The current poll for Horse of the Year covering races through the 23rd of May put Zenyatta at the top with every 1st place vote except for one. It appears that the eastern USA has realized what we have known here out West for some time. The one dissenting 1st place vote went to the four-year old colt, Quality Road, who is undefeated this year and second on the list. Third on the list is another West Coast based three-year colt, Lookin' at Lucky, of whom I talked in previous posts.

I believe this is my last post. Can't wait until the 13th and the Vanity Stakes. What will I do in Vietnam without horse racing? Start my own track? Go to Hong Kong? They have a track in Ho Chi Minh City, but it went broke after the government outlawed gambling. Even without gambling I would still follow the horses like I do now. However, unfortunately most fans are more into the gambling than they are into the horses. Oh well, they pay the bills.

On April 9, Zenyatta won her 16th race in the Oaklawn Park Apple Blossom Handicap in Arkansas. With that win she tied Cigar and Citation for the most consecutive number of victories in major stakes competition. Neither Cigar nor Citation remained undefeated throughout their careers. To be fair, they ran many more races than horses these days.

On June 13, a Sunday, Zenyatta will go for number 17 at Hollywood Park (near LAX) to break this record in the Grade I Vanity Handicap. Fans from as far as away as Chile (my wife who arrives this coming Tuesday) will come to see her run.

Zenyatta's chances for Horse of the Year appeared to have grown last Saturday with Lookin' at Lucky's win in the Preakness in Maryland. Martin Garcia (whose girlfriend goes to Cal State LA and did a project with me in EDFN 500 last summer!) rode the West Coast stallion to a thrilling half-length win. Now there will not be a Triple Crown winner this year. There probably won't even be a dominate three-year colt this year since the Kentucky Derby winner Supersaver finished a distant and tired eighth in the Preakness. Lookin' at Lucky did finish sixth in the Derby, but after drawing the post 1 and two collisions in the race. His connections have legitimate excuses for the Derby. However, neither he nor SuperSaver will run in the third leg of the Triple Crown in two weeks at Belmont, N.Y. Therefore, it will be very difficult for any three year old to define him- or herself as dominant.
Zenyatta is California-based. And other than the rainsoaked sloppy 20-horse Kentucky Derby West Coast horses have dominated racing thoroughly this year. This West Coast power in 2010 should only help Zenyatta win more respect with the voters in the East. She already had we Westerners in racing at 'hello.'

Is Zenyatta really a super horse?

Can Zenyatta be called the Horse of this Century since she has not met Rachel Alexandra yet? Sure, she beat the best in the world (minus Rachel Alexandra) at the Breeder's Cup Classic last November, but without the long awaited showdown with Rachel Alexandra (Horse of the Year in 2009) can she be assumed to be the best?

What must Zenyatta do to be considered the best of this century? What must she do to be Horse of the Year 2010?

Thus far, she has won both of her races this year to further her record to 16 wins in 16 tries. Next up, Hollywood Park on Sunday June 13.