4/9/2010 Apple Blossom Invitational H.(G1) Zenyatta(16 for 16), Just Jenda(4th)

10th race - Oaklawn Park - April 09, 2010
Race Name: Apple Blossom Invitational H. -Grade: 1
Race Type: Stakes
Age Restriction: Four Year Old and Upward
Sex Restriction: Fillies and Mares
Value of Race: $490,000
Distance: One And One Eighth Miles On The Dirt
Track Condition: Fast
Winning Time: 1:50.71

Pgm	Horse	Jockey	Win	Place	Show
4	Zenyatta	Mike E. Smith	2.10	2.10
2	Taptam	M. Clifton Berry		6.40
1	Be Fair	Calvin H. Borel
Also ran: 5 - Just Jenda , 3 - War Echo
Wager Type		Winning Numbers		Payoff
$2 Exacta		4-2		18.00
$1 Trifecta		4-2-1		24.30
Winning Breeder: Maverick Production, Limited
Winning Owner: Moss, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S.
Winning Trainer: John A. Shirreffs

2010 Apple Blossom Invitational H.(G1) Zenyatta, Just Jenda.pdf

ZENYATTA 제냐타 암 2004 USA 흑갈색 전적:15(15/0/0)  G1	Street Cry 스트리트크라이 흑 1998 IRE  G1 12전(5,6,1) 279 f, 15sw 3.64	Machiavellian 매키어벨리언 흑 1987 USA {1292} G1 655 f, 56sw 2.21	Mr. Prospector 갈 1970 USA *+{BC} LSB
			Coup De Folie 갈 1982 USA {*} G3
		Helen Street 헬렌스트리트 갈 1982 GB  G1 13 f, 9 w, 2 sw	Troy 갈 1976 IRE  G1
			Waterway 밤 1976 FR  G3
	Vertigineux 흑 1995 USA  w 7전(2,0,0) 4 f, 2 w, 2 sw	Kris S. 크리스에스 흑 1977 USA +[S 1500] LB 839 f, 89sw 2.52	Roberto 갈 1969 USA +{C} LB
			Sharp Queen 갈 1965 USA  w
		For The Flag 갈 1978 USA  w 12 f, 10 w, 3 sw	Forli 밤 1963 ARG {C} DP
			In The Offing 갈 1973 USA  w

Pedigree by http://www.exhorse.co.kr/

Jockey Mike Smith aboard Zenyatta reacts to winning the $500,000 Apple Blossom Invitational horse race at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., Friday, April 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

Zenyatta Makes it 16-for-16 in Apple Blossom
By Jason Shandler
Updated: Friday, April 9, 2010 9:24 PM
Posted: Friday, April 9, 2010 7:41 PM
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/56361/zenyatta-makes-it-16-for-16-in-apple-blossom?source=rss

Zenyatta tied Thoroughbred racing legends Citation and Cigar with her 16^th consecutive win April 9 in the $500,000 Apple Blossom Invitational Handicap (gr. I) (VIDEO), blowing past her four rivals under Mike Smith as an adoring crowd at Oaklawn Park cheered the sensational mare to another easy victory.

Owned by Jerry and Ann Moss and trained by John Shirreffs, 6-year-old Zenyatta joined 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation, two-time Horse of the Year Cigar, and Mister Frisky as the only modern-day Thoroughbreds to score 16 consecutive wins in races not restricted to state-breds. The daughter of Street Cry is now perfect in all 16 of her starts and bumped her career earnings to $5,924,580 while scoring her 10^th grade I victory as the 1-20 favorite.

"We're just thrilled and delighted that she's won 16 in a row," said Jerry Moss. "So many people have thanked us personally for bringing the horse here. I think wherever we go, people will be happy to see Zenyatta."

It was just Zenyatta’s second start outside of California, her other one coming in the 2008 Apple Blossom when she scored by 4 1/2 lengths in her fourth career start. As easy as that triumph was, this one was even easier.

As usual, the dark bay or brown mare raced in the back for six furlongs of the 1 1/8-mile Apple Blossom, giving her four rivals a significant lead while she was content to lope along under Smith. Be Fair, with Calvin Borel aboard, took the field through moderate fractions of :24.07 and :48.19 before a pressing Taptam took over while running three-quarters of a mile in 1:12.68 under Cliff Berry. War Echo and Just Jenda were behind the two leaders.

Still last through six furlongs, Zenyatta began her patented winning move entering the final turn. With Smith letting her out a notch, she began picking off the other starters with ease from a five-wide position, and it wasn’t long after hitting the quarter-pole that she took control. Holding a 2 1/2–length lead with a furlong remaining, she put the race away in upper stretch. Smith never moved a muscle on Zenyatta as she coasted to the wire 4 1/4 lengths ahead of 35-1 Taptam. The margin of victory could have been as much as she wanted it to be.

Zenyatta stopped the clock on a fast main track in 1:50.17. Taptam was 1 1/2 lengths in front of third-place Be Fair. Just Jenda was fourth, with War Echo trailing.

After posting her historic win, Zenyatta came back to the grandstand with Smith patting her neck in between waving to the crowd of 44,973. He stopped her in front of the fans and raised his helmet to the sky.

"It's kind of hard to say if she's getting better and better because she's so good,'' said Smith. "I was looking at the big screen in the stretch, to be honest, because at that point we'd already hit the front really easy."

Zenyatta's triumph fittingly occurred on the same day that Personal Ensign died at age 26 in Paris, Ky. Personal Ensign won all 13 of her career starts, including the 1988 Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) in which she came from behind to beat Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Winning Colors by a nose.

The only other Thoroughbreds to win as many consecutive races as Zenyatta, Citation, Cigar, and Mister Frisky are Louisiana-bred Hallowed Dreams, who also won 16 straight (many against statebreds), and Pepper’s Pride, a New Mexico-bred mare that won 19 in a row racing exclusively against statebreds.

Winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) against males last year at Santa Anita, Zenyatta is now 2-for-2 this season. She also won the Santa Margarita Handicap (gr. I) March 13.

The mare was bred in Kentucky by Maverick Production and is out of the Kris S. mare Vertigineux.

"We just wanted everybody to really see her perform the way we know she can," Shirreffs said. "We are just so glad we got to see it. We are glad for all her fans and we are really glad for Hot Springs because everybody has been so nice and this reaction and the way they’ve treated her has been great. It’s a perfect ending."

Moss said they would take a little time before committing to Zenyatta's next race.

"We are going to plot our schedule," he said. "We like races that are a mile-and-an-eighth. We like grade Is. So we will plot our course and if Rachel Alexandra wants to join us, she’s more than welcome. But we will plot our schedule with the goal of getting to the Breeders’ Cup."

Zenyatta paid $2.10 and $2.10. There was no show wagering. Taptam returned $6.40 to place. The exacta paid $18.

Zenyatta phenomenal in Apple Blossom win
Posted: Friday, April 09, 2010 7:42 PM
by Steve Bailey
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2010/April/09/Zenyatta-wins-Apple-Blossom.aspx

Any questions about two-time champion older female Zenyatta’s prowess on a dirt surface were answered with a huge exclamation point on Friday at Oaklawn Park.

The six-year-old Street Cry (Ire) mare won her 16th start without a defeat, matching the streaks of Citation, Cigar, Hallowed Dreams, and Mister Frisky as she took over on the turn under jockey Mike Smith and coasted to a 4 1/2-length victory in the $500,000 Apple Blossom Invitational Stakes (G1).

The victory, her sixth consecutive Grade 1 triumph and tenth overall at the highest level, was only her second on a dirt surface, the other coming in a 4½-length victory in the 2008 Apple Blossom. Following this year’s race, the crowd roared its approval as Smith paraded Zenyatta in front of the grandstand.

“She’s amazing; she’s from another planet, I believe,” said Ann Moss, who campaigns Zenyatta with her husband, Jerry. “For her to bring so much joy to so many people is wonderful.”

The connections of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra had pledged to come to the Hot Springs, Arkansas, track to face Zenyatta for the first time in what many were calling the “Race for the Ages,” which would have been worth $5-million had both phenomenal females entered the starting gate.

Following her three-quarter-length loss to Zenyatta’s stablemate Zardana (Brz) in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes on March 13 at Fair Grounds, owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen pulled Rachel Alexandra  from consideration for the Apple Blossom, saying that they needed more time to get their filly fit and in top condition to compete.

That left Zenyatta to face a short field of only four challengers in the 1 1/8-mile race, and she did not disappoint the thousands of fans who made the trip to see her in person.

As expected, Smith reserved Zenyatta at the back of the pack out of the gate as Be Fair and Taptam dueled for the lead through slow fractions of :24.07 through a quarter-mile and :48.19 for a half-mile with Zenyatta about eight lengths behind the leaders.

Sensing the dawdling tempo, Smith began moving Zenyatta closer to the pack approaching the far turn and made a sweeping move to the outside approaching the stretch, giving Zenyatta room to run—and run she did.

Zenyatta took command and extended her lead with every long, powerful stride as Smith did little more than steer her to the line. She covered the distance in 1:50.71 on track rated as fast.

“It was just a great trip,” said Smith, who has ridden Zenyatta in 13 of her 16 starts. “She was really on her game today.

“When I asked her [to run], she took off on me; I didn’t need to do anything. Then she just galloped on to the wire. She just ran dynamite.”

Three-time stakes winner Taptam finished second, 1½ lengths in front of Grade 3 winner Be Fair.

With the victory, Zenyatta boosted her career earnings to $5,924,580 in four seasons of racing.