"Horses, racing, they're a part of Americana. And I think we've lost our focal point in this rush to create these wagers and simulcasts and the things we've had to do as an industry in order to survive ... but the glory of the horse and the art of handicapping have become somewhat lost in the shuffle. This one, this is what racing is all about. She's the most striking mare ever. I can't get over her presence." -- Oaklawn Park president Charles Cella, April 2010
Who knows why I wrote about the 2008 Apple Blossom Handicap. My editor must have assigned it. I wasn't in Arkansas; I was in Lexington, Ky., watching grainy races on a tiny flat-screen mounted on the office wall. I didn't have a feel for the big bay filly's imposing presence, didn't have a clue what we were in for. I was rooting for Ginger Punch, an Eclipse Award-winning champion. Zenyatta blew her away -- and me along with her.
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