| Zenyatta | |
|---|---|
 Zenyatta winning the Lady's Secret Stakes | |
| Sire | Street Cry |
| Grandsire | Machiavellian |
| Dam | Vertigineux |
| Damsire | Kris S. |
| Sex | Mare |
| Foaled | April 1, 2004 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Dark Bay/Brown |
| Breeder | Maverick Productions, Limited |
| Owner | Jerry & Ann Moss |
| Trainer | John Shirreffs |
| Jockey | Mike Smith |
| Record | 20: 19–1–0 |
| Earnings | $7,304,580[1] |
| Major wins | |
| El Encino Stakes (2008) Apple Blossom Handicap (2008, 2010) Milady Handicap (2008, 2009) Vanity Handicap (2008, 2009, 2010) Clement L. Hirsch (2008, 2009, 2010) Lady's Secret Stakes (2008, 2009, 2010) Santa Margarita Handicap (2010) Breeders' Cup wins: Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (2008) Breeders' Cup Classic (2009) | |
| Awards | |
| American Champion Older Female Horse (2008, 2009, 2010) American Horse of the Year (2010) Secretariat Vox Populi Award[2] (2010) | |
| Honours | |
| National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee (2016) Zenyatta Stakes (2010) NTRA "Moment of the Year" (2008, 2009) Lifesize statue at Santa Anita Park (2012) | |
Zenyatta (foaled April 1, 2004) is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Breeders' Cup Classic and Breeders' Cup Distaff and 19 of her 20 starts. She was the 2010 American Horse of the Year, and Champion Older Female in 2008, 2009 and 2010. She was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2016.
Zenyatta was purchased as a yearling by record producer Jerry Moss and his wife Ann, who named her after the album Zenyatta Mondatta, by the Police, who were signed to A&M Records by Moss. She went into training with John Shirreffs. A late-developing filly, she did not make her first start until late in her three-year-old year, winning a maiden race in November, 2007; this was followed by a win in an allowance race in December. From 2008 through 2010, she recorded seventeen consecutive graded stakes wins, 13 of them at the Grade I level. In 2009, she became the first mare to win the Breeders' Cup Classic. Her other major wins included the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic in 2008, the Apple Blossom Handicap in 2008 and 2010, consecutive wins in the Vanity Stakes, the Clement L. Hirsch, and the Lady's Secret, all in 2008–2010. The Lady's Secret was subsequently renamed the Zenyatta Stakes in her honor.
Zenyatta developed a passionate following, attracted by a combination of her athletic prowess and her personality. She was known for the "dance moves" she made while in the walking ring and post parade prior to her races,[3] and her taste for Guinness Stout contributed to her popularity.[4] She was also known for her closing finishes, often spotting large leads to early front runners, then overtaking her opponents in the final strides.[5][6]
- ^ "Horse profile for Zenyatta". equibase.com. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ ""Vox Populi" Award | Secretariat.com". secretariat.com.
- ^ Drape, Joe (April 8, 2010). "Part Rockette, Zenyatta Steals the Show". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ Muldoon, Molly (November 4, 2010). "Horse legend Zenyatta drinks Guinness". IrishCentral.com. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ "The Early Lead – Zenyatta: a star prepares to give her final performance in Breeders' Cup Classic". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 2, 2020.[dead link]
- ^ Pedulla, Tom (September 24, 2013). "The Magnificence of Zenyatta". America's Best Racing.