BEYER: Defining Zenyatta's historical role

[Kasept]

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

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

[Arletta]

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

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

[JBJake]

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.

[Merlinsky]

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]

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

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

[DerbyCat]

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]

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]

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

[chucklestheclown]

Originally Posted by goingtothewhip

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

I laughed.

[dagolfer33]

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?

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by JBJake

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

No.

[TitanSooner]

pathetic

[slotdirt]

Pathetic is the most recent Hovdey blog.

[JBJake]

Ateam - her first race at Oaklawn on the dirt is not one of her best beyers? Where does it rank? I don't have all of her races in front of me but for some reason I am thinking that was one of her best.

[johnny pinwheel]

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.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Here are some amusing quotes from the wonderful world of facebook about this column ...

NY Times Molly Jo Rosen:

I'm wary to share this on my wall because I really disagree with what Andy writes. With all the respect I have for him diminishing the more I think about it, let me say this:

You don't assassinate the character of an elite athlete, let alone the best PR machine this sport's had since the 1970's. Will Zenyatta go down in... history as the best racehorse of all time? Who knows. But she's the best in the game right now and she and her connections deserve better than some cheap excuse to bemoan a bad surface.

I will simply say that as a member of the media, an owner, and a lifelong racing fan: while an interesting read, this was a low blow to racing. Period.

Bruno De Julio:

I am sitting here clocking at Churchill and reading all the rhetoric being written on Zenyatta - I know what I see - I have clocked and watched the best - she is, hands down the best athlete I have ever seen, and for All the right reasons ...- I am sooooooo sick and tired to hear these blowhards continue to knock her - i am going to stop defending her she is a big girl and can handle herself

[PeteMugg]

The guy's strategy for the BC was to throw out all the dirt horses, yet he still couldn't come up with Zenyatta as the winner. I guess he's consistant.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by PeteMugg

The guy's strategy for the BC was to throw out all the dirt horses, yet he still couldn't come up with Zenyatta as the winner. I guess he's consistant.

How many dirt horses even ran in last years Classic?

Like 3?

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by HomerS

"assassinate the character"

Exactly what I am talking about. Molly Jo should be embarrassed. Such nonsense.

& the best PR machine since the 70's??? LOL thats why so many non racing fans are following Z's career

No horse in the past decade holds a candle to Smarty Jones as far as PR goes.