I agree 100% with you Becky, My goodnesss, how can we award this remarkable mare for her achievments other than HOTY. Priceless pure Priceless.

All I could think of was that the producers of Jockeys  kicking themselves for not focusing on this year's Breeders Cup.  With Mike Smith one of their regular subjects, it would have made for an awesome season finale.

Gutsy call by Trevor Denman, and a risk on the part of ESPN, which started the Zenyatta coverage on Friday.

Of course, then there is my local radio station, which today announced that a horse named Radiohead was going to be running in the Breeders Cup... this coming weekend.  Sigh.

Cynically Cool article...I loved it.

You gotta give it to Trevor also.   I think he actually got caught up in the excitement of her race as much as the rest of the world did.

Kinda helped make it an even more incredible race with his Calling of it.

    Besides having selective hearing, I also have selective vision, For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off Zenyatta the whole race!  I had to watch the replay about five times to see what the others did during the race, Zenyatta seems to have that effect :)

Trevor has had his good and bad moments in his time as the BC race caller; but on this occasion he out did himself. He instinctively knew that this was not "just" a BC Classic, instead it was one for the ages.  He made an exciting race into an epic; taking what was unfolding as a highlight of the year in all sports to another level. For all races fans, thanks...

Absolutely true, Becky, and very funny.

Those of us who live in Southern California and have had the greatest pleasure watching her run long ago learned that when The Big Mare is in a race, there's really no point in looking at anyone else.

All you need to know about how the race will play out is where Miz Zen is. Everyone else is just window dressing.

I've watched replays ad nauseum and I heard the same thing.  ;-)

Congratulations to Trevor for his confidence in a mare he's watched and called in seven remarkable races.

She was the favorite in the race. Most of the time when there is a high interest favorite the race caller will give them emphasis. Durkin has done that a million times. Zenyatta was THE story of the Classic and I'm glad he did it justice.

Zenyatta came thru for Trevor Denman, and I was one of those doubters who was afraid that she could not win against the field that was arraigned against her.When you consider how far back she ralled from to beat such a quality field, she definitely must be Horse of Year.Her race is one that I will remember as long as I live.

I'm tired of those who try to bash Trevor Denman.  He's is the greatest racecaller I've heard.  I'm a west coast person so I am biased but I thought Tom Durkin's Kentucky Derby call was bad because he didn't pick up Mind That Bird until the race was practically over.  Denman's strength is his ability to pick up runners coming from far back.  I was so happy and relieved when the Breeders' Cup got it right and brought Trevor as the new racecaller.  Durkin is great and had his time, but it's now Denman's turn to shine, and he did so in Zenyatta's great BC Classic triumph.

Watching Zenyatta move through the pack was unforgettable and remarkable.  One for all time.

What a horse!

I guess I will be the oddball out. Denman blew a number of calls over the Breeders' Cup weekend and I don't think the Classic was particularly good. Zenyatta is always last early but Denman made it sound particularly unusual for her to do so. Catching her move on the far turn did save the race for him but it wasn't his best.

I miss Tom Durkin!!!!

Picture this ..... What do you think the outcome would be should Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Personal Ensign, Go For Wand and Ruffian race? !!! NOW THAT WOULD BE A RACE !!!! Only those wonderful computers could tell us. But it would sure make a great race let alone a great conversation.

Great call by Denman, who certainly took a chance by focusing on Zenyatta. He ended up making a race call for the ages. . .

Great post Becky!

Trevor Denman is the ultimate professional, and in my opinion the best in the business. His call will be unforgettable

Trevor was perfect!! Perfect call for the one of the greatest races of all time.  If not Trevor, bring on Bobby Flay for the next Breeders Cup!!

I've got another race in mind that Denman can call. How about a match race on Super Bowl sunday between, you know who, Rachel and Queen Z. If the owners would agree to that it would do terrific things for the sport. What great visibility it would have. And it would expose the sport to so many sports fans that just don't pay attention to horse racing. It could be held on any dirt track in the U.S. I believe the Fairgrounds would be the ideal spot that time of year weatherwise. Come on folks let's get jiggy with this idea. Sure it's a longshot but who knows? It should happen.

Zenyatta is a BEAST!! ;-)

My only other comment: Everyone has their good and bad days.. including race callers!

-Hannah from TX

Almost makes up for his failure to say "Street Sense" until he crossed the wire in the Juvenille at CD.

Not to nitpick, but Denman called Summer Bird third, when he was not.  

Please, Tom Durkin is hardly fault free, how many times has he called the wrong name of a horse all the way around the track, just recently Unrivaled Belle was Unbridled Belle the whole damn race.

Right. Trevor Denman took a risk: he "bet" his call on Zenyatta and won. This race, and I would say the whole day, wouldn't have been the same if Zenyatta wasn't entered in the Classic. She was the main event, and Denman's call helped in more ways than one. Good job!

DURKIN HAS A CONTRACT WITH NBC;THAT IS THE ONLY REASON HE;S NOT CALLING THR BREEDERS CUP.HE FAR BETTER THEN TREVER AND WOULD HAVE GIVEN A GREAT CALL.THE BIG MARE ALWAYS RUNS LAST.THAT;S THE BEST TREVER COULD COME UP WITH?

I gotta say, reading those words of the race call just gave me as much goosebumbs as it did actually watching the race. With a 1/4 mile to go, I thought there was no way she would outrun those horses. Then Snap! She's in front. A living legend.

I'll have to admit though, Trevor does change his ways a bit when calling the Breeders Cup races as oppossed to a Mdn Claiming $22,500. Maybe he's trying to appease to the newcomer's that were watching on TV or something. I don't know. Is it bad to be too detailed? Like on the Life is Sweet call, it looked like he jumped the gun on the finish when there was still a good 300 yards to go. Either way, I still love the races he calls. Although 2 race callers that I would love to see come across the pond are David Rafael, who calls races in Hong Kong & Terry Spargo, who calls the Dubai Carnival races. These guys are amazing announcers. I grew up listening to Denman & Durkin, but with all due respect to those two legends, these two take the cake.

Trevor Denman gave yet another one of his great calls. He is one of the few callers who paints a picture with his words, actually explaining what every horse in the race is doing. We are so fortunate to have him in So. Cal.

I agree with Big Racing Fan. Tom Durkin completely dropped the ball calling the KY Derby. I saw Mine That Bird making his run along the rail, in much the same manner as Zenyatta did on Saturday, and Mine That Bird was almost at the wire before his name was even mentioned! I had been screaming at the tv from the top of the stretch... "Who is the little horse on the rail?? I wish Trevor was calling the race so I would know who it is."

Trevor Rules!

ELAINE:

I disagree!

Zenyatta is HOY! California HOY! :)

Denman knew who to watch.  The only thing missing was his "They may have to sprout wings to catch her" or "She may as well be out for a morning work."  

I have watched the replay of this race I can't tell you how many times!! While I remain a huge Rachel fan, Zenyatta deserves horse of the year. Now we wait to see to whom she will be bred.

I like Denman's style. I usually like Durkin but sometimes he gets a little flat and pauses looking for horses (take most of Oaks 2009...) REALLY crisp, sharp calling there and a beautiful (if biased, *IMO*) call involving Zen. I thought it was "funny" he was able to pack so much talk into a race.

It did sound like one of his reenactments from the Jockeys reality show.

I guess we can nit pick Denman's call. He miss placed Gio Ponti in the early going, but emphasizing Zenyatta turned out to be the biggest race call gamble payoff of his career. Her race will go down in the annals of Racing history as one of the greatest performances of all time...

I thought he was giving Mike Smith some help when he kept saying "they couldn't be going any slower up front", and "they're not in any hurry", etc., as in don't let them get to far away from you, Mike. let's face it - she was THE horse to beat in this race. I think you will miss Trevor someday. He makes it interesting, and is still quite accurate in describing the race.

Love Tome Durkin.....When he puts his mind to it there is no equal....the problem is he seems to be getting bored.....Trevor has always been great and highlighting Zenyatta like he did might have been more for the novices that had tuned in on ESPN......The guy that does it for me now is Tom Dooley at the Fairgrounds.....he has a lot of enthusiasm and could make a paint drying contest seem exciting.......There's lots of other good ones out there too.

trevor is the Best..

I know him from south africa, know him well

he  used to watch me when I was a kid

I am a big fan of the calls of big races and I think Trevor Denman set up this race very well.  

I do like his calls, but I didn't see all other BC races from the weekend.  

I do really like Tom Durkin - he puts his game on for the big races! Probably the best there is in my opinion.

First, Durkin is the best period. When you have been calling races for over twenty five years and make no mistakes, then you can say something. Durkin put some laughter in some of his calls(ARRR and DOREMEFASOLATIDOE,to name a few if you don't believe me go to youtube and put those horses up), I haven't heard Trevor do what Durkin does. BTW I love Trevor's calls too but I feel Durkin is the best. BTW he use to call harness races at the Meadowlands before his gig in NY and at other tracks.

Trevor knew we were watching history in the making!

Trevor did a wonderful job calling the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic. Without him,Santa Anita will not be the same. He is one of the best horse racing announcer I've ever listened to. Congradulations, Trevor, if you still remember me, I visited your announcer's booth two years ago in the Oak Tree Meet. "And Away They Are Off!"  

Trevor and Durkin are the best in the biz, IMO. Hard to separate. Other race callers "would have to sprout wings..." to catch them.

Trevor is the best in the business. He has watched Zenyatta and he knows, like anyone who has seen her, that you can't take your eyes off of her.

Great call by Denman, even though i think he's a fantastically overrated announcer. Props where props are due, he rose up and called great in a very big race. Now, if he can just remember the names of the horses in overnight races and call a photo right once in a while, he'll be alright in my book.

Elaine,

You have to remember that Trevor is calling the race for "new fans" as much as the fan that comes to the track everyday. This is why he emphasized that Zenyatta was dead last.

New fans don't know how to read the Racing Form and they need to be told where Zenyatta is positioned on the track.

New fans don't know anything about Zenyatta's running style.

Agreed Elaine & Ray.   Denman made a HUGE deal out of Zenyatta being last as if he had no clue that's the norm for her. I kept looking at my husband with a "WTF" look on my facing saying that's where she ALWAYS RUNS FROM.  His tired exclamations throughout the Cup are the same things he's been saying for too many years.  And I particularly liked the end of the "dirt" mile as he stumbled through the end of the call, calling Ready's Echo - Ekky's Reddo.   Granted Durkin missed Mine That Bird in the Derby.  Not his best call either.  But I'd take him over Denman any day.

I THINK TREVOR DID A TERRIFIC JOB CALLING THE RACE. CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW DIFFICULT IT MUST BE TO KEEP ALL THOSE HORSES NAMES STRAIGHT? IM NOT SURE ANY OF US COULD EVEN ATTEMPT IT. HE ALSO HAS A GREAT VOICE. DID I HEAR THAT HE IS LEAVING SANTA ANITA ? CAN SOMEONE CHECK THIS OUT AND CONFIRM IT OR DENY IT ? IF HE IS LEAVING, WHERE IS HE GOING ? I JUST WATCHED THE REPLAY AGAIN AND ONCE AGAIN AM IN AWE OVER HOW BIG ZENYATTA IS. SERIOUSLY HUGE. IF THE MOSSES ARE RETIRING HER, I WONDER WHO THEY ARE GOING TO BREED HER TO ? HOPEFULLY NOT CURLIN, AFTER JESS JACKSON REFUSED TO BRING RACHEL TO SANTA ANITA. THAT WOULD BE LIKE A SLAP IN THE FACE. BUT WHOEVER THEY BREED HER TO, I CANT WAIT TO SEE HER BABIES ON THE TRACK

well tom durkin is a legand and sure miss him, but there is no denying that trever is on his way to be there.

That was an exciting and memorable call that adds to a memorable race.

Anyone doubting this filly wins horse of the year should have their head checked.

A great race,a great performance by one of the best race mare I have ever seen.But I think one person need to be mention and recognise is the assistant starter that manage to hold on to Quality Road and avoided a disastrous consequences if he would got loose and been blind folded,probable kill himself and who ever ran in to.

No disrespect whatever to Zenyatta---the Breeders Cup Classic was undoubtedly a great race (I still get chills thinking about it)---it was one race.  I still have to give HOY to Rachel, based on her consistently great work (mostly record-breaking) all season.  The award is called "Horse of the Year" for a reason, and that is that it recognizes the entire year.  

But most importantly, we have TWO great mares.  We can all agree on that.

Being from the Northeast, I did feel like Durkin was the best. After the Breeder's Cup I got to say that Trevor is the best. Good emotion and good call Trevor. I am usually not a fan of non-American race callers but Trevor did a splendid superb job. They would have to sprout wings to pass Trevor in his abilities.

Do racetracks in England have "Yanks" as their announcers? What is this thing with English callers at American tracks?

Durkin is the best today  . . . but in the "Golden" days of racing he wouldn't have made the top four! The most exciting was Babe Rubenstein.

The way he called it was classic Denman. That's the way he treated Zenyatta throughout all of her races. He has always been high on her without any disrespect for the other participants in Z's races. Denman is a class act & adds much to the racing atmosphere.

Trevor Denman is lousy! That irritating Brit accent-yuk! Tom Durkin is the man! Oh, & as for horse of the year? Give it to both the girls, they each deserve it!

We heard the same thing! LOL! And, like Greg J., I had to replay it a couple of times to force myself to see what the other horses were doing.

Carlos, that's the truth. I was certain QR was going to kill himself in there and it must take a mountain of courage to jump in there next to a horse as freaked out and pissed as QR looked.

Mr. Denman is from South Africa and since he's been calling races in this country since 1983 I think we can call him AmericanIZED.

If we can have two horses of the year, we can certainly have more than one announcer of the year.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was an award for the race call of the year?

Maybe the fans should vote at the end of the year right here on The Blood Horse.

Touching on the Quality Road issue, That colt was acting like a nut case. He and the assistant starters are very lucky. Kudo's to those guys. I wouldnt want that job. Ive been mauled by a crazy colt and it is no fun. If he had got loose with that blindfold on, it would have been a disaster. I am sure Todd Pletcher was pretty nervous, not to mention a bit embarrassed to have one of his charges acting like a uneducated freak. As I understand it, QR has always had gate issues. Maybe he is a bit claustrophobic, although I've seen him race before and he never acted like that. Maybe it was just the reality of facing Zenyatta that did it.

BigRobfromBmore-nice to see a fellow marylander in the crowd and your right, Denman is damn good.

Oh and Goober..you are Gomer's cousin arent you?

That is why Trevor is on the top of the list of a few exceptional race callers!!! Luke Kyrbosch was there too, and Vic Stauffer is so coloful and desciptive how can you not love him???

ZENYATTA IS THE QUEEN!!!!!

is that you dudley jacobs? its me chief hands in pockets from boise trevor is the man anyone who disagrees has never had trevor do a race call when you had one of your own horses in the race

Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are both truly great racehorses, but let's deal with the facts.  Rachel had a much harder campaign than did Z, and she beat males 3 different times this year:  The Preakness, The Haskell, and the Woodward.  She won on many different surfaces.  Zenyatta had a short campaign geared toward the Breeders Cup in her own back yard, has always run on a synthetic surface that she adores, and never left the state of California this year.  My vote for Horse of the Year goes to Rachel Alexandra.

Sunday Silence...Although I have tried to avoid the HOY debate because I think it is comical at best..I just can't help but respond to your post. First let me say I am not for one or the other. I truly love them both equally and will be thrilled for either of them..You make some great points about Rachel's campaign and I couldn't agree more...BUT.. there is something that simply can't be overlooked with Zen. She was at the biggest race of the year with multiple grade 1 winners. She took the ultimate challenge...and she won....no other mare/filly has ever done that. Furthermore..she did it handily. She did it with ease..she did it with guts, courage and a class and style that is all Z..all the time. I think people are missing to boat here. Zen made all those grade 1 winning champions look like a bunch of claimers. She was so commanding. That just doesn't happen.

I love listening to Trevor Denman call a race.  His voice has energy.

Durkin is a little more cerebral but my favor Durkin moment is when Curlin hit the wire with Street Sense in the Preankness and Durkin yellled Too Close to Call Too Close to Call.

But then that epic Durkin call was edited out in the replays I now see on You Tube.

They are both great race callers....just like Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandria are great race mares.

Don't knock them. Just enjoy them.

Sunday Silence

I think you posted on the wrong blog.....I thought that this was a discussion about Trevor.

Trevor and Tom are definitely the two best this country has.  I did hear that Trevor was leaving and was wondering what all that was about.  He mentioned it on the telecast for ABC.  I hope Vic gets the job if that's the case.  My two favorite callers are Tony Calo from Finger Lakes in NY, and Keith Jones from Philly.  Both of them are outstanding in my book and rarely ever make mistakes.  Kudos to Queen Z for what she has done.  Would the BC ever have been an option if it wasn't in So. Cal.?  I think not.  Rachel has beaten the males 3 times at different tracks.  Does anyone know how hard it is for horses to consistently win being shipped around?  New surroundings take a big effect on these great animals.  Rachel gets my vote for HOTY!  She was THE story this year.  Zen is THE story now, and for obvious reasons.  Too bad the year is almost over.

Unbelievable race! Trevor's call of it brings me back time and time again to the replay. This is the stuff that movies are made of. Anybody out there listening???

Trevor Denman certainly called a great race.  I also love listening to Tom Durkin.  Both men get you inlvolved with what is going on on the racetrack.  I know this is a bit off course but the best call that I can remember is when Dave Johnson called John Henry coming down the lane 'The Old Man'.  We need men(and women) to call the races with excitement and feeling to try to get people more interested.  Keep up the great calls!

Hilarious Becky.

I was annoyed with Trevor Denman when he repeated over and over with surprise in his voice that she was last.  He knows she runs that way.  He has called many of her races.

I was at a Breeders' Cup party and we almost screamed the house down.  I was hoarse after wards. There were only 2 of us that were die hard Zenyatta fans. All the rest were doubters, but even they were screaming for her at the end.

I have the race saved and watch it over and over.  My friends want me to stop emailing them with tidbits about Zenyatta!

Ick, on the whole Quality Road episode.

MDFANOFRACING - please check out the article today about the traumatized Quality Road.  It gives a different perspective on the incident.  After watching it quite a few times I have to say:

1). There is a moment when he is standing in front of the gate looking - when I think if they had let him stand there another 30 seconds he would have gone right in.  Similar to what a horse does going into a trailer.

2.) The moment the gate guy hit his fetlocks with the lunge whip it was all over.

Just like loading a horse in a trailer - when a horse gets scared and it becomes about the fight and not about the choice of whether to go in or not - you are not getting that horse to do what you want.

I know gate crews have a dangerous job and kudos to them.  But in this case I think there were a series of misjudgments by the gate crew that made it much worse.  Thank heavens he didn't break a leg kicking the starting gate.

I disagree that Denman's call was much good.  He kept saying Z was "dead last".  He's called her a bunch of times, he knows she's typically dead last - why didn't he say that? He wasn't fake calling for "Jockeys" on Animal Planet where people don't know the difference between closers and front runners.  He was basically pretending "dead last" was notable for Zenyatta.

Then "Un-Buh-Liev-able" was pretty tortured and had no flow.

Too self-conscious a call.  Wish it had been Durkin.

Please bring back Tom Durkin!  I can not handle another year of Denmin and his repetitive calls.  I have not had a memorable memory of a Breeders Cup race in the last 3 years thanks to Denmin.  They get lost in the shuffle because none of them are unique.  Somebody do something!  Bring back the Breeders Cup I used to love.

Those guys laoding Quality Road should never be allowed a starting gate, never! What a pitiful display of incometence. A national television audience witnessed this travasty. Santa Anita, NTRA, and all concerned cannot allow this to be neglected. Godspeed to Quality Road and his connections.

Trevor called a great race, he was prepared as durkin always is for the big one. Durkin remains the best in my book as I always criticize Trevor for lack of fraction calling. Yes Durkin had a rough Derby, and rebounded during the summer.

Trevor has had a few rough cup calls as well but rebounded big time for Zenyatta.

Durkin will always be tied to Cigar, and trevor to Zenyatta.

Kudos to the two best announcers in our lifetime. Thank you tom and trevor.

Also the NTRA should require that any blindfold placed on a horse for loading into the starting gate have a lanyard so that it could be removed immediatly if the horse breaks free. If Quality Road had broken free with the blindfold it would have been a disaster.

Sainbury, I read the article before I came in here to check recent posts and I agree, the lunge whip was unessesary. However at that point they had tried several times to get him in the gate where all the other horses were waiting. QR's behavior outside the gate was having a very negative effect on the other horses, making it necessary to eventually backed them all out. QR is a RACEHORSE and as such should have had enough gate training that the starter would be aware of his dislike for the gate or that he required special handling. Possible loading him last, which I believe was the case, or leaving the front portion of the gate open until he was safely inside.

Quality Road's antics took place on the racings largest stage with millions of people watching and I would hazard a guess that most of them saw what I saw, which was a fiasco anyway you look at it. The horse and the assistant starters are EXTREMELY lucky to be in one piece.

Lets hope that when QR gets back to New York and has healed from his injuries, they give him some intensive gate training so that he can show the world what he is really capable of on the track, because he cannot race if he cant get in the gate.

My own horse was a tough loader. Your right in some cases it only requires patiance, but each horse is different. Some of them you just have to manhandle to get them in the trailer. Usually these are the ones that have not had proper training.

When I first picked up my colt, he was having none of it and we had to load his dam in first, then he went right in. He was very unhappy when we took mommy off but he never once bucked, kicked or reared up. I have spent weeks loading him & unloading him, not because I plan on trailering him but so he knows what is expected of him and his attitude has improved dramatically. I am sure we could argue this subject till the cows come home,  but I still think Quality Road should have known what was expected of him.

Hey guys, about Trevor Denman talked about the fact that he was leaving Santa Anita, the truth is that he was just kidding. What he meant by saying " I am not the best man" which means he will stay and he is not leaving Santa Anita. If you guys did not know it was a joke, stop saying that he is leaving Santa Anita, he is not, he is still the track announcer from Santa Anita. Please!

I would love to here Sam McKee call the BC races sometime.  www.oddsonracing.com/.../SamMcKeeNov04.cfm

Lazmannick, I think you need to read all the posts before singling out Sunday Silence for censure.  And I'm not just saying that because I agree with what he said about the choice for HOY.  These posts aren't all about the race call, and why do you care if they are?  And now to fit your rigid definition of a "proper" post: I like Denman well enough, although he seems to miss a lot that changes in the final furlongs, but I didn't even hear the race call except as a small buzzing noise. I only saw Zenyatta flowing like a mighty river.  One of the best races ever.  Maybe the race of the year.  But not all there was this year.  Oops, there I go again, wrong-blogging.    

Lets NEVER include Rachael Alexander in the same breath as Ruffian or Personal Ensign.

Eric,

Tony Calo? Really? Yikes!! Timeout for you! lol jk. I grew up hearing that guy come up through the ranks after Paul Allen left for Minnesota from the Bay Area. Thank goodness Michael Wrona replaced him in the Bay. I couldn't stand another one of those "And there they go/Here they come"

Vic Stauffer is my favorite announcer.  He is just so enthusiastic and gets the whole crowd going.  I've always been disappointed that he never got to call the BC.  I think that he would be great!

Also, Tom Durkin used the unbelievable phrase just after Rachel won the Oaks by 20 lengths.  I think Trevor may have gotten the idea from that.  

Rachel Rules!!!!!

How did Zenyatta win the Breeders cup easy Mike Smith even said in one interview that as they passed the grandstand she slowed down and he had to ask her to dig in. For all of you who say that rachel has never won over the classic distance, but Zenyatta hadn't run at it till Saturday. Also if you fault Rachel for only winning by a head to macho again lets see Zenyatta sprint a mile and 1/8th and win. Plus Zenyatta has won by less than a head against horses who should be running in allowance races.

lexxi123, Rachel ran faster than Ruffian in the mother Goose, and won it by more UNDER RAPS!!!Let's NEVER include Zenyatta in the same breath as Personal Ensign or Ruffian.

In regards to Trevor calling Zenyatta "dead" last.  I've seen all 14 of her races including the first one 11/22/07 as it happened.  I have never seen her look more "dead" last than when she broke from the gate on this day.  When Mike had to jerk on her to get her on the correct lead, I thought maybe not today. She didn't just look last, she looked just like Trevor called it, dead last.

I actually thought she spotted the guy laying on the turf course too.

I understood what he meant.  

Too bad none of the other champions mattered in the race except one.  And how can we ever forget the huge letdown after Big Brown's loss when the media got us all hyped up for weeks.  Yeah, great job, guys.

GreyK

If you only heard the buzz and not Trevor's call, it sounds like you were there.  Hope you had a good one.

1st off, I love Trevor Denman! He is great and so is Tom Durkin. As far as calling Zenyatta last..she has never come out of the gate so slowly and usually drops back to last rather than coming out of the gate last. Besides she WAS the one everybody was there to see. Could she or couldn't she was the big question. I never doubted she could, having watched her throughout her racing career. Being a sensible mare, she has never done more than she had to to win. And if you would please recall, she did run on the dirt, beat the 2007 Eclipse Award Champion Best Older mare and Breeders Cup Distaff winner Ginger Punch..ON DIRT. This year she not only beat the Ladies Classic winner 3 times, she beat the best the world had to offer. I felt she should have had HOY last year, she deserves it this year. Sure I love Rachel too, but she has only beaten mostly what I consider B grade horses and I don't really care to see a horse humiliating her rivals when there is no cause for it. Lastly I would like to add that she was what I call gutted in that Woodward, and I have yet to see if she comes back the same racehorse that she was.As far as her owner not wanting to run her on synthetics, was a good excuse only in my mind since she had won easily on a synthetic track already. They just won't admit they bottomed her out in the Woodward. I only hope all that beating down the stretch didn't ruin her forever. Time will tell. She had plenty of time to be ready for the Breeders Cup..maybe they don't want to run against the BIG Z to find out. Another point to keep in mind is the 129 pounds That Big Z was weighted with in one of her races..and she still won. Rachel carried a lot less against the boys and equal weight with the girls. Actually I was hoping the two would show up at Belmont..don't ya just know how Big Z would have loved that 1/4 mile stretch???!!!!  

Zenyatta's run and the 'call for the ages' swept me up, in excitement for days and then I began to think that Goldikova does this with some regularity,ie. beat  the 'best' of the Euro turf males. Those of you who know the Euro's better than I can attest, are there not several other Euro mares that have beaten males and 2 BC Turf Miles, like Miesque? Perhaps, a second thought of tempered reality should be considered, after all Gio Ponti ok, no QR, no RvW, bad foot and washy, two moulted birds, 'ol Einstein, who did she Zenyatta really beat?

A lovely race and a great 'stage presence' call, love Zenyatta but it is relative, isn't it. She deserves better than Zensational, surely...

The only thing that annoys me is Trevor's accent when the horse's name ends with an 'A'. He doesn't always pronounce Zenyatt-ahhhhhhh, he ends it with "eeeer". Please say "ahhhhhhhhh" Trevor!

As for the BC Classic - I only had eyes for Queen Zenyatta. I couldn't hear the call of the race because of the cheers, but that's okay! I witnessed GREATNESS and HISTORY!

:-)

It seems these blogs are always more emotional rather than horse facts. The reason Trevoe keeps emphasizing Z was last was because of the pace of the race. It would seem that she would have to be closer than usual against this field. Zenyatta, if you notice her always checks out the horses she is racing against. Other horses may look around at the crowd when racing, but Z checks out her competition. Look for yourself.

I think racetrack announcers have been focusing on Zenyatta for most of the year. How can you not? I don't remember even watching the other horses during the BC Classic. My eyes were glued to Zenyatta and so were most people's I think. Even Bob Baffert's. Trevor was as caught up in the magic of Zenyatta as anyone else. I am amazed that he could even concentrate on the race as it unfolded up front. It isn't often that we are treated to something like this and it may be a long time before it ever happens again. Zenyatta is more than Horse Of The Year - she goes beyond superlatives.

Who Zenyatta beat was tons better than anything Rachel beat this year.......And even though many fillies/mares have beaten males in the big races on turf, it is much rarer or maybe more difficult to do on dirt (or maybe I should say non-turf).

i think trevor did an amazing job! I hope zenyatta gets HOY

Thanks for the article Becky, you made me laugh. I also heard a bunch of garble and only had ears for Zenyatta!

Being a "cred" photographer and shooting that race was GREAT.  But I disagree about the announcing.  Nothing about "Zen", but one has to call the race as it is---not what one hopes it to be.  Just like this year when it was "Zenyatta" is 17 lenghts from the front".  Others are concerned about their horse also, we call this a "BIAS" or "HOMER".  I like "Zen", but that is not how a race should be called...sorry, poor article, very, very poor...