After tearful goodbyes and long last gazes, racing has bid its’ final farewell to one great mare. Zenyatta touched the very soul of her fans in a way that few believe they have seen in their lifetime.
And, for those who love Zenyatta, they may wish that she could have raced forever if such a dream were possible in reality. I certainly wish it was.
So, should we just close our racing programs now and stand outside her stall?
Not in my view.
You see, this isn’t the first saddening goodbye ever spoken or written about in the world. And, when I think of one of the most beautiful farewells in literature, The Grapes of Wrath comes to mind in the moment where Tom Joad has to leave his mother. In the famous passage, he conquers the finality of a farewell.
It is the moment where he marvels at the idea that human beings may not simply hold one solitary soul, but rather, they are all part of a larger soul that includes everyone. He realizes that if this is true, there really is no finality in a farewell. She would see him again. Although it may not be in the flesh, his “ghost” would appear in nearly every human act that embodied a part of his spirit.
I view racing in the same way.
The soul of racing isn’t defined in one single horse, although it may seem like it when you are in the presence of a great one. In my mind, every horse is part of the soul of this sport. The ones that get beaten in a race are as necessary as the ones that deliver the dream. There is no victory without a defeat.
And, if every racehorse embodies the soul of the sport, you’ll see a flash of Zenyatta in plenty of races in the future. There is no finality in her farewell.
You can see a flash of Zenyatta in Awesome Feather, an undefeated two-year-old filly with six career starts, including a win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
And, the spirit of Zenyatta appears when you see Turbulent Descent being hand-ridden toward her third victory at Hollywood Park in her perfect two-year-old season.
You can see a glimpse of Zenyatta when two-year-old Cathy’s Crunches wins three consecutive stakes races in a row, including an outing against male horses.
And, you can see Zenyatta in Uncle Mo, who is stirring attention across the racing world as we wonder exactly what dreams he may behold.
Finally, you’ll see Zenyatta in stories throughout the ages. It would be nearly impossible to talk about the Belmont at length without reminiscing about Secretariat’s otherworldly performance. I don’t think you could talk about finding a fairy tale at auction without mentioning Seattle Slew. And similarly, you’ll see the spirit of Zenyatta when the next filly steps into the gates at the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
There is no finality in her farewell so long as fans look to the future of racing. She is part of the soul of this sport. And, a “Flash of Zenyatta” could appear in any race.
In my view, the greatest honor to give Zenyatta is to watch for those fleeting moments. Because, in the heart of those moments, you’re seeing part of her spirit as well.
I can’t wait to see her again, even if it is in the flash of a moment.
And, I’m looking toward the future to find that moment.
Note: As a new year approaches in racing, The Saturday Post will begin a regular segment. The site will feature compilation videos of standout horses that are making their journey on the trail toward the 2011 Kentucky Derby.
I would personally like to invite the friends and readers of The Saturday Post to email me directly with any of your picks for Triple Crown hopefuls that you feel should be featured in the coming months. You can email me at jenniferjwirth@yahoo.com.
I would also like to extend my gratitude to everyone who has read this site, shared a link, provided an interview or posted a comment throughout the year. In a single year of writing this blog, I have met some of the kindest people in the world and had some of the most memorable experiences of my life.
Thank you to everyone. I look forward to hearing from you in 2011! - Jennifer Wirth
About 3 wks ago, there was another post about Zen retiring and the over-all theme of it (and the following comments) was that Zen’s retiring was the closing of a door, the end of an era. To a certain degree, this is true. But I quoted a line from one of my favorite movies:
“It’s not the end, it’s just the beginning…”
Uncle Spur, in The Man From Snowy River
Just as they saw flashes of Man O War yrs after, or Secretariat, we will see flashes of Zenyatta!
This is one of the most poetic and symbolic pieces I’ve ever read!
Thank you, Jennifer, for summing it up so perfectly! You really have a gift for putting it all in perspective!
Thank you Jane for the nice comment. I appreciate it!
Beautiful. Thank you. And thanks for mentioning Turbulent Descent and Awesome Feather!
Alas, we will see flashes of Zenyatta in her foals in years to come- long-legged and dancing and intelligence to spare.
LOng live the Queen!
Yes, the spirit of great horses is evident whenever we see horses that give their all.
I had a very special experience with Awesome Feather when she was in the paddock at Calder Race Course in Miami. She stared right through me and would not stop staring until she went onto run on the track. I had read about the stare of her great grandsire Secretariat and of her uncle, Smarty Jones. It was something else; I felt blessed.
I hope to see her again at Gulfstream.
Incidentally, there is a very special yearling filly, called Cora Mariah, who stares right into the camera, like her great great grandpapa Big Red. She’s a big girl and is built like him too. Her owner is Penny Chenery-the owner of Secretariat.
Thank you for the nice comment, RuffianRuns. I am right there with you on seeing what Turbulent Descent and Awesome Feather do next. They both look amazing.
J. Darling - I love to imagine a new foal that is “long-legged and dancing,” with intelligence. Thanks for the great image. I’ll be looking with you.
Terry Z. - Thank you for sharing your experience with Awesome Feather. I have never seen her in the paddock. It sounds like you had an amazing experience!
(And, thank you for telling me about Cora Mariah. I’m going to look her up!)
I agree, there are many great ones now and to come, but there has NEVER BEEN nor will there probably ever be any as great since the great Secretariat who has had her sweet, one of a kind personality, dance moves and fighting spirit who has moved people to the degree that Zenyatta has in the history of horse racing. She is something special, and I have not seen a horse with this much charisma all in one package ever! So, you cannot compare here with ANY horse. I agree, seeds of her greatness will be found in some, however, I do not believe in all ways Zenyatta. She is one of a kind and always will be in my book. She is special with no horse ever matching her of any caliber.
But…not only is Zenyatta a once in a lifetime horse but her connections are so unusual, too. Never has the public had such access to a horse and that only endears her to us all the more. She has the personality and gentle nature to bond with people and had the skill to be a killer on the track. I think horseracing will greatly miss her and if she isn’t HOY in 2010 I believe many of her newly minted fans will walk away.
Hi Bridget ~ I agree with you. Zenyatta is my once-in-a-lifetime horse. There will never be another horse like Zenyatta.
Hi Sue - I agree with you as well. I think her connections have put in such a wonderful and successful effort to allow fans to have access to Zenyatta. I truly hope that she is HOTY in 2010. She’s my pick.
Thank you both for your comments!!!
I don’t think so. Even if she doesn’t win HOY, she will continue to always be my favorite and I’m sure many others…
I really didn’t realize how many up and coming young exceptional horses there are. I looked up Awesome Feather and the other one, and it looks like he is the one to watch. I hope someday some horse can reach the unbeaten mark, but Zenyatta for now is the best. She got voted the second best female athlete in the world in a recent AP poll from CBSSports.com. I know Goldikova would be there also if they had considered her. Rachel Alexandra got voted #6, not bad!
Hi Bridget - I think Zenyatta is amazing. You are absolutely right. Even if she doesn’t win HOTY, she will continue to be my favorite as well.
I enjoyed your blog and I agree with you but I would like to mention something that I think is too often overlooked in this sport and I feel it hurts the sport immeasureably and prevents us from seeing “flashes of Zenyatta” in other horses and that is the reluctance of owners and trainers to allow the fans to interact with the horses. As great a racehorse as Zenyatta was what truly endears her to the fans is her loving personality and her willingness to interact with people. I realize that not every horse is going to be this accomodating but as a thoroughbred owner myself I know that not all of them are so high stung and flighty that people can’t be around them. The great horse photographer Barbara Livingstone commented on this very thing in one of her blogs about Zenyatta. Even someone in her position often can not approach the racehorses. How can the fans ever develop a true affection for the horses if they can only view them from a distance? The sport needs more trainers like John Shirreffs and more horses like Zenyatta. I think the horses are out there but I am not sure that the owners and trainers are and that is too bad.
Richard ~ I agree wholeheartedly with you. I think the level of interaction that fans recieved with Zenyatta was wonderful. I think her connections provided a beautiful model for the industry. I recognize that all horses wouldn’t be amiable to that type of interaction, but I think that it would be wonderful to see more fan interaction with the horses that would be able to visit with fans. Thanks for your comment! I couldn’t have said it any better than you put it.
Jennifer, just wanted to say that I very much enjoy your writing on the racehorses. Your Secretariat article was a beautiful piece of writing. Too often horse racing “experts” focus so much on the small details of horse racing, the splits, fractions, furlongs, etc. that I think they miss the “forest for the trees”. I am glad that there is a writer out there who sees the bigger picture.
Thank you, Richard. I appreciate the wonderful compliment. It was very nice of you.
I think the Spirit of Zenyatta is more than the flashes we see in other horses who run now or in the future. I think the Mosses are changing the way trainers and owners relate to their fans. Uncle Mo has a fan page, so does the well deserved but not as recognized Pepper’s Pride (she has NEVER been beaten in 21 races). This is extraordinary and not done since Seabiscuit that I can remember. (His train car was opened all along America so fans could see him on his way to his match race with War Admiral. The whole country stopped in ‘38 for to listen to that 2 minute race). It bodes well that owners recognize the value of fans, even for the unsung horses like Gretl. The more horses that are recognized the more fans will enjoy the horse for whatever reason, perfection or not.