NEWS
Smith eager to reunite with Zenyatta
Posted: Friday, March 12, 2010 5:24 PM
ZENYATTA
Benoit & Associates photo
by Jeff Lowe
After four months apart, jockey Mike Smith is eager to renew his racing relationship with undefeated champion Zenyatta today in the $250,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (G1).
About 2,000 miles away, Zenyatta’s former rider, David Flores, will be in an entirely different position with Zardana (Brz), a challenger of reigning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies Stakes.
Even after teaming with Zenyatta for 11 wins, including the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), Smith is still mindful of his opportunity to ride her. He had the first call to begin with as Zenyatta approached her career debut on November 22, 2007, at Hollywood Park, but he chose instead to ride graded stakes winner Tessa Blue in the Falls City Handicap (G2) the same day at Churchill Downs.
Smith expected Zenyatta to need her first race, especially going six furlongs.
After Tessa Blue finished fourth, Smith remembers “falling out of his chair” in his hotel room watching Flores guide Zenyatta to a three-length victory
Flores stayed with Zenyatta for two more starts, including her first stakes score in the 2008 El Encino Stakes (G2). He gave up the mount when Zenyatta shipped to Oaklawn Park for the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) the first Saturday in April. Flores elected to stay home to ride El Gato Malo in the Santa Anita Derby (G1).
Smith snatched up the chance to ride Zenyatta, and she nailed down her first Grade 1 victory.
“I was fortunate enough that David was busy on Santa Anita Derby day and I was able to get her back,” Smith said earlier this week.
Smith and Zenyatta will have another reunion in the Santa Margarita, her first start after a brief retirement that followed her ground-breaking victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
This time, Smith is anticipating another trip to the Apple Blossom, for the long-awaited showdown between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.
Smith and Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Mine That Bird came a length short of catching Rachel Alexandra in the BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (G1) on May 16.
Smith will be rooting for Rachel Alexandra today. The scheduled post time for the New Orleans Ladies is 6:15 p.m. EST, 21 minutes before the Santa Margarita at 6:36 p.m. EST.
“I’m a big fan of hers, too,” Smith said. “I mean, I hope she's doing well and I hope she runs big and we run well and we can meet on the [April] 9th in Arkansas.”
Zenyatta will spot her rivals between 12 and 19 pounds as the 127-pound highweight in the Santa Margarita. She carried 129 pounds to victory in the Vanity Handicap (G1) last June in her second start of 2009.
“I sure hope it won’t make a difference,” Smith said. “But it is a lot of weight to spot horses, especially in her first race back. On the bright side, she’s a big mare. She handles weight really well. It is a lot of weight to spot, but what are you going to do? We got what we got.”
HorseRacing Television (HRTV) will carry both the New Orleans Ladies and Santa Margarita live, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association will kick off a new feature on its website, www.ntra.com, with live coverage hosted by Randy Moss.
The New Orleans Ladies and Santa Margarita are in the middle of more than two hours of stakes action that includes three important Triple Crown preps: the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) at 5:30 p.m., Rebel Stakes (G2) at 6:47 p.m., and San Felipe Stakes (G2) at 7:38 p.m. All times are Eastern.
Jeff Lowe is staff writer for Thoroughbred Times
