Shirreffs says Zenyatta deserves '10 Horse of the Year

[Pedigree Ann]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

That's exactly right.

They wanted to test her against males eventually and Gulch was a very good horse, but they also were selective about it. They could have picked a race they knew Alysheba, Ferndinand, Bet Twice, Lost Code etc.. would be in.

They could have gone in the Classic instead of the Distaff.

The difference between me and others is that I don't trash the connections of PE for avoiding the best males and choosing the Distaff when she was fit and ready to go for the Classic. I realize that many of the greatest mares never even tried older Grade 1 horses and others tried and got demolished.

Azeri tried - demolished
Bayakoa tried - demolished
Dance Smartly - successful but only in Canada
Go for Wand - never tried it.
Paseana - demolished
Sky Beauty - never tried it
Inside Information - never tried it
Heavenly Prize - tried once and was well beaten by Cigar & Wekiva Springs
Silver Bullet Lady - demolished in Belmont

Relaxing - finished a good third to John Henry
Susan's Girl - demolished
Typecast - won at 12f turf
Drumtop - won 7 stakes against top male turfers, including HoY Fort Marcy

[prudery]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

Relaxing - finished a good third to John Henry
Susan's Girl - demolished
Typecast - won at 12f turf
Drumtop - won 7 stakes against top male turfers, including HoY Fort Marcy

Drumtop-all 15 hands and a bit, was a very tough little girl--the first horse I took to the races ...

Have we forgotten Shuvee winning the JCGC two years in a row ???

[blackthroatedwind]

And Waya beat the boys in the Man O War and Turf Classic.

What about All Along....she only won the Arc, Washington DC International, Canadian International, and Turf Classic in seven weeks.

How about Dahlia?

Surely Zenyatta was better than all of these. What a joke.

[prudery]

I was just going to add Waya, but this is a more common occurence on turf --like All Along, Pebbles, and Dahlia--and on dirt it happens more commonly in sprints or absolute routes .

Ta Wee, Safely Kept, XTra Heat, etc could do it going short .

My Juliet knocked off the brilliantly fast Bold Forbes in the Vosburgh, and managed to stretch it in the Michigan Mile and one eighth ..

We also forgot Lady's Secret who won in the more contentious mid range of distance.

All Along , Dahlia and Waya were turfers--though Waya won on dirt--surely the poster that put this out knows that the aforementioned horse does not run on turf .....

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by prudery

I was just going to add Waya, but this is a more common occurence on turf --like All Along, Pebbles, and Dahlia--and on dirt it happens more commonly in sprints or absolute routes .

Ta Wee, Safely Kept, XTra Heat, etc could do it going short .

My Juliet knocked off the brilliantly fast Bold Forbes in the Vosburgh, and managed to stretch it in the Michigan Mile and one eighth ..

We also forgot Lady's Secret who won in the more contentious mid range of distance.

All Along , Dahlia and Waya were turfers--though Waya won on dirt--surely the poster that put this out knows that the aforementioned horse does not run on turf .....

Good call on My Juliet. Loved her.

It's actually more accurate to compare Zenyatta to turf horses at this point....at least in this manner.