Guest blog - by Brian Zipse
Miss Woodford, Beldame, Regret, Busher, Twighlight Tear,
Gallorette, Gamely, Dark Mirage, Gallant Bloom, Shuvee, Susan's Girl, Desert
Vixen, Ruffian, Genuine Risk, Princess Rooney, Lady's Secret, Personal Ensign
and Go For Wand. The greatest females of American racing. These fillies and
mares so dominated their competition at classic distances on the foremost
surface of United States racing, that they will be forever remembered as
all-time greats. Who is missing from the list?
Before you start rattling off names of your favorite
filly or mares that I neglected to include, (sorry, I wanted to keep the list
short and sweet and some difficult decisions had to be made) my answer is
Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.
That's right, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta already have
accomplished enough to be included in my list of the 20 greatest American
female horses of all time. I can already hear the doubters and the protectors
of history rumbling with all their arguments at the ready. These horses are
still racing, what if they start losing? Just who have they beaten? Racing is
not the same as it used to be, surely these two are not as good as some of the
ones I saw race in the good ol' days. One of them maybe, but I do not like the
other one as much. OK, OK, I hear you. Fair arguments all, but I will do my
best to dissuade even the harshest of critics.
It is true that these two remarkable females are
currently in training and their race records will undoubtedly soon change. They
may strengthen their claims to history or they may weaken their position with
their performances in future races, but my stance is; if either were retired
tomorrow their accomplishments would already be sufficient for this lofty
stature.
Zenyatta has already won her first eleven races, the last
nine being all Grade 1's or G2's. She is an Eclipse Award winner and a
Breeders' Cup Distaff champion. The closest comparison in history to Zenyatta
is clearly Personal Ensign. Personal Ensign completed her magnificent career
twenty years ago a perfect 13 for 13. She received one Eclipse as outstanding
handicap mare, losing out the Horse of the Year award to the outstanding older
horse Alysheba, won one Breeders' Cup race and ten graded stakes. Sound
familiar? Personal Ensign finished her career winning a memorable Breeder's Cup
Distaff by getting up in the last jump to catch the Kentucky Derby winner
Winning Colors. She did defeat males once in winning the sloppy Whitney, but
her detractors pointed out her careful race selection, lack of racing outside
the East Coast and her limited schedule much the way Zenyatta is criticized
today.
With the important place synthetic racing holds in
current American racing, Zenyatta should not be discounted for running most of
her races on synthetics. Remember also, that Zenyatta's one foray on a dirt
track is one of her most impressive wins easily beating the champion Ginger
Punch. She has beaten all of the top fillies and mares of the past few years
save Rachel Alexandra. Zenyatta's current accomplishments may be a shade below
that of Personal Ensign, but close enough to already ensure her place in
history.
As for Rachel Alexandra, her accomplishments in the last
seven races are so impressive that she is hard to compare to many female horses
in American history. The superstar Ruffian and the great Regret are in many
ways incomparable, but young Rachel Alexandra is quickly moving in that
direction. Regret who raced almost a century ago, was so talented that her connections
were confident in running her against the best males of her generation. Her
speed and ability carried her to a Kentucky Derby win and nine wins in only
eleven races. In just those eleven races, Regret, like Rachel Alexandra, became
a filly that will not be forgotten, due to her consistent excellence and
partially because of her historic win in a triple crown race.
Ruffian won ten consecutive races with Rachel like ease.
She dominated her division so thoroughly that it was hard to know just how good
the other fillies that were left in her wake were. Much like Rachel Alexandra,
it was clear that Ruffian had proven everything against her own age and gender.
Unfortunately her eleventh and final race, her first attempt against worthy
competition, ended in tragedy. Despite her relatively short career and the lack
of quality horses that she beat, Ruffian's greatness and brilliance are
undeniable. Just as we are seeing this year with Rachel Alexandra, Ruffian
proved her greatness through her jaw-dropping dominance.
Often it takes years before full appreciation for what we
have sets in. Love them both, pick a side, consider where you might rate them
in historical context, but no matter what you do, enjoy every day that these
two wonderful racehorses grace us with their presence. Mr. Jackson, Mr. Moss,
how about a race?
