Most Absurd Things Said by 'Respected' Journalists About Zenyatta

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Linny

The reason we don't know "where Z stands" in terms of all time greatness is because she was not challenged to take on the best runners out there, every time, every race.

Even so, I think it's pretty clear-cut where she stands. She pretty much ran the same exact race over and over on synthetic and dirt. There were times when she failed to run a figure as high as 100 - but those were all very slow paced 8.5f races...where no horse could have run fast under the circumstances.

She was better at 10fs than 9fs - and a touch better at 9fs than 8.5f. With a true pace to work with - and at a 10f distance - and being trained to deliver a peak race from John Shireffs - she's a 110 type horse under those most optimal conditions.

Many top class deep closers over history are as consistant as her. Festin pretty much lived in that 110-to-114 range every race and did it while traveling on a killer schedule and facing some rock solid top older males. He did run a 121 one time at 9fs - but only because Farma Way and Jolie's Halo engaged in a vicious pace war through 44 and change fractions which gave Festin the setup of a lifetime - and allowed him to go from 17 lengths back midway on the backstretch to 7 in-front at the wire.

You have to rate Zenyatta the #1 older female of the last decade - even though there were top females capable of running a few points better on peak and holding that form for as many as five straight races like a Riboletta did.

When you go back to names like Personal Ensign, Princess Rooney, Lady's Secret, Bayakoa .. absolute killer older females...that's where Zenyatta clearly start to rate a cut below.