Great jockeys have a stopwatch in their head. And they are remarkably accurate. They have a good idea of how their horse is doing at each furlong pole. The jockey must see the race and plan while the horses are challenging for position and closing distance to the finish line.
At the Breeders’ Cup, Zenyatta had a terrible start. She started on the wrong foot. There was a time when she was trailing the field – in last place:
link to video: Zenyatta Wins Breeders’ Cup
Mike Smith’s experience showed. He didn’t panic and he revised his strategy on the move. When he asked Zenyatta for more, she provided:
“… “I still never got to the bottom of her,” said Zenyatta’s jockey, Mike Smith. “That’s the amazing thing. She still had run left.”
When Zenyatta had to run really fast to win, she ran really fast. She ran the mile-and-a-quarter in 2:00.62, but that wasn’t the story. Last early, as is her custom, Zenyatta was still ninth, 7 lengths back, at the quarter-pole. She ran those final 440 yards in 23 seconds. It was like she was sprinting at the end of horse racing’s classic distance. Her Beyer speed figure of 112 was easily the best of her career.”
link: At Breeders’ Cup, Zenyatta caps perfect career with perfect race
There are basically three reactions when you ask a horse for more run. The hands, legs and the tap of the crop ask the horse for more speed. For some horses, there is no response. They either cannot or will not give more run. Other horses try and give that extra speed. Then it fades. The jockey can feel it in the reins. The horse has no more to give. Then there are special horses that give more and more. Zenyatta is that kind of mount.
Horses like that are rare. They are competitive and push themselves to give more. The danger is that they can hurt themselves in being so competitive. The jockey’s first mandate is to protect the horse. Not only is the mount a huge financial investment for the owner but a jockey’s reputation and future rides depends on protecting the horse.
Mike Smith asked enough to win the Breeders Cup and make history. Zenyatta is the first female to win the Classic. And he brought her home in good condition. It was a stellar performance by both Mike Smith and Zenyatta.
Kudos!
Catherine Forsythe
[Amber Chalfin AI Wire AiWire Photo via Newscom]
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