The Agony of Defeat

If you can stand to watch, your heart will be broken again and again as Zenyatta just misses her 20th consecutive victory. My heart was indeed broken as I watched in the bar of the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia where I was attending the Good Dog Gala for the SPCA. I was surrounded by fifty of my new best friends who had also gathered for the event.

From the moment she broke, I thought something was wrong. She looked like she was lugging outward and it seems that she was not comfortable on the track or with having dirt kicked in her face. Remember she had won most of her races on the synthetic surface.

But Mike Smith settled her only to get incredibly boxed in. In a classic East coast versus West coast jockey duel, the guys in Kentucky were not going to give him any breaks. Plus this was a huge field. I don't think she has run in such a large group since last year's Breeder's Cup Classic. Remember in California, they usually run the other way from going head to head with her.

Hence, she does not routinely encounter traffic--which she did--or such fierce competition. But to take nothing away from her, the fact that she almost caught Blame is nothing short of remarkable. Did Mike Smith misjudge the distance? I don't think so. I think he gave her the ride of her life. I just think it was one of those things.

Were we greedy? Did we expect too much from a mere mortal animal? Did we project an impossible image of perfection on her? Who knows. Anyway you look at it, it was heartbreaking. But that should take nothing away from a magnificent animal who gave us so much pleasure for so many years.

I am deeply disappointed with a lot of things, including the defeat. But probably even more so with the fact that the popular press did not jump on the Zenyatta bandwagon until it was to witness her one defeat. Where were they when she was racking up all those wins?

Let us hope that she is indeed horse of the year because she deserves that and more.