Record Crowds Due To Zenyatta Factor?
The massive Churchill Downs racing complex is the perfect venue to accommodate the record turnout for the Breeders' Cup of 72,739 on Saturday with a total of 120,000 for both days.
Considerable credit is given to the phenomenon of the world's most popular Thoroughbred, Zenyatta, and her attempt to win her second consecutive Breeders' Cup Classic and to be the first horse to win three Breeders' Cups.
She is the first female to win the BC Classic (2009) and the BC Ladies Classic the year before. She has won 19 of 19 career starts.
Churchill Downs reved up racegoers with their own three races on the second or main Breeders' Cup day - a Saturday.
The BC started with the fourth race which was the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Mile (Grade 1) on Turf.
It ended in tragedy for Rough Sailing and could have been a disaster for the eventual winner Pluck.
The latter, a Team Valor colt, stumbled leaving the gate last and then ran into the handsome chestnut RS and jockey slipping and falling at the first turn. X-Rays showed a serious break high on the leg of RS and he had to be euthenised.
However, nothing could stop the aptly-named Pluck and Garrett Gomez for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Gomez settled the dark horse at the rear of the pack for most of the race and they appeared to have no chance.
In a blinding finish, the 32/5 colt took out Soldat and Willcox Inn a length and 1-1/2 lengths in 1.36.98.
He is the son of Pletcher's former top-class horse, More Than Ready, and has won three of his five races.
The $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Sprint (Grade 1), 6f on Dirt, for three-year olds and upward.
The winner, Big Drama, dominated the race from the beginning under Eibar Coa showing the consistency of a horse who has won eight of his 14 races at four.
He won in 1.09.05 at 1-1/2 lengths over Hamazing Destiny and Smiling Tiger by a neck.
His trainer attributed BD's toughness to his training on the Calder Racecourse, near Fort Lauderdale, which builds fitness and stamina.
It was a first BC for the horse, trainer, jockey and owner Harold L Queen.
The sixth race produced a last-minute takeout of the long-time leader Central City by Chamberlain Bridge in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (Grade 2), 5 furlongs.
It was a local Kentucky win with jockey Jamie Theriot for trainer W Bret Calhoun in 56.53 seconds.
CB won by 1-1/2 lengths over CC and Unzip Me came in 1-1/4 in third.
The winner had been training at Churchill Downs since August and almost missed the race with a foot abscess diagnosed the previous Friday.
The $2 million Grey Goose Breeders' Cup Juvenile (Grade 1), 1-1/16 on Dirt, produced a winner who might be able who looked good enough to be a hot prospect for the Kentucky Derby and perhaps could go all the way to the Triple Crown.
Exciting 9.5 Uncle Mo was hyper-hyped before the race, but he lived up to every expectation winning by 4-1/4 lengths in the fastest time of 1.42.60 over second favourite Boys At Tosconova.
The colt, named Uncle Mo for 'momentum', exploded when jockey John Valazquez pushed the button and left his very experienced trainer Todd Pletcher 'shaking'.
Owner Mike Repole described the experience as 'surreal to real' in his 25-year love of horses. He has only owned horses for about five years and loyally chose blue and orange colours to honour the Mets from his native Queens.
Pletcher has a frightening responsibility to keep this horse healthy for next year's campaign.
How often one has thought that this could be the One? This one could be the One.
From a brilliant juvenile to a staggeringly brilliant history-making five-year-old mare, Goldikova IRE, who wore the 100-year-old blue and white colours of France's Wertheimer & Frere in the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (Grade 1) on Turf.
After a mistake in riding the rail with Plumania the previous day, world-class jockey Olivier Peslier eased his mare from stall 10 to a comfortable center position benefiting from the fast pace set by Sydney's Candy and keeping clear of trouble.
She did what she does in unbelievable style. At just the right moment and, at least seven lengths behind the leader, she hovercrafted past everything as if they were standing still.
The 13/10 favourite whiped them out accompanied by a standing, shouting audience and jaded racing journalists claiming they never saw a race as good as that.
Gio Ponti was right behind her by 1-3/4 lengths, followed by The Usual Q. T. and Paco Boy IRE by a neck and nose respectively in 1.35.16.
Goldikova is the first horse to win three consecutive BC Miles and a brilliant female on her best behaviour.
Her owners see the word phenomenon as inadequate to describe her.
Her trainer Freddy Head rode Miesque who was the first female to win a Breeders' Cup in 1988.
He defined her qualities as cool, fast, a fighter, versatile, able to win at 1 to 1-1/4 miles as long as there is a strong pace, always possessing another gear which she unleashes in a powerful burst.
When asked how he felt, he could only say "beaucoup d'emotion".
Her performance left many limp to think her connections are considering her racing at six a la Zenyatta.
In addition to winning three consecutive BC Miles, she has won 12 Group 1s in campaigns all over the world.
The $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (Grade 1) produced poetic justice when Joel Rosario on 38.1 Dakota Phone beat out Javier Castellano on Morning Line by a head in 1.35.29.
Castellano was the jockey to nearly unseat another after crashing into him to stop Calvin Borel making his run on the outside. Borel exploded afterwards in the Winner's Circle and both jockeys have been disciplined.
Jerry Hollendorfer trained and owns part of Dakota Phone was deeply proud of the horse whom he said, at five, was always knocking on the door and showed great improvement in the last three months.
The 38.1 gelding made his third victory in 19 starts. He is now Dubai bound for one of the $10 million races during the Dubai World Cup day.
The clear favourite, The Aga Khan's Behkabad FR, went out at 17.2 in the $3 million Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Turf (Grade 1), 1-1/2 miles on Turf, once the Arc de Triomphe winner Workforce pulled out the day due to worry that the ground was too firm.
Only seven runners were left.
Gallant Champ Pegasus led most of the way with Behkabad in a comfortable third. The other five traded places until Brian Meehan's Dangerous Midge stole the lead by 1-1/4 lengths in one of Frankie Dettori's finest closes.
Champ Pegasus and Behkabad 2 lengths behind in third.
The fourteenth and final race of the 2010 Breeders' Cup is the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic (Grade 1), 1-1/4 m on Dirt.
It is the one race everyone waited for and thousands attended for.
Would Zenyatta win her third consecutive Breeders' Cup and her 20th of 20 races?
Or would a spoiler take out the formidable six-year-old mare?
Blame was the obvious suspect and was sent out at 26.5 to the mare's evens.
His trainer, Albert M Stall Jr, arranged the progressive four-year-olds' 2010 training and several races to be at his home track - Churchill Downs - with the specific objective of giving him every advantage going into a race against Zenyatta.
The competitive trainers hoped the mare could not perform on Dirt despite her winning twice on Dirt at Oak Lawn. They were hoping that, from her usual last position, she would be disturbed by the dirt kickback or just could not make up the distance if they got far enough ahead.
Without saying it, they seemed to count on injury, jockey error, interference and/or bad luck to stop her from winning her second BC Classic (in addition to the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic and her 20th win out of 20 starts).
Fortunately, she was not injured. But she ran into at least three serious interferences leaving her with very bad luck.
Blame was in stall five and Zenyatta in eight. He was lucky enough to find clear passage close to the rail throughout the race with the splits coming just when he needed them.
Zenyatta started slowly and was immediately hampered by Alan Garcia on Etched who came out of stall ten and cut sharply in front her nearly unbalancing her.
It took her jockey Mike Smith extra time to settle her behind the others and, at times, she was 15-17 lengths off the leader.
Her task looked insurmountable.
Smith waited and waited while racegoers (and the announcer) became desperate with with worry.
Over 72,000 people there and it was quiet like a cathedral with communicants offering their common will and prayer for her.
Blame glided effortlessly forward on his home-track rail and every split came easily to him.
It looked as if it was over and she would never move forward.
Then her ears pricked and she came for him.
Hearts were in mouths screaming hysterically for her to make it.
She was forced to weave through horses and was almost stopped twice by two different groups of fading competitors, but her extraordinary agility and determination got her through them.
Then, and only then, could she unleash her gigantic stride in stunning fractions which were judged by experts to be as good as Secretariat's.
She finally reached Blame on the line and he got his neck stretched out just as she had to pull her head back to stride again.
He won and she shot past him - all to nought.
The crowd was devastated. Teary and emotional, they shouted for her and applauded her as if she had won and they ignored the winner.
Garrett Gomez, who ran a perfect race on Blame, gestured for the crowd to support his winner. People took exception to his gestures and he was unfairly criticized by those who were not there for baiting them.
Well, the crowd was angry and hurt and people were hurting for their beloved mare who just could not lose.
Their Mohammed Ali had just been decked.
When we all saw the ashen faces of the Mosses and Shirreffs, it was worse.
And then there was jockey Mike Smith, who bore unbearable pressure in all of Zenyatta's races with grace, and who broke down completely in the Media Room blaming himself for failing her.
There are times when it is just too painful to be a journalist - when you have to worry about copy and deadlines and interviewing people when dreams and lives are crashing about you.
It was doubly hard listening to Blame's insensitive and unsportsmanlike owner declare his claims on the Horse of the Year revelling in "We beat her".
Of course, Blame has to be HOY. It will enhance his stud value and money is all that counts. He retired upon winning.
The horse's fine trainer showed more 'nous' and Gomez was full of concern for his friend Mike Smith. He even apologized to him for beating Zenyatta.
Her connections retired with her, and completely drained, dined alone together in a small, quiet, Italian restaurant.
Meanwhile, the media all over the world reported about the extraordinary mare Zenyatta with barely a mention of her victor.
Racing International http://www.racingint.com
Posted by susan trevelyan-syke at 11/7/2010 10:00 PM 
Categories: Breeders' Cup 2010
Tags: Breeders' Cup Chamberlain Bridge Olivier Peslier Racing International Freddie Head Garrett Gomez John Shirriffs Uncle Mo Dangerous Midge Mike Smith Big Drama Pluck Blame Zenyatta Dakota Phone Goldikova
Categories: Breeders' Cup 2010
Tags: Breeders' Cup Chamberlain Bridge Olivier Peslier Racing International Freddie Head Garrett Gomez John Shirriffs Uncle Mo Dangerous Midge Mike Smith Big Drama Pluck Blame Zenyatta Dakota Phone Goldikova
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