Undefeated Personal Ensign dies, while the never-beaten Zenyatta humbly accepts her crown and makes it 16 wins in a row
Seems like an appropriate place to share a few lines I wrote about Zenyatta after her Breeder's Cup Classic performance
Boy, did she run
She ran for us, the too-big, chunky but determined older girls who are always beautiful on the inside and have so much to offer.
She ran for them: Ruffian, Go for Wand, Eight Belles,: all of that brilliance and fire and destruction, somehow coming full-circle in a race for the ages, a performance that moved a crowd of thousands, and touched my heart.
Here's a great summary of what happened after Zenyatta's triumphant Apple Blossom
Zenyatta ran the distance in 1:50.71 and paid $2.10 and $2.10, rewarding holders of $2 win tickets with a 10-cent profit.
“The winner ran like who we thought she is,” said D. Wayne Lukas, who trains third-place Be Fair. “This was great for racing. The good guys won.”
Taptam returned $6.40, with jockey Cliff Berry saying, “She’s intimidating. When I saw her coming, I started riding for second.”
Be Fair was ridden by Rachel Alexandra’s jockey Calvin Borel. Just Jenda was fourth and War Echo, trained by Steve Asmussen who oversees Rachel Alexandra, was last.
“That was incredible,” Asmussen said. “We were no match.”
After crossing the finish line, Smith guided Zenyatta back to the grandstand, patting her neck in between waving to the crowd of 44,973. He stopped her in front of them and raised his helmet to the sky as Zenyatta bowed to the cheers.
“It’s priceless,” said Dottie Ingordo Shirreffs, racing manager for the Mosses and wife of trainer John Shirreffs.
