Category Archives: Eclipse Award Horse of the Year

This Is Unbelievable… Breeder’s Cup Classic 2009…

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I am counting down the days to this year’s Breeder’s Cup races .  Santa Anita Race track  is our favorite track in California and yes, we prefer it over Del Mar, but it’s just our personal preference because Del Mar is also a beautiful track.  The track is nestled at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains and the scenery looks like something you’d see on a post card. I kid you not, it’s beautiful and a visit to Santa Anita should be on your bucket list; if it isn’t already, and if you haven’t heard about this yet… Next year’s Breeder’s Cup races will once again be held in Arcadia, California!  3-straight years in a row, how exciting!

My very first visit to a race track was at Santa Anita for the 2009 Breeder’s Cup Races and for a newbie just learning about the sport; I was in awe.  How lucky was I to have my first racing experience to be at the Breeder’s Cup World Championships! Everywhere around me was filled with excitement. The racing fans, the horses, the jockey’s the energy was buzzing around me, and it took me awhile to catch my breath!

Since this is the 30th year for the Breeder’s cup races; I’m sure we can all recall a favorite Breeders Cup moment/or moments, and I wanted to share with you one of mine. For the avid race fan, you will probably recognize this memorable call by Trevor Denman and could tell me the exact race I’m talking about:

“This is Un—Be—Liev—Able!  Zenyatta!  What a performance one will never forget”  ….

Zenyatta - Breeder Cup Classic

Yes, one of my favorite horse’s of all time… The Great, Zenyatta.  There were many in the industry who doubted her ability to triumph against the best male horses in the world, but this would be her time to shine.

The public loved her, and everywhere you looked there were people holding these awesome signs: Girl Power! Go Zenyatta. I love to collect horse racing memorabilia, so my sentimental bet was a $2.00 win ticket on the #4 in Race 9 of the Breeders Cup Classic race.

Zenyatta - Breeders Cup Classic

I still get super excited when I watch this  A—Mazing race!  Just imagine yourself in the middle of this excitement as people around you are cheering, then crying tears of joy as Zenyatta became a part of racing history. She scored her 14th straight victory, and become the first female horse to beat the males in the richest race in all of North America.

What a memorable moment for everyone in the crowd to have been there to watch Zenyatta’s spectacular race!

Video Courtesy of YouTube, by: ‪HappyDane95

Instructional Video: How to Skim the Hedge in Horse Racing…

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Wise Dan gave us a thrilling ride as he managed to overcome a troubled trip yesterday in the 23rd Firecracker Handicap (gr.2) at Churchill Downs on the turf.  With a yielding track, and pouring rain the horse and jockey displayed pure finesse. Weather was not in their favor, but the reigning “Horse of the Year” proved to us how fearless he really is.

Wise Dan held his position along the inside of the track, as he sat patiently in 3rd/4th.  You could see JR Velazquez holding this mighty horse back with the strategy to obviously keep him on the inside as he dabbed on the breaks. Coming into the final furlong, Wise Dan was still pinned on the inside amongst the other contenders, and rather than finding a way out of the clustered mess; JR Velazquez maneuvered Wise Dan so tightly upon the hedge there was no room for error.

“I was in the right spot the whole way and he was going well the whole way,” the Hall of Fame rider said. “I didn’t want to make a premature move. I decided to wait. I had to work my way out. If you watch the head-on, he brushes up against the bushes and he even jumped right at the eighth pole. By the sixteenth-pole, though, he got through. He’s just a very good horse. I know he can handle it when things get tight. He’s big enough to push his way through. I’ve ridden him that way before and I wasn’t worried about it.”  Courtesy of :  Bloodhorse.com

As fast as he was moving and trying to seize whatever opportunity he could find, there were a couple of moments when he did have to steady while trying to overcome traffic. He battled like a warrior with only  inches away from the hedge and the pacesetter Seruni. As he overcame traffic problems running on the inside, he finally got a gap to easily win by 2 lengths. Late-running Lea managed to come in 2nd beating pacesetter Seruni, by a neck. Wise Dan managed to run his foes down while carrying 11-13 pounds more than his fellow contenders.

He is the first horse to ever win two Firecracker Handicaps, and has now won eight of nine turf races in his career and is 3-for-3 over Churchill’s turf.

If you haven’t seen the race, you have to check it out!

 

Courtesy of: Youtube