THE SATURDAY POST

I have a word in my arsenal that can start conversations about horse racing with people who have never bet a nickel on the nose of a horse.

It’s a great word.

“Zenyatta.”

For those of you who struggle to define the allure of horse racing to non-enthusiasts, Zenyatta is a fun character to parade around in discussions at cocktail parties.

Why? Zenyatta appeals to pop culture and makes horse racing relatable to non-enthusiasts.

In a perfect world, I would live in a place where all my friends followed horse racing.

My social calendar would be full of trackside parties in which guests wore their handicapping picks as an icebreaker on their nametag.

However, I am young and live in Chicago.

And, until Zenyatta, any mention of horse racing to people in my age group led to blank stares and a quick change in topic.

Then, Zenyatta showed up and did something brand new for the modern era of racing.

Instead of trying to lure non-enthusiasts to the race track, Zenyatta stomped out into mainstream culture and joined the party.

I have to admit - she’s a sharp girl at marketing.

Zenyatta joined Facebook and made some new friends.

This was no small adventure.

According to Facebook, the average user has 130 friends.

In contrast, Zenyatta has amassed roughly 15,500 friends on her fan page.

As for her friends, Zenyatta started hanging out with people in the younger crowd. The highest age demographic on Facebook currently falls between ages 18 through 44.

Regarding her connections, they embraced Zenyatta’s new friends and lifestyle.

Her trainer, John Shirreffs, started a YouTube channel so that her fans could watch Zenyatta’s activities from their home computer.

On YouTube, Zenyatta’s friends can experience a workout between Zenyatta and her stable mate, Green Cat.

Since the video was posted by Shirreffs, over 83,000 fans have taken a virtual ride on the back of Zenyatta.

In another YouTube video, Shirreffs gives Zenyatta a Guinness beer while she is relaxing after a workout.

The clip of Zenyatta drinking a Guinness, initially posted by Shirreffs, generated nearly 4,700 views.

Apparently, many of Zenyatta’s friends enjoy meeting up with her for a drink.

However, Zenyatta is perhaps best-known for her dancing – which is catalogued in many videos across YouTube.

In the pre-race television broadcast of the 2009 Breeder’s Cup, an entire segment was devoted to Zenyatta’s dance moves. The network coverage of her dancing has since been viewed on YouTube by nearly 50,000 fans.

However, dancing appears to come easily to Zenyatta with the musical background provided by her ownership – Jerry Moss, co-founder of A & M Records.

Her name itself speaks volumes in this regard.

Zenyatta is named after the album, “Zenyatta Mondatta,” in recognition of Moss signing the band The Police to A & M Records.

But, Zenyatta doesn’t stop on the dance floor.

She has learned to paint pictures for auction to help fund Thoroughbred rescue efforts.

And, Zenyatta recently started marketing for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Near her home base of Hollywood Park, a billboard stands at the corner of 106^th and Hawthorne Avenue.

The billboard features Zenyatta’s familiar mug shot, with the caption, “This Is My Town,” as a marketing promotion for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Take a minute and think about the victory embodied in that billboard.

A race horse is doing the marketing for baseball - one of the most popular sports in the United States.

Yet, Zenyatta’s crossover endeavors have not detracted from her racing talent.

As Zenyatta approaches the Vanity Handicap, she sets out to become the only race horse to remain undefeated in seventeen unrestricted top-level races in North America.

If she wins, she’ll make racing history for the third time in her career – having already captured two Breeder’s Cup records.

However, win or lose, Zenyatta has set a model for the industry to attract newcomers to the sport.

It’s simple: Zenyatta didn’t ask non-enthusiasts of racing to come to the track for a visit.

Instead, she waltzed in the world of pop culture and drew public attention to her sport.

Zenyatta embraced the Facebook trend, danced across the television screen, painted pictures for charity and offered a virtual “racehorse ride” on YouTube.

When she finished marketing her profession, she went back to her stable, drank a Guinness Beer and waited for her next start in the Apple Blossom.

And, in the end, people came to visit Zenyatta at the race track.

The hotels in Hot Springs, Arkansas were booked solid.

Fans stood outside the airport as she exited the plane.

They showed up in droves.

Official attendance for the 2010 Apple Blossom was recorded at 44,973 people – more than double the 21,782 guests that attended the race in 2009.

And, among the fan fare, Zenyatta continues her racing campaign.

As she prepares for her next start at Hollywood Park, people are again heading to the track to see if one single horse can maintain her undefeated record.

It’s all because of one word.

It’s a great word.

“Zenyatta.”

Trainer John Shirreffs has established himself in the racing world as the man who can deliver some of the most magical moments in the sport. From beating some of the toughest odds at the Kentucky Derby to racing Zenyatta into the history books, he has drawn his own path down the winning stretch.

Five years ago, Shirreffs arrived at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby with a gray colt who entered the gates with odds of 50 to 1. Roughly two minutes later, that gray colt smashed those odds as he won the race by half a length to the surprise of the nation. At the time, Shirreffs’ colt, Giacomo, had delivered the second biggest upset in the history of the Kentucky Derby.

After the race, Shirreffs’ win at the Kentucky Derby with Giacomo could have been dismissed as mere luck by critics in the sport. However, luck is a fleeting thing. A few years later, Shirreffs would prove in a big way that his training talent falls far beyond luck as he crossed into the realm of magic with his superstar mare, Zenyatta.

On November 7, 2009, Zenyatta stepped into the gates as the lone female in the Breeder’s Cup Classic. She was not only challenging the gender divide in racing, but also history. The Breeder’s Cup had never been won by a female horse.

As she stood alongside 2009 Kentucky Derby Winner, Mine that Bird, and 2009 Belmont Stakes Winner, Summer Bird, she set her sights toward the finish line. In the span of two minutes, she delivered one of the greatest racing moments in the sport. Zenyatta cut down all of her male rivals and stomped into the pages of the history books through her victory in the Breeder’s Cup Classic.

Following the Classic, the debate ensued as to whether Zenyatta should be crowned “Horse of the Year.” Despite Rachel Alexandra winning the debate in the ballot box, Zenyatta has remained undefeated on the track.

With fifteen career starts, Zenyatta enters the Apple Blossom this Friday to defend her perfect winning record. In the days leading up to the race, I sought to obtain an interview with John Shirreffs about the magic of Zenyatta. I was told by friends that it would be impossible since the Apple Blossom was this Friday.

Yesterday, Shirreffs delivered the impossible again by graciously providing me with an interview. I extend my deepest thanks to him.

JW: Prior to Zenyatta’s victory in the 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic, no female horse in history had ever won the race. Facing such odds, what led to the decision to run her in the Classic?

SHIRREFFS: [The decision was based on] giving her an opportunity to show everyone how great and historical she is.

JW: Zenyatta’s history-making win in the Breeder’s Cup Classic earned the 2009 Eclipse Award for “Moment of the Year.” How did you feel at the moment Zenyatta won the Breeder’s Cup Classic?

SHIRREFFS: I felt proud to be her trainer and blessed to be her caretaker.

JW: In fifteen career starts, Zenyatta has maintained an undefeated record. Going into the Apple Blossom this Friday, do you get nervous about maintaining her winning streak?

SHIRREFFS: Racing is about controlling nerves, believing in your horse and accepting the results.

JW: The “Horse of the Year” debate between Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra captivated the public and the media. How did you feel about a “match race” between these two horses and do you regret that they did not get a chance to race each other in the Apple Blossom?

SHIRREFFS: Everyone was looking forward to the Apple Blossom race. It would have been exciting. A scheduled race where the attention is spread between several horses is a more relaxed atmosphere, and, for me, better.

JW: Zenyatta already has made history with her victory in the Breeder’s Cup Classic and stands in rare company with her undefeated record in fifteen starts. In the simplest terms, what else do you think Zenyatta can accomplish as a race horse that she has not already proven in her racing career?

SHIRREFFS: We wanted to share her with as many of her fans as possible. [Through continuing to race,] maybe someone who couldn’t get to Santa Anita would have a chance to see her.

JW: As a trainer, you have accomplished some unique milestones. Going back to your 2005 Kentucky Derby win as the trainer of Giacomo, what did you see in Giacomo that led you to believe he could win the Kentucky Derby?

SHIRREFFS: Giacomo had a great mind, a very smooth stride and never ever quit no matter what. And then, there was all that talent.

JW: How did it feel for you when Giacomo won the Kentucky Derby?

SHIRREFFS: [I felt like I was] on a magic carpet - flowing among 100,000 spectators who looked excited - but I couldn’t hear anything.

JW: As an accomplished trainer, what do you believe are some important principles to follow when training a race horse?

SHIRREFFS: [Put the] horse first.

JW: Throughout your experience in training Zenyatta, has she demonstrated any unique traits or capabilities? If so, what makes her different?

SHIRREFFS: She [has] never stopped developing. In the morning, she is waiting for more.

JW: What is the general temperament of Zenyatta?

SHIRREFFS: She is a sweet lady. It is hard to describe. Today, a young girl - about age eleven - was petting Zenyatta. Zenyatta turned around the other way. The girl didn’t back [up], but just kept her hand on Zenny and pet her. Can you imagine how most fit, sharp racehorses would react? I really wasn’t worried. Zenyatta is that kind.

JW: What are some of Zenyatta’s favorite things?

SHIRREFFS: Carrots, of course! And, [she likes] having her neck scratched.

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With the $5 Million Apple Blossom showdown between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta scheduled for April 9, Jess Jackson, co-owner of Rachel Alexandra, has begun an interesting media poker game in the past few days.

In a recent New York Times Article, Jackson appeared to be gearing up for an excuse to back his horse out of the Apple Blossom. Jackson stated that he gauged her fitness at “about 85 percent” of where she should be now. He then elaborated, “We are targeting the Apple Blossom. We are stretching to get there. But if we’re not in top shape, we’re not going.”

It seemed like a pretty basic statement. The industry and fans would not want to jeopardize the health of Rachel Alexandra for any race. In all honesty, I wondered why he even emphasized it at all since it was fairly obvious.

Then, I read a recent post by NTRA Blogger Bob Ehalt and began to rethink the New York Times interview. In his blog, Ehalt saw what I missed – two possible bluffs by Jackson in the ongoing “poker race” between these camps. Ehalt wrote:

If you also read the words of Rachel Alexandra’s co-owner Jess Jackson in the New York Times last week, you have to wonder if the Apple Blossom might wind up a walkover.

Jackson certainly did not sound like someone who is eagerly awaiting the race. He continually stressed in the article that he would not run his filly unless she is 100 percent fit, which is hardly the year’s biggest scoop.

Yes, Jess, we know. Guys who own claimers do not run their horses when they have problems, so it’s a given that a horse as beloved and valuable Rachel Alexandra will not be risked. So why remind of us that. Why not follow the lead of Zenyatta’s owners Jerry and Ann Moss and just say you’re on course for the Apple Blossom and you hope to make it. If you can’t, let us know. Otherwise we’ll see you in Hot Springs on April 9. Don’t keep reminding us of what we know already. It’s sort like pointing out that we all have to pay taxes and die.

One of the possible explanations for comments like that from Jackson is that he is looking for an excuse.

In my mind, Ehalt called the first bluff. No one wants to risk an injury to this beautiful horse. If Rachel is not physically sound at the time of the Apple Blossom, she can decline to race at that point.

Then, I began to wonder. If Rachel is admittedly only at “85 percent” of where she should be now, why is Jackson racing her this weekend in the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies Stakes? It seems like a great risk to take a highly-prized horse to a relatively minor career race when she is only performing at “85 percent.”

It may be that Rachel Alexandra isn’t fit for a Grade 1 race at this point in the season and Zenyatta is still performing as a Grade 1 horse. It may be as simple as that. Or maybe not.

Where Ehalt’s article calls the heart of the bluff is Jackson’s newest comments about a three-race series between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. In the New York Times, Jackson plainly states, “If they beat us in one race, they might just disappear and retire her undeafeated… If they commit to the best of the three, it would be great for the sport and a better way to judge both of these great horses.”

Ehalt sees Jackson tip his hand in the Poker game. “How do we rationalize Jackson’s newest comments about a three-race series? Everyone would love to see these magnificent horses race three times. Yet Jackson says his desire for a three-race series is just in case Zenyatta wins the Apple Blossom and her connections retire her. He wants another crack at her.”

And, Ehalt calls the bluff. “Why bring that up as a concern? It certainly wasn’t the type of comment one expects from an owner who believes his horse is as good as Ruffian.”

He’s right. Why is this a concern? This is a test of who wins when pegged against the other champion. It is not a “two-horse triple crown” series.

Neither horse should race if they aren’t sound. The welfare of these two amazing horses preempts any other concern or interest. This is not a subject of debate.

If both horses are sound on April 9, there should be one single race. Rachel Alexandra won a single title – Horse of the Year. Zenyatta waged a serious challenge to Rachel Alexandra’s nomination for the title in one single win – The Breeder’s Cup Classic. Neither horse had three tries to match the crowning accomplishment of their rival.

If Rachel Alexandra loses the race, and Zenyatta retires, both horses remain champions. It’s time to stop playing poker with race cards. It’s time for the match.