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.'