Article - Zenyatta HOY

December 14, 2008
Steve Thygersen

Okay, let's duke this out on Zenyatta and Curlin.

CURLIN

Who exactly did Curlin beat in 2008?

Race 1 - The "Jaguar Cup" - I couldn't recognize any names if you put a gun to my head. It was an allowance race.

Race 2 - The Dubai World Cup - he beats Well Armed, Asiatic Boy and A.P. Arrow, not exactly the "A" team.

Race 3 - The Stephen F. Foster - he beat a very good TURF horse in Einstein.

Race 4 - Man 'O War - gets beaten easily by Red Rocks on the turf.

Race 5 - Woodward - he beat Wandering Boy and Past the Point, hard pressed to call that the "B" team.

Race 6 - Jockey Club Gold Cup - it's Wandering Boy again with Merchant Marine.

The only top rated horses Curlin faced in 2008 were Red Rocks (who beat him handily), Well Armed (a miler) and
Tiago (who went by him in the BC). And that was top notch competition???

ZENYATTA

Let's look at how she has done against the next five top ranked fillies and mares:

#2 Ginger Punch - beat her twice.
#3 Hystericalady - beat her twice.
#4 Ventura - sprinter.
#5 Cocoa Beach - beat her once.
#6 Tough Tiz's Sis - beat her three times.

Add in a very good 3 year old in Music Note.

Was this a weak group of fillies and mares? Hardly - look at Ginger Punch's record in her other races, she ran in 7
races, five Grade 1's, a Grade 2 and a $500K Handicap (Sunshine Millions). Her only losses were to Cocoa Beach
and Zenyatta. Hystericalady won 4 of 8, her losses were twice to Intangaroo in sprints and twice to Zenyatta. Cocoa
Beach ran very well i nDubait before coming to the U.S. In her only start she beat Ginger Punch, then placed behind
Zenyatta in the BC Distaff. Tough Tiz's Sis had three losses this year, all to Zenyatta. She went to Belmont and
humiliated a very good field at Belmont, winning the Grade 1 Ruffian by 12 lengths with a BSF of 113. Who did
Zenyatta miss? NOBODY, N-O-B-O-D-Y!

To say that Curlin ran against the very best while Zenyatta beat up on "nobodys" is absolute hogwash, he ran against
"B" grade males and when up against the "A" team, lost BOTH TIMES.

Nobody is giving this filly anything, she has earned the Horse of the Year title.