NEWS
Unbeaten champion Zenyatta to race in 2010
Posted: Saturday, January 16, 2010 4:47 PM
ZENYATTA
Benoit & Associates photo
by Mike Curry
The big mare is back.
Unbeaten champion Zenyatta will race in 2010, owners Jerry and Ann Moss said on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.
The truth is, the six-year-old Street Cry (Ire) mare never completely retired. Although the Mosses said she would be sent to Kentucky to be bred in 2010 after her powerful Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) win against males, she continued breezing regularly for trainer John Shirreffs at her Hollywood Park base.
Jerry Moss said he saw Zenyatta on Saturday morning at Shirreffs’ barn, and she was doing so well they decided to keep her in training and have some fun this year with a great racemare.
“We were there this morning. Annie and I watched her jog on the track and she just looked amazing; she’s so radiant,” Jerry Moss said. “She seems to be still growing, which is a strange thing to say, and we talked to John, obviously, and we said, ‘What are we doing?’
“We like to come to the races and enjoy coming to the races. We come if we have any kind of race, and she’s a real star. We love to watch her run and we love her so much. So we said, ‘Let’s run her.’ ”
One of Thoroughbred racing’s most popular stars, Zenyatta will try to extend her unblemished record, which currently stands at 14 wins in as many starts. A finalist for the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year, along with Rachel Alexandra, Saturday’s decision by the Mosses also sets up the possibility that U.S. racing’s two brightest stars could finally meet on the track.
Another consideration for Zenyatta’s connections could be the $10-million Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1), which will be held at Meydan Racecourse for the first time on March 27.
Meydan’s main track is a synthetic Tapeta Footings surface and all but one of Zenyatta’s wins have come on synthetic tracks. Jerry Moss, however, was not yet ready to commit to a specific race.
“I’m not sure if we’ll make that trip,” he said, referring to the Dubai World Cup. “We’re open to all kinds of races, but as usual we are going to take it race to race. Obviously, she needs to get in a little bit better shape now. John [Shirreffs] will make a decision as to when she’s right and when she should go.”
Zenyatta drilled a half-mile in :48 handily on January 6 on the Cushion Track surface at Hollywood Park. The 2008 Eclipse Award winner as champion older female has earned $5,474,580 and is a virtual slam dunk to earn division honors again for ’09. She is out of multiple Grade 1 producer Vertigineux, by Kris S.
"It was very emotional when I retired her, because I thought she absolutely did as much as any horse could do in their career," Jerry Moss said. "But I love racing and also I believe racing needs stars, and we've got one. I love to see her run. She's healthy and well and I think she's going to carry on very well."
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
