Zenyatta

Secretariat vs. Flightline (Tapit): Who was better? "I think Secretariat would have beat him," Secretariat's jockey Ron Turcotte said of a hypothetical match up between the two legendary horses. "That's no knock against the other horse. He's a beautiful horse. Well put together. I can't fault him in any way. But he has hasn't done enough for me to say he is better than Secretariat." That's not to say that Turcotte isn't a Flightline fan. "He's a fabulous horse," he said. "We don't know how fast he could run." Turcotte,...

David Ingordo of Lane's End Bloodstock doesn't smile much, and when he does, it's usually a half-smile. But he does have a sense of humor. On Sunday afternoon, he was spotted at Keeneland outside the Lane's End consignment wearing a gray vest with the name "David DeVaux" embroidered on the chest, a nod and a wink to his trainer wife Cherie DeVaux. Ingordo likes to be incognito and shuns the spotlight whenever he can, but he's very much in that spotlight at the moment, thanks to Flightline (Tapit), who first...

Kirk Godby didn't think he'd buy a horse in 2021. The plan wasn't there, no paperwork was prepared, but when partners lean on you to buy a racing prospect, it's not always a request even when it sounds like one. Godby, co-founder of Don't Tell My Wife Stables along with long-time business partner Rob Slack, didn't exactly have a master plan in place before the opportunity to purchase Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) arose. Like most small operations, there was a set budget to adhere to and buying something regally-bred...

In the same way which astronomical stars largely form in groups, so too did the 'TDN Rising Stars' this past Sunday. Not one, not two, but three leading ladies emerged from the nebulae of Del Mar and Saratoga, each with her own brand of brilliance. Chief among the splendor, and the last to show her shine, was Justique (Justify), whose brilliant turn of foot and effortless dismissal of rivals summoned forth comparisons to another glorious 'Rising Star' in her hayday--a John Shirreffs masterpiece, Hall of Famer Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire})....

In this new TDN column, Christie DeBernardis will tell the stories of popular and/or accomplished former racehorses who are now enjoying second careers as show horses, track ponies, etc. The first two foals out of the mighty Zenyatta, Cozmic One (Bernardini) and Ziconic (Tapit), never reached the winner's circle during their brief careers on the racetrack, but they are both thriving in their second careers as jumpers and ambassadors for off-track Thoroughbreds. The elder brother, Cozmic One's second career has been well documented in these pages (Cozmic One: Shining New...

   The youngest progeny from Hall of Fame superstar Zenyatta recently arrived at John Shirreffs's barn at Santa Anita. The 2-year-old chestnut filly by Candy Ride (Arg) named Zilkha is already well on her way to making her debut this year. Zilkha's big personality became abundantly clear during my interview with Shirreffs. The juvenile was front and center, peering over Shirreffs's shoulder as she was hamming for the camera, and at one point put her nose right in it. Perhaps she is more like Zenyatta than we know? When I...

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Sunday running at Tokyo Racecourse, where the featured event is the second leg of the Japanese Filly Triple Crown, the G1 Yushun Himba over 2400 meters: Sunday, May 22, 2022 2nd-TOK, ¥9,900,000 ($77k), Maiden, 3yo, 1600m CHAMP DE MARS (JPN) (c, 3, Arrogate--Pressurizing,...

There was history being made this past week and there is history yet to be made. Break out your encyclopedias, your preferred tomes of ancient references, any long-dusty papers from years past, and enjoy the show. Who run the world? Girls. Letruska joined elite, and truly rarified air with her successful defense of her GI Apple Blossom title over another Apple Blossom winner in Ce Ce. Only three other mares have accomplished the feat of multiple wins in Oaklawn's signature event for dirt distaffers dating back to 1973, and their...

Lane's End Farm and Team Zenyatta will hold the Annual Zenyatta Celebration beginning Friday, Apr. 1, after being postponed from last November. A limited edition celebration sticker featuring Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) will be available beginning Friday, the date of Zenyatta's birth in 2004. The vinyl stickers will be available for two weeks in the Lane's End gift shop. Each purchase of a sticker will include an automatic entry into a raffle to meet Zenyatta in person, with 10 individuals winning a visit. The winners will be drawn live on...

Cozmic One (Bernardini), the first foal out of Horse of the Year Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}), has joined the TAKE2 Thoroughbred League and is slated to compete in the TAKE2 Thoroughbred Jumper Division at the Kentucky National Horse Show Sept. 22-26. The classes for his division will be held in the Walnut Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington. Cozmic One could earn a wild card berth in the $20,000 TAKE2 Hunter and Jumper Finals Sept. 26 if he finishes in the top five in the division. Now a...

Great expectations don't necessarily begin with lofty intent. Most new licensees start out hungry for that one lionheart of any stripe to announce their arrival. Those trainers who are routinely sent the big weekend warriors learn to acquire a more refined palate, to remodulate their ambitions accordingly. But scant few are fortunate enough to have harnessed the sort of thunderbolt that doesn't just electrify a trainer's career but leaves a patch of scorched earth for posterity. And really, how many ever expect to? In part one, we deconstructed some of...

In a new TDN series, we curry lessons and wise counsel from veteran Californian figures who, like gold nuggets panned from the Tuolomne River in the High Sierras, have unearthed career riches on arguably the toughest circuit in the States. We begin this series with John Shirreffs. Born at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Shirreffs was raised around horses on his family farm, and was deployed to Vietnam with the Marine Corps before embarking on a career in racing, using a 10-year stint at the Loma Rica Horse Ranch in Northern California...