Quote:
Originally Posted by Fager Fan
Zenyatta ran great in defeat. I take no issue with that.
But what I have noticed with most fillies who have beaten colts in dirt routes, they did so without "mixing it up" with the males. They either got loose on the lead or were deep closers. I theorize that going head to head with other males the whole way around, possibly bumping and feeling the physical presence of stronger males, is tougher for the female. It has made me appreciate more the efforts of those who did well while running with a style that "mixed it up" with the males. Zenyatta could've been racing against cheetahs or tractors. She was by herself running until she ran by them in the clear down the lane.
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Genuine Risk was a good example of that. In the Derby she was at the back of the main pack, well outside and made a wide move coming into the stretch. She tried the same thing in the Preakness, but Codex, ridden by the brilliant Angel Cordero, leaned on her coming out of the turn, pushing her out. Codex really won pretty easily after that, but it may have been that she was intimidated and stayed in a following position.
As an aside, I loved Cordero when he was on my horse, hated him when he was on the competition. But you have to give him credit for being smart, fearless and ultra-competitive.
