63°F
weather icon Mostly Clear
Ad 300x75 | 728x90

Buzz around Zenyatta understated

Zenyatta will go down in history among the greatest racehorses of all time. Unbeaten in 17 career starts, she’ll try for win No. 18 on Saturday in the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar.

Despite her proven greatness, I sense that racing fans outside of California might appreciate Zenyatta but don’t fully respect her. That has a lot to do with her being sequestered in California for 15 wins, with only two trips to Oaklawn Park. No New York races in the Big Apple, at Churchill Downs, at Gulfstream Park. Just California and Hot Springs, Ark.

The buzz over extending her streak in the Hirsch is understated, especially when compared to the enormous excitement of Cigar trying for a then-record 17th straight win in the 1996 Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Cigar lost that race, but he already had gained the world’s admiration. During the streak, owner Allen Paulsen ran Cigar in Dubai, New York, Chicago, Miami, Boston and Baltimore. The tougher the test, the more Cigar gave.

This Hirsch field might be the weakest Zenyatta has faced since winning an allowance race early in her career. And she’ll be conceding a mere 2 to 4 pounds to a woefully overmatched group. This is akin to Alex Rodriguez hitting his 600th career home run off a high school pitcher.

Granted, Zenyatta took her best shot in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic and cemented her superstar status. But the “wow” moments in her resume are too few. I think racing fans would have taken to Zenyatta even more if owner Jerry Moss and trainer John Shirreffs had not micromanaged her career so close to the vest.

A storybook ending to Zenyatta’s career would be to win the Hirsch and run in two more races: the Beldame in the fall at Belmont Park and the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

The Beldame on Oct. 2 would be a perfect setting to finally meet Rachel Alexandra. Both horses should be in peak condition to square off in the top media market of New York. The Beldame is at a time and place where there would be no more evasive maneuvering.

Then if Zenyatta wins again, her final start would be going for career win No. 20 as the defending champion of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It would silence all critics for good to take care of business at Churchill Downs. That would be an electric moment not only in horse racing but in all of sports.

Richard Eng’s horse racing column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
MORE STORIES
THE LATEST
Irish War Cry due for good race, pick to win Belmont

With Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and Preakness champion Cloud Computing skipping the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, the Triple Crown races will produce three different winners for the second consecutive year.

This weekend is filled with festival-style horse racing

Today the trend is for racetracks to cluster their stakes in a festival-style program. Thus, the Met Mile will be among nine graded stakes on the Belmont Stakes card June 10.

Always Dreaming’s Preakness run proves ‘horses are human’

Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming by various accounts came bouncing out of Churchill Downs in good order. His Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher felt good about his preparation.

Kentucky Derby offers clues for Preakness winner

Always Dreaming is the horse the racing industry will be rooting for. A win in the Preakness sets up another Triple Crown chance in the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Preakness questions immediately face Always Dreaming

After Always Dreaming crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby, the first question was, “Is he good enough to win the Triple Crown.”

McCraken gets nod to win Kentucky Derby

Many experts are calling this the most wide-open Kentucky Derby in years. When I hear that, I get cynical. Wide open was in 2009 when Mine That Bird destroyed the field at 50-1 odds.

Kentucky Derby week means betting seminars in Las Vegas

The Kentucky Derby attracts the most novice and casual bettors of any race in our sport. With that in mind, there are all kinds of free Derby seminars next week.

Patience is necessary for future bets in horse racing

I love making future bets, not only in horse racing but also other sports. That’s because horseplayers learn a basic tenet early on. Our goal is to bet a little to win a lot.

‘Super Saturday’ should solidify Kentucky Derby field for many horses

When the folks at Churchill Downs dreamed up the Kentucky Derby points system, I was skeptical at first. Not anymore. It has worked by producing fields of in-form horses that, for the most part, are also bred to race two turns.