Zenyatta 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic (live video)

I captured some video of Zenyatta in the paddock, the post parade, and the race. Enjoy.

[@canefan17]

I knew the result but still caught myself watching this video and clinching at the end thinking she might pull it off.

[@AccentAigu05]

I'll never forget this moment...I was there...and seeing her in person left me awe-struck

[@paullee9694]

I was there too, I told many of my friends the energy during that race was unbelieveable. From the looks of it we were sitting not far from each other I was in section 315 with a great view. Thanks for showing this video, TV just could not capture the real energy coming from the crowd.

[@Tampaslice]

Forgot to mention thanks for posting this video. To be on the stretch at Churchill has been a dream of mine for decades. Thanks for putting me there to feel the crowd's excitement. I wanted her to win badly but I know horse racing and it was almost a lock that sh'ed lose. She's still amazing!

[@madelinetramantano8302]

I THINK THE RACING CROWD FELL I LOVE WITH ZENYATTA AND BARBARO.

[@travisshanahan6024]

This was my first breeder cup as a fan I work there as a bartender the Iast time Churchill host it. I was also at Keeneland vwhen American Phobae won in 2015

[@signoresantinoburnett1169]

He still galloped out strong and in front of the field. Blame was on that day.

[@Kostly]

Greatest horse of the last 20 years. Zenyatta. I'm pretty sure of that.

[@BigBrown2332]

awesome atmosphere

[@phbds2020]

Great video. Now I can really appreciate how horses spook during Triple Crown and BC races. Not like Big Z ever did, but from your footage of the paddock I can see how they would feel the people presence.

[@sweetteddybear1000]

Zenyatta was far from being overrated. She won 19 out of 20 races for christ sakes! &She came extremely close to winning this race, but Mike Smith couldn't find away to get to the outside fast enough. She was blocked in..Plus, the amount of ground she made up in not only this race, but the 19 others also, is breathtaking.

[@joshuadoherty562]

I've put it across in fairly simple terms because its difficult to delve into the form around the race with them both being a while a go. However when you consider the second place in each race and the 13lbs difference. It becomes more understandable. Group 2 horses can run to a mark of 112 or at least get close. It takes a top class group 1 horse to run 125.

[@XxSodano]

Nobody mentions the pacing filly See You at Peelers who won 22 of her races in a row either, 10x the horse zenyatta was.

[@europeracing]

Her stretch runs are legendary

[@sandrosanchez7723]

Amazing Zenyatta!!!!!

[@xrandy225]

Great video, thanks so much for sharing.

[@freemont13]

On every video there's always one person who has no idea what they're talking about.

[@chrisp.9172]

I finally had a bet on Zenyatta, she loses! It's nice seeing it from a different perspective, the network cameras don't capture just how far back she was(about 10 lengths worse than usual) Mike had to ask her earlier just to get to a close up last..

[@kwgrid]

For want of one stride... :( "She ran like one of the greats." She IS one of the greats! ♥

[@MRVEGAS711]

Awesome video!!

[@Kostly]

Zenyatta and Afleet Alex are the best American racehorses in the last MANY years.

[@jaycarlin6942]

Rachel Alexandra !!!!!! Took on the boys three times and won everytime..I'm sorry i loved them both but Rachel was better no doubt in my mind

[@jaycarlin6942]

All you gotta do is see Rachel in the Woodward..That race showed how good she really was...Z's big kick at the end wouldn't catch Rachel

[@pitz4life74]

nice footage

[@barrystevens2328]

i knew she lost the race....but still i screamed for her to win....

[@bluegrassbndit6498]

I was a spectator on the backside for this breeders cup day, and everybody for days after the race even, blamed Mike Smith, who even said himself that there were things he would do different if given this race to do over, non the less, theres probably no athelete on earth that has felt the pressure Smith felt leading up to this race

[@charfras4767]

znyattw is the only perfection i've ever scene

[@joshuadoherty6704]

Actually in 2009 the Arc was worth $4,500,000 taking into account it was $1.70 for a pound . That also made his total earnings $7,500,000 dollars. Actually I think every trainer outside America, thinks that :D ''Best horse I've ever seen'' is a frequent one for a lot of trainers regarding Frankel. Including two american Jockeys on the tele this morning! All of your champions have Eclipse in :) And no Sea Bird or Brigadier didn't have ND blood. Btw handicapper said Sea the Stars 136-129 Zenyatta.

[@joshuadoherty6704]

Oh actually I'll see you in October when we send another batch of our second stringers over to take your turf races on breeders cup weekend :D

[@bluegrassbndit6498]

yes, they are two great horses, but the greatest Breeders Cup Classic performance of all time, in my opinion anyways, has to be Skip Away in 1997, he made his challengers look like a field of maiden claimers

[@joshuadoherty562]

Ghostzapper is my favorite American horse lol. But here is the explanation. First of all Hawkwing won by 11 lengths over a mile. That is 22lbs over 2nd place. Meaning 2nd in that race ran to a mark of 112 for a group 1 that is easily conceivable. Ghostzapper won the classic 3 lengths over over 1mile1/4. That is 5.25lbs superiority. Rounded down to 5. Meaning second place in the BC classic run to a very impressive 125... also entirely conceivable. That in my mind more than justifies the ratings.

[@joshuadoherty562]

I've always felt Ghostzapper would have beaten her if they come together mate. I felt he was the better horse. Although the standard over there seems to be in decline and hasn't been of the standard of the European horses for a good while now. The Aussies have had some good ones too.

[@joshuadoherty562]

Another thing that should be taken into consideration when referring to ''classic'' distances is that in Britain, the ''Classics'' are at a mile, mile 1/2 and a mile 3/4. Thus making Hawk wings performance being run over a ''classic'' distance. However with regard to handicapping that is meaningless. In fact theoretically the further the distance, the further the winning margin should be, for example, 4 lengths over a mile is 8lbs superiority, over a mile 1/4 it is 7lbs superiority.

[@joshuadoherty562]

They aren't actually based anywhere. Each racing rep has 1 representative and office. USA has 2.

[@PlaYah1979]

@mouseytunge There was a Standardbred name St Elmo Hero...He started his career with 23 straight wins.. He eventually loss a couple but 23-0 is a heck of an accomplishment..His 23rd win is on youtube Complex final...Check him out

[@DieterReesem]

...and then you woke up, right?

[@joshuadoherty562]

That cannot influence form or handicapping figures though mate, they don't assess a horse on how fashionable the distance was. Purely on how dominant the performance by assessing winning distance over the horses beaten.

[@XxSodano]

Being as Tks time was a .1 second off niatross best time on an off track with no headcheck or full rigging on a fair track in a time trial, i think its easy to say my dads horse Tk would have beat him. And being as Somebeachsomewhere was wearing modern equipment on a modern track that is hard to say, bring Tk to present time with a ufo sulky and a elastic harness he wouldnt be far off him.

[@saramadi100]

How is she overrated? She won the Breeders' Cup Classic against the big boys then went again next year and lost only by 8-inches and she was about 7 yrs old when she did the 2010 BCC, horses that age now would get 9th-14th in that race. And she covered so much ground. I think that you're just jealous that Zenyatta could earn more money than you ever in your life time of working in 4 years.

[@exfolios]

Out of the gate, Zenyatta was landing on the wrong leg. Race horses always favor either the left or right hind leg to land on. Mike Smith immediately felt it and was eventually able to make her land on her favored leg. Also remember that thoroughbreds are at their racing best at 4.5 years of age, which Blame was when he beat the then 6.5 year old Zenyatta, which, some insiders thought should have retired after the 2009 Breeder's Cup. To add, Zenyatta was at her racing peak during the 2008 Breeder's Cup but ran against the fillies instead of the Classic, which she could've won. Had all the stars aligned, she could've won three consecutive Breeder's Cup Classics.

[@joshuadoherty562]

haha it's brilliant isn't it, the Aussies sent a news reporter over to ask them simple questions. After being asked to name a country beginning with U, they come out with things like ''Utopia'' and ''Utah'' and fucking ''Uranus''!!!! Not only that they were completely oblivious to the fact they live in the USA!!!! hahaha

[@Tampaslice]

They might as well keep racing her now that she's lost. She's just another horse now, devalued in every way since her invincibility has been taken away. Smith got too cocky thinking she could run down Blame after spotting him 30 lengths on his home track where he's now 4 for 5. Thanks to Smith...she's just another horse that couldn't reach the mountain top! Shame.

[@XxSodano]

She did have a clean trip, a little jammed up in the turn but for the most part a good trip, for a "champion" Shes one of the worst breakers out of the gate ive ever seen, regardless of her closer tactic she should stay the first hundred or so yards with the field to make her alert, but she breaks like shes sleeping in the gate.

[@exfolios]

You mean, dancing at the gate.

[@XxSodano]

Being as your speaking to a driver trainer, I agree, Niatross would have done that, and my fathers horse Tk Skipper would have taken Niatross out to the wood shed and bashed his brains in. Being as Tk Got 1 5th of a second of Niatross time in a time trial. But thats not the point, what im saying is that See you at Peelers was better than Zenyatta, and the greatest mare to step on a track in NA was Moni Maker, my point was that SYAP was better than Z.

[@XxSodano]

Im comparing there streaks, obviously, a thoroughbred is faster than a standardbred, thats common sense, and im just stating that See You At Peelers went 22-0. Zenyatta went 19-1, in technical terms, SYAP was a better horse.

[@greyhoundsylvester]

Had that nag raced exclusively on dirt, she'd be lucky to have a 75% winning percentage. Hiding in CA never impressed me. I knew as soon as she stepped on dirt against real competition she'd lose.

[@umbrasyl]

she only raced against males twice & lost one. 'nuff said

[@joshuadoherty6704]

So yeah thanks for the laugh. I'm going to take a look at the Thoroughbred rankings now.... Just to have a laugh at the fact 9 European horses are there and only 4 American horses. It's been like this for years because your racing has gone down the shitter!! hahahahaahahhaha

[@joshuadoherty562]

That's possibly the funniest thing I've heard all week. Sea the Stars didn't duck her. How did he duck her? He beat a stronger field in the Arc and the World rannkings had him a massive 9lbs better! STS, Dubai Millenium, Frankel, Black Caviar are all better horses than her. That's just from the last Decade!! She wouldn't have smelled the Brigadiers fart at any distance on any surface, nor would she sea birds or Nijinsky. She wasn't that good, she was protected and ran against colts twice.

[@XxSodano]

Thank you! Some one who agrees this horse was very overrated.