| Unbeaten beats the
hardware A show of hands, everyone.
Who thinks past Horses of the Year Kotashaan, Criminal Type, Black Tie
Affair or Saint Liam rank ahead of Personal Ensign in the annals of
racing history?
Anyone?
Anyone?
Bueller? (If you're over
40, you might not get the Ben Stein reference from "Ferris Bueller's Day
Off," so
here you go).
Personal Ensign's undefeated career and Breeders'
Cup glory cemented her place in horse racing history. While she won an
Eclipse Award, she never received the Horse of the Year hardware. That
trophy went to the connections of Alysheba in 1988.
But people remember and still revere Personal
Ensign because of perfection, and her unwavering determination in the
muddy bog at Churchill Downs to overcome the track condition and reel in
the seemingly gone Kentucky Derby heroine Winning Colors in the shadow
of the wire.
Not since Personal Ensign have we seen a top-class
racehorse get this deep into his or her career and look lifetime
perfection in the eye. And then along came Zenyatta. Now 11-for-11 in
her career, the sensational race mare sits just two wins short of the
13-for-13 mark Personal Ensign posted in her remarkable career. With
three potential starts remaining in her date book, Zenyatta could
eclipse Personal Ensign with a perfect mark in 14 starts if she can
remain unblemished.
An internet firestorm brews on whether the
connections of Zenyatta risk Horse of the Year honors by not seeking out
a race on Rachel Alexandra's terms, specifically at an east coast venue
on a dirt track. You won't get an argument from this corner that the
brilliant filly Rachel Alexandra certainly has a leg up on any such HoY
discussion, and has earned every ounce of praise heaped her way. She's
been nothing short of breathtaking against her fellow 3-year-olds, male
or female.
Meanwhile, the calendar flips to July this week,
officially marking the second half of the year. That means there's a lot
of racing still to go, and many important decisions to make. First and
foremost for the connections of Zenyatta: What's more important -- Horse
of the Year or Horse for All-Time?
While both can be achieved, Personal Ensign proved
that the latter can be done without the former. Also keep in mind that
countless Horse of the Year winners became fairly forgettable in any
all-time discussions (Not too many Favorite Trick bumper stickers on the
back of any Chevys these days, right?). So Horse of the Year does not
guarantee any real place in history, and that's really what superstars
like Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are running for these days. Both have
done so much to earn our respect and admiration. From here out, they're
racing to see how long they'll be remembered.
Consider this scenario: What if Zenyatta beats
Rachel Alexandra somewhere this summer and takes control in the race for
Horse of the Year? It means very little in the grand scheme of
historical accomplishments if she were to subsequently get beat before
retirement, say in the Breeders' Cup. And, that's a pretty strong
possibility considering the rigors it would take to beat Rachel
Alexandra and then overcome the wear and tear that criss-crossing the
country provides.
A 13-for-14 Zenyatta who would happen to beat
Rachel Alexandra and later became blemished would not be talked about 50
years from now in the same vein that a 14-for-14 Zenyatta would be, with
or without ever facing Rachel Alexandra. Perfection is such a rare bird
that it trumps most memories. Don Larsen was a subpar 81-91 pitcher in
his uninspiring baseball career, but he's renowned for his 1956 World
Series perfect game for the New York Yankees.
And speaking of New York, few people still
complain that Personal Ensign raced only once outside of her New
York/New Jersey home-base, that being a trek to Churchill Downs for a
memorable curtain call. Today, however, the nasty nature of internet
hate-mongering against Zenyatta calls her and her connections out as
merely a state champion afraid to take on all comers, akin to New
Mexico-bred unbeaten Pepper's Pride. That's outright blasphemous to
compare Zenyatta and Pepper's Pride.
And while you might wish she'd span the globe
more, for comparison's sake, Zenyatta has made as many road trips as
Personal Ensign, one (that being her victory in the 2008 Grade 1 Apple
Blossom at Oaklawn on natural dirt). Personal Ensign has been forgiven,
and so, too, would Zenyatta if she were to remain unbeaten.
That "perfect" theme can't be escaped. Horse of
the Year has been given out since 1887. Adding that trophy to someone's
case happens every year by both accomplishment and rule. Who ever
secures the title this year will be the 123rd horse to do so. That's
heady stuff when you figure the millions of racehorses who have graced
America's ovals for more than a century.
But undefeated, top-class horses are another
story.
When Personal Ensign wrapped up her career in 1988
with that historic, final lunge in the Distaff, she became the first
unbeaten major racehorse in this country since Colin in 1908, some 80
years prior. That means since Colin, 101 years have passed and only
Personal Ensign has done what Zenyatta possibly could accomplish. Truth
is, Zenyatta could retire today and be in such rare air.
In this Google era, we're never more than a mouse
click away from being reminded of history, or being taught a lesson we
never knew. Upon Personal Ensign's victory in the 1988 Whitney, over
just two male rivals, the racing press clamored that she would need to
beat males again in the Breeders' Cup to earn Horse of the Year. Steven
Crist, now of Daily Racing Form repute, wrote in the New York Times
two decades ago:
"What is more appealing about Personal Ensign,
though, is her bid to become that rarest of all things in racing: a
champion who retires after a full career without ever tasting defeat.
She would be defying one of the oldest axioms of racing: 'They all get
beat sooner or later.'
" … Ogden Phipps, who bred and owns Personal
Ensign, would not dream of selling such a special filly. He wants to do
what is best for his horse and for the sport, and give his filly every
chance to be remembered. That means running her in the Distaff instead
of the Classic."
What was good enough for Personal Ensign 21 years
ago should be good enough for Zenyatta in 2009. As it turned out,
"undefeated" meant so much more to Personal Ensign's legacy than a Horse
of the Year title, and it would to Zenyatta as well.
And this comes from a guy who would be proud to
tip his cap to Rachel Alexandra as Horse of the Year and remember what a
great year 2009 turned out to be on the track.
Jeremy Plonk has been an ESPN.com contributor
since 2000 and is the managing partner of the handicapping website
Horseplayerpro.com. You can E-mail Jeremy about this topic or anything
racing-related at Jeremy@Horseplayerpro.com. |
