Thoroughbred Beat

THOROUGHBRED BEAT

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

by James Scully

Z glory: ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) concluded her unbeaten racing career

with an outstanding win in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), thrilling

Thoroughbred racing fans one last time with her thunderous rally through the

stretch. The John Shirreffs pupil was trying both males and the 1 1/4-mile

distance for the first time, and the ease of her victory was striking -- she

didn't even appear to be breathing hard after blowing past her top-class rivals.

Zenyatta became the first distaffer to win in the 26-year history of the

Classic, but this year's Breeders' Cup, as well as the 2008 edition at Santa

Anita, will always be remembered for the Pro-Ride. There's been plenty of

anomalies over the controversial surface -- synthetic specialist and Dirt Mile

(G1) hero FURTHEST LAND (Smart Strike) would have had no chance of winning on

actual dirt -- but Zenyatta is as legitimate as they come. Anybody who watched

her sensational 4 1/2-length victory in the 2008 Apple Blossom H. (G1) at

Oaklawn Park knows that she's the real deal on dirt or synthetics. Her 107 BRIS

Speed rating that afternoon was eclipsed only by the 109 figure she earned in

the Classic.

The five-year-old mare capped off the Breeders' Cup weekend in grand fashion.

Horse of the Year toss-up: The debate heated up the moment Zenyatta

finished humbling her male rivals in the Classic, and her supporters will have

every reason to bemoan the outcome if Zenyatta loses the Horse of the Year race

to RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro). Zenyatta showed up in Thoroughbred

racing's championship event, and the connections of Rachel Alexandra, who

defeated males in the Preakness (G1), Haskell Invitational (G1) and Woodward

(G1) during her remarkable eight-for-eight campaign this season, elected to stay

at home.

"If they don't reward her with Horse of the Year, it would be

a travesty, or at least co-Horses of the Year (with Rachel Alexandra)," trainer

Bob Baffert said. "Zenyatta made the Breeders' Cup. And the way she won! I've

never seen a crowd so captivated. It felt like a horse winning the third leg of

the Triple Crown."

Rachel Alexandra will have every

opportunity to win Horse of the Year honors in 2010, but Saturday's Classic was Zenyatta's

swan song and she delivered one the greatest performances in Breeders' Cup

history. Her connections deserve all the credit in the world for bringing her

back this season -- they could've easily retired her unbeaten following last

year's smashing victory in the Ladies' Classic (G1) -- and their decision-making

provided so much enjoyment to fans of Thoroughbred racing.

It could go either way, but I think Eclipse Award voters who give Zenyatta

the nod will be recognizing the contributions of trainer John Shirreffs and

owners Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss. She'll be a deserving winner, just like Curlin

and Jess Jackson were last year following the

colt's subpar effort in the Breeders' Cup.

No more Pro-Ride: There would be no Horse of the Year debate without

synthetic tracks, but we're stuck with this lamentable situation because of the

undesirable effect that they've brought to the sport domestically. Synthetic

tracks are a third surface, and they're not going to be installed at any major

venues in the future. Enthusiasm has already began to wane in California as

trainers have become disillusioned with all the unforeseen drawbacks; the

artificial concoctions aren't what distributors and proponents promised us. Dirt

is the backbone of the racing industry in America, and synthetic tracks play as

much like turf as they do a traditional surface. Some horses excel on any kind

of ground, but many don't.

As a result, Rachel Alexandra didn't compete at Santa Anita, and I don't

blame her connections. Next year will be her opportunity to shine, and they

weren't about to let Rachel show up and perform well below standards like D'

FUNNYBONE (D'wildcat) or DEVIL MAY CARE (Malibu Moon), who established

themselves as the top two-year-olds on the East Coast in their respective

divisions. D' Funnybone finished last in the Juvenile (G1), and Devil May Care

beat only one horse in the Juvenile Fillies (G1). These horses had never raced

over a synthetic track and were predictably out of their element over foreign

ground.

It's basically a waste of time and money to run a horse without synthetic or

turf experience in a Breeders' Cup race on Pro-Ride. For the second straight

year, every winner on the Pro-Ride was proven on either surface.

The most common misconception in the Breeders' Cup aftermath is that

synthetic tracks are essential to attracting European contestants. The Pro-Ride

didn't benefit RIP VAN WINKLE (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) or MASTERCRAFTSMAN (Ire). These European standouts (Rip Van Winkle was the second best horse in Europe this year behind

Sea the Stars; Mastercraftsman was a multiple Group1 winner this season)

probably would've run better over the dirt at Churchill Downs than Pro-Ride.

They failed to show up with their best on the synthetic track, as did

well-regarded Europeans like RAINBOW VIEW (Dynaformer), MASTERY (GB) (Sulamani

[Ire]), FATHER TIME (GB) (Dansili [GB]), FLEETING SPIRIT (Ire) (Invincible

Spirit) and RADIOHEAD (GB) (Johannesburg).

The Euros that did succeed on Pro-Ride, MAN OF IRON (Giant's Causeway) and

VALE OF YORK (Ire) (Invincible Spirit), both recorded big upsets and those can

happen on any surface.

The top European performers this year, CONDUIT (Ire) (Dalakhani), GOLDIKOVA

(Ire) (Anabaa) and MIDDAY (GB) (Oasis Dream [GB]), won on grass, and horses like

them show up every year for the Breeders' Cup turf races. The Pro-Ride at Santa

Anita had nothing to do with their participation. And the fact is that

European-based horses will compete on the main track no matter where the

Breeders' Cup is held, with international raiders like Arcangues, Giant's

Causeway, Sakhee and Ibn Bey (GB) all leaving an indelible mark upon previous

Classics on dirt.

Regardless of the site, the Breeders' Cup isn't going to be the target for

every top-class runner overseas. For the second straight year, the

highest-ranked horse in Europe (Zarkava in 2008 and Sea the Stars this year)

bypassed shipping to the warm Southern Californian climate. And I think the

connections of Sea the Stars were probably smiling in appreciation of their

decision following the 10th-place flop of Rip Van Winkle.

Tough beats: Troubled trips are a daily part of Thoroughbred racing,

and I'll highlight a trio of tough beats from Breeders' Cup weekend.

LOOKIN AT LUCKY (Smart Strike) is bred to handle dirt and established himself

as the early Kentucky Derby (G1) favorite based upon his stellar two-year-old

form in California. Unbeaten in his first four starts, including the Norfolk

(G1) and Del Mar Futurity (G1), the Baffert-trained colt drew post 13 in the 1

1/16-mile Juvenile and was carried extremely wide into the first turn after

being bumped repeatedly. He lost more valuable ground on the far turn, circling

five wide into contention for the stretch drive, and raced valiantly to the

wire, falling a head short to a longshot who was able to save ground the entire

way.

"He showed today what a good horse he is," Baffert said. "It's just

frustrating to know you have much the best horse and to come up short like that.

I didn't give him any chance at all at the half-mile pole. At least you know

that you can look forward to the Derby."

Zenyatta was the only winner Saturday to go last-to-first on Pro-Ride, but

READY'S ECHO (More Than Ready) was in position to mow down his rivals after

turning for home in the Dirt Mile. However, in the midst of his furious rally,

the four-year-old colt was interfered with by Mambo Meister (King Cugat), who

veered out and bumped his rival twice in midstretch, knocking Ready's Echo off

stride momentarily. The late runner regained his momentum, but it was too late

as Ready's Echo fell less than a length short in second.

"I just wish we'd had a longer stretch to run in," jockey Calvin Borel said.

"We came a little wide and, as a matter of fact, the six horse (Mambo Meister)

cost me the race; he came out to me and I had to steady."

In the Juvenile Fillies, BIOFUEL (Stormin Fever) started from the extreme

outside post (12) and dropped to the back of the pack after the gates opened.

She circled at least six paths wide on the far turn and began to go after the

leaders with earnest in the stretch when Negligee (Northern Afleet) came out and

slammed into her left front leg, nearly knocking Biofuel to the ground. The

Reade Baker-trained lass never appeared to fully recover from the traumatic

incident, but she continued to make up ground on the far outside and was beaten

less than two lengths for it all in fourth.

"She got mugged," Baker told Daily Racing Form. "I thought she was the

best horse; she should have won the race."

Irish woes: Man of Iron saved Coolmore and trainer Aidan O'Brien from

being blanked for the sixth consecutive year, but it still wound up being a very

disappointing Breeders' Cup for the Irish outfit. In 2008, O'Brien saddled

losing favorites in Soldier of Fortune (Ire), Halfway to Heaven (Ire) and

Westphalia (Ire), and Duke of Marmalade (Ire) faltered as the third choice in

the Classic. Henrythenavigator's runner-up effort at 19-1 offered a ray of

sunshine at the end of the long weekend, but they weren't able to get out town

on an encouraging note this year.

Coolmore sold Man of Iron prior to his Marathon victory, so his next start

will come with new connections. The remaining O'Brien runners all performed well

below standards in 2009. I won't heap all the blame on Johnny Murtagh, but

he's proving to be a disservice to some of his mounts with perplexing rides in

the Breeders' Cup. His lack of pace awareness aboard Rip Van Winkle was

unbelievable -- the horse was chasing the pacesetter in second early before

folding his tent like all the other front runners -- and he delivered a similar

ride aboard Duke of Marmalade last year.

O'Brien could elect to go with competent American jockeys in the 2010

Breeders' Cup, and the proof was in the pudding last year when John Velazquez

got the most out of Henrythenavigator, but that probably won't happen. We can

only speculate on how much more the Coolmore horses would offer with a rider

like Velazquez on their major contenders in the Breeders' Cup.