And none of their horses will ever win 19 straight, almost 20. None! For all their blather.
Go JamminPark! You and I are on the Z. blog site because we want to celebrate Zenyatta. The others should go somewhere else and deposit their vitiol there.
iThoroughbred: so what are you doing on the Zenyatta blog if your cause celebre is to downgrade Zenyatta. Go to the appropriate domain.
Dubbyd: So what?
Thread"or: You show your true colors when you say "it's as relevant as the earthquake in Haiti." You may be an American in a safe home with nothing else to do but put down others, but there are thousands of people and animals in Haiti whose lives have been devasted. Unlike you, they don't have time to mock and denigrate other people's suffering. They are too busy trying to survive. You need a dose of hardship to set you straight, and you also need to move off the Zenyatta blog, so those of us who think things have lasting value, and have the ability to focus on something more than a nanosecond, can have a thoughtful discussion.
Thread'Or: I don't get it. It's not relevant to you, so go somewhere else. It's relevant to people that are interested in Z. And you show your true colors when you say,
Dear Thread'or: So why in heaven's name do you even go to the Zenyatta blog? You're inviting your own misery. Those of us that want to talk about Z. can do so,and you can go somewhere else and read and write about what interests you.
Having once met John Shirreffs, having followed his career, having watched the splendor of Zenyatta, having seen how he and his wife Dottie still give Zenyatta so much of their hearts, I feel the need to say that this man profoundly admirable. Not only is he a gifted trainer, he's a classy person who represents the very best of horseracing. John, my salute to you!
Several of you seem to think that it's not any longer relevant to talk about Zenyatta. One said "move on to another topic." Hey: this is the ZENYATTA section of the blog, so comments about Zenyatta are in order. If you don't want to write about her, don't write about her. But there are those of us for whom she epitomizes all that is wonderful about horseracing, and we will not likely decide to "move on"--we'll want to honor and revere her achievements and her classiness forever. Those of you who spend a lot of time name states or tracks she didn't race in: so what? She raced where she raced, and she raced with class, style, panache, and a winning capability that no racehorse has ever equalled. Some people seem to feel the need to badmouth accomplishments either because they don't have a broad enough perspective, or they are just pissy by nature. Every horse on every track in every state in every race that has ever been won has my affection, respect, and admiration. As my profile makes clear, I adore them all, winners to losers, fast to slow, beautiful to homely. But Zenyatta just has a special quality that is her own. To say this doesn't mean I don't love Rachel Alexandra--I adore her too--but Zenyatta did something: she captured the aspirations of hundreds of thousands of people at a time when horseracing needs fan enthusiasm. She remains the closest thing to a hero I've seen ages.
Fellow Zenyatta lovers: I've wanted to express my thoughts about Z's last race for a long time. She came in second at the Breeder's Cup Classic, BUT SHE DID NOT LOSE THE RACE. Indeed, her comeback in that race, from being dead last at the top of the final stretch, to catching Blame within a nose,is one of the most impressive runs by any horse in racing history. She blazed by the field in a burst of speed that can only be compared to the accelaration of the space shuttle at take-off. I don't know if the racing world will ever see another horse like her, or if those denizens will ever fully appreciate her exquisite contribution to horseracing, or if I will ever get over the bliss of once seeing her run in the flesh, or if I will get over the melancholy I feel now that i can't watch her in the starting gate. What I do know is that for me and for countless other admirers, she reigned as the queen of the world during her career, and still does now that she is relaxing at Lane's End. I look forward to seeing if she and Bernardini can produce a foal; I expect that if and when it is born, it will mean pilgrimmages to the Bethlehem of Kentucky and the reintroduction to the world of frankincense and myrrh. In the meantime, I will enjoy the new crop of runners, and the beloved ones still racing past their 3-year old seasons, and re-watch my Z. videos again and again.