Zenyatta assigned 129 pounds for Vanity

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by miraja2

I agree with most of what you say here, and the absurd praise heaped on the horse by her legion of fans/worshipers grates on my nerves as well. Basically I'm saying that I think her level of competition IS pretty darn low, and so I'm not sure it really needs to be exaggerated in any way by her detractors. I just think that her streak is so infinitely more impressive than freakin' Pepper's Pride's that the comparison is a bit foolish. While the races Zenyatta has been running in have certainly lacked top-quality competition, they haven't been restricted to only crappy competition the way Pepper's Pride were.
I'm not trying to argue that the connections deserve a lot of praise for running the horse in the Apple Blossom twice, I am merely saying that I do think they deserve some amount of credit for it. In what was supposed to be the biggest race of the year this year, they showed up while the other guys didn't. Does that make them great "sportsmen?" No. But it seems like some on here argue as if those two trips to Oaklawn never happened in a rush to denigrate her level of competition. I certainly understand the urge to do that given how annoying most of Zenyatta's fans are around here, but I guess I am still trying to enjoy her career despite her fans' idiocy and the softness of her competition.

You realize that if Zenyatta had got beat a nose at Del mar last year everything would probably be so much different?

I can't get over the fact that we have these two great mares with connections that don't seem to care for each other and yet it seems as though we will never see them meet up. The game has a lot bigger issues than these horses choice of races but it is just a shame that this cant happen. Like Stasberg it might actually be a hyped event that lives up to its billing

But no we have to hear about fear of flying over mountains and absurd fitness levels...

[Scav]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

You realize that if Zenyatta had got beat a nose at Del mar last year everything would probably be so much different?

I can't get over the fact that we have these two great mares with connections that don't seem to care for each other and yet it seems as though we will never see them meet up. The game has a lot bigger issues than these horses choice of races but it is just a shame that this cant happen. Like Stasberg it might actually be a hyped event that lives up to its billing

But no we have to hear about fear of flying over mountains and absurd fitness levels...

who is afraid to fly over mountains?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Scav

who is afraid to fly over mountains?

J Sheriffs

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

J Sheriffs

Jess Jackson, would not take them on last year, or this year for that matter.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

Jess Jackson, would not take them on last year, or this year for that matter.

Please.

They are both equally lame.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

J Sheriffs

When the year is over she will have flown over the Rockies 2-3 more times than Quality Road or Rachel has this year, that's the reality of it.

[slotdirt]

Originally Posted by CSC

When the year is over she will have flown over the Rockies 2-3 more times than Quality Road or Rachel has this year, that's the reality of it.

I'll take the under.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by CSC

When the year is over she will have flown over the Rockies 2-3 more times than Quality Road or Rachel has this year, that's the reality of it.

Hah! Awesome.

So instead of recognizing the absurdity of the Rockies excuse, you choose to embrace it, as though it is an actual marker of greatness for a horse's yearly campaign?

Do you think they'll attempt to break the Donner Party's trans-Rockies record? I doubt it, but maybe I'll have to eat my heart out if she shows up out of town before the BC.

Oh, and don't forget the air quality in the greater Los Angeles area. That's gotta be a real life-drainer.

Forget Grade 1 races, Zenyatta's proving she's great just by standing in her stall.

[NTamm1215]

Just to be fair, Tim Wilkin wrote in his blog yesterday that the Hirsch might not necessarily be their first choice for Zenyatta.

http://blog.timesunion.com/horseraci...rk-maybe/4694/

NT

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by NTamm1215

Just to be fair, Tim Wilkin wrote in his blog yesterday that the Hirsch might not necessarily be their first choice for Zenyatta.

http://blog.timesunion.com/horseraci...rk-maybe/4694/

NT

Sounds like more teeter-tottering to me, probably the result of quick backlash for the carbon copy gutless SoCal distaff campaigns of '08 and '09.

Note in the Hirsch 3-peat article in the DRF, Shirreffs was already on the defensive, as he was apparently called out for pointing for that race next even though he's been an outspoken critic of the Del Mar racing surface since the installation of Polytrack there:

"I said I didn't want to train at Del Mar," he said. "There is a difference."

He's just covering his ass as far as HOY goes. Announcing the Hirsch probable start even before they run the Vanity (which was supposed to be the Stephen Foster back in early May---more teeter-totter) had to have marginalized Team Zenyatta with more than a few Eclipse voters.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Hah! Awesome.

So instead of recognizing the absurdity of the Rockies excuse, you choose to embrace it, as though it is an actual marker of greatness for a horse's yearly campaign?

Do you think they'll attempt to break the Donner Party's trans-Rockies record? I doubt it, but maybe I'll have to eat my heart out if she shows up out of town before the BC.

Oh, and don't forget the air quality in the greater Los Angeles area. That's gotta be a real life-drainer.

Forget Grade 1 races, Zenyatta's proving she's great just by standing in her stall.

I don't embrace it, I wish she shipped in for the Foster. Whether she ships now in the summer or in the autumn it doesn't matter to me as long as she is at the BC Classic in good form. I do see a logic in acclimating her in the east prior to the BC at either Keeneland or Belmont Park, and this may make more sense to connections in keeping her fresh rather than making one extra trip out east. It all comes out the same, if this is the case.

[geeker2]

Sounds like it's Del Mar to me - which is just fine for me


http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2...mar-in-august/

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by CSC

When the year is over she will have flown over the Rockies 2-3 more times than Quality Road or Rachel has this year, that's the reality of it.

There is no reason for them to go there.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

There is no reason for them to go there.

your being completely hypocritical here, there is no more reason to go east for zenyatta as there is for QR to go west.

Or what, is this another "if you want to be considered great you have to race at belmont or saratoga" ideas that seemed to permeate Azeri's career with the racing fans?

[Smooth Operator]

Hard to resist taking a few (cheap) shots at the competition


Time to get an early start on the big weekend

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

your being completely hypocritical here, there is no more reason to go east for zenyatta as there is for QR to go west.

Or what, is this another "if you want to be considered great you have to race at belmont or saratoga" ideas that seemed to permeate Azeri's career with the racing fans?

Give me a break. What happened when Azeri came East? She lost because she wasn't facing the AAA horses anymore. And yes if you want to be considered great you have to run in the races in which great horses run. Winning the Clement Hirsh and Vanity over suspect horses isn't the stuff legends are made of.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by 10 pnt move up

your being completely hypocritical here, there is no more reason to go east for zenyatta as there is for QR to go west.

Or what, is this another "if you want to be considered great you have to race at belmont or saratoga" ideas that seemed to permeate Azeri's career with the racing fans?

you're right. unless of course they want to be able to say they travelled, took on the best, etc etc.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by Scav

who is afraid to fly over mountains?

"For us to ship, it's so much different," Shirreffs said. "We have to ship across the Rockies. It's so much different out here than going up and down the East Coast."

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/hor...ory?id=5136087

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

"For us to ship, it's so much different," Shirreffs said. "We have to ship across the Rockies. It's so much different out here than going up and down the East Coast."

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/hor...ory?id=5136087

That's beyond absurd.