BEYER: Defining Zenyatta's historical role

Kasept · #1 09-29-2010, 06:36 PM

Andy Beyer with a pretty definitive fleshing out of Zenyatta's context.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...092903591.html

Arletta · #2 09-29-2010, 06:40 PM

I just read that not 5 minutes ago... Hope he has body guards

#3 09-29-2010, 06:44 PM

This is exhausting. I hope she retires after this weekend.

JBJake · #4 09-29-2010, 06:51 PM

Yawn.....does this have anything to with his inability to properly produce speed figures for synthetic surfaces that mean anything? Also, isn't her Oaklawn number on dirt one of the best of her career? Whatever Andy.

ateamstupid · #5 09-29-2010, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBJake

Also, isn't her Oaklawn number on dirt one of the best of her career?

No.

TitanSooner · #6 09-29-2010, 11:23 PM

pathetic

Merlinsky · #7 09-29-2010, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arletta

I just read that not 5 minutes ago... Hope he has body guards

No need. I'm sure the people most likely to go after him just had their head implode. Is there anybody left standing in California?

goingtothewhip · #8 09-29-2010, 08:11 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...110703043.html

Quote:

Zenyatta had never before faced a challenge like this one; her trainer John Shireffs stuck to a conservative course and was reluctant to enter her against males. Zenyatta couldn't ensure her place in history by beating overmatched filly competition. Her performance Saturday was the one that defined her greatness.
By Andrew Beyer
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, November 8, 2009

chucklestheclown · #9 09-29-2010, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goingtothewhip

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...110703043.html

I laughed.

johnny pinwheel · #10 09-30-2010, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chucklestheclown

I laughed.

so did i. didn't you know horses win 18 races straight all the time? including the breeders cup classic. wait a minute alot of these horses don't even run that many times anymore. boy, she stinks....lol. thanks for the article its a real eye opener. theres two or three really good horses racing in the whole country.....i guess shes not one of them andy. your supposed to be so good with your crappy numbers....do something useful and tell me who is going to beat her. i took history in school and history never cashed me a ticket.....lol. in fact, i think that involves looking ahead......i don't need your stupid "history" lesson.

dagolfer33 · #11 09-29-2010, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goingtothewhip

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...110703043.html

He had a year to think about it, and he retracted his article. So now when Zenyatta wins this years classic, he can refer to the 2009 article in which he said she was great. Politics in the future Andy?

DerbyCat · #12 09-29-2010, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

No need. I'm sure the people most likely to go after him just had their head implode. Is there anybody left standing in California?

Well, I'm still upright

I admit I'm a Zenyatta fan, but I'm a fan of any horse that can impress and entertain me, and Zenyatta does both. It does her a disservice to try to pin the label of "one of the all time greats" on her. She's very good at what she does, she entertains the spectators and makes it exciting by closing like she does but she should have had a more challenging career if her handlers truly wanted to have her labeled "all time great". She's no Secretariat but it's not fair to say she's the California equivalent of Peppers Pride.

I'm looking forward to seeing her this weekend, she puts on a great show... But I'm also looking forward to seeing Richard's Kid

Port Conway Lane · #13 09-29-2010, 09:24 PM

Very good article as usual. Citing the poor record of dirt horses running on synthetic in the BC has nothing to do with the ability of synthetic horses to run on dirt.
His opinion is that in the one race where she faced decent horses the competition was compromised by the surface. What nobody really knows is she could be the one who is being compromised. The million dollar question.

geeker2 · #14 09-29-2010, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerbyCat

Well, I'm still upright

I admit I'm a Zenyatta fan, but I'm a fan of any horse that can impress and entertain me, and Zenyatta does both. It does her a disservice to try to pin the label of "one of the all time greats" on her. She's very good at what she does, she entertains the spectators and makes it exciting by closing like she does but she should have had a more challenging career if her handlers truly wanted to have her labeled "all time great". She's no Secretariat but it's not fair to say she's the California equivalent of Peppers Pride.

I'm looking forward to seeing her this weekend, she puts on a great show... But I'm also looking forward to seeing Richard's Kid

DC...have a great time

Danzig · #15 10-03-2010, 01:45 PM

i've seen mentions about zenyatta helping the sport, bringing attention to it, etc. it's simply not true. everyone who knows me knows i'm a racing fan, and many folks are also sports fans. every year, there are questions about the derby winner, the ark derby winner. people ask about the dee tee horses. there was mention of rachel when she was running. not one person has ever asked me about zenyatta. that's how much she's in the mainstream, and how much attention she's garnering outside of racing and outside the west coast.

Round Pen · #16 10-03-2010, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danzig

i've seen mentions about zenyatta helping the sport, bringing attention to it, etc. it's simply not true. everyone who knows me knows i'm a racing fan, and many folks are also sports fans. every year, there are questions about the derby winner, the ark derby winner. people ask about the dee tee horses. there was mention of rachel when she was running. not one person has ever asked me about zenyatta. that's how much she's in the mainstream, and how much attention she's garnering outside of racing and outside the west coast.

Good Points but here's were I disagree I was sitting in a Pizza Restaurant at 7:15 EDT last night in Ocala Fl, it was full 60 or 70 people. We switched over to TVG to watch the Race a couple of tables Ask why did you do that. I went on to explain what was going on atleast 1/2 the people were listening to me and they had no Ideal who Zenyatta was. but as the race was unfolding everyone in the Place was cheering for Zenyatta it was actually kind of crazy. So atleast in Ocala Fl last night Zenyatta did help bring attention to the sport in a restaurant were 1/2 the Crowd had no ideal who she was.

Danzig · #17 10-03-2010, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Round Pen

Good Points but here's were I disagree I was sitting in a Pizza Restaurant at 7:15 EDT last night in Ocala Fl, it was full 60 or 70 people. We switched over to TVG to watch the Race a couple of tables Ask why did you do that. I went on to explain what was going on atleast 1/2 the people were listening to me and they had no Ideal who Zenyatta was. but as the race was unfolding everyone in the Place was cheering for Zenyatta it was actually kind of crazy. So atleast in Ocala Fl last night Zenyatta did help bring attention to the sport in a restaurant were 1/2 the Crowd had no ideal who she was.

i'd say it was you, not zenyatta, who brought their attention to a race. but hey, if you made a couple new fans yesterday, good for you.

Antitrust32 · #18 10-04-2010, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Round Pen

Good Points but here's were I disagree I was sitting in a Pizza Restaurant at 7:15 EDT last night in Ocala Fl, it was full 60 or 70 people. We switched over to TVG to watch the Race a couple of tables Ask why did you do that. I went on to explain what was going on atleast 1/2 the people were listening to me and they had no Ideal who Zenyatta was. but as the race was unfolding everyone in the Place was cheering for Zenyatta it was actually kind of crazy. So atleast in Ocala Fl last night Zenyatta did help bring attention to the sport in a restaurant were 1/2 the Crowd had no ideal who she was.

you know she doesnt gather much attention when half the people in a thoroughbred town named Ocala dont know who she is.

With that said, I'm not sure if any of my friends here in Ocala know who she is.

2Hot4TV · #19 10-03-2010, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danzig

i've seen mentions about zenyatta helping the sport, bringing attention to it, etc. it's simply not true. everyone who knows me knows i'm a racing fan, and many folks are also sports fans. every year, there are questions about the derby winner, the ark derby winner. people ask about the dee tee horses. there was mention of rachel when she was running. not one person has ever asked me about zenyatta. that's how much she's in the mainstream, and how much attention she's garnering outside of racing and outside the west coast.

I make it a point to ask people who won the Kentucky Derby in the week after its run and 99% dont even know that the race was run. Our sport just isn't main stream anymore.