscanova for the best figure of the year by a juvenile from his maiden start. (Click photo to see video footage of the race)
After his maiden victory, Uncle Mo jumped directly into Grade I territory. He entered the Champagne Stakes as his second career start and delivered an authoritative 4 ¾ victory. In that race, Uncle Mo also gave Repole his first Grade I win as an owner.
And, Uncle Mo won the Champagne Stakes with pure style. His finishing time was 1:36.51 in the Champagne – only a fifth of a second away from the stakes record set by Devil’s Bag in 1983. Uncle Mo beat Secretariat and matched Seattle Slew in his finishing time at the outing. (Click photo to see video footage of Champagne Stakes)
So now, Uncle Mo heads to the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile to attempt a three-peat of victories.
I’m screaming “Uncle!”
And, I’m marveling at Uncle Mo.
It’s all about winning now.
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In less than a year, Blind Luck transformed her career from being an unraced $10,000 filly at auction to become the 2010 Kentucky Oaks winner.
On June 21, 2009, Blind Luck made her racing debut in a $40,000 maiden claiming race at Calder Race Course. After she blazed to a 13¼ length victory, Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer privately purchased Blind Luck. She soon began racing in graded outings.
In her next eight starts, Blind Luck captured five wins – three of which were Grade 1 victories.
In April of 2010, Blind Luck was shipped from California to Kentucky to challenge a field of rivals in the Kentucky Oaks. In her riveting last-to-first fashion, Blind Luck bulleted in the final stretch to clinch a victory by a nose in one of the most highly-regarded filly races in the United States.
Since the Oaks, Blind Luck has won two of her last four starts and finished second in the remaining outings.
Throughout her career, Blind Luck has raced throughout the United States, hit the board in every outing, and has proven her ability on both synthetic and dirt surfaces.
As she points toward her next start in the Breeder’s Cup Ladies Classic at Churchill Downs, Daniel Ward answered our questions about Blind Luck. Ward is an Assistant Trainer for Hollendorfer and heads the Southern California Division.
JW: Blind Luck has amassed five Grade I victories, including the Kentucky Oaks in 2010. How did you feel about Blind Luck’s potential when she first joined the Hollendorfer stable?
DW: She was a good-looking filly - very tall with long legs. When we were just working her, we could tell that she was a nice filly. But, until the first time that she ran, we didn’t know.
The first time she raced for us she had a lot of trouble, but she circled the field and won pretty easily. So, we were very excited about that.
Then, we took a big step up from that starter allowance race and she ran the Grade 1 Debutante. When she ran second, we knew we had a good filly.
JW: Blind Luck has been shipped all around the country and has run on both dirt and synthetic surfaces. In your opinion, does she prefer any particular surface or track?
DW: She has won at eight different tracks. She has three Grade I victories on synthetic and two on dirt. So, I really don’t think she has a preference since she has run well on every track. I believe if she gets a chance someday, she would run well on grass - just because of her running style.
JW: Blind Luck appears to enjoy running from behind-to-first in the final seconds during her races. Do you think she knows where the wire is in any given field?
DW: I think she races the same way she acts and trains in the morning. She runs like that in the morning.
In a morning workout, it is a really big advantage when you have a horse like her because you don’t have to worry about her being too strong galloping or working too fast. She can go very slow if you want, and then, she just picks it up on her own or on the turn. We try to teach a lot of horses how to do that and she’s always been able to do that.
She doesn’t have any off-days in workouts.
It just seems like she knows what she’s doing.
JW: Do you get nervous in the final seconds of her races because of her style of running?
DW: Yes. Nobody can really say that they don’t, but it’s very exciting.
A lot of the time when I’m watching her race, I really think that when she moves around the turn and she’s running at a target, she’s going to get there. But sometimes, when she gets there, she waits on the other horse. So, that makes it closer than it should be in the end.
JW: How did you feel when Blind Luck won the Kentucky Oaks?
DW: It is very hard to start a year and pick a goal for any horse. It was satisfying just to get to the race.
When she won the race that we were pointing for all year, it was a very big accomplishment.
JW: You have regular contact with Blind Luck. What is her personality like at the stable?
DW: She is very smart. She likes to go out early. She gets very anxious when she sees other horses go out to the track. She likes to be the first one out.
She usually works at 8 o’clock. She is so smart that if she doesn’t go out early, she relaxes with the thought that she’s not going to work out that day.
I can do anything I want with her, without them tying her up or putting a halter on her, because I have a bag of carrots with me when I check all the horses in the morning. She knows me. But, when she sees my foreman coming around to give her vitamins, she won’t let anyone catch her. Especially the vet. She is just that smart.
She also like peppermints and sugar cubes. She is a little spoiled. Spoiled, but friendly.
She is a very nice horse to be around and doesn’t give anybody any trouble.
She doesn’t like to stand still, but if you catch her, she’s very relaxed.
JW: Does Blind Luck have any unique or fun personality traits?
DW: She really makes a mess out of her stall because she likes to make big mountains of straw. I look in there sometimes and say, ‘What are you doing?’ But, if she wants to do that, it’s fine. It’s a mess, but overall, it’s nothing really.
She also loves to travel. If she hears the van, she’ll prick her ears up and get excited. And, when you walk her up to the van, she’ll drag you into the van. You better be ready.
JW: What makes Blind Luck so special to you?
DW: It’s her competitiveness. I’ve heard stories that when she was growing up at the farm, she was always the one that pushed all the other horses away to get to the feed.
She is very competitive when she gallops. When she sees other horses, she wants to go after them. And, when she’s working, she’ll see a horse way out front and try to catch the horse.
It’s something you just can’t teach them, they just have it.
She has a lot of desire to win.
JW: What led to the decision to point Blind Luck to the Breeder’s Cup Ladies Classic?
DW: She already has had a good race at Churchill Downs, so the Ladies Classic was an easy race to point toward. She’s already won at that track and at that distance. It has been the goal all year, especially since she proved that she liked Churchill Downs.
JW: Do you intend to run Blind Luck as a Four-Year-Old?
DW: Yes. She will get a break. But, there are a lot of races for older females all over the country and she has already won on most of those tracks. We could try the Apple Blossom since she has won at Oaklawn. We could also run in the Delaware Handicap since she’s already won the Oaks at Delaware Park. And, we could also run her at Churchill since she has already won there. She doesn’t mind shipping for races.
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