Back in Action

It's been over a year since I last posted and I want to apologize to all the loyal reader(s) of Drew Clear (that means you GDR) for taking so long between posts.
Let's see what happened while I was gone: Well for one, Zenyata unretired, won 5 Grade 1's and nearly won the Breeders' Cup Classic a second time in an absolutely thrilling race but ultimately fell a head short of Blame at the wire. Her legacy as arguably the greatest mare in US thoroughbred history has been solidified, and she's done more for horse racing than any other horse since Smarty Jones made a run at the triple Crown at Belmont in 2004. I had the pleasure of witnessing her two Breeders Cup wins, and can say without a doubt, she's the one of the finest horses I've ever seen in person. Last year's win was by far the greatest atmosphere before and after a race that I've experienced.


She's easily win another Eclipse Award, but I truly hope voters give her a much deserved Horse of the Year, despite her narrow BC loss, because relatively speaking she's so far and above the best filly/mare in the US (Goldikova being the best in the world) that when comparing her vs. Blame in that regard, it isn't close. Favorite Trick won Horse of the year in 1997 as a 2yo over contenders Skip Away and Silver Charm. Surely he would not have won a head-to-head race vs. either of those two horses, but he was deemed the best of the year based on how dominant a 2yo colt he was. Hopefully voters this year will take a similar approach.


The aforementioned Goldikova proved she's the best female horse in the world with an unprecidented 3rd straight Breeders Cup Mile. Her "turn of foot" is simply amazing, and I'm proud to have witnessed her prior two Breeders Cup victories at Santa Anita. The fact that her connections have announced that she will race again in 2011 is simply remarkable. I'm sure I'll have my money on her in next year's Mile if she is fortunate enough to make it to the race again.