A Zenyatta Sighting

Just when I was starting to wonder if they had a camera over at Lane's End Farm, I have found out that there are three short videos that have popped up on Zenyatta's Official Facebook page. You can see her in her new stall, and as she takes a short walk outside the barn. It does not show that she has been actually turned out yet. Perhaps if the weather in Lexington warms up a bit, the Big Girl will start getting a little turnout. The Facebook page is here. Then click "video."

Thank You Zenyatta, for the Ultimate Ride

One chapter in the legendary life of the Queen of Racing is coming to an end tomorrow, as Zenyatta boards a plane for Lexington Kentucky. It’s where she was born, and undoubtedly where she will reside as a broodmare for the rest of her long life.


Turning 7 next month, ( but really not till April 1st), the Big Mare has taken her family, friends and fans on the most awe-inspiring , drama filled, extraordinary ride. For me, it started as I watched her very first race, Thanksgiving 2007. Her breeding caught my eye and when I saw her presence in the paddock, I was even more interested. When she broke from the gate, I immediately thought, “hmm…no speed, well she needs to go long, anyway”, but by the ½ mile pole, I started to see her stride grow longer and stronger, her momentum building, and I thought,” this could turn out better than I thought". At the top of the stretch and in the middle of the racetrack, her big ears flopping, the big filly cruised effortlessly towards the wire, passing all her opponents like it was a walk in the park. I immediately put her in my Virtual Stable, though I knew the cat was out of the bag, for whoever saw this performance would not soon forget it. My ride with Zenyatta had begun.

Then I started to ask myself…Who IS this horse “Zenyatta?" Where has she been all year? How good could she be? When will she run back? All the things that go through your mind when you think you’ve found the next “big horse”. One of the things that is so exciting about the horse business is the anticipation of finding “A Saturday Afternoon Horse.” It’s the hope, the dreams, the optimism that fills you up when you breed one, buy one, claim one, race one, or even bet on one. That day in November 2007, I knew I witnessed something very special. Did I know she was a star in the making? Yes, but I did not know the magnitude of how illuminating that star would be.

And the rest, as they say, is history.What Zenyatta has done for racing is immeasurable. The Zenyatta phenomenon, the excitement and positive energy that has surrounded her has been astonishing. She is a legend and we will never see anything like her again. You can absolutely bet on that.

So this is my heartfelt thanks to her owners, her trainer, her riders, her groom, her hotwalkers and all of her family of caretakers and friends who have allowed us to share this phenomenal journey with the great Zenyatta.

But most of all Thank You, Zenyatta, for taking us on the ultimate ride. It’s been a blessing and a privilege and one we will never, ever forget.

Stars of 2011?

Who can resist a whole card full of two year old races? It’s a tradition at this time of year, at the end of the Churchill fall meet. While it’s not for everyone, I love it. Not only can you catch some longshots you might see some future stars. There were several eye catching performances on Saturday that are definitely worth watching for the future.

One of the colts I was anxious to see Saturday was Brethren, the half to the Derby winner, Super Saver. A big, good looking colt by Distorted Humor, he has a lot more size to him than his brother did at this time last year. Coming off his maiden score at Belmont he stretched out nicely to the mile distance, while being wide most of the way. Looks like there’s some definite talent there.

In the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club, three colts dueled to the wire. The winner, Santiva, (Giant’s Causeway) prevailed while being in tight, sandwiched between the other two, and showed a dimension of gameness that you don’t see too often. Already stakes placed on synthetic and now a stakes winner on dirt, this could be a very versatile and useful colt.

Tapizar broke his maiden in the last race of the day in his 4th career start. The son of Tapit romped by 10. Not sure what was behind him, but he got the job done and looked good doing it. His time for the mile and 1/16th was faster than the Ky. Jockey Club, a half hour earlier. He was the second Tapit to win on the card, the other was Winchill.

Kathmanblue, the (Bluegrass Cat) filly that won the Grade II Golden Rod, proved she can run on anything. Having just finished 3rd in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies on turf with a troubled trip, she was wheeled back on 3 weeks rest. Switched back to dirt, she ran away and hid from the rest of the field and in a time faster than the colt’s race. How would you like to have her in the barn?

Another horse that bears watching for next time is First and Ten ( Forestry), another WinStar horse trained by farm trainer Richard Budge. The colt did nothing wrong, and just looked like he needed the race. Look for him to graduate soon.

You never know when you will find A Saturday Afternoon Horse, but there were definitely a few on display at Churchill over the weekend.

The Double DQ and Saturday Stakes Action

Don’t mess with Dan !
The Clark Handicap at Churchill yesterday was one of the most roughly run Grade One’s I have seen in sometime. Successful Dan was rank throughout, but still had something left to hold off Giant Oak. Unfortunately, he was DQ’d from first to third because of his bearing out and slamming into Redding Colliery inside the 16th pole.At the same time, Demarcation who was up front, interfered with stable mate Dubious Miss, and was placed last for that infraction. Are you  still with me on all this? It took the stewards at least ten minutes to sort it all out. Congrats to the winner, Giant Oak, who ran a big race,stayed out of trouble and had a dream trip. A Grade One is a Grade One win anyway you can get it and I am happy for the horse and his connections.

But the real story was the out-of-control Successful Dan. Usually when horses are this rank, they never finish up. This horse seemed to be loving all the trouble he gave Leparoux, and didn’t mind intimidating Redding Colliery either. He was just full of himself the whole trip and as trainer Charles Lopresti said after the race “It was a winning race” It sure was. You don’t want to get in a fight with this horse. He is a warrior. We’ll just file this away for next time.

Aqueduct is full of stakes action today. In the Grade I Gazelle, I like No Such Word. Another win machine, she has certainly kept good company this year and is the class of the field. It would also be nice if Cindy Jones finishes up with a nice win here, while handing the reins back over to Larry.

Looking at the Grade I Cigar Mile, I am all about Bribon. He loves to win, and he loves the Big A. I am taking a stand against the 4 horses in here who last raced 3 weeks ago in the Breeder’s Cup, though 3 of them have worked since then.

In the Grade II Remson, I am going to take a long look at Bandbox. I know, I know, To Honor and Serve is the “now” horse, and I will go back and take a look at the replay. But it was a 5 horse field. And he will be odds on. I like Ramon on Bandbox, I like that he has already won on two surfaces, and I like the bullet at Laurel. He may be outclassed, but I may take a shot. Another horse in here that’s interesting is Mountain Town, who ran a big one to Uncle Mo, who will be this year’s 2 year old champ.

Over at Churchill, in the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club, I like Cane Garden Bay. He will appreciate the added distance. Of course if To Honor and Serve blows away the field earlier in the day in NewYork, then I will be forced to re-evaluate just how good Astrology is.

Enjoy the good racing this weekend and good luck if you are playing in the NTRA/West Point Handicapping Contest.

A BIG Thank You

The big day is almost here. My stuffing is ready, and it’s the best! Give me stuffing and cranberry sauce, and I'm happy.Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I am grateful for so many things, and that list gets longer all the time.

One guy who seems to have his “gratitude attitude” working just fine is horse owner Mike Repole. After reading this enlightening interview at the Paulick Report, you can’t help but root for him and his horses. If you didn’t know much about him, you will after reading this piece. In it, he reveals his enthusiasm and passion for horse racing, his competitive nature, his solid family values and a gratefulness for friends and associates. If you were a “class” handicapper, let’s just say, you would be taking a long look at him. Here’s a horse owner with a conscience. Though a professed “winaholic”, and very competitive, what is very apparent, is his serious concern about what happens to horses when their careers are over. After winning the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile with Uncle Mo, he made a very generous donation to several equine retirement groups. He’s doing his part.

A big Thank You to ALL the Mike Repoles out there, for not forgetting about our retired friends.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Jackpot Day

I found myself in a little jackpot yesterday about something I said, so the only sensible thing to do is to move on to another jackpot.

Today is Delta Jackpot Day! Here’s a little track I have never been to, but someday would like to get to. It is six furlong oval with two chutes, one for QH racing and one for TB racing with a stretch of 660 feet. Don’t really follow it enough to know how it plays, but my guess is the turns are tight and good speed prevails more often than not.

The Delta Jackpot has a million dollar purse, and for anyone that has a 2 year old that wasn’t good enough or maybe wasn’t ready for the BC Juvenile, this is the spot. A win here is the best way to secure a spot in next year’s Derby. The earnings will assure it. A field of 10 will go postward, and I believe it is the first time that the race has been held during the day, and not under lights. I could be wrong about that, but at least there's no snow, like last year.

I like the fact that Kelly Breen has had Sweet Ducky there getting accustomed to the surface, and has a nice bullet move over the track. He is also a horse that has won going two turns . He seems to have had issues at the start, perhaps being mostly down inside so I think he make appreciate breaking from the outside.

Blue Laser will probably be favored in here, as he has just come off a win in a Grade III at Woodbine. He is untested on dirt though, but looks to be the class of the field. Interestingly, Rockin Heat, second to Blue Laser in both of his last starts, is running today at Woodbine in a MSW ( dropping from Stakes Company) He is 9/5 in the 5th race. Not sure why he has not broken through yet. But he has been on my watch list, and I think today will be his day.

Schooling Travis Stone

I almost signed up on Facebook today, just to comment on Travis Stone’s blog. I said ”almost”. I don’t really have a need for Facebook, so my comments will appear in this format.

Mr. Stone,
It is astounding to me that you describe Zenyatta’s finish in the Classic, as “she ran her race, but she came up short." Yes, in one sense, saying she came up short is a nice way to say that she lost the race. And maybe that's what you meant.
However, it’s interesting , that as a race-caller, you think this. Because in true racing terms, coming up short has always meant that a horse did not have the fitness, the conditioning, the “bottom, or the “air” to persevere to the finish line.
Zenyatta most definitely finished up strong, with her sustained and powerful long strides - one long stride to Blame’s two; she was getting to Blame - she just ran out of racetrack.
Blame was courageous to hang on, but Mr. Stone, I know as a racecaller you have watched a lot of races, but you need to go back and take another look. Zenyatta was NOT a short horse.

Ok, so in a fantasy world, let’s pretend both horses were running back in a few weeks, under the same conditions and you were handicapping the race. Who actually finished up stronger ? From watching the Classic, who do you think would have "more in the tank"? I know who my money would be on.

Blame prevailed by inches; Zenyatta needed  those few inches to grasp victory.  The race is over. Blame got there first. It's one race .It's inches.
And because everyone's perception of reality differs, the debate will rage on.