[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;5207640]
Dubai World Cup.
$10million would be a nice consolation to ease the pain of last night. On a synth surface too, plus she’d get to beat horses from around the world and could call herself a “World” champion. They could still have her back in the Kentucky in time to breed her in Apr.[/QUOTE]
That’s what I’m thinking…
It was like pulling teeth just to get her into Kentucky. I doubt they’d ever take her to Dubai.
It would be so nice though to see her run a couple more times in open company. That would settle a lot of questions about how nice of a horse she really is.
I don’t think you can say she was really “defeated” yesterday as if she lost by several lengths. She lost by less than a head to the best horses running! It seems she still loves her job and is at the top of her game. Now that the perfect record isn’t an issue, why not make a big statement for HOTY honors?
Z got me to watch some races … that’s something!
Part of me hopes they retire her safe and sound, part of me wants to see her again. I can’t help but think that she would be so bored at a farm!!! But I also want her to be safe and I am afraid they would be taking too much risk by racing her again.
I feel for Mike too!
Pure hubris if Team Z chooses to take Zenyatta to Dubai.
No money she could win, no earnings or victory record she could tack down, no award she would still lose, and most of all, no hurt feelings she would never salve with a victory there…would be worth the risk of tempting the gods. And not the racing gods, this time, but the gods who are also stone-cold closers: who only bestir themselves to send us a terrible message.
[QUOTE=Rubyfree;5207330]
It’s hard for any horse to stay perfect, let alone close to it amongst top class competition. I think what Z showed today was that her magnificent judgment was vulnerable; her lovely timing was impeachable with a full court. That’s OK. With what I think was a less than stellar ride, with history against her, she showed her mettle by getting up so darn close. She may not be unbeatable but she’s damned close, and that’s still special.
Maybe with a more ambitious career she would have been beat a few times, and we wouldn’t be batting an eye at her getting up close after a crap break for a heart-stopping second against the boys a second year in a row. Let’s appreciate the goodness of this great mare for what it is. 19 and 20 ain’t nothing to sneer at.
As she pranced off, it was obvious she didn’t know she’d lost. She doesn’t know how to lose. She was still the Queen in her mind, and in mine. Let’s send her to retirement with the accolades she deserves. We’ve been greatly blessed to see these great mares these last two years. Let’s be grateful and proud. The Queen is going to the shed a beast in her own mind. That is enough for me.[/QUOTE]
Amen.
Babygoose, I agree with you that it is a good thing, as you said "Her owners didn’t run her until she was four because she wasn’t ready. That says a lot about her owners. Most horses are running hard at 2 and 3. ".
However, I still think it could so easily have turned out to be a disastrous race, just because racing is inherently dangerous. A mare this great deserves to live long enough to reproduce, and that is what I meant by wondering why they even found it necessary to race her again. This mare has proven her mettle time and time again, and sometimes humans have to have enough sense to say ‘enough is enough’. It distresses me that so many failed to see the reasoning behind what I said, so I hope this clarification assists those of more limited vision to ‘see the light’ as it were.
[QUOTE=Iride;5207439]
Can’t imagine what Mike’s going through. The hardest thing will be – should’ve, would’ve, could’ve. 
I just hope she walked away thinking she won. I want to believe she did.[/QUOTE]
I agree.
[QUOTE=fish;5207467]
Just my 0 cents worth, but I can’t see what more this mare has to prove on the track and do look forward to seeing some babies (esp. girls!).[/QUOTE]
Exactly the point I tried to make a few pages ago!
[QUOTE=FalseImpression;5207830]
Z got me to watch some races … that’s something!
Part of me hopes they retire her safe and sound, part of me wants to see her again. I can’t help but think that she would be so bored at a farm!!! But I also want her to be safe and I am afraid they would be taking too much risk by racing her again.
I feel for Mike too![/QUOTE]
Very well said, and I agree with you completely.
[QUOTE=Pallas;5207845]
Pure hubris if Team Z chooses to take Zenyatta to Dubai.
No money she could win, no earnings or victory record she could tack down, no award she would still lose, and most of all, no hurt feelings she would never salve with a victory there…would be worth the risk of tempting the gods. And not the racing gods, this time, but the gods who are also stone-cold closers: who only bestir themselves to send us a terrible message.[/QUOTE]
Not really sure what this means, other than maybe trying to be some kind of bad poetry, but the reason to take a racehorse to Dubai is to try to win the world’s richest horse race. And while I don’t think a win there is as impressive as her 2nd yesterday, it is very impressive compared to a career’s worth of Clement Hirsch & Lady’s Secret Stakes.
thoughts on Breeders’ Cup
I think the powers that be need to seriously but SERIOUSLY look at giving the televison coverage to ESPN. For those who were unable to watch, when ABC shifted over to ESPN at 2:30 central, thee was a football game on! It was in overtime! It went to DOUBLE OVERTIME!
We all raged about it yesterday. I have the DISH which sports several ESPN ‘alternative’ channels for this very sort of thing. It wasn’t on anywhere! Luckily, I do have TVG, and they were granted permission to run the race live! Great for those of us that have it, but I am sure a lot more of the country has ESPN than TVG.
Problem is that this happens almost every single time ESPN runs a race. Almost without exception. They need to decide if they really want racing, or to let it go back to NBC, or give it back to ABC, or give up the ghost and let the Horseracing channels duke it out. ESPN missed the two year old colt race on the dirt at Churchill with all the Derby implications. It is really inexcusable.
I also think they [Breeder’s Cup Ltd. or Churchill Downs] need a Plan for dealing with a horse that is NQR at the post like Life at Ten was. Trainer knew she was wrong, Jockey knew she was wrong. The vet said jockey didn’t say anything to him, so he did nothing but if people at home could see it, I don’t know why the vet couldn’t. By leaving her in, and allowing her to just canter home, how many pick 6 tickets were trashed? I am NOT saying Johnny V should have pushed her, but she should have been pulled out. SOMEONE should man up and take responsibility in a case like this. Apparently, she is going to be ok, but what if she wasn’t? Whose is the final responsibility in a case like this?
ABC is ESPN. Neither one is willing to buck college football fans for racing. They don’t care one hoot about the comparatively tiny TV viewership for any equestrian sport.
Of course, if TV were to promote horse racing for entertainment as it used to do decades ago, racing wouldn’t be in nearly the shape it’s in. One of the major things wrong with racing, as their powers that be are running things, is the focus on gambling. Sure racing is betting, but it’s a lot more than that; and 1000% more than gambling on slots.
Adamsmom,
Sorry to be so late in response regarding my comment that maybe she’s “not so special after all”. I was being facetious in response to another poster’s comment. I think she’s phenomenal. Her race yesterday and her race in last year’s Classic are reminiscent. Difference is a head bob. I love to watch late running horses gobble up ground and prevail over the competitors, and she makes it look easy.
Amazing!
pictures including rough sailing
I need to get a better camera. Preferably one with zoom. Mine is waterproof and indestructible but has horrible zoom capabilities.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31592251&l=ca310808e3&id=1199946616
For a horse, any horse, much less Zenyatta, winning 19 races in a row is spectacular.
For her to come in a less-than-head second (I couldn’t say loss) is also incredible. She made up ground that no other horse likely could; did not shut down and stop, didn’t back up with dirt hitting her, and made the stretch run an incredible show of heart and determination. Mike Smith rode the best race he could given the trip. I hope he doesn’t beat himself up over the outcome…
It was a race that will do down as one of the greats in BC and racing history.
The commentator on air talked to the head vet and he said the vet at the gate was going to be looking at Life AT Ten when he got there, but as soon as the horse arrived, they loaded him in the gate. Why wasn’t the vet waiting on him??? Didn’t look like the jockey was given a chance to raise a question.
Sounds like miscommunication from the head vet to his crew. I’m no racing expert, just a fan.:no:
Increased ratings for the Breeders’ Cup although still a fraction of what NBC Sports used to have: Nov 8, 2010: Breeders’ Cup Television Ratings Up From 2009
From 6:15-7:15 p.m. EDT, the segment that included the Classic, ESPN reported overnight ratings of 3.1, compared with a 1.1 for the final hour a year ago. Ironically, Zenyatta also ran during that time segment in 2009, but was not nearly as well-known on a national basis.
For the 3:45-6:15 p.m. portion of the Nov. 6 telecast, also on ESPN, ratings registered a 2.4, up substantially from a 1.0 a year ago. In the early segment Nov. 6 from 1:30-3:30 p.m., telecast by ABC, the Breeders’ Cup did a 1.7, up from 1.0 in 2009.
Each overnight rating point equates to approximately 1 million households.
Rating points
Hey Glimmer, do you think the ratings were higher because of the football game going into double overtime?:mad:
[QUOTE=vineyridge;5208236]
ABC is ESPN. Neither one is willing to buck college football fans for racing. They don’t care one hoot about the comparatively tiny TV viewership for any equestrian sport.
Of course, if TV were to promote horse racing for entertainment as it used to do decades ago, racing wouldn’t be in nearly the shape it’s in. One of the major things wrong with racing, as their powers that be are running things, is the focus on gambling. Sure racing is betting, but it’s a lot more than that; and 1000% more than gambling on slots.[/QUOTE]
Chicken and egg issue. Is racing in the shape it’s in because TV doesn’t promote it, or does TV not promote it because racing doesn’t produce the same kind of product it did decades ago? I used to be a huge racing fan – went to the track all the time and watched it on TV whenever it was on – but I find it hard to watch the Breeders Cup in light of the fact that, almost every year, there is at least one race and sometimes more in which a horse breaks down on the track. I also believe the overall quality of the horses has declined for whatever reason (drugs, more lightly raced, picking races w/o meaningful competition). Perhaps if the good horses raced more, and raced more against each other such that rivalries blossomed – Affirmed vs. Alydar, Kelso vs. Gun Bow vs. Roman Brother, Damascus vs. Dr. Fager, etc. – people would want to tune in more. It’s not TV’s job to save racing from itself (and, ps, I’m not accusing you of suggesting otherwise).
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