LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mike Smith is brave enough to get aboard thoroughbred race horses almost every day of his life.  It is dangerous business that requires athleticism, strength, courage and skill.  When he broke into tears in the press room following the heart stopping Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs he shed tears for all of us who love the sport he represents.  He realized how close he had been to being part of a moment of racing immortality.  He blamed himself for the loss and stated what many who saw the race believe – some days the best horse does not win.

Zenyatta doubters, most of whom regularly display a haughtiness that annoys me, would be wise to refrain from any I-told-you-so commentary.  There is no doubt here and in the minds of those who saw this race that Zenyatta is one of the great thoroughbred race horses of the modern era and of all time.  She ran the race that she always runs, spotting the field double-digit lengths and closing from out of the clouds. Today she finished a head short of the horse that has been the very best in the classic division this year.  What Mike Smith believes is that if he had somehow timed the ride only the slightest bit differently Zenyatta would have won.  He knows that his mare closed between three and four lengths in the final eighth of a mile.

The owner of Blame, Seth Hancock, announced that Blame will be retired to stud after this win.  He also used the press conference to campaign for his horse to be Horse of the Year – an honor that Blame probably will win.  Zenyatta will go another year not winning that honor, but she is without a doubt the most popular American horse to race in recent years.   If this were Hollywood, she would accept a lifetime achievement award.  In an era where longevity is undervalued, Zenyatta is the epitome of something the sport lost a long time ago.

Last year after the Breeders’ Cup, Zenyatta’s owners Jerry and Ann Moss announced that she would be retired.  Her trainer John Shirreffs kept her in training, and it became evident to him and the owner that she was fit and ready for another campaign.  She was brought out of retirement and campaigned lightly in preparation for the defense of her Breeders’ Cup Classic crown. 

 Some have described last year’s field as sub-par, but there was no talk of that this year.  There have been a few rumblings about a trip to Dubai in the spring of 2011, but time will tell whether that will happen or not.  She has millions of fans who will continue to adore her for a long time to come.  A victory in the Breeders’ Cup would have been the best ending to her career but that did not happen.  The second-best outcome was for her to race like the champion she is, and she delivered on that score for the 20^th time.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Goldikova’s owners, Alain and Gerard Wertheimer said at Keeneland Monday that 5-year-old old race mare would remain in training in 2011 and return to defend her Breeders’ Cup Mile title. Goldikova would be seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory in the Grade 1 race in 2011.

“That’s the only real objective that she has,” said Alain Wertheimer of the Breeders’ Cup four-peat, who also bred the mare along with his brother.

“We decided to keep her in training because she’s in great shape,” he continued. “The other reason is that if more older horses are kept in training, it’s good for the public because they get used to seeing them and there’s a good chance of it bringing (more) people to the racetrack. If you only keep them one year, people don’t see them enough; they don’t get attached. I think it would be good if more people were able to do that. I understand for colts because there is a lot of money involved. But when you have a big stable and have a good mare, there’s no reason not to try to keep her in training.”

Irish-bred Goldikova is an Eclipse Award winner and a European champion. She became the first horse in Breeders’ Cup history to win an event three times Nov. 6 when she captured the Mile at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.  The 2011 Breeders’ Cup World Championships also will be held at Churchill Downs.

The Wertheimer brothers are attending the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Freddy Head trains the 5-year-old daughter of Anabaa and he also confirmed that she would run in 2011.

“Absolutely she will race again,” Head said. “She took her race very well.”

Goldikova will turn 6 on Jan. 1 and has compiled a record of 15-3-2 from 21 starts in a career that began in 2007. She has earned $6,154,157 and now has won 12 Group or Grade 1 races.

“I’m very excited,” said Head, who also won two Miles riding the filly Miesque. “She still has the same acceleration, the same desire. She is very happy.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With Barbara Banke, wife of co-owner Jess Jackson, looking on from Saratoga Race Course’s historic grandstand, reigning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra turned in a strong six-furlong move over the main track this morning in preparation for the Grade 1, $300,000 Personal Ensign on Aug. 29.

Under jockey Shaun Bridgmohan, the 4-year-old filly went out shortly after 6 a.m. on a warm and cloudy morning, with NYRA clockers catching her in 1:13 1/5, galloping out in 1:25 4/5, with a double gallop-out in 1:39.

“I thought she did really well,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “Shaun did a great job with her away from the pole. She settled in nicely. It was a nice, solid, strong work, with a very big gallop-out, ideal for the mile-and-a-quarter that she is pointed towards.

“She was off (the first eighth) in :13, then she came off the bridle for him, very relaxed, her ears forward,  stuck in a bunch of :12 and changes, came home just a tad better the last quarter, and her gallop out was strong,” he added. “That rhythm, because of the 1¼ miles, is what we were looking for. That’s where she is … I feel she is more relaxed in the middle of her works than she was last year.”

Banke said she was delighted with the way Rachel went.

“It was tremendous,” said Banke, who noted the Personal Ensign falls on her birthday. “I loved watching her and loved watching the gallop-out, that was really fun. I think she’ll be ready.”

While Rachel’s first two works for the Personal Ensign were over the Oklahoma training track, Asmussen said the decision to have her go to the main track was due in part to the success she had following a similar schedule for last year’s Grade 1 Woodward.

“Last year before the Woodward, it was weather-related,” he said, adding that Rachel will have one more work next Monday before the Personal Ensign, her first start at 1¼ miles. “(But with the) success of that, (we) tried to follow the same pattern in some sense.”

With the Personal Ensign, Rachel’s first Grade 1 race of the year, less than two weeks away, Asmussen said he felt the atmosphere surrounding the filly was beginning to intensify.

“I definitely feel the buildup to it,” he said. “I thought her work last week was very good but you can tell the intensity from everybody has stepped up a notch with Mr. Jackson’s decision to run her in the Personal Ensign. I’m very comfortable with her condition leading up to it.”

In the Personal Ensign, Rachel will be returning to the site of one of her most dramatic victories. Last year at Saratoga, she completed a perfect 8-for-8 season with a historic win over older males and became the first filly to win the Grade 1 Woodward.

Fans of Rachel Alexandra can follow the 4-year-old filly as she readies for the Personal Ensign on her own website, “Rachel’s Sandbox,” a multimedia site which gives fans an interactive experience and allows them to keep up with the latest news and information.

Throngs  of exuberant racing fans poured in shortly after 11:30 last Saturday morning, almost seven hours before super mare Zenyatta made her way onto the track at Del Mar.  The turnstiles finally stopped spinning after she had captured her third consecutive Grade I Clement Hirsch Stakes in front of 32,536 mesmerized onlookers.

Much as gallery members at a PGA event inch and elbow their way to get a good look at Tiger Woods in the flesh, Zenyatta lovers made it their mission to steal more than a quick glance at the undefeated star.  On a typical San Diego afternoon, marked by sunny skies and a cool ocean breeze, the massive crowd chose to spend its day on a race that lasted 1:45:03, not even two minutes, about the time it takes to brush your teeth in the morning.

Zenyatta’s fans still wouldn’t have changed a thing.

The mare enjoys a type of hero worship often reserved for sporting legends like Armstrong, Phelps and Ali at every turn.  At Del Mar, her supporters created a buzz similar to what you might feel just before kickoff at an NFL playoff game.  Their exuberance lasted throughout the afternoon and well into the early evening, as they soaked in every piece of the scenery.

It was a landmark event for both Del Mar and Thoroughbred racing in general.  Outsiders unfamiliar with the regular track scene could still sense the energy and atmosphere behind a unique, momentous occasion.

Zenyatta is loved by all, and even the veteran horsemen and beat reporters who meticulously follow the mare’s daily activities are among her biggest supporters.

Want to see a blue collar, grizzled, “all that is man” trainer or clocker go weak at the knees?  Ask them to describe Zenyatta’s influence and see how many superlatives they can string together. Keep a mental count of the “amazings,” “incredibles” and “spectaculars” these lifers toss around without a hint of sarcasm. Better yet, intermittently check your watch to chronicle how their brief statements evolve into 10 minute monologues.

As crazy as it may sound, Zenyatta’s superb qualities (see, the hyperboles have a way of catching on) justify all the heartfelt compliments.

She’s the type of horse you build a meet around, let alone a day or a week. Whether she’s galloping, trotting or posturing in the paddock, Zenyatta carries herself with pitch perfect grace, athleticism and personality.  Her “it factor” immediately comes across to race rats and first-time patrons alike.  The gazes and whispers aren’t lost on Zenyatta.  She senses her profound impact and relishes every second as a crowd pleaser.

Her confidence is easily detectable and you quickly grasp that she doesn’t accept failure or embarrassment.

That’s how I knew the Hirsch was over the moment Zenyatta crossed into the paddock at about 6:15.  On a day that essentially became an ode to her remarkable career, what with the posters, T-shirts and pint glass giveaways with her face emblazoned across the surface, the great performer refused to let her audience down.

She went off at 1-9, but the tote board could have easily read 1-100 as she strutted towards the starting gate.

You don’t know what this horse means until the show begins and the Zenyatta army kicks into full gear.  Spectators go between 15 and 20 deep all the way down the stretch, with at least one small child perched atop their dad’s shoulders every five feet or so.

The diva enters to a frenzy of screams and shouts that seem both genuine and spontaneous.  You won’t find any “Damn Yankees” mentality, where a few bad apples root against a proven winner just to appear edgy.No, Del Mar only had eyes for Zenyatta.

The rest of the pre-race festivities played out like a hall-of-fame induction ceremony, where the infield video monitor revisited some of Zenyatta’s greatest performances as track announcer Trevor Denman articulately gushed over the prized animal.

While jockey Mike Smith and his wonderful ride weren’t alone on the track, the other five jockeys and horses were little  more than background props.  Not to worry, though, they were too busy smiling along with everyone else.  You almost forgot there was a race after all the hoopla.

Once the gates finally swung open, Zenyatta made winning by a neck look downright simple.  Although she didn’t leave her competition in the dust, Zenyatta skillfully balanced a relaxed attitude with her fiery competitive streak.  Smith kept Jerry and Ann Moss’ wonder horse in the right spots and, like she always does, the golden girl passed a game Rinterval through the final furlong.  Zenyatta wasn’t on cruise control; it just appeared she was.  Besides, she had to save her energy for the victory lap.

Over the top doesn’t begin to describe the mare’s salute to the fans, where the smiles, hugs and howls reach a wild crescendo.  It’s an adrenaline rush you can’t even fathom.  And that’s where Zenyatta’s true impact becomes perfectly clear.

Thoroughbred racing needs Zenyatta as an undefeated poster child.  Tracks make their mark on big tickets nowadays, and they don’t come any bigger than the Mosses’ “miracle horse.” Her presence brought some much needed romance to the sport of horse racing.  Allowance races and maiden claimers have their place, sure, but it takes a winner like Zenyatta to capture the public’s attention.

Her supporters, her peers and the game she dominates so consistently are all personally invested in the mare’s success.  She’s a legend in her own right, a special talent worth the cost of admission and a full afternoon at the races.

Zenyatta’s an easy sell and everything you’d ever want in a world class performer.  She came to Del Mar with a sea of fans and left the track with the racing community wrapped around her hoof.  She personifies all that is right in the sport.

Zenyatta led us all on a spectacular ride at Del Mar; Mike Smith just had the best seat.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – With jockey Shaun Bridgmohan in the irons, reigning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra continued preparations for the Grade 1, $300,000 Personal Ensign at Saratoga Race Course, breezing a strong six furlongs in 1:12.96 shortly after 6 a.m. Monday morning over the Oklahoma training track.

“I thought it was very good,” said trainer Steve Asmussen of the move, the second of four scheduled for Rachel leading up to the 1 ¼-mile Personal Ensign on August 29. “Shaun did a great job with her. She was very strong to the pole, broke off at the three-quarters. Her first eighth of a mile was excellent, to get her to settle down. She came home the last quarter in :23 and change, which is what we were looking at, and galloped out strong.”

The Personal Ensign will be Rachel Alexandra’s first start at 1¼ miles, and also her first start in a Grade 1 race this year. With a record of 2-2-0 from four starts as a 4-year-old, the Stonestreet Stables color-bearer finished second in the New Orleans Ladies and the Grade 2 La Troienne, and won her last two starts, the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis and the Lady’s Secret.

In the Personal Ensign, Rachel will be returning to the site of one of her most thrilling victories. Last year at Saratoga, she completed a perfect 8-for-8 season with a historic win over older males and became the first filly to win the Grade 1 Woodward.

Fans of Rachel Alexandra can follow the 4-year-old filly as she readies for the Personal Ensign on her own website, “Rachel’s Sandbox,” a multimedia site which gives fans an interactive experience and allows them to keep up with the latest news and information.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Tuscan Evening, the winner of the Grade 3 Modesty Handicap at Arlington Park on July 17 in her most recent start, died of an apparent heart attack after a workout at Del Mar on Sunday, according to Del Mar officials.

The five-year-old daughter of the English stallion Oasis Dream won six stakes for turf females this year and was a leading contender for the Eclipse Award as outstanding turf female.
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Kat Kubik/Tracksideview.com
Tuscan Evening beats Eclair de Lune to win the Modesty Handicap on July 17 at Arlington Park.
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Tuscan Evening collapsed while galloping out after a six-furlong workout on turf in 1:15.60. She was being prepared for an expected start in the $750,000 Beverly D Stakes at Arlington Park on Aug. 21.

Owner William de Burgh of Rancho Santa Fe bought Tuscan Evening while she was racing in Ireland and after racing her four times without a victory, making her winless in 11 starts in England and Ireland, he sent her to the United States in late 2008 to be trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. Under his care, she has won 12 times in 16 starts, running her career earnings to $1,138,508.

Hollendorfer said after the Modesty win that they would love to be back at Arlington for the Beverly D. “I would love to come back for the Beverly D. That’s why we came here to see if she likes the course and to see if she would ship well. We’d like to come back for that.”

An Irish-bred, Tuscan Evening began her career in England and Ireland, where she placed in five stakes, including a second in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas. After she was transferred to Hollendorfer in California in late 2008, she won 12 of her next 16 starts and $1,055,655.

Prior to her Modesty victory, she won the Monrovia, Buena Vista, Santa Ana and Santa Barbara handicaps at Santa Anita, and the Gamely Stakes at Hollywood Park, winning from 6 1/2 furlongs to a mile and a quarter.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss’ unbeaten equine phenomenon Zenyatta continued her march toward Thoroughbred racing immortality Saturday as she won her 18th consecutive race with a narrow but convincing  victory in the Grade I $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes before an admiring audience of 32,536.

With regular rider Mike Smith in the saddle, the strapping six-year-old daughter of Street Cry outran the surprising 10-1 outsider Rinterval to win by a neck to continue her amazing streak of triumphs, most in modern major racing history. Princess Tudor was third, with Spring Style fourth in the small field of six older fillies and mares.

“Oh, she was looking good today. This was Zenyatta. I wanted everyone to see her and she showed up. I think I hit the front too soon with her. She started looking around. She does that sometimes in her works. She’ll make the front and then start to shut down a little bit. That mare that hooked her today (Rinterval) was game. Good for her. But we got it done. She was Zenyatta. She’s something to believe in,” Smith said.
 
Zenyatta, sent postward at 1-9 while carrying highweight of 123 pounds, was scoring her third straight success in the Hirsch, equaling the Del Mar feats of Native Diver, Flawlessly and Track Gal who also won a Del Mar stakes event three years in a row.

Typically, Zenyatta dropped off the pace to run fifth in the early stages of the mile and one-sixteenth race behind dawdling fractions of 25.41 for the first quarter and 50.61 at the half-mile for Rinterval under jockey Rafael Bejarano.

“I didn’t want to be in front. But she was comfortable. She was going OK. I tried to wait, but she (Zenyatta) came up outside me and I had to go. If I could have waited a little more, maybe it would have been different. But the winner deserved it. She was good,” Bejarano said.

The slow pace continued until midway of the stretch turn where Smith sent Zenyatta into contention on the far outside, engaged a stubborn Rinterval who proved difficult to beat in a stirring duel to the wire. Final time was 1:45.03 with a blistering final sixteenth in 5.94 seconds.

Princess Tudor was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third, with Spring Style almost four lengths farther back.

With no show wagering, Zenyatta returned $2.20 to win and $2.10 to place. Because of heavy action on the winner, there was a minus place pool of $94,675.39.

First money of  $180,000 increased the John Shirreffs-trained star’s career earnings to $6,254,580 as she jumped from 23rd to 16th on the all-time list of money-winners with at least a single start in North America.

“She came out of the gate well, got good position and fired the last part. I always like to see her settle into her stride. Then as she gets into that rhythm you know things are working right,” Shirreffs said.

About playing after making the lead: “She always does that. When she passes the last horse she thinks it’s over. I was surprised that the pace was so slow.”

About concerns about the track the morning of the race: “I talked to Joe (Harper) and (director of racing) Tom Robbins in the racing office in the morning and they told me it was going to be taken care of. After the renovation, the track was fine.”

Jerry Moss was happy the hectic week had come to a good ending.

“There was a lot of pressure this week, but she’s a great horse and we’re grateful for that. We want her to keep winning. She’s just a miracle.”

How gratifying is it to see the fans come out to see her? “She’s a great star. She’s brilliant and she has a great bunch of fans that recognize that. She hasn’t let them down yet.

“Zenyatta represents the best there is in racing. She’s a great leader to follow,” Moss said.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for Smith, but his third straight in the Clement L. Hirsch and his fifth overall in the stakes. He now has 29 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for Shirreffs, but his third straight in the Clement L. Hirsch and his fourth overall in the stakes. He now has 13 stakes wins at Del Mar.

Zenyatta becomes the first horse to win the Grade I Hirsch three times. She also joins a handful of other horses — specifically, Native Diver, Flawlessly and Track Gal — to win a single stakes at Del Mar three times.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Lookin at Lucky, who won Sunday’s $1 million IZOD Haskell Invitational (G1) with a tour de force performance, remained in his stall at Monmouth Park Thursday morning after running a temperature in the days following the race.

Dr. Bernie Dowd is attending veterinarian at Monmouth for the Bob Baffert-trained colt, who is in the care of longtime Baffert head traveling groom Roberto Luna.

“He ran a temperature Tuesday morning,” Dowd said, “and we’re treating him for that.

“It’s a pretty hot time of year,” Dr. Dowd said. “We want to make sure he’s totally stable and normal, and then he can travel. He’s a very healthy horse. He’s bright and alert. He’s doing well, and he’s in good hands.”

Lookin at Lucky, last year’s 2-year-old champion, took a giant step toward the 3-year-old title when he drew off to win the Haskell by four lengths over a talented field.

He was scheduled to be shipped back to Baffert’s Southern California headquarters at Del Mar on Tuesday, but ran a temperature and was treated with penicillin.

OCEANPORT, N.J. – IZOD Haskell Invitational winner Lookin At Lucky will miss the Aug. 28 Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York after the Smart Strike colt developed a fever Aug. 3, two days after the most impressive race of his young career, trainer Bob Baffert said Wednesday.

“He had a temperature of 102.5 degrees, and the blood work showed he definitely has something,” Baffert said. “They treated him aggressively and the temperature came down and has not gone back up. But they gave him penicillin, so there is no way he could make the Travers.” A horse can’t run for 30 days after receiving the medication.

Baffert said it was a stroke of luck that he kept Lookin At Lucky at Monmouth Park following the Aug. 1 Haskell because it would have been a worse situation if the colt had been shipped while having a fever. Baffert had previously considered shipping Lookin At Lucky to Saratoga, although he was not fully committed to running in the Travers.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Do you remember where you were when … ???

It’s always been a popular pastime for Americans in recalling momentous occasions, and in Thoroughbred racing where wagering is a major factor, jockey Mike Smith is betting he can place thousands, maybe millions, where they were and what they were doing on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009.
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Benoit Photo
Zenyatta and jockey Mike Smith parade before one of her recent races.
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That’s when Zenyatta, who seeks her 18th consecutive victory in Saturday’s Clement L. Hirsch Stakes and third straight in the race, wrote history by becoming the first female to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The thousands at Santa Anita that day and, doubtless, the millions watching on television surely would testify to Smith’s belief.

Remembering how the Santa Anita crowd responded to the majestic Zenyatta, Smith could only say, “I think people realized that they had just seen something that they will never forget.” And he counts himself among them, though he was involved far more than any other fan, being up close and personal as Zenyatta’s rider.

“I’ve never seen a crowd react to a horse like that,” Smith continued. “When I rode Holy Bull, the crowds — especially those in Florida — were impressed, but I’ve never seen a whole crowd stand on its feet like that for what seemed like 20 minutes. It just went on and on, and I started looking at the crowd and there were people crying (for joy).”

Looking back over his 14 races as regular jockey of the two-time Eclipse Award champion older female, Smith recalled that she wasn’t always the picture of the perfect lady. “When we started,” he said, “she was still pretty nervous and she didn’t know exactly what was going on. But she was a quick study and it didn’t take her long to figure it out.

“Not only did she figure it out,” he continued, “she took it to levels I had never seen before. It’s become a big show to her. Every time she gets ready to run, she plays, she strikes a pose, she does a dance, and sometimes stands up and towers over the field.

“You can almost imagine her saying, ‘This place is mine,’” said the ebullient Smith.

“It’s just amazing how she grew into this,” he added. “If she was a country music star, she could be Entertainer of the Year.”

Her special dance that charms paddock fans began to develop, Smith recalls, shortly after his second time aboard, at the same time Team Zenyatta, headed by trainer John Shirreffs, chose not to put her through normal pre-race warm-ups. Instead, she was allowed to just do what made her feel best, hence the dance — basically, a strut that features a head bob and legs thrust forward in the manner of a Russian dancer.

“She used to get a little hot when she’d warm up,” Smith remembers. “So we just walked her and that’s when she decided she’d just do this dance. Then when she realized the people liked it, she just started doing it more. She’s really just a ham at heart.” 

That doesn’t mean she’s not focused on her job — to win races. When she reaches the gate, Smith says, she’s all business — but in a laid-back way. “She just settles down and waits for the gate to open. Then she watches them go out and goes out behind them.”

As for getting home first, Smith said, “It’s like she knows where the wire is anymore. She makes it a little closer than we all like sometimes. But I think we’re the only ones that are worried.

“She’s definitely a gift from God. She makes you think that if God wanted to get into this game, he would send her. She’s not from here.”

Zenyatta’s presence has reached far and wide, conjuring wonderful visions of her other-worldly being, not the least of which was produced rhapsodically by free-lance writer Ellen Parker following Zenyatta’s record-setting 17th consecutive victory in Hollywood Park’s Grade I Vanity Handicap.

Here’s her take on the majestic mare: “Zenyatta’s dramatic charge in the Vanity brought to mind the words of respected journalist Kent Hollingsworth, who once wrote of 1971 European Horse of the Year Mill Reef: ‘His races were not marked by sudden acceleration, just with relentless, increasing power.’

“Great horses have much in common. They stir the spirit of crowds … They energize a sport …”