Horses. Thoroughbreds. Racing thoroughbreds. Champions. What names ran through your mind when you read the previous words? Secretariat? Seabiscuit? Black Gold? Northern Dancer? - Add the word undefeated. None of the horses named above were undefeated. There is only one undefeated horse running on the track in this month and this year, and her name is Zenyatta.
Secretariat was a super horse and an excellent stallion. He won the Triple Crown in 1973, ending a dry spell of 25 years. Overall, his race record was 21 races, 16 wins, 3 seconds, and 1 third. The great Man o'War, who raced for only two seasons, and carried up to 142 pounds per race, ran 21 times, with 20 wins and 1 second. Seabiscuit, whose first trainer disliked him and raced him heavily, ran 89 times with 33 wins, 15 seconds, and 13 thirds.
Zenyatta will never beat Kincsem's record, though. Kincsem was a chestnut filly, born in Hungary in 1874. During her racing career, she raced 54 times in 5 different countries, and went to the farm undefeated. Zenyatta is currently 19 and 0 in her racing career; her final race will be in the Breeders Cup Classic, racing 1.25 miles on a dirt track against the best boys in the world. I hope she will end her racing time with a 20th win.
There is another undefeated mare out there in New Mexico... her name is Pepper's Pride, and she, too, is 19 and 0. She has retired to the farm and the breeding shed, however, and is not currently competing. She raced only in New Mexico and won all 19 of her races in her home state.
The great English race horse Eclipse (best known from the phrase: "Eclipse first and the rest no where"), born in 1674 was undefeated in 18 races; Personal Ensign retired with a distinguished 13 and 0 record in 1988, and was the first retired undefeated champion in over 80 years. Many great thoroughbreds lost only won race: Native Dancer, Ruffian, Alleged, Forli.... The list goes on and on.
I love horse racing. I love the ambiance, I love the horses, and I love the competition. I hate the injuries, breakdowns, and deaths. I wish we were actually back in the 1600s when horses were not raced until they had reached the age of 4 or 5 - then we would have a lot less wear and tear on legs and hooves. But it's not to be. The majority of people today want things (and horses) that go faster and more quickly. I think everyone needs to slow down. Smell the sweet feed. Chew on some hay. Amble down a barn aisle on a warm afternoon. Sit back and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of our large four-legged friends. Enjoy them while you can!
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