You are spot on. It absolutely confirmed her greatness. Even Andy Beyer had to admit it, and believe me, it killed him to acknowledge how great she was. Her stretch run was one of the greatest in history, win or lose. She is the greatest female horse of the last 112 years.
I don’t think there was ever a better dirt route mare in history. This race still hurts. If she could have gotten out of traffic a split second sooner.
@@YogsenForfothadd Go For Wand, Lady's Secret, Ruffian, Personal Ensign, Beholder, Winning Colors, Genuine Risk, Azeri Lucas said he'd wished he'd gotten Terlingua later in his career. He said she was maybe the best filly he'd ever seen. And can't leave out Winx, no horse will ever win 30 consecutive races. Then you have to add Black Caviar. Oh how blessed we've been to see these female superstars.
In my opinion, this is without doubt one of Trevor Denman’s best calls. Knowing the result all these years later, you still get excited listening to the call thinking that maybe just maybe Zenyatta is going to get by Blame even though we know she didn’t. He captured the emotion of the race perfectly.
@@jsl964 The grandstands were shaking during that stretch run, but the disappointment after she lost was really something to behold. I've never seen the like.
Zenyatta is one of best racehorses in history. The 2010 Breeders Cup Classic was a tough race, but she stayed strong and performed magnificently. I take heart in the fact that she must have thought that she won this race, just as she won all those other races. She's a beautiful runner and she has an amazing kick.
@@racing747 True, but she didn't like the dirt in her face either. CD was Blame's favorite track, he'd already won there more than once. I think John should have had her on dirt more than he did. But, she still was amazing. My husband and I were at the 2010 race. You should have heard that crowd at the end.... The paddock was a mad house. Crazy. She was a rock star, for sure.
@@tonygunk2226 To be honest all countries have different tracks. Especially American dirt tracks it has been hard to break in if you are a foreign horse. Same with Japanese turf race tracks in current years. Even in European tracks the home country horses tend to have the advantage.
@SNK Drone How exciting was the 73 Belmont? Halfway through that race, people were already lining up to use the bathroom. It was over after a minute of racing. The winner turned out to have an unusually large heart, which made him run faster than everyone else. That was a yawner, excuse me. This Breeder's Cup was far more heart-stopping. A six and a half year old lady horse getting left behind early by all the younger champion stallions, only to catch them all except one whose owner was praying that she won't pass his horse at the wire.
@@SyracuseStunner I just don't usually watch this for that very reason! Thanks Jerry Moss for racing another year putting her perfect record at risk! Just a heartbreaking loss, definitely her best race...
I was fortunate enough to be at Churchill Downs for this race, sitting in a lower box seat just past the finish line. I watched Zenyatta dance by in front of me before the race as she was led from the barn to the paddock by the groom and trainer John Shirreffs. The whole experience was magical... right up to the finish. The reaction by the crowd is unforgettable. Some people began sobbing, others seemed not sure if Zenyatta had lost, yet what I recall most was the near silence. A crowd that moments earlier had been roaring was suddenly close to silent, much like a wake or funeral, saddened and stunned all at once. I looked up to the crowd on the balcony and there were many people being consoled with faces buried in suits. It was more than losing money or a horse race, a dream had been lost.
YES! The crowd was roaring, and then the noise just died. It was the craziest thing to watch everyone's faces fall, and the palpable disappointment rise. We drove from Florida to see the race, my first time actually watching a major race in person. Z lost, but tried her heart out. Then we had a flat tire on the drive home and couldn't get the flat off. AAA came the next morning, replaced the tire, and then my ex-husband totaled the car a few more hours down the road. 🤦♀️ I think I was bad luck for Zenyatta that day, sorry everyone! 😅
I was at this race; I'm just your typical 25 y/o guy. When she broke free of the pack and made that run down the stretch I completely lost control of myself; I was screaming like a lunatic, trying to will her on to victory. Zenyatta's greatness is inarguable. When it came time to perform, she answered the call in every single one of her races, with this one being her swan song. In my mind she never lost. I love Zenyatta. She may be just a horse but I'll never see anything like her again.
what? Dont know much about horses? I would say it just was a big mistake by the jockey, getting second with the best horse, this was his fault as he admitted later
good god, she was SO stuck in traffic. Any other odds, she would have taken this easily and she clearly had the heart to do it. Long live Queen Z. So grateful to her for letting me witness how great she is
Zenyatta was a monster. This race, despite it being a loss, was testament to her ability. They said she couldn't do it but even coming in second, she did. She showed doubters what true greatness is and had she not run into traffic and had she had the race been a few yards longer she would have won it. One of the most impressive stretch runs I've ever seen in all my years following this sport. Magnificence.
+saveus228 Not having that Sir! Zenyatta was 0.8 lengths down fifty yards out and 0.1 down at the line in receipt of five pounds from winner. She was 1.5 lengths up on the third , Fly Down, 300 yards out and beat him/her 3.4 lengths! She did nothing spectacular, was drawn ok and couldn`t win. She is overrated! Check out Dayjur or Arazi if you want to see BC heaven! Mysteriously both given the impossible draw but still spanked the yankee bum!
+saveus228 Saveus228 my deluded friend ! Zenyatta ran against a poor lot by historical standards and in seventeen races, she had seven or less rivals! On five occasions, she won by 1/2 length or less and in her final race she was beaten by a smaller horse who was giving her five pounds. Check out Dayjur and Arazi my friend but note that both had impossible draws at BC. What astonishing things did Switch(beaten 1/2),Rinterval(beaten neck) or St Trinians(beaten 1/2length)Anabaa`s Creation(beaten head)or Tough Tiz`s Sister(beaten 1/2 length) do on the racetrack?Do you really think that she would have beaten Barbaro or American Pharoah??
+postcardterry Its interesting that you left out all the horses she beat in both BC Classics to make your point..How come you left out all the G1 winners and Kentucky Derby winners she beat in both races? I think she was a great horse, but the greatest? Who knows? She caught the horses that were put in front of her.. Also if you want historical standards check to see if there has EVER, in horses racing HISTORY , been a horse that won 19 straight races in a row coming from dead last, every time, at ANY level, in any country that has held a horse race.... You can go back as long as you want and you won't find one.. Regardless if you think she is overrated or not you have to give her credit for doing something no horse has ever done before anywhere in the world, in the history of the sport, and if you really like horse racing you have to appreciate that..
I was fortunate enough to be standing on the first turn and have never seen a horse that indulged or placated to the crowd as she did. She cemented herself as my favorite horse of all time that day.
@@Sincerejnn No, she wouldn't have. Zenyatta was no doubt a great horse, but her problem was, dropping so far back all the time. In synthetic races, which are run more like turf races, you can get away with that because the leaders are never that far away. Dirt races tend to have faster paces and favor horses with tactical speed, which Zenyatta didn't have. Smith didn't do anything wrong in that Classic, IMO. She just didn't pick it up until late. But that is the way she ran all her races.
Just remember, Zenyatta was 6.5 years old female horse, twice the age of the other male horses. 20 lengths behind and passes everyone and lost by a nose. That is truly incredible, she is by far, the greatest horse that has ever lived, no horse has done ran from behind and wins like Zenyatta.
@@incrediblesulk555 Secretariat was great but lost several races. Zenyatta could be best filly ever. Of course, Zenyatta cannot beat Secretariat head to head at their primes but remember there is that gender difference. There's a reason fillies with stallions don't usually run together.
@@exfoliosthey run fillies with the boys more often overseas. I think economically it just makes sense to keep them in the filly division. I love to see the fillies take on the boys!
Let me add that Zenyatta and her connections did the sport proud! I thought I would not ever see a horse that capture a audience again like the great Cigar did in the 90's. I do love this sport of kings and wish our younger crowd would understand that there is more to this sport then a wager. This one of the few sports you can feel like you are part of a team even if it is for a single race or when you follow a horse career!
Broke my big toe watching this race. Sat myself right in front of the TV and jumped up with excitement, poorly obviously, near the finish. Still gives me goosebumps ❤
The most impressive Breeders Cup Classic in the last 10 years still remains Ghostzapper's anhilliation in 2004 of Roses In May, Pleasantly Perfect, Perfect Drift, Funny Cyde, Birdstone and Azeri. The way the Zapper toyed with that solid field while setting a track record was just not fair.
I'd have won about a hundred grand on that day had Better Talk Now been disqualified (I had Wilco and Ghostzapper). I was sick to my stomach without anything on the easiest and surest BC classic win ever by a horse who, on figures, was among the greatest ever to run.
Just watched Zenyatta's 2009 victory. This was the next video. Every time I see it, I get keyed up when she switches to the outside, and every time,I think she's going to get there like she had every other start.
Tom Kim Shields, I agree. I have watched this replay 40-50 times and wish so much for 10 more yards of track. I get choked up watching her fly down the backstretch. And this announcer has the best voice for calling races. It just looked like she couldn't quite get her footing in the first half of the race? I just know on one of these replays she will pull it out😊 A trip to see her in person would be worth it to me.
I met Blame recently at Claiborne Farm. He has a sweet personality and still impressive stallion. For some reason, Zenyatta's loss to him doesn't sting quite as much as it did before.
Zenyatta brought people from the entire sports world together that day. It transcended all of sports for about 30 minutes. For 20 years we have been going to Las Vegas to watch the Breeders Cup. Never have we seen such a pack house at Caesar Palace sports book. About an hour before the race it was like a tsunami of people crept in. The amount of people there at that particular moment that were rooting for Zenyatta surpassed the college football crowd by 10 times over
Regardless about how great or not truly great anyone thinks about Zenyatta there is a FACT about the horse that was truly remarkable. She won 19 races in a row almost 20 by coming from far back DEAD LAST EVERY TIME!! Anyone who know anything about horse racing knows closers are up against it being at the mercy of pace ,traffic and wide trips.. Never has this been done in horse racing history by ANY horse at ANY LEVEL..Period..
Rob Talstra Fantastic horse who required the skills of a great jockey. She no doubt had the heart of winner. She seemed to know where the finish line was.
Blame is one amazing horse - NO QUESTION. However, not at all sure why people continue to bash the beautiful and amazing Zenyatta. I was there to witness this race and I am so glad I made the trip. Have fun in 'retirement' pretty girl!
Garrett used to come to my restaurant every week when he was racing at Monmouth for the summer one year.He was an awesome guy.All we ever talked about was golf,he was a 5 handicap.What a great loss,so sad,I miss him
He ran the race of his life but he had a ton of luck. Even in the Foster he would have been crushed by Battle Plan- a well beaten second, but Battle Plan suffered a suspensory injury in the stretch that ended his career. Blame ran the race of his life and she had a bad trip- regardless- he didn't deserve HOY and he never would have even won the races he did had Battle Plan not suffered that career ending injury. .
Zenyatta gave horse racing sooooooo much color it just feels so empty knowing we wont get to see the great Zen run again it she was an inspiration and a phenominal philly one of the greatest ever im happy to witness her in my generation ive been a big horse racing fan for over eight years and im only eighteen i love you zenyatta congrats on what you have accomplished you raced twenty times and only beat by one horse congrats girl you were an honor to get to see run in person
It is a definitely a handicap to spot "other horses that close off the pace" that many lengths. Zenyatta typically does not fall that far back. Often she was not last on the first call. Mike had to use her on the back side at a time he typically doesn't have to. Also she ran sideways for bit in the stretch. Blame, a quality off the pace type horse had a nice ground saving trip; it was too much for Z To over come. I do believe she would have passed Blame eventually - That is the only way Zenyatta knows how to run. She also thought that she had won - got up in time and started to pull her self up. That with the combination of Blame digging in, cost her 20/20
Blame honestly deserved to win this race. The field collapsed, which means Zenyatta who is a come from behind horse, had the most beneficial position when the horses in front collapsed. Blame is not a come from behind horse, he didn't have the benefit of running easy at the beginning, he kept fighting at towards the wire. Blame deserved that win, he had to fight for it. Zenyatta was incredible, and would have caught him had the race been any longer, but Blame deserved more credit for that win. He ran the hardest of any horse in that field. Too, people forget Blame was an fantastic racehorse in 2010. Blame simply put on that day, against that field, at that distance, was the best horse in the race.
Quality Road cost her the race. The exact time she lost getting around him, as he was practically backing up, was what she lost by. There is absolutely no doubt as to who the greatest horse in that race. Blame beat her, but by luck only. Without his dream trip, he would have lost, no doubt about it. She overcame a seriously bad beginning, a trip fraught with problems, and came within 4- 6 inches of winning from 20 back. She was a phenomenon.
The look on her owners face, u can see him stomach turn. I have watched this race 20 times and it never gets old,i love the commentary. If she had won it would certainly, undoubtably have been the best race I have ever seen and believe me I watch a lot
I've grown up around horses from the time I was 9 (38 now), but I've never really cared much about them. My mom told me about this race so I figured I would check it out..... Zenyatta gave me chills. In spite of missing the mark by such a short amount...what a incredible run.
Zenyatta was clearly the better horse, Mike Smith did a Pat Day, No way can you spot these horses 20 lengths, if they run this race 10 times, Zenyatta wins 9 times, The last 30 Years this Mare ranks up their with Easy Goer, Cigar and Ghostzapper, amazing horse!!!!
Take a look at all of Easy Goer's races on UA-cam and look at his charts, Jockey errors cost him most of his losses, If they run the Classic 10 times, Easy Goer wins 8 times, Easy Goer was a machine..
All Easy Goer fans want to blame Pat Day because he disappointed. I deal with facts, he lost 3 out of 4 to Sunday silence and only beat him in ny at belmont. Not to mention getting beaten by is it true in the juvenile in 88. He rarely won the big one.
If we go by stats he was a much better horse than Sunday Silence, Easy Goer had 6+120beyers,more than any horse in the past 40 years, all his races were near broken track races. He Broke Secretariats mile record and no horse other than Secretariat ran a faster Belmont, those are facts!!If Easy Goer and Sunday Silence ran today in any track, Easy Goer would be favorite.
And how many races did Easy Goer lose as the favorite? All those big races he ran wasnt against Sunday silence? He was supposed to run like that he was bred to be a superstar, he was expected to win the triple crown. The facts are aside from the belmont where he ran on his home track, he couldn't win the big one. He failed to win the big race at 2. He failed to win the big race at 3. At 4, he finished behind criminal type and housebuster in the met mile. He might be the greatest horse to never win horse of the year. That's what you call underachieving.
I will never forget this race. A schmuck like me in Millionaires row. The video doesnt do it justice but the patio was literally shaking from how loud the crowd was. Grat ride by GoGi. Rip
Doesn't happen often, but every great once and a blue moon, a horse comes along who's ability is so special that you'll learn as much about that horse's intelligence, heart, & determination in the slimmest of losses to another top shelf contender where everything they had was left on the racetrack moreso than you'd learn if they'd won the race. This race without question qualifies as an "every great once and a blue moon."
The better horse won. Blame was better than Zenyatta on this day. You can't blame Mike Smith for running the same gameplan that had worked every time before. Zenyatta just found a horse she couldn't quite catch. Blame ran a great race. Give him some credit.
I agree, and to add to that, the pace was rapid and contested by 6 horses. This was a dream set up for closers. Not only did Blame beat her this day, he also beat the top males of 2010 throughout the year when those males were on their preferred surfaces and distances and while they were in top form. Everyone points out one second-place finish to Haynesfield when he won loose on the lead, but since Blame defeated him in 2 out of 3 meetings, it's safe to say Blame was the better animal. He got no credit, and if owned him I would be very upset being denied HOY honors. He won 5 open male races against the best AND beat Zenyatta. Since we all know open-division male races are the toughest GI's, how does Zenyatta's zero wins in open male company in 2010 outweigh that? Zero wins against GI males vs Blames 5 wins against open males and a defeat of Zenyatta? The math is off, and so was the voting.
Greta Stall Unfortunately when a hero or heroine loses, the blame stats going around. In fact that winning jockey becomes the villain. How is Blame doing?
Zenyatta broke badly out of the gate which put her far behind the field. But she still ran down the rest of the field very quickly and almost caught Blame. If she would have broke well she would have had enough track to easily run Blame down.
When Blame's jockey says he wouldn't want to rematch Zenyatta because he knows he had a perfect trip in this race and if Blame met Zenyatta again, he would lose....and when Mike Smith knows with another step or moving a little sooner, he would've caught Blame, that should pretty much cement the fact that Zenyatta would have won this. I don't know how everyone is making these calls otherwise from their armchairs at home or far off in the grandstand - these jockeys were IN THE THICK OF IT and they BOTH said Zenyatta would've had this if one tiny detail of the race had been changed. Going to trust the people on the horses before I believe someone watching from afar. Just to clarify, I'm not saying Blame isn't great. He is. He just is not better than Zenyatta and got very lucky in this race. The better horse lost this race.
Blame got the trip , She saw him at the last minute. 6 wide charging like the Attack of the 50ft women. (old movie) He's not in her league. Did you see the after Burners , she passed Looking at Lucky , Pricked her and once she saw Blame she got back in gear..
+A Sincerejnn yes,but in the pantheon of bc classic winners,Blame isnt in the top 20 . no way was he better than alysheba,unbridled,sunday silence,skip away,tiznow,or ghodtzapper. all were better than blame or zenyatta...
I doubt you could name 20 horses who were legitimately better than Zenyatta from any time anywhere. Only a few horses had her late kick, the fabulous closer and nemesis of Dr. Fager, Damascus, Buckpasser, Kelso and Secretariat. Kelso and Secretariat, what a duo! Not personal, JMO
Many people underrate Blame, a horse who ran down Quality Road at Saratoga at 9f which is Quality Road's optimum distance. At that Distance Quality Road could have run with anyone even up. In her last race Zenyatta was so nervous because of the crowd they had to have six handlers to get her through the tunnel to the track. The energy expenditure of that struggle should depleted her early and she should have not even hit the board. Also the track was 2 1/5 seconds off that night due to the bad weather which makes the run of both horses astonishing. "alysheba,eady goer,sunday silence,unbridled,holy bul" no! Easy Goer had bad ankles that had to be treated constantly. In the world of If, ands, or butts Easer Goer with good ankles would have been a monster among the others, along with others career with very short careers due to injury such as Raise a Native, Hoist The Flag, Graustark, Kaui King, and lastly a horse very much like Easy Goer, Buckpasser who threw up 15 in a row. I don't doubt you could put up hundreds, but that would be incorrect. Just everones opinion. Zipse at HRN has the great mare at 23 all time. I have her at 19.
Tiznow lost to Skimming in the Pacific Classic, but Skimming was injured in the JCGC and didn't make the Breeders Cup. The following year Tiznow was again beaten by Skimming, but Skimming was injured again in the stretch in the Goodwood and, again, didn't make the Breeders Cup.
I still can't believe how so many people take sports (including horse racing) so seriously that their disagreements with others cause them to insult the character, intelligence, and sometimes birth status of other commenters. Remember, the way we criticize others say far more about us than it does about the target of the criticism. At any rate, Zenyatta showed herself to be an outstanding horse again in this race. It wasn't a great field. Certainly not as strong as the 2009 BC Classic -- which she won. But Blame deserved this win. Because Blame was in the second pack, he was only 5 lengths ahead of Zen for the majority of the race. He made his move slightly before she made hers. He had to fight through more traffic throughout his final surge. She had to fight to hook outside,but once there had clear running. The final 25 yards he held her off. Either Z slowed slightly or B stepped it up when she pulled alongside -- hard to tell. But her rate of gain on his disappeared in the final few strides when she still had a chance to catch him. Zenyatta is a great racehorse. Not just a great race mare. She earned her stripes against males in the two BCs, but don't overstate the significance of her previous record against all-filly competition.Had those been regular races with males included she would have suffered a number of losses. But keep things in context. Her time at Churchill Downs was 2:02.28. Secretariat's was 1:59.40 (Kentucky Derby). That means her rapid close would still have placed her 14-15 lengths behind Secretariat. And 11-12 lengths behind Sham. In fact, Our Native finished 8 lengths behind Sham and Forego was right with him . . . which means the best that Zen's CD performance would have gotten her is fifth. And remember those were just three year old colts, not fully grown/filled out adults. Zenyatta was a completely mature adult.
Finally some common sense. She was great, and I hate when I write comments that people take to mean I am denigrating her, but I feel she did nothing to be ranked amongst the like of Secretariat. You really make good sense here. Thank you for that! Also, I like how you point out the maturity vs immaturity factor, which most brush off.
Thank you for your astute personal insult, observation. I frequent a basketball blog where I am routinely insulted for my intelligence and called profane names, just because I have an opinion of my own, do my own stats to reach my own conclusions, and don't always go along with the crowd sentiment regarding players and coaches. We live in a Neanderthal Age Social Slime Pit, these days, is all I can conclude.
I agree with most of what you said except for the part where you state that if her other races had males in them she would have had more losses. That is just speculation. I doubt that any of those races would have had stronger fields than her 2009 and 2010 BCC races. Obviously no one can compare to Secretariat. As Chick Anderson said in his Belmont that Secretariat was moving like a tremendous machine, pretty much says it all. He was a "Tremendous Machine" with a heart twice the size of a normal thoroughbred!
If Mike Smith doesn't panic & move up to the back markers, where she usually is, she wins, the slight steady on the turn, the track was a little less cuppy, she wins! He stays in the middle, IDK, but most of all, she hesitated, shied from the whip, that she wasn't used to, While she was running her heart out as if to say, Wtf? Mike knew it in the post race interviews, any one factor she wins, the overview was useful this 1 time, ( I hate it) on the 1st turn, sooo far back! Still the best race she ever ran, always overcame adversity, just not this time, but that's horse racing.. now I finally put my thoughts down after all these years... Woulda bet 2 fisted the year before at 5-2, but I was broke & on the street. Was a no bet at 4-5 but I was undicipline, now I'm done.. cheers!
What was the track variant? You're talking about what most see as the greatest racehorse of all time and the track record at Churchill! This day the track was about 2.5 seconds off, lot of times and horses in between there. Alysheba was the one horse I think might beat Zenyatta on the square at 1 1/4 mi. And his "Derby" time is like 2:03...
You're still the greatest Lady Z! Nothing to be ashamed of. No other horse could have come from 20 lengths back like you did. A tremendous way to go out.
I always get chills when I watch this. I always hope that they made a mistake, that Zenyatta really did win. But I'll have to accept it. Zenyatta is still the best! Still unbeaten in my heart!
Freaking jockey of Zenyatta asked her to go far too late. He lost this race for her. I was watching this race as a teenager with my family, so excited to see the “dancing,” brilliant Zenyatta. Absolutely broke my heart to see her run out of track, but again, that was the fault of her jockey, not her. She was BRILLIANT❤
@caz11533 I give Garrett Gomez credit for the perfect ride. Perhaps one of the best of all time. BLame never got his momentum broken and he kept his rhythm the entire race. Just the start alone where Zenyatta got squeezed by the 2 horses to the left and right cost her more than the margin of her defeat.
No matter where you place Zenyatta on the all-time lists (top 30 for me) the one thing you can say about the horse is that she never failed to fire. Ever.
Everytime I watch this I always hope the outcome will somehow be different. She is still an amazing horse and the most amazing female racehorse ever to live in my opinion.
There is a lot of opinion masquerading as fact here. Whenever a horse loses by a head and a diminishing head people are going to speculate on two things in particular: did the jockey contribute or cause the defeat; who is the better horse. First, she was very far back, but note that the first three were well clear of the rest; even Blame was perhaps twelve lengths off the lead. Ideally I think we would wanted Zenyatta a bit closer to Blame though that would have either potentially hemmed her in on the rail or four or five wide on the first turn. And we don't know if Zenyatta herself just was a bit slower in the beginning, and not because Smith wanted her to be far back in order to be extra-dramatic. I think overall Zenyatta was the better horse, but on the day for a variety of reasons Blame was a few inches faster. I also think that Zenyatta was perhaps a tad slower as a six year old. It was a great race by both of them, and although I wish he hadn't beaten her, I can't (sorry) Blame him for winning. As for someone stating that it is a fact that Rachel Alexandra, a horse I also admired especially during her three year old season, would beat Zenyatta by five lengths in a nine furlong (match race I presume), that's barely worth arguing, though I cannot resist. First, I tend to doubt there was that much of a gap between them. There are too many factors (track, surface, 3 yo Rachel vs 5 yo Zenyatta or 4 yo Rachel vs 6 yo Zenyatta)to consider. Even if Rachel slowed the pace to a crawl Zenyatta has shown that her late speed is such that she can overcome slow splits and win. Admittedly, she never experienced that with Rachel who was both talented and brave (witness her exhausting performance winning the 2010 Woodward). I never have understood why people feel the need to denigrate one horse in order to appreciate another. Nineteen wins in a row followed by a narrow loss to a great horse in Blame; Rachel's amazing three year old season of some massive wins in the Ky Oaks and Mother Goose, wins over males in the Preakness from post 13, a 6 length win in the Haskell and that gutsy win in the Woodward. I thought both were great and it would have been interesting to see the ladies meet on the track. I tend to favour Zenyatta in that contest even at nine furlongs. But that's speculation and that's why it's called gambling. I'm assuming all of us like the sport, hence the passionate feelings. But, let's not forget that it's hard to be sure of much in this world, especially the sport of kings.
+steven cooke Hello Steve, Blame was giving weight to Zenyatta and beat her ! And she was quite a bit bigger than him! Barbaro would have mugged Zenyatta if Blame can beat her and give weight. You are deluding yourself! Was she on Lasix?
+saveus228 How much ground did Mine That Bird give away in the Kentucky Derby ,and you talk about 67 feet and a mare that didn`t win despite being in receipt of weight from a male ! What she gave away is of no consequence because lots of horses have given away more and still won easily. I suggest you check out Arazi (breeders cup)and Mine That Bird(Kentucky Derby).Think before you write!
The effort that Blame and Zenyatta put forth in this race is really something to be applauded and treasured by true racing fans. The list of horses that Blame's beaten at CD reads like a who's who of dirt racing. Zenyatta found herself in a difficult position in this race. She could've easily folded, and just thrown in the towel. But that enormous champion's heart that drives her refused to let her. She ran her heart out, beaten a mere 6 inches by another great champion. No disgrace in that. JMO
This race does show the greatness of both Zenyatta and of Blame. Zenyatta was held back too far, but she wasn't 20 lengths behind Blame -- just a few for most of the race, so one could argue Blame spotted the field 12-15 lengths. Zenyatta is one of the greatest horses ever. I agree with the experts that said in 2010 that Blame deserved 2010 Horse of the Year honors based purely on the stats for that year . . . though, literally, by a nose.
The best horse on the day won the race. The best horse in the race came up inches short. Blame's a great champion in his own right. But even in defeat, this may have been Zenyatta's finest hour. Giving up the ground that she did early in the race, and to still come thundering home against a colt that has always ran lights out at Churchill Downs the way she did speaks volumes to her greatness. The only thing Zenyatta lost in defeat was a zero in her won-loss record. But her greatness, solidified
People who only analyze numbers only a very limited perspective. Zenyatta transcends numbers as she usually did just enough to win. Her style and spirit make her one of the greatest horses of all time. I think her owners handled her beautifully. Last year the critics were sure she would lose against the boys in the Breeders cup. She won. This year, she fell far behind and then performed an unheard of rally to lost by just a head. Zenyatta is up there with the greatest. No doubt.
Blame didn't even run his first race that year until May and he would have been well beaten second in the Foster had Battle Plan not suffered a career ending suspensory injury in the stretch.
Zenyatta's connections are reaping the harvest they sowed. I'm not sure if Sheriffs simply didn't trust Zenyatta's abilities. He looked stunned after she won the 2009 Classic, as though it wasn't supposed to happen. It was awesome that they brought Zenyatta back for a year, and it's really hard to keep a horse in form as they get older, but she gave them enough indications that she was ready for tougher challenges. They would have HOTY sewed up had they modified their provincial campaign.
Let us not forget that 35 years ago in 1975 another great filly raced undefeated. Ruffian was also a Queen in the Sport of Kings but sadly lost her life in the Match Race at Belmont. I am old enough and lucky enough to remember both...so they were not once in a lifetime. The description below of greed, drugs, and cheating sounds like what may happen in any other sport. Having worked at Churchill I can say that most in the industry love and respect the sport and these wonderful athletes.
Seriously, how that horse ever got within a head is a mystery. This is the RACE OF HER LIFE, even though she lost. She just needed a better lead in the final corner, she lost about half a length waiting for a gap as she came round the final bend. Astonishing finish.
That mare ran like a true champion. She was clearly the best horse of the field. Had her jockey started moving her up 10 seconds earlier, she'd won. She was running Blame into the ground at the end.
For all those bashing Mike Smith: Zenyatta was not hooking well on this surface and he could tell right away with how they left the gates. No horse wins them all but if you want to see what the greatest dirt miler in history does in a similar situation, Dr Fager in the 1968 United Nations Handicap. First ever race on grass, slipping and sliding the whole way, puts to bed several other turf champions by sheer force of will. Now that's greatness
Zenyatta Had Been Trained by Baffert Or Lukas she would Have Been a Monster!! She Never Ran a Fast Dirt Race against Colts!! She was Unprepared and should have done it all 2010
They say Secretariat had the biggest heart of any race horse, almost twice the size of a normal heart. He could run all day at any speed he wants and beat any horse in his path. That horse will never run out of gas. But looking at how Zenyatta runs her races, I ask, who really had the bigger heart?
In my eyes, Zenyatta lost nothing in defeat in her second Classic run at Churchill Downs on this day. If anything, she just solidified her greatness in this race, as did Blame. Zenyatta faced 22 of the best males in the world from the U.S. and Europe in 2 different Classics. She proved better than 21 of them, and found only one that was good enough to beat her by mere inches. This mare was incredible. One of the all-time great American thoroughbred's, bar none!! TJMO.
Still a heart breaker that Zenyatta wasn't able to win a second Classic, and retire with a perfect record. But that said, two very classy American thoroughbred's both ended their careers on with this race. With both giving everything they had to give. Both Blame and Zenyatta really laid it on the line in this race. IMO, both horses should be remembered as being nothing but champions!! JMO.
All of you that says that Zenyatta is not a great horse are very confused in what greatness is! Zenyatta shows up every time and even in her defeat she showed a great heart ! Sure there might be others that might have more talent or even face better competition but lets face it a very very small pool of those horses are able to combine them together for a long period of time! Zenyatta is a great horse! Period!
Don't care that she lost this race!!! What she did on this track, on this race proves without a doubt, she's a horse for the ages. Zenyatta is our modern day Secretariat! She's simply the BEST, just ran out of track.
I understand the frustration. I am from Ky. Lexington actually. I come from a long line of horse racing fans and actually went back to KY to sales prep for Spendthrift Farm in the earlier 80's, Slew was there Affirmed lots of others. The biggest problem I see is not a lot of folks on the west coast had ever heard of Blame. I watch TVG and had seen him, but by the same token I'd been watching Zenyatta for all of her career. I don't want to take anything away from him.
I’m a big sports fan, however, not so much a horse racing fan. But, Zenyatta captured my heart in 2009, and remember watching this race. I was so emotionally invested and it broke my heart when she lost at the end. Had the race been 5-10 m longer....
One of the greatest losing performances of all-time.
You are spot on. It absolutely confirmed her greatness. Even Andy Beyer had to admit it, and believe me, it killed him to acknowledge how great she was. Her stretch run was one of the greatest in history, win or lose. She is the greatest female horse of the last 112 years.
I don’t think there was ever a better dirt route mare in history. This race still hurts. If she could have gotten out of traffic a split second sooner.
Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, and Eight Belles were some of the best fillies of all time.
@@YogsenForfothadd Go For Wand, Lady's Secret, Ruffian, Personal Ensign, Beholder, Winning Colors, Genuine Risk, Azeri
Lucas said he'd wished he'd gotten Terlingua later in his career. He said she was maybe the best filly he'd ever seen.
And can't leave out Winx, no horse will ever win 30 consecutive races. Then you have to add Black Caviar.
Oh how blessed we've been to see these female superstars.
@@YogsenForfoth Inside Information was better than all of them.
@@jackprecip5389
Wasn’t better than Zenyatta.
RIP Garrett Gomez. One of the all-time greats.
In my opinion, this is without doubt one of Trevor Denman’s best calls. Knowing the result all these years later, you still get excited listening to the call thinking that maybe just maybe Zenyatta is going to get by Blame even though we know she didn’t. He captured the emotion of the race perfectly.
Je admitted it was a biased call but amazing. I wish anu raving fan vould have been there.
The grandstans WAS SHAKING!!!
@@jsl964 The grandstands were shaking during that stretch run, but the disappointment after she lost was really something to behold. I've never seen the like.
Zenyatta is one of best racehorses in history. The 2010 Breeders Cup Classic was a tough race, but she stayed strong and performed magnificently. I take heart in the fact that she must have thought that she won this race, just as she won all those other races. She's a beautiful runner and she has an amazing kick.
True.. But jock had her entirely too far back that even great Zenyatta couldn't get there on time.
Zenyatta not even in top 20 best horses ever.....not even best mare.
@@racing747 True, but she didn't like the dirt in her face either. CD was Blame's favorite track, he'd already won there more than once. I think John should have had her on dirt more than he did. But, she still was amazing. My husband and I were at the 2010 race. You should have heard that crowd at the end.... The paddock was a mad house. Crazy. She was a rock star, for sure.
Doesn't even crack top 50 in uk racing
@@tonygunk2226 To be honest all countries have different tracks. Especially American dirt tracks it has been hard to break in if you are a foreign horse. Same with Japanese turf race tracks in current years. Even in European tracks the home country horses tend to have the advantage.
One of the greatest races I've ever seen.
I STILL keep waiting for her to catch him.
@Don't Bet Chalk 1997 Most of them lose, sooner or later. Secretariat; 4 times, the "Zen" once, by a diminishing head, taking all the worst of it...
@SNK Drone How exciting was the 73 Belmont? Halfway through that race, people were already lining up to use the bathroom. It was over after a minute of racing. The winner turned out to have an unusually large heart, which made him run faster than everyone else. That was a yawner, excuse me. This Breeder's Cup was far more heart-stopping. A six and a half year old lady horse getting left behind early by all the younger champion stallions, only to catch them all except one whose owner was praying that she won't pass his horse at the wire.
20+ lengths off the lead early to lose by a head charging hard. Amazing heart.
Why do I do this to myself?
Louie Lou Real Quiet vs Victory Gallop - Belmont
Saddest TC race ever.
Because you know that one day you'll come back and watch this, and she'll win. ;-)
Because the race she ran was probably her best. That was an unbelievable run. Blame had the perfect trip and barely won.
I see you didn't bet on Blame
it still brings a tear to my eye when i see this race
La pudo a ver ganado si Mike smiw no la deja tan lejo
Lol I'm literally tearing up now watching this 12 years later.
I can't believe how old this race is now 😭
@@SyracuseStunner I just don't usually watch this for that very reason! Thanks Jerry Moss for racing another year putting her perfect record at risk! Just a heartbreaking loss, definitely her best race...
I was fortunate enough to be at Churchill Downs for this race, sitting in a lower box seat just past the finish line. I watched Zenyatta dance by in front of me before the race as she was led from the barn to the paddock by the groom and trainer John Shirreffs. The whole experience was magical... right up to the finish. The reaction by the crowd is unforgettable. Some people began sobbing, others seemed not sure if Zenyatta had lost, yet what I recall most was the near silence. A crowd that moments earlier had been roaring was suddenly close to silent, much like a wake or funeral, saddened and stunned all at once. I looked up to the crowd on the balcony and there were many people being consoled with faces buried in suits. It was more than losing money or a horse race, a dream had been lost.
What a great expirence and story. Thanks for sharing.
YES! The crowd was roaring, and then the noise just died. It was the craziest thing to watch everyone's faces fall, and the palpable disappointment rise.
We drove from Florida to see the race, my first time actually watching a major race in person. Z lost, but tried her heart out. Then we had a flat tire on the drive home and couldn't get the flat off. AAA came the next morning, replaced the tire, and then my ex-husband totaled the car a few more hours down the road. 🤦♀️ I think I was bad luck for Zenyatta that day, sorry everyone! 😅
I was at this race; I'm just your typical 25 y/o guy. When she broke free of the pack and made that run down the stretch I completely lost control of myself; I was screaming like a lunatic, trying to will her on to victory.
Zenyatta's greatness is inarguable. When it came time to perform, she answered the call in every single one of her races, with this one being her swan song. In my mind she never lost.
I love Zenyatta. She may be just a horse but I'll never see anything like her again.
I still tear up watching this race! Zenyatta is one of the best horses ever. She ran out of track! Always a winner!!!
Me to
All these years I still come back to watch these and cry every single time. I feel honored to have experienced her in my lifetime.
Keep watching, everyone: Zen's gonna get up one of these days. She won this race in several multiverses.
To be fair there are also multiverses where she flattens out in the stretch and finishes off the board
@@DanielSong39 They never talk about those multiverses. Seems to be a multiverse rule.
Zenyatta is still a champion in my heart(:
She ran 18 lengths and passed the whole herd and if she had gotten 1 more stride in she coulda won it! i
She was an absolute amazon. She brought it EVERY time.
What an effort to get second by Zenyatta, most of the time the horse flattens out in mid-stretch after such a big effort and finishes off the board
what? Dont know much about horses? I would say it just was a big mistake by the jockey, getting second with the best horse, this was his fault as he admitted later
good god, she was SO stuck in traffic. Any other odds, she would have taken this easily and she clearly had the heart to do it. Long live Queen Z. So grateful to her for letting me witness how great she is
Zenyatta was a monster. This race, despite it being a loss, was testament to her ability. They said she couldn't do it but even coming in second, she did. She showed doubters what true greatness is and had she not run into traffic and had she had the race been a few yards longer she would have won it. One of the most impressive stretch runs I've ever seen in all my years following this sport. Magnificence.
+riotracer well she was bigger than the colts she received weight from but in what way was she a monster?
+postcardterry yes, she ran 67 more feet than blame. I'd rather give back the 5 pounds and run 67 feet less..
+saveus228 Not having that Sir! Zenyatta was 0.8 lengths down fifty yards out and 0.1 down at the line in receipt of five pounds from winner. She was 1.5 lengths up on the third , Fly Down, 300 yards out and beat him/her 3.4 lengths! She did nothing spectacular, was drawn ok and couldn`t win. She is overrated! Check out Dayjur or Arazi if you want to see BC heaven! Mysteriously both given the impossible draw but still spanked the yankee bum!
+saveus228 Saveus228 my deluded friend ! Zenyatta ran against a poor lot by historical standards and in seventeen races, she had seven or less rivals! On five occasions, she won by 1/2 length or less and in her final race she was beaten by a smaller horse who was giving her five pounds. Check out Dayjur and Arazi my friend but note that both had impossible draws at BC. What astonishing things did Switch(beaten 1/2),Rinterval(beaten neck) or St Trinians(beaten 1/2length)Anabaa`s Creation(beaten head)or Tough Tiz`s Sister(beaten 1/2 length) do on the racetrack?Do you really think that she would have beaten Barbaro or American Pharoah??
+postcardterry Its interesting that you left out all the horses she beat in both BC Classics to make your point..How come you left out all the G1 winners and Kentucky Derby winners she beat in both races? I think she was a great horse, but the greatest? Who knows? She caught the horses that were put in front of her.. Also if you want historical standards check to see if there has EVER, in horses racing HISTORY , been a horse that won 19 straight races in a row coming from dead last, every time, at ANY level, in any country that has held a horse race.... You can go back as long as you want and you won't find one..
Regardless if you think she is overrated or not you have to give her credit for doing something no horse has ever done before anywhere in the world, in the history of the sport, and if you really like horse racing you have to appreciate that..
I was fortunate enough to be standing on the first turn and have never seen a horse that indulged or placated to the crowd as she did. She cemented herself as my favorite horse of all time that day.
Everytime I watch this stretch run I still think she might just make it and get to the wire first.
Keep hoping.
if the race 5 more times she would destroy him
+A Sincerejnn .no,she wouldnt have...
yeah blame was dead game
@@Sincerejnn No, she wouldn't have. Zenyatta was no doubt a great horse, but her problem was, dropping so far back all the time. In synthetic races, which are run more like turf races, you can get away with that because the leaders are never that far away. Dirt races tend to have faster paces and favor horses with tactical speed, which Zenyatta didn't have. Smith didn't do anything wrong in that Classic, IMO. She just didn't pick it up until late. But that is the way she ran all her races.
Just remember, Zenyatta was 6.5 years old female horse, twice the age of the other male horses. 20 lengths behind and passes everyone and lost by a nose. That is truly incredible, she is by far, the greatest horse that has ever lived, no horse has done ran from behind and wins like Zenyatta.
Umm,there was a horse named Secretariat that was pretty good. She is great but the best?
@@incrediblesulk555 Secretariat was great but lost several races. Zenyatta could be best filly ever. Of course, Zenyatta cannot beat Secretariat head to head at their primes but remember there is that gender difference. There's a reason fillies with stallions don't usually run together.
@@exfoliosthey run fillies with the boys more often overseas. I think economically it just makes sense to keep them in the filly division. I love to see the fillies take on the boys!
I gotta say, she was my favorite.
Let me add that Zenyatta and her connections did the sport proud! I thought I would not ever see a horse that capture a audience again like the great Cigar did in the 90's. I do love this sport of kings and wish our younger crowd would understand that there is more to this sport then a wager. This one of the few sports you can feel like you are part of a team even if it is for a single race or when you follow a horse career!
Broke my big toe watching this race. Sat myself right in front of the TV and jumped up with excitement, poorly obviously, near the finish. Still gives me goosebumps ❤
The most impressive Breeders Cup Classic in the last 10 years still remains Ghostzapper's anhilliation in 2004 of Roses In May, Pleasantly Perfect, Perfect Drift, Funny Cyde, Birdstone and Azeri. The way the Zapper toyed with that solid field while setting a track record was just not fair.
I'd have won about a hundred grand on that day had Better Talk Now been disqualified (I had Wilco and Ghostzapper). I was sick to my stomach without anything on the easiest and surest BC classic win ever by a horse who, on figures, was among the greatest ever to run.
Although I wanted her to win so bad, it still may be my favorite BC Classic, they way she fought from last to almost first.
Just watched Zenyatta's 2009 victory. This was the next video. Every time I see it, I get keyed up when she switches to the outside, and every time,I think she's going to get there like she had every other start.
Tom Kim Shields,
I agree. I have watched this replay 40-50 times and wish so much for 10 more yards of track.
I get choked up watching her fly down the backstretch. And this announcer has the best voice for calling races.
It just looked like she couldn't quite get her footing in the first half of the race?
I just know on one of these replays she will pull it out😊
A trip to see her in person would be worth it to me.
@@frankkinley6272 I got ten more yards for you.
@@frankkinley6272 I think she loses by a neck if the race is a few yards longer, Blame was pulling away at the wire
RIP Garrett! You will always be one of the best ever to ride in this Sport!🏇🏿🏇🏿🏇🏿
I met Blame recently at Claiborne Farm. He has a sweet personality and still impressive stallion. For some reason, Zenyatta's loss to him doesn't sting quite as much as it did before.
It was a bad ride and shit happens- not her fault at all. Blame lost plenty of races.
One of the absolute greatest performance I have ever seen in sports
One of the saddest moments in Racing History
Worst than thee Triple Crown Meltdowns!! Mikey Why didnt you go Around instead of behind thee wall of Horses
No sadder than Real Quiet's Belmont.
Agree 100%..., and he had the gall to whip the horse down the back straight, How many times!?
Her only loss was arguably her greatest race. To come back from 20 lengths off the lead and almost win was historically amazing.
A horse finishing second is sad? How about Ruffian, Go for Wand, Mike Veniza, Mr Brooks, Barbaro, etc, etc.
Zenyatta brought people from the entire sports world together that day. It transcended all of sports for about 30 minutes. For 20 years we have been going to Las Vegas to watch the Breeders Cup. Never have we seen such a pack house at Caesar Palace sports book. About an hour before the race it was like a tsunami of people crept in. The amount of people there at that particular moment that were rooting for Zenyatta surpassed the college football crowd by 10 times over
One of the most gut-wrenching losses ever. No disrespect to Blame but Zenyatta is the horse that will live on in our memories. A true legend.
Regardless about how great or not truly great anyone thinks about Zenyatta there is a FACT about the horse that was truly remarkable. She won 19 races in a row almost 20 by coming from far back DEAD LAST EVERY TIME!! Anyone who know anything about horse racing knows closers are up against it being at the mercy of pace ,traffic and wide trips.. Never has this been done in horse racing history by ANY horse at ANY LEVEL..Period..
Rob Talstra Fantastic horse who required the skills of a great jockey. She no doubt had the heart of winner. She seemed to know where the finish line was.
+Rob Talstra AMEN that is 100% on the money for a closer to win that many in a row is near impossible
+gmann67able not on synthetic it wasnt...
Mostly synthetic races which means NOTHING.
Native Dancer kind of did it. I don't think he was last most of the time, but he came from behind most of the time. He won all but 1 start.
I can never forgive mike smith for this
It was John Shirrefs fault..no works over dirt track to get used to it hitting her in the face...she ran mainly on synthetic tracks
Blame is one amazing horse - NO QUESTION.
However, not at all sure why people continue to bash the beautiful and amazing Zenyatta. I was there to witness this race and I am so glad I made the trip.
Have fun in 'retirement' pretty girl!
I will never forget how heartbroken I was for Zenyatta. That was a performance for the ages.
2020 and this race still hurts, she almost had it. RIP Garret Gomez.
I still watch it periodically hoping she will win.Garrett was a great guy so that eased the pain a little
RIP Garrett Gonez
What happened to Garrett Gomez?? He was pretty young wasnt he?
patr70 I think it was related to his alcoholism/drug addiction
Fantastic jockey😀.The good die young🙁😢
@@richardliebe6974 The horses outlived him.
Garrett used to come to my restaurant every week when he was racing at Monmouth for the summer one year.He was an awesome guy.All we ever talked about was golf,he was a 5 handicap.What a great loss,so sad,I miss him
To this day when I watch it I think she is going to get there.
ZANYATAS two breaders cup runs against the boys was just eyecatching. The loss to blame by a nose after being 22 lenths back was incredible
Gotta give Blame credit for being the only horse who ever held Zenyatta off long enough. He still had to have something special just to do that.
He ran the race of his life but he had a ton of luck. Even in the Foster he would have been crushed by Battle Plan- a well beaten second, but Battle Plan suffered a suspensory injury in the stretch that ended his career.
Blame ran the race of his life and she had a bad trip- regardless- he didn't deserve HOY and he never would have even won the races he did had Battle Plan not suffered that career ending injury. .
Like the 04 Belmont this race still makes me sick.
s ME For me it's the '05 KD. Afleet Alex just running out of gas in the last f.
Agree with you there!! I also think just not enough room for a perfect trip. That horse was an athlete imo though.
Zenyatta gave horse racing sooooooo much color it just feels so empty knowing we wont get to see the great Zen run again it she was an inspiration and a phenominal philly one of the greatest ever im happy to witness her in my generation ive been a big horse racing fan for over eight years and im only eighteen i love you zenyatta congrats on what you have accomplished you raced twenty times and only beat by one horse congrats girl you were an honor to get to see run in person
Ways, 3 months later and watching this race still gets my heart pumping!
Win or loose look at what she did!!!!!! It's simply amazing!!!!! Another length and it would have been hers ❤️
It is a definitely a handicap to spot "other horses that close off the pace" that many lengths. Zenyatta typically does not fall that far back. Often she was not last on the first call. Mike had to use her on the back side at a time he typically doesn't have to. Also she ran sideways for bit in the stretch. Blame, a quality off the pace type horse had a nice ground saving trip; it was too much for Z To over come.
I do believe she would have passed Blame eventually - That is the only way Zenyatta knows how to run. She also thought that she had won - got up in time and started to pull her self up. That with the combination of Blame digging in, cost her 20/20
Blame was never behind Zenyatta at any point, he was extending his lead at the wire
@@DanielSong39 Extending his lead??? 1 maybe 2 more strides and Zenyatta passes Blame.
@@inigomontoya15 No, 2 strides later Blame was ahead by a neck
Then again, it doesn't matter since Blame was ahead at the wire
@@DanielSong39 Play it in slow motion...Zenyatta passed Blame at 2:05 right after finish line.
Blame honestly deserved to win this race. The field collapsed, which means Zenyatta who is a come from behind horse, had the most beneficial position when the horses in front collapsed. Blame is not a come from behind horse, he didn't have the benefit of running easy at the beginning, he kept fighting at towards the wire. Blame deserved that win, he had to fight for it. Zenyatta was incredible, and would have caught him had the race been any longer, but Blame deserved more credit for that win. He ran the hardest of any horse in that field. Too, people forget Blame was an fantastic racehorse in 2010. Blame simply put on that day, against that field, at that distance, was the best horse in the race.
Quality Road cost her the race. The exact time she lost getting around him, as he was practically backing up, was what she lost by. There is absolutely no doubt as to who the greatest horse in that race. Blame beat her, but by luck only. Without his dream trip, he would have lost, no doubt about it. She overcame a seriously bad beginning, a trip fraught with problems, and came within 4- 6 inches of winning from 20 back. She was a phenomenon.
The look on her owners face, u can see him stomach turn. I have watched this race 20 times and it never gets old,i love the commentary. If she had won it would certainly, undoubtably have been the best race I have ever seen and believe me I watch a lot
highlight of my year
Mike smith will never get over this race . This is the biggest fuck up by a jockey ever!
This announcer call of this race gives me goosebumps
That is Trevor Denman.
Trevor Denman the voice of my childhood! My dad used to take me to Santa Anita in the early 1990s and just hearing him takes me back!
I've grown up around horses from the time I was 9 (38 now), but I've never really cared much about them. My mom told me about this race so I figured I would check it out.....
Zenyatta gave me chills. In spite of missing the mark by such a short amount...what a incredible run.
Zenyatta was clearly the better horse, Mike Smith did a Pat Day, No way can you spot these horses 20 lengths, if they run this race 10 times, Zenyatta wins 9 times, The last 30 Years this Mare ranks up their with Easy Goer, Cigar and Ghostzapper, amazing horse!!!!
I can't put Easy Goer in that class, he lost his most important races with the exception of the Belmont.
Take a look at all of Easy Goer's races on UA-cam and look at his charts, Jockey errors cost him most of his losses, If they run the Classic 10 times, Easy Goer wins 8 times, Easy Goer was a machine..
All Easy Goer fans want to blame Pat Day because he disappointed. I deal with facts, he lost 3 out of 4 to Sunday silence and only beat him in ny at belmont. Not to mention getting beaten by is it true in the juvenile in 88. He rarely won the big one.
If we go by stats he was a much better horse than Sunday Silence, Easy Goer had 6+120beyers,more than any horse in the past 40 years, all his races were near broken track races. He Broke Secretariats mile record and no horse other than Secretariat ran a faster Belmont, those are facts!!If Easy Goer and Sunday Silence ran today in any track, Easy Goer would be favorite.
And how many races did Easy Goer lose as the favorite? All those big races he ran wasnt against Sunday silence? He was supposed to run like that he was bred to be a superstar, he was expected to win the triple crown. The facts are aside from the belmont where he ran on his home track, he couldn't win the big one. He failed to win the big race at 2. He failed to win the big race at 3. At 4, he finished behind criminal type and housebuster in the met mile. He might be the greatest horse to never win horse of the year. That's what you call underachieving.
Spotted the boys 20 lengths and still almost won
Got a perfect suicidal pace duel to close into,and couldnt get there. Zero excuses...
Often the closer " in the pocket" or 2nd flight gets the jump in those scenarios, love betting those types..❤️🙏👉🇺🇸
I will never forget this race. A schmuck like me in Millionaires row.
The video doesnt do it justice but the patio was literally shaking from how loud the crowd was. Grat ride by GoGi.
Rip
Doesn't happen often, but every great once and a blue moon, a horse comes along who's ability is so special that you'll learn as much about that horse's intelligence, heart, & determination in the slimmest of losses to another top shelf contender where everything they had was left on the racetrack moreso than you'd learn if they'd won the race. This race without question qualifies as an "every great once and a blue moon."
The better horse won. Blame was better than Zenyatta on this day. You can't blame Mike Smith for running the same gameplan that had worked every time before. Zenyatta just found a horse she couldn't quite catch. Blame ran a great race. Give him some credit.
I agree, and to add to that, the pace was rapid and contested by 6 horses. This was a dream set up for closers. Not only did Blame beat her this day, he also beat the top males of 2010 throughout the year when those males were on their preferred surfaces and distances and while they were in top form. Everyone points out one second-place finish to Haynesfield when he won loose on the lead, but since Blame defeated him in 2 out of 3 meetings, it's safe to say Blame was the better animal. He got no credit, and if owned him I would be very upset being denied HOY honors. He won 5 open male races against the best AND beat Zenyatta. Since we all know open-division male races are the toughest GI's, how does Zenyatta's zero wins in open male company in 2010 outweigh that? Zero wins against GI males vs Blames 5 wins against open males and a defeat of Zenyatta? The math is off, and so was the voting.
Agreed!
Greta Stall Unfortunately when a hero or heroine loses, the blame stats going around. In fact that winning jockey becomes the villain. How is Blame doing?
Abbott Pinkerton not so sure the 'better' horse won.
Zenyatta broke badly out of the gate which put her far behind the field. But she still ran down the rest of the field very quickly and almost caught Blame. If she would have broke well she would have had enough track to easily run Blame down.
When Blame's jockey says he wouldn't want to rematch Zenyatta because he knows he had a perfect trip in this race and if Blame met Zenyatta again, he would lose....and when Mike Smith knows with another step or moving a little sooner, he would've caught Blame, that should pretty much cement the fact that Zenyatta would have won this. I don't know how everyone is making these calls otherwise from their armchairs at home or far off in the grandstand - these jockeys were IN THE THICK OF IT and they BOTH said Zenyatta would've had this if one tiny detail of the race had been changed. Going to trust the people on the horses before I believe someone watching from afar.
Just to clarify, I'm not saying Blame isn't great. He is. He just is not better than Zenyatta and got very lucky in this race. The better horse lost this race.
Blame got the trip , She saw him at the last minute. 6 wide charging like the Attack of the 50ft women. (old movie) He's not in her league. Did you see the after Burners , she passed Looking at Lucky , Pricked her and once she saw Blame she got back in gear..
+A Sincerejnn yes,but in the pantheon of bc classic winners,Blame isnt in the top 20
. no way was he better than alysheba,unbridled,sunday silence,skip away,tiznow,or ghodtzapper. all were better than blame or zenyatta...
I doubt you could name 20 horses who were legitimately better than Zenyatta from any time anywhere. Only a few horses had her late kick, the fabulous closer and nemesis of Dr. Fager, Damascus, Buckpasser, Kelso and Secretariat. Kelso and Secretariat, what a duo! Not personal, JMO
+fireworm678 i could name 100.....secretariat,seattle slew,affirmed,spectacular bid,forego,alysheba,eady goer,sunday silence,unbridled,holy bull etc..
Many people underrate Blame, a horse who ran down Quality Road at Saratoga at 9f which is Quality Road's optimum distance. At that Distance Quality Road could have run with anyone even up. In her last race Zenyatta was so nervous because of the crowd they had to have six handlers to get her through the tunnel to the track. The energy expenditure of that struggle should depleted her early and she should have not even hit the board. Also the track was 2 1/5 seconds off that night due to the bad weather which makes the run of both horses astonishing. "alysheba,eady goer,sunday silence,unbridled,holy bul" no! Easy Goer had bad ankles that had to be treated constantly. In the world of If, ands, or butts Easer Goer with good ankles would have been a monster among the others, along with others career with very short careers due to injury such as Raise a Native, Hoist The Flag, Graustark, Kaui King, and lastly a horse very much like Easy Goer, Buckpasser who threw up 15 in a row. I don't doubt you could put up hundreds, but that would be incorrect. Just everones opinion. Zipse at HRN has the great mare at 23 all time. I have her at 19.
Still heartbreaking all these years later, I genuinely don't think I'll ever get over this race.
One word for Zenyatta... Magnificent.
TIZNOW's record stays intact. :)
Tiznow lost to Skimming in the Pacific Classic, but Skimming was injured in the JCGC and didn't make the Breeders Cup. The following year Tiznow was again beaten by Skimming, but Skimming was injured again in the stretch in the Goodwood and, again, didn't make the Breeders Cup.
I still can't believe how so many people take sports (including horse racing) so seriously that their disagreements with others cause them to insult the character, intelligence, and sometimes birth status of other commenters. Remember, the way we criticize others say far more about us than it does about the target of the criticism.
At any rate, Zenyatta showed herself to be an outstanding horse again in this race. It wasn't a great field. Certainly not as strong as the 2009 BC Classic -- which she won. But Blame deserved this win. Because Blame was in the second pack, he was only 5 lengths ahead of Zen for the majority of the race. He made his move slightly before she made hers. He had to fight through more traffic throughout his final surge. She had to fight to hook outside,but once there had clear running. The final 25 yards he held her off. Either Z slowed slightly or B stepped it up when she pulled alongside -- hard to tell. But her rate of gain on his disappeared in the final few strides when she still had a chance to catch him.
Zenyatta is a great racehorse. Not just a great race mare. She earned her stripes against males in the two BCs, but don't overstate the significance of her previous record against all-filly competition.Had those been regular races with males included she would have suffered a number of losses.
But keep things in context. Her time at Churchill Downs was 2:02.28. Secretariat's was 1:59.40 (Kentucky Derby). That means her rapid close would still have placed her 14-15 lengths behind Secretariat. And 11-12 lengths behind Sham. In fact, Our Native finished 8 lengths behind Sham and Forego was right with him . . . which means the best that Zen's CD performance would have gotten her is fifth. And remember those were just three year old colts, not fully grown/filled out adults. Zenyatta was a completely mature adult.
Finally some common sense. She was great, and I hate when I write comments that people take to mean I am denigrating her, but I feel she did nothing to be ranked amongst the like of Secretariat. You really make good sense here. Thank you for that! Also, I like how you point out the maturity vs immaturity factor, which most brush off.
Thank you for your astute personal insult, observation. I frequent a basketball blog where I am routinely insulted for my intelligence and called profane names, just because I have an opinion of my own, do my own stats to reach my own conclusions, and don't always go along with the crowd sentiment regarding players and coaches. We live in a Neanderthal Age Social Slime Pit, these days, is all I can conclude.
I agree with most of what you said except for the part where you state that if her other races had males in them she would have had more losses. That is just speculation. I doubt that any of those races would have had stronger fields than her 2009 and 2010 BCC races. Obviously no one can compare to Secretariat. As Chick Anderson said in his Belmont that Secretariat was moving like a tremendous machine, pretty much says it all. He was a "Tremendous Machine" with a heart twice the size of a normal thoroughbred!
If Mike Smith doesn't panic & move up to the back markers, where she usually is, she wins, the slight steady on the turn, the track was a little less cuppy, she wins! He stays in the middle, IDK, but most of all, she hesitated, shied from the whip, that she wasn't used to, While she was running her heart out as if to say, Wtf? Mike knew it in the post race interviews, any one factor she wins, the overview was useful this 1 time, ( I hate it) on the 1st turn, sooo far back! Still the best race she ever ran, always overcame adversity, just not this time, but that's horse racing.. now I finally put my thoughts down after all these years... Woulda bet 2 fisted the year before at 5-2, but I was broke & on the street. Was a no bet at 4-5 but I was undicipline, now I'm done.. cheers!
What was the track variant? You're talking about what most see as the greatest racehorse of all time and the track record at Churchill! This day the track was about 2.5 seconds off, lot of times and horses in between there. Alysheba was the one horse I think might beat Zenyatta on the square at 1 1/4 mi. And his "Derby" time is like 2:03...
You're still the greatest Lady Z! Nothing to be ashamed of. No other horse could have come from 20 lengths back like you did. A tremendous way to go out.
I always get chills when I watch this. I always hope that they made a mistake, that Zenyatta really did win. But I'll have to accept it. Zenyatta is still the best! Still unbeaten in my heart!
Freaking jockey of Zenyatta asked her to go far too late. He lost this race for her. I was watching this race as a teenager with my family, so excited to see the “dancing,” brilliant Zenyatta. Absolutely broke my heart to see her run out of track, but again, that was the fault of her jockey, not her. She was BRILLIANT❤
@caz11533
I give Garrett Gomez credit for the perfect ride. Perhaps one of the best of all time. BLame never got his momentum broken and he kept his rhythm the entire race. Just the start alone where Zenyatta got squeezed by the 2 horses to the left and right cost her more than the margin of her defeat.
No matter where you place Zenyatta on the all-time lists (top 30 for me) the one thing you can say about the horse is that she never failed to fire. Ever.
Zenyatta will go down in history as one of the greatest race horses that has ever lived. Period.
Everytime I watch this I always hope the outcome will somehow be different. She is still an amazing horse and the most amazing female racehorse ever to live in my opinion.
There is a lot of opinion masquerading as fact here. Whenever a horse loses by a head and a diminishing head people are going to speculate on two things in particular: did the jockey contribute or cause the defeat; who is the better horse. First, she was very far back, but note that the first three were well clear of the rest; even Blame was perhaps twelve lengths off the lead. Ideally I think we would wanted Zenyatta a bit closer to Blame though that would have either potentially hemmed her in on the rail or four or five wide on the first turn. And we don't know if Zenyatta herself just was a bit slower in the beginning, and not because Smith wanted her to be far back in order to be extra-dramatic. I think overall Zenyatta was the better horse, but on the day for a variety of reasons Blame was a few inches faster. I also think that Zenyatta was perhaps a tad slower as a six year old. It was a great race by both of them, and although I wish he hadn't beaten her, I can't (sorry) Blame him for winning.
As for someone stating that it is a fact that Rachel Alexandra, a horse I also admired especially during her three year old season, would beat Zenyatta by five lengths in a nine furlong (match race I presume), that's barely worth arguing, though I cannot resist. First, I tend to doubt there was that much of a gap between them. There are too many factors (track, surface, 3 yo Rachel vs 5 yo Zenyatta or 4 yo Rachel vs 6 yo Zenyatta)to consider. Even if Rachel slowed the pace to a crawl Zenyatta has shown that her late speed is such that she can overcome slow splits and win. Admittedly, she never experienced that with Rachel who was both talented and brave (witness her exhausting performance winning the 2010 Woodward). I never have understood why people feel the need to denigrate one horse in order to appreciate another. Nineteen wins in a row followed by a narrow loss to a great horse in Blame; Rachel's amazing three year old season of some massive wins in the Ky Oaks and Mother Goose, wins over males in the Preakness from post 13, a 6 length win in the Haskell and that gutsy win in the Woodward. I thought both were great and it would have been interesting to see the ladies meet on the track. I tend to favour Zenyatta in that contest even at nine furlongs. But that's speculation and that's why it's called gambling.
I'm assuming all of us like the sport, hence the passionate feelings. But, let's not forget that it's hard to be sure of much in this world, especially the sport of kings.
+steven cooke Hello Steve, Blame was giving weight to Zenyatta and beat her ! And she was quite a bit bigger than him! Barbaro would have mugged Zenyatta if Blame can beat her and give weight. You are deluding yourself! Was she on Lasix?
+postcardterry and she gave 67 feet of ground. why do u not talk about that?
+saveus228 How much ground did Mine That Bird give away in the Kentucky Derby ,and you talk about 67 feet and a mare that didn`t win despite being in receipt of weight from a male ! What she gave away is of no consequence because lots of horses have given away more and still won easily. I suggest you check out Arazi (breeders cup)and Mine That Bird(Kentucky Derby).Think before you write!
why Zenyatta always starts last but ends up first!? :)
That's on Mike Smith.
I don't know why I do it to myself and keep watching this race!
The effort that Blame and Zenyatta put forth in this race is really something to be applauded and treasured by true racing fans. The list of horses that Blame's beaten at CD reads like a who's who of dirt racing. Zenyatta found herself in a difficult position in this race. She could've easily folded, and just thrown in the towel. But that enormous champion's heart that drives her refused to let her. She ran her heart out, beaten a mere 6 inches by another great champion. No disgrace in that. JMO
This race does show the greatness of both Zenyatta and of Blame. Zenyatta was held back too far, but she wasn't 20 lengths behind Blame -- just a few for most of the race, so one could argue Blame spotted the field 12-15 lengths. Zenyatta is one of the greatest horses ever. I agree with the experts that said in 2010 that Blame deserved 2010 Horse of the Year honors based purely on the stats for that year . . . though, literally, by a nose.
The best horse on the day won the race. The best horse in the race came up inches short. Blame's a great champion in his own right. But even in defeat, this may have been Zenyatta's finest hour. Giving up the ground that she did early in the race, and to still come thundering home against a colt that has always ran lights out at Churchill Downs the way she did speaks volumes to her greatness. The only thing Zenyatta lost in defeat was a zero in her won-loss record. But her greatness, solidified
People who only analyze numbers only a very limited perspective. Zenyatta transcends numbers as she usually did just enough to win. Her style and spirit make her one of the greatest horses of all time. I think her owners handled her beautifully. Last year the critics were sure she would lose against the boys in the Breeders cup. She won. This year, she fell far behind and then performed an unheard of rally to lost by just a head. Zenyatta is up there with the greatest. No doubt.
Zenyatta deserved HOY because it was her year, and she put all eyes on racing. She made racing exciting.
Blame didn't even run his first race that year until May and he would have been well beaten second in the Foster had Battle Plan not suffered a career ending suspensory injury in the stretch.
Zenyatta's connections are reaping the harvest they sowed. I'm not sure if Sheriffs simply didn't trust Zenyatta's abilities. He looked stunned after she won the 2009 Classic, as though it wasn't supposed to happen. It was awesome that they brought Zenyatta back for a year, and it's really hard to keep a horse in form as they get older, but she gave them enough indications that she was ready for tougher challenges. They would have HOTY sewed up had they modified their provincial campaign.
Let us not forget that 35 years ago in 1975 another great filly raced undefeated. Ruffian was also a Queen in the Sport of Kings but sadly lost her life in the Match Race at Belmont. I am old enough and lucky enough to remember both...so they were not once in a lifetime. The description below of greed, drugs, and cheating sounds like what may happen in any other sport. Having worked at Churchill I can say that most in the industry love and respect the sport and these wonderful athletes.
Seriously, how that horse ever got within a head is a mystery. This is the RACE OF HER LIFE, even though she lost.
She just needed a better lead in the final corner, she lost about half a length waiting for a gap as she came round the final bend.
Astonishing finish.
That mare ran like a true champion. She was clearly the best horse of the field. Had her jockey started moving her up 10 seconds earlier, she'd won. She was running Blame into the ground at the end.
@wavepattern Funny how none of the horses you just mentioned would run vs. Zen in the classic when they all had the chance. Who was ducking who?
For all those bashing Mike Smith: Zenyatta was not hooking well on this surface and he could tell right away with how they left the gates. No horse wins them all but if you want to see what the greatest dirt miler in history does in a similar situation, Dr Fager in the 1968 United Nations Handicap. First ever race on grass, slipping and sliding the whole way, puts to bed several other turf champions by sheer force of will. Now that's greatness
Zenyatta Had Been Trained by Baffert Or Lukas she would Have Been a Monster!! She Never Ran a Fast Dirt Race against Colts!! She was Unprepared and should have done it all 2010
That announcer so desperately wanted to say Zenyattaaaaaaaaaaaaa......wins
They say Secretariat had the biggest heart of any race horse, almost twice the size of a normal heart. He could run all day at any speed he wants and beat any horse in his path. That horse will never run out of gas. But looking at how Zenyatta runs her races, I ask, who really had the bigger heart?
The one race where everybody was rooting for Zenyata down the backstretch... and when she came a nose short, everybody felt the same way.
I bet on Blame. One of the greatest overlays ever.
Me too. Blame-Zenyatta exacta!!
In my eyes, Zenyatta lost nothing in defeat in her second Classic run at Churchill Downs on this day. If anything, she just solidified her greatness in this race, as did Blame. Zenyatta faced 22 of the best males in the world from the U.S. and Europe in 2 different Classics. She proved better than 21 of them, and found only one that was good enough to beat her by mere inches. This mare was incredible. One of the all-time great American thoroughbred's, bar none!! TJMO.
I love people who come on here and find ways to knock Zenyatta They take NIT WIT to a whole new level
Still a heart breaker that Zenyatta wasn't able to win a second Classic, and retire with a perfect record. But that said, two very classy American thoroughbred's both ended their careers on with this race. With both giving everything they had to give. Both Blame and Zenyatta really laid it on the line in this race. IMO, both horses should be remembered as being nothing but champions!! JMO.
All of you that says that Zenyatta is not a great horse are very confused in what greatness is! Zenyatta shows up every time and even in her defeat she showed a great heart ! Sure there might be others that might have more talent or even face better competition but lets face it a very very small pool of those horses are able to combine them together for a long period of time! Zenyatta is a great horse! Period!
I watched this race live and I think I shed a tear when I saw Zenyatta come from behind and fight his way to the top, to just lose by a few inches.
Her..lol
I still can't get over it.
lol me neither.
Don't care that she lost this race!!! What she did on this track, on this race proves without a doubt, she's a horse for the ages. Zenyatta is our modern day Secretariat! She's simply the BEST, just ran out of track.
Almost 2 1/2 years have passed. But boy, it still hurts.
I think this might be the greatest race I've ever seen a horse run, certainly in defeat..
Definitely her best race despite it being her only loss.
Garret Gomez best ride ever! Coming out to meet Zenyatta won the race.
I understand the frustration. I am from Ky. Lexington actually. I come from a long line of horse racing fans and actually went back to KY to sales prep for Spendthrift Farm in the earlier 80's, Slew was there Affirmed lots of others. The biggest problem I see is not a lot of folks on the west coast had ever heard of Blame. I watch TVG and had seen him, but by the same token I'd been watching Zenyatta for all of her career. I don't want to take anything away from him.
I’m a big sports fan, however, not so much a horse racing fan. But, Zenyatta captured my heart in 2009, and remember watching this race. I was so emotionally invested and it broke my heart when she lost at the end. Had the race been 5-10 m longer....