Zenyatta put her undefeated record on the line in coming out of retirement Saturday and pulled off another last-to-first victory by 1¼ lengths in the $250,000 Santa Margarita Handicap in front of more than 20,000 fans at Santa Anita Park to hold up her end of the bargain in a tune-up race heading into tentatively planned meeting next month against the 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.
Unfortunately, 20 minutes before Zenyatta’s race, down in New Orleans, Rachel Alexandra was upset in her season debut by three-quarters of a length to Zenyatta’s stablemate, Zardana. As a result, a tentative highly anticipated grudge match of sorts against 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra has been canceled.
Following are highlights from stable notes provided Saturday and Sunday by Ed Golden from Santa Anita Park and AP racing writer Beth Harris, provided by Santa Anita:
Zenyatta won her 15th straight race in customary last-to-first fashion.
Zenyatta co-owner Jerry Moss and his wife, Ann, were going to retire Zenyatta after she became the first female to beat the boys in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in November on the same track. But they changed their minds in January, putting her back into training instead of into the breeding business.
“I thought she’d come back and run like she did, but she actually ran better than I expected,” her regular rider, Mike Smith, said Sunday at Clockers’ Corner. Even though she looked hopelessly beaten at the quarter pole in the mile and an eighth Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap, the 6-year-old mare would not be denied, bulling her way between horses near the eighth pole to win by a length and a quarter. While her fans might have had doubts, Smith was confident, even late in the race.
“I thought she had plenty of chance (at the quarter pole),” the Hall of Fame rider said. “I just didn’t want to run over anybody.”
Zenyatta’s victory capped a coast-to-coast sweep Saturday for John Shirreffs, who, along with Jerry Hollendorfer, whose 51-1 shot Dance to My Tune finished second to Zenyatta, is among the best active trainers not in the Hall of Fame. Shirreffs upset Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra with “third-stringer” (behind Zenyatta and the just-retired Life Is Sweet) Zardana in Saturday’s New Orleans Ladies Stakes. David Flores rode Zardana for owner Arnold Zetcher.
But the proposed $5 million Apple Blossom Handicap that was to feature Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra at Oaklawn Park on April 9 was scrubbed on Sunday when Rachel Alexandra owner Jess Jackson announced the horse would not race there after all.
Jerry Moss was reached by phone at his home in Beverly Hills Sunday, said, “We’re disappointed that we’re not going to be able to face each other in the Apple Blossom. Hopefully, we can meet down the line. We respect both Steve (Asmussen) and Mr. Jackson as horsemen and they’re going to do what’s right for their horse. That’s all anybody could ask for. We’ll go on to the Apple Blossom as planned.”
“No matter, Zenyatta’s legend will grow as time goes by. People will say, “We were there. We saw Zenyatta. Everybody really loves her. Everybody’s so pleased to have her back and to root for her, and when she wins, she makes everybody happy.”
The 6-year-old mare trailed a field of seven rivals going 1 1/8 miles in her season debut before unleashing her trademark late run to win under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.
“This was a great, great race for her and it wasn’t taxing at all,” Smith said. “We got enough out of this race to move forward.”
The two leading ladies of American racing were using Saturday’s races as tuneups for their scheduled April 9 showdown. Moss said he intends to run her there as planned, while Rachel Alexandra’s trainer Steve Asmussen was non-committal. The owner of Oaklawn Park has promised a $5 million purse, but only if both the filly and the mare run. Moss watched Rachel Alexandra lose at the Fair Grounds about 20 minutes before Zenyatta won.
“I’m sorry she lost, but she lost to a better horse,” he said. “We’ll see what happens in the next race. Hopefully, she’ll come back a stronger racehorse in a month, and we’ll see the real Rachel, so to speak.”
Zenyatta was timed in 1:48.20 on the synthetic surface and paid $2.60, $2.20 and $2.10 as the overwhelming 1-5 wagering favorite in her first race in four months. Zenyatta’s path to continued perfection took a different route this time. She appeared to break from the starting gate on her back feet before Smith settled her into last on her first trip past the grandstand. Dance to My Tune led the way around the backstretch, with Zenyatta eight lengths off the pace.
“I just have a lot of faith in Mike,” Shirreffs said. “I know once he gets her in the clear, he has a good chance. She’s cut in between horses and everything, but when you have a big `X’ on your back, a lot of places don’t open up that normally would.”
Coming out of the final turn, instead of going wide around the field _ her typical move _ Smith steered Zenyatta to the rail near the eighth pole. He found traffic down there, prompting announcer Trevor Denman to shout, “She has nowhere to go!” A moment later, Zenyatta burst clear as the grandstand crowd erupted.
“Unbelievable!” Denman exclaimed. She got by leader Dance to My Tune, and surged to the front with Smith never needing his whip. “I cut some corners and gambled a bit, but I was confident at all times that if she needed to make room, she could,” he said. “She’s a bit of a bully.”
Zenyatta was the class of the Santa Margarita field, and as such, she was assigned high weight of 127 pounds _ 12 to 19 more than her rivals. She was the only runner sent off at single-digit odds.
On their way to the winner’s circle, Smith stopped Zenyatta in front of the grandstand and doffed his helmet to the heavens as the crowd cheered their hometown heroine.
“I’m like a fan,” Smith said.
After soaking up the applause, Zenyatta pranced toward the jammed winner’s circle, where Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman was among those celebrating her victory.
“She’s the idol of perfection we all strive for,” Moss said. “That’s about as profound as I get.”
“She’s such a gift,” Ann Moss said.