A Look at Rachel and Zenyatta

[mjellish]

Going to chime in my two cents here.  Since we are talking about Horse of the Year, rather than make a case for Rachel or Zenyatta, I am simply going talk about what they each accomplished on the track this year.   So forget about Zenyatta being 14-0.  Many of those wins came LAST year, in 2008, and we want to talk about what happened this year in 2009.  So let's look at what each of these runners actually did.

Rachel - Started her year off on Feb 15th by running in a low level 50k stakes, the Martha Washington, at Oaklawn Park which was won in 2008 by Eight Belles.  Rachel broke alertly and stalked the pace in second position through the first ¾ of mile and then quickly drew clear, winning by 8 while under wraps.  She finished her final ¼ mile in about 24.6 and in the process beat 8 others, including Afleet Deceit, Peach Brew, Affirmed Truth, Hello Again, Lake Lugano, My Spanx, Lil' Hottie and Bootprints.

Zenyatta – Remained idle and in the barn.

Rachel -Next Stop was the Fairground Oaks on March 14th, a GII at 1 1/16th.  In 2008 this race was won by Proud Spell.  For the 2009 rendition the track came up sloppy.  Rachel again broke alertly and went right towards the front, this time winning the race in wire to wire fashion and simply overpowering her competition.   In spite of the sloppy going she finished in a quick 143.55 on a day when the track was not yielding particularly fast times.  It was the fastest running of the Fairground Oaks since Ashado went 1:43.07.  Rachel beat  5 others including, Flying Spur, Our Dahlia, Four Gifts, African Skies and War Tigress.

Zenyatta – Remained idle and in the barn.

Rachel - On April 5th Rachel shipped back to Oaklawn for 1 1/16th GII Fantasy stakes.    In her third start of the year she led every step of the way again, cruising through the opening 6F in 112.57.  At the top of the stretch she had a 6 length lead, and then again found another gear to kick clear to an 8 ¾ length win.  In the stretch all Calvin Borel did was keep looking back over his shoulder to see if anyone was coming.  No one was.  This was just a 5 horse field and they were all clearly overmatched.  Rachel again beat the likes of Afleet Deceit, as well as the newcomers Just Jenda, Bon Jovi Girl and Cats.  

Zenyatta – Still remained idle and in the barn.

Rachel -Next on May 1st came the G1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill, the nations' premier race for 3 year old fillies.  Facing 6 other horses after the morning scratch of Justwhistledixie, Rachel relaxed under a hold and sat just off the pacesetter Gabby's Golden Gal through a respectable opening ¾  in 111.81.  On the turn she took the lead easily, racing under her own urging, and then rapidly drew off without being asked while giving the Oaks day crowd something truly remarkable to behold.  Rachel continued to pour it on in the stretch, running faster and faster, finishing her last 1/8 in just a tick over 12 and dominating the race to win by a record margin of over 20 lengths.  Her final time was a lickety split 148.40, and all Borel did in the saddle was tap Rachel on the neck and blow kisses as they neared the finish line.  Afterwards trainer D. Wayne Lukas joked that his three entries in the race would have had a better chance if they had decided to turn the 1 1/8 Oaks into a relay race against Rachel.  Borel said that if he would have reached and grabbed her at the 1/16 pole she would have went on to break the track record.  She beat 6 others, Stone Legacy, Flying Spur, Be Fair, Nan, Gabby's Golden Gal and Tweeter.

Zenyatta-was scratched from her much anticipated 2009 debut when the track came up sloppy on Derby weekend.

Rachel -Two weeks later on May 16th, after being privately sold to Jess Jackson, Rachel's new connections realized they had nothing left to prove by running Rachel against her peers in the Acorn Stakes.  She was simply overpowering her competition, and she was doing it in fast, front running time reminiscent of Seattle Slew.  So they instead opted to ambitiously point Rachel towards the G1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico against 3 year old colts on only two weeks rest.  Rachel drew poorly for the race and wound up in post 13, a very difficult assignment at Pimlico.  There was not much room for error, and Rachel responded.  She broke sharply from the furthest outside post and held a narrow lead going 4wide through a legitimate opening quarter in 23.13.  She then continued to duel through a rapid half mile in 46.71 and in the process ran the other front runners into the ground again.  On the turn she began to draw away from the field and opened up a 4 length lead, but this time she had pursuers.  The Derby winner Mine That Bird and 3rd place finisher Musket Man commenced their rallies from well off the pace and seemed to have Rachel measured.  She was at a distinct pace disadvantage by the fast early going.  But Rachel found another gear and dug in gamely to hold off all challengers through a final 3/16 in 19.2.  Afterwards her jockey, Calvin Borel, seemed to be making excuses for not winning by 20 lengths again.  He commented that Rachel never really seemed to travel comfortably over the surface but was still game enough to win anyway.  Given the amount of effort she exerted early, I seriously doubt it had much to do with her handling the track.  But in any case it was an exceptional performance.  

Zenyatta - After missing her much anticipated debut,  Zenyatta made her first start of 2009 on May 23rd on the Cushion track at Hollywood Park in the 1 1/16th GII Milady Handicap.  After 3 scratches she took on 5 other horses.  She drew the outside post and immediately dropped back to last, about 14 lengths off the pacesetters.  While commencing her rally as she entered the turn, she tried to go inside her stable mate Life Is Sweet but had to check and lost about two lengths.  She dropped back, switched to the outside and re-rallied from last to first by going 4-5 wide on the turn.  In the process she made up about 7 lengths on the pacesetter Gambler's Justice in just 1/16th of a mile and was then ridden out to the wire as the easy winner of this race for the second year in a row.  In addition to the 4 other horses she vanquished, she also defeated her Grade 1 winning stable mate Life Is Sweet, who would later go on to win the 2009 Ladies' Classic.  

Rachel -On June 27th In the 1 1/8 G1 Mother Goose at Belmont, Rachel went back to facing her 3 year old peers, but after two scratches she was only left with two opponents to face.  No one else wanted to run against her.  She sat 3rd in the early going about 4 lengths off an insane early pace of 22.57, 44.66 & 108.86.  On the turn she rapidly made up 4 lengths and engulfed the front runners by splitting horses and rallying into an ultra quick mile time of 133.60.  She easily overpowered Malibu Prayer and Flashing, going on to win by nearly 20 lengths again, finishing her final 1/8th 12.73 and the race in a lightning fast 146.33 while being geared down at the wire.  Rachel had proved again that she simply had no competition amongst her peers, and if she continued to race against them no one would want to face her.

Zenyatta – A month after Rachel's Mother Goose, in her next outing Zenyatta took on 5 other horses on July 27th and won the 1 1/8th G1 Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park, another race which she had previously won in 2008.  Her trainer John Shirreffs had decided to map out a conservative five year old campaign that would follow the exact same racing schedule she had used in 2008 leading up to the Breeders' Cup.  Zenyatta would not disappoint.  She again drew the outside post and dropped back to stalk a relaxed early pace that was set by Briecat, who went in a methodical 24.46, 48.02, 111.28 that is very typical for Pro-Ride, while trying to steal the race on the front end.  Zenyatta rallied three wide on the turn but seemed to hang at the top of the stretch.  She finally drew even with the relaxed front runner in deep stretch and then exploded in the final 1/16th to easily gobble up the stubborn Briecat and the rest of a subpar group of G1 horses.  Although the overall strength of this field can be questioned, it is important to note that Zenyatta  won this race while spotting her rivals 13-18 pounds, which was a very difficult weight assignment, something no North American horse had done since the late 70's.  

Rachel – Ambitiously spotted in the G1 Haskell at Monmouth, on Aug 2nd Rachel switched back to facing 3 year old colts, this time 6 of them, and she toyed with them.  The field included Munnings, an extended sprint specialist who can run with almost anyone at shorter distances;  Summer Bird, the Belmont Stakes winner; Papa Clem, Duke of Mischief, Atomic Rain and Bunker Hill.  On race day the track came up sloppy.  Rachel took a 3 wide trip and dueled with Munnings through a blistering early pace in an eye popping 109 4/5 over the greasy, sloppy going.  At the top of the stretch Rachel found another gear and kicked away from Munnings and the rest of the field.  She opened up a 5 length lead, which she then widened to 6 lengths at the finish and in the process out finished Summer Bird and all the other closers behind her.  Her final time of 147.21 was just a tick off the Haskell record on a day when the overall track times were not especially fast.

Zenyatta – Still sticking to the same game plan as he had in 2008, on Aug 9th John Shirreffs opted to point Zenyatta towards the 1 1/16th G1 Clement L. Hirsch Handicap at Del Mar.  After 3 scratches she wound up facing 6 other rivals, including Lethal Heat and her stable mate Life Is Sweet again.  The pace was slow early through a 48 4/5 half and 113 3/5 for the six furlong marker.  As expected, Zenyatta wound up commencing her rally from well off the pace but had to go 6 wide on the turn.  At the top of the lane she again seemed to hang, but she kept her head down and relentlessly closed to get to the wire first, barely winning by a slim head over Anabaa's Creation.  Her Jockey Mike Smith said afterwards that he had underestimated the competition and never hit Zenyatta.  He only showed her the stick.  This would seem to imply that she could have won easy if she were asked, which may or may not have been true.  But she did continue to draw away from the field during the gallop out, a strong indication that she did indeed have a lot left in the tank and any added distance would not be a problem for her.

Rachel - For her final start of 2009, on Sept 5th Rachel took on older male horses for the first time in the G1 Woodward at Saratoga, which was a bold and imaginative spot.  She faced 7 others, including Macho Again, Bullsbay, Asiatic Boy, Da' Tara, Past The Point, It's A Bird & Cool Coal Man.  Rachel again set a blistering early pace, going the first quarter mile in 22.85 seconds and 46.41 for the half.  She completely wore down the front runners Da' Tara and Past The Point and held a narrow lead coming off the turn, but Macho Again and Bullsbay were both confirmed G1 closers and they were commencing their rallies from the advantageous position of coming from well off the fast early pace.  With one to the inside and one to the outside of her, it would seem that they had Rachel measured.  But she again found another gear and gamely dug in, refusing to let either one of these older, male handicap horses go by.  She held on for a head victory, finishing the race in 148 1/5, a climactic finish to one of the best seasons ever by a 3 year- old filly that left Rachel a perfect 8/8 for the year.

Zenyatta -On October 10th Zenyatta shipped to Santa Anita for the G1 Lady's Secret, another race which she had previously won in 2008.  This time she faced 6 other horses including Life Is Sweet, Lethal Heat and Cocoa Beach.  The pacesetter Briecat  set dawdling early fractions, much like she had back in July during the Vanity Handicap, getting the opening  quarter in 25.08, the ½ in 49.58, and the ¾ in 112.93.  This time the pacesetting Briecat unexpectedly tired at the top of the stretch and went on to finish last, but the slow early fractions would still seemingly have left the deep closers like Zenyatta at a distinct pace disadvantage.  Zenyatta, however, remained undeterred and again launched a strong outside rally down the stretch to win by 1 ¼ lengths over Lethal Heat.  Her stable mate, Life Is Sweet, another deep closer, could only offer a mild rally up into 4th.  With this victory Zenyatta matched the perfect mark of 13-0 set by Personal Ensign.  She had nothing left to prove by taking on her female peers in the Lady's Breeders' Cup Classic, so the stage was set for her showdown with the boys in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Rachel-with nothing left to prove and no desire to go out west to race on the synthetics, Rachel stayed home in the barn and enjoyed a well earned respite from racing.

Zenyatta - On November 7th Zenyatta became the first female horse to win the Breeders Cup Classic, and the first horse ever to win two different Breeders' Cup races.  Facing a loaded field of 11, she missed the break on the wrong foot and walked out of the gate trailing the field.  She began to pick it up around the far turn, attempting to rally into a moderate early pace but on a track that was playing kind to stalkers all day.  She was forced to make a bold inside move to get around horses, then angled back to the far outside to finish her rally.  Once clear she then exploded down the stretch to finish her final quarter in just over 23 seconds, for a final time of 200.62 that was more than respectable given the slow early fractions.  In the process Zenyatta beat Gio Ponti, who probably accomplished more on the turf than any other horse in North America this year and seemed to take to the Pro-Ride surface; and the champion 3 year old colt and 2009 Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird.  The field also included the Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, the Pacific Classic winner Richard's Kid, the venerable warrior Einstein, and the 4 time Group 1 winner from overseas Rip Van Winkle.  While this was an accomplished field, it is important to note that many of these runners were not running over their preferred surface, and some of them probably just didn't fire their "A" race because of it.  Rip Van Winkle also had a hoof aliment he was facing that may have compromised his training.

So in summary, Rachel won 8/8 races, Five Grade I, Two GII races, at 7 different tracks, all dirt, 2 of them sloppy, at 4 different distances, against 3 year old females, 3 year old colts and older male handicap horses.

Zenyatta won a 5/5 races, Four Grade I, One Grade II, at 3 different tracks, all synthetic, one Polytrack, one Pro-ride & one Cushion, at 3 different distances, against open female company, and against older handicap horses in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

[RICH]

...and there you have it, perfectly said. The winner by unanimous decision RA