Perhaps the best female to race in the last 5 years?

[The Indomitable DrugS]

* Undefeated (which I've learned is supposed to mean something and be a big deal)

* Beat the great Goldikova twice

* Only horse - male or female - to ever finish in front of Goldikova at a mile on a turf course that isn't labeled "soft" or "heavy"

* Beat older males - a field of 16 no less - in the Arc... a 12 furlong race with a $5,522,000 purse

* Won every career start by at least two lengths

Who knows - there's been a lot of very nice females to race over the last five years... and about seven or eight of them aren't easy to seperate.

[Seattleallstar]

we will never know

[Seattleallstar]

but great post drugs, to remind people who are truly the great female horses or horses regardless of sex. So people dont get caught up in the Zenyatta as the best of all time talk.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Seattleallstar

we will never know

Well - Zenyatta did beat Citation, Cigar, and Seabiscuit on a video game simulation.

Perhaps they should make a race where great recent females like Zarkava, Goldikova, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Rags To Riches, Makybe Diva, and Ouija Board all tangle in a 9f race - run over a racing surface that is dirt for the first three furlongs, poly for the next three furlongs, and turf for the final three furlongs.

Better yet - dirt for the first three furlongs, poly for the 4th furlong, pro-ride for the 5th furlong, cushion-track for the 6th furlong, "Soft" turf for the 7th furlong, "Firm" Turf for the 8th furlong and astro turf plucked out of Foxboro for the 9th and final furlong.

[Seattleallstar]

while we are at it, lets throw in Sunline. This puts all this Zenyatta as best ever to rest.

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Well - Zenyatta did beat Citation, Cigar, and Seabiscuit on a video game simulation.

Perhaps they should make a race where great recent females like Zarkava, Goldikova, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Rags To Riches, Makybe Diva, and Ouija Board all tangle in a 9f race - run over a racing surface that is dirt for the first three furlongs, poly for the next three furlongs, and turf for the final three furlongs.

Better yet - dirt for the first three furlongs, poly for the 4th furlong, pro-ride for the 5th furlong, cushion-track for the 6th furlong, "Soft" turf for the 7th furlong, "Firm" Turf for the 8th furlong and astro turf plucked out of Foxboro for the 9th and final furlong.

Who would call the race? Doneman or Dorkin?

[classhandicapper]

Zarkava would get my vote for greatest female turf horse I have ever seen, but it's quite rare for any horse to prove extraordinary quality on multiple surfaces like Zenyatta did today.

Could you imagine Goldikova coming to the US to run in a Met Mile loaded with multiple Grade 1 winning older males on dirt? Tough spot. In my mind, that might actually be an easier task than taking them on at 10F on dirt.

The record is fairly clear that fillies and mares have had way more success against older males in sprints and on turf than at Classic distances on dirt.

The other exception is 3YO fillies that may have an edge in maturity and development during the Triple Crown preps and races before the 3YO colts hit their peak later.

[Smooth Operator]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

Zarkava would get my vote for greatest female turf horse I have ever seen, but it's quite rare for any horse to prove extraordinary quality on multiple surfaces like Zenyatta did today.

Could you imagine Goldikova coming to the US to run in a Met Mile loaded with multiple Grade 1 winning older males on dirt? Tough spot. In my mind, that might actually be an easier task than taking them on at 10F on dirt.

The record is fairly clear that fillies and mares have had way more success against older males in sprints and on turf than at Classic distances on dirt.

The other exception is 3YO fillies that may have an edge in maturity and development during the Triple Crown preps and races before the 3YO colts hit their peak later.

Had to give ya one for each paragraph

Terrific post

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

Could you imagine Zenyatta coming to New York to run in a Met Mile loaded with multiple Grade 1 winning older males on dirt? Tough spot. In my mind, that might actually be an easier task with all that speed in there than taking them on at 10F on dirt.

The record is fairly clear that fillies and mares have had way more success against older males in sprints and on turf than at Classic distances on dirt. That is if you don't count the last four attempts by fillies and mares taking on males at the classic distance on dirt (Rags to Riches, RA, Zenyatta last year and Zenyatta this year)

The other exception is 3YO fillies that may have an edge in maturity and development during the Triple Crown preps and races before the 3YO colts hit their peak later. I say 'may have' because I'm a buffoon that doesn't know what I'm talking about and I need to throw something out there to try to make myself look smarter than I actually am.

No charge for the edits.