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Zenyatta gave all her fans a heart attack, then a rush of hope that ended in heartbreak in her last race, the Breeders Cup Classic. But as Steve Haskin, one of my favorite Turf writers, put it:
As for Zenyatta, Henry Ward Beecher wrote, “It is defeat that turns bone to flint; it is defeat that turns gristle to muscle; it is defeat that makes men invincible.”
And apparently women. For Zenyatta, her defeat in the $4,545,000 Breeders’ Cup Classic will be remembered as an affirmation of her greatness. In victory after victory, she captured the heart. In her lone defeat, she captured the soul. All this remarkable mare lost in the Classic was her unbeaten record. But, like Seattle Slew’s memorable nose defeat in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I), her courageous performance actually will enhance her place in history.
Although she will not retire undefeated, Zenyatta proved in the end that perfection is not always measured in numbers.
As for Zenyatta, Henry Ward Beecher wrote, “It is defeat that turns bone to flint; it is defeat that turns gristle to muscle; it is defeat that makes men invincible.”
And apparently women. For Zenyatta, her defeat in the $4,545,000 Breeders’ Cup Classic will be remembered as an affirmation of her greatness. In victory after victory, she captured the heart. In her lone defeat, she captured the soul. All this remarkable mare lost in the Classic was her unbeaten record. But, like Seattle Slew’s memorable nose defeat in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I), her courageous performance actually will enhance her place in history.
Although she will not retire undefeated, Zenyatta proved in the end that perfection is not always measured in numbers.
