HOW DOES ZENYATTA’S 17 IN A ROW COMPARE TO OTHER WINNING STREAKS?

[andymays]

ZEVENTEEN IN A ROW!

HOW DOES ZENYATTA’S 17 IN A ROW COMPARE TO OTHER WINNING STREAKS?

By Ray Paulick

http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/how-does-zenyattas-17-in-a-row-compare-to-other-winning-streaks/

Excerpt:

Puerto Ricans went wild for a horse named Camarero, who was like money in the bank when he rolled to 56 victories in a row from 1953-55. Zenyatta may have a race named after her (the former Lady’s Secret Stakes at Oak Tree that she’s won twice), but Camarero has a racetrack in Puerto Rico named after him. That’s impressive.

One of the longest winning streaks in all of sports was the 122 consecutive victories rung up by 400-meter Olympic hurdler Edwin Moses from 1977-87. In women’s tennis, Martina Navratilova won 74 straight matches without a loss in 1984. Boxer Sugar Ray Robinson went 91 fights before losing, and heavyweight champ Rocky Marciano won 49 bouts from 1948-55 before retiring undefeated. That’s rare.

[andymays]

http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/how-does-zenyattas-17-in-a-row-compare-to-other-winning-streaks/

Comment #1 under the article is great.

Burton DeWitt Says:
June 14th, 2010 at 6:23 am

Ray, may I also bring to your attention Dutch wheelchair tennis player Ester Vergeer, who has currently won I believe 389 consecutive wheelchair women’s single tennis matches dating to February 2003, and has only lost once since the middle of 2000.

[Zippy Chippy]

http://www.paulickreport.com/blog/how-does-zenyattas-17-in-a-row-compare-to-other-winning-streaks/

Comment #1 under the article is great.

Burton DeWitt Says:
June 14th, 2010 at 6:23 am

Ray, may I also bring to your attention Dutch wheelchair tennis player Ester Vergeer, who has currently won I believe 389 consecutive wheelchair women’s single tennis matches dating to February 2003, and has only lost once since the middle of 2000.

Not sure if there is a lot of competition in the womens wheelchair tennis tour.. lol.. Zenyattas 17 wins are one of the greatest streaks in my opinion ever just from the way she does it. It would be a lot less impressive if she was a front runner and just went to the lead and kept winning. There was a dog named Pat C Rendezvous at Palm Beach that won i believe 36 in a row. He was a front runner and no one could catch him. (still impressive he never got bumped out of the box). Zenyatta is always dead last. She usually has to go 5 wide. She also has to worry about something going wrong, like getting boxed in, or getting stuck 6, 7 wide. Its just unbelievable what she's doing. I get goosebumps watching her.

[jballscalls]

Not sure if there is a lot of competition in the womens wheelchair tennis tour.. lol.. Zenyattas 17 wins are one of the greatest streaks in my opinion ever just from the way she does it. It would be a lot less impressive if she was a front runner and just went to the lead and kept winning. There was a dog named Pat C Rendezvous at Palm Beach that won i believe 36 in a row. He was a front runner and no one could catch him. (still impressive he never got bumped out of the box). Zenyatta is always dead last. She usually has to go 5 wide. She also has to worry about something going wrong, like getting boxed in, or getting stuck 6, 7 wide. Its just unbelievable what she's doing. I get goosebumps watching her.

i actually feel as a front runner she'd be more vulnerable, they would be able to tag team her up front and wear her down. look at all the "great" horses of all time and they are mostly just off the pace types.

[Cardus]

Not sure if there is a lot of competition in the womens wheelchair tennis tour.. lol.. Zenyattas 17 wins are one of the greatest streaks in my opinion ever just from the way she does it. It would be a lot less impressive if she was a front runner and just went to the lead and kept winning. There was a dog named Pat C Rendezvous at Palm Beach that won i believe 36 in a row. He was a front runner and no one could catch him. (still impressive he never got bumped out of the box). Zenyatta is always dead last. She usually has to go 5 wide. She also has to worry about something going wrong, like getting boxed in, or getting stuck 6, 7 wide. Its just unbelievable what she's doing. I get goosebumps watching her.

You are correct. It was 1994.

The year later, JJ Doc Richard set the current record of 37 consecutive wins at Mobile.

[rastajenk]

Yeah, but who'd he beat? A buncha dogs. :p

[DeanT]

In harness the win streak record is Cam Fella at 28. There have been fair horses etc who have won more, but his record is the record as far as historians of the sport are concerned. It probably won't go down because horses don't race that much anymore. Z's record will not go down either, imo. Horses are far too fragile nowadays, and are sent to the breeding shed, of course.

[Zippy Chippy]

i actually feel as a front runner she'd be more vulnerable, they would be able to tag team her up front and wear her down. look at all the "great" horses of all time and they are mostly just off the pace types.

Ya i agree. but i mean from the pure beauty of watching her come from last is just so breathtaking. Its more exciting to watch.

[andymays]

PP's for Citation and Cigar attached.

[DeltaLover]

With all the respect to my fellow horseplayers who post here, I have to express my astonishment when it comes to the way Zenyata's winning streak is perceived, the rarely seen enthusiasm expressed by her 'fans' and the tons of (electronic!) ink consumed in meaningless debates about her superiority or not off her contemporary rivals!

Sure, she is one of the top horses of the decade, sure she is undefeated for a lengthy, life time streak, but I dare to say that she is not really important for the bettor. Every time she appears as the under-matched prohibitive favorite (OK, maybe with the exception of BC) there is very low betting interest while the purse is converted to easy prey to her superiority.

Modern horse racing as was shaped during the last century is driven by betting while any 'sporting' characteristics are diminished to secondary importance and influence(if any at all!).

The problem I see in Zenyata's case is that the mutual pool derived purse is wasted in very weak betting fields that although great for her connections represent a misuse of the betting capital.

Of course the $1.9M total handle in Zenyata's race is more enough to cover the purse of the race and even generate some profits for the race track but in the same time the extremely low payouts prove the average horseplayer's misjudgment when it comes to the event he supports!

It would have been far more beneficial for him to bet yesterday's Monmouth's 12th race for example or any other similar field, sending a clear message to the racing industry that he is aware of what benefit him and what not!

[cj]

I would say it is akin to the Yankees winning two against the Red Sox, 3 against the Orioles, and 12 against Double A teams. Sure, they might be the best team, but they were only tested twice.

[Cardus]

I would say that favoring Zenyatta's win streak over Cigar and Citation is like favoring Robin Ventura's 58-game hitting streak at Oklahoma State over Joe DiMaggio's 56-game streak.

Ventura's streak is longer, but not greater.

[Tom]

HOW DOES ZENYATTA’S 17 IN A ROW COMPARE TO OTHER WINNING STREAKS?

1 better than Cigar's and 2 less than Pepper's Pride.

[jballscalls]

[QUOTE=DeltaLover].

Modern horse racing as was shaped during the last century is driven by betting while any 'sporting' characteristics are diminished to secondary importance and influence(if any at all!).

QUOTE]

nobody debates horse racing is driven by betting, but the racing is what people remember in the end. most people dont know what the exacta with Secretariat in the belmont paid, nor do they care. and a year from now, most people wont have any idea what Zenyattas exacta or pick 3 paid yesterday.

i've had huge hits in my life, and i honestly cant tell you what the horses names were in most instances, i remember their odds and their payoffs roughly, but not much else. however i can remember without fail Secretariat won by 31 lengths, or Birdstone getting up in the final yards, or 'melhor ainda might get into second, but no way does she catch the winner, Cesario!!"

[JustRalph]

Ya i agree. but i mean from the pure beauty of watching her come from last is just so breathtaking. Its more exciting to watch.

you are kidding right ? I disagree. Great race horses run in multiple ways dictated by the pace/tactics of the race. I would much rather watch a horse sit just off, or go to the lead and dare them to run them down. When they are sitting just off, I am excited to see the timing of the move etc.

When they are up front I am watching the jock closely to see when he gives the "go signal" and does the horse still have something left. Btw, when it comes to front runners I watch the splits very close along the way too.

War Emblem and Funny Cide continuing to run down the Stretch at Churchill was exciting to watch. Watching Funny take on the Frankel horses and come through......that was horse racing at its finest if you ask me......I just love horses attending the pace or on the lead..........

[Tom]

Ralph, I grew up on closers. My all time favorite horses were closers, some deeeeep closers. My first score was a closer who paid $28.80, and me with a 50 cent a week allowance! It was the Pick 6 of the days. :D Races like the Vanity yesterday are the stuff I love.