Zenyatta and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith put a spectacular exclamation point on Breeders’ Cup 2009 and the horse racing world that will not soon be forgotten.
The mare’s record-setting victory in the $5 million Classic — the first-ever for a female in the history of Breeder’s Cup — began with an interminable 4-minute delay in the starting gate and ended with a highly improbable last-to-first victory that left an indelible mark on the nearly 59,000 in attendance and the millions watching on TV. (Story continues below video…)
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The five-year-old Zenyatta extended her winning streak to 14, surpassing Personal Ensign’s record of 13, earning her the unanimous vote of Horse of the Meet for the second consecutive year in the annual Media Poll for the Oak Tree season.
Zenyatta, owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, earned $2,700,000 with her Classic victory, almost equaling her previous total of $2,774,580 and thus nearly doubling her career earnings to $5,474,580, according to Santa Anita publicity.
Caruso Affilliated's Rick Lemmo (right) and his wife are ready to watch the Classic, along with Betty Hettrick (left) and Arcadia Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Beth Costanza (back right) and her granddaughters.
Before the historic race began, Zenyatta and the rest of the field were forced to anxiously await a severely spooked competitor who, eventually, was mercifully scratched, after which all the horses had to be backed out and reloaded.
Zenyatta then got off on the wrong foot, literally, and started the race in dead last, where she remained the majority of the race.
The pre-race crowd electricity was sapped. But it would soon be re-energized.
Still next-to-last heading into the final turn, Smith and Zenyatta made their move, first along the rail. Once into the stretch, they moved through the pack and all the way across the field to the outside before galloping to a clear victory by a full length.
For the Breeders’ Cup, Oak Tree Racing, Santa Anita Park, the synthetic Pro-Ride surface, and the City of Arcadia, it was the best possible conclusion to the first-ever back-to-back Breeders’ Cup at the same venue.
Attendance soared nearly 17% from last year for the two-day event to 96,496, capped by a nearly 15% increase on Saturday to 58,845 that followed a 20% increase to 37,651 on Friday.
On-track handle increased both days despite one less race on each day’s card compared to 2008. Saturday’s on-track handle was $12,177,982, an increase of 3% over 2008. The common-pool handle for Saturday’s 10-race card was $96,159,747, a decrease of 6% from 2008’s 11-race card. The $48,439,458 bet on Friday was a 1% increase over the 2008 10-race Friday card. The two-day common pool total was $144,599,205. Officials indicated that carding one fewer race each day and several long shot winners on Saturday may have adversely impacted total wagering.
“It was an electric atmosphere for two days and Zenyatta delivered what is arguably the greatest performance in the 26-year history of the event,” Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Greg Avioli said in a media release from Santa Anita. “The Breeders’ Cup extends its sincere thanks to all the owners who entered their horses this weekend, to our partners at Oak Tree and Santa Anita and to all of our nominators and the racing fans around the world whose support makes our event possible.”
“Given the economy and national wagering trends, we are very happy this performance and with the overall business results” said Sherwood C. Chillingworth, Executive Vice President of the Oak Tree Racing Association.