Hail the Queen - Zenyatta makes it 17/17

A local matchup with Rachael Alexandra?

The calendar suddenly shows that it could work


She enjoys a frosty Guinness after work, which should play well with the Parting Glass crowd. She has dance moves that would make Balanchine and the local NYC Ballet crowd swoon in delight. And she has the kind of winning attitude and arrogant self confidence that cold make her millions on the moitivational lecture circuit, if not for the fact that she's a horse.

She's the magnificent Zenyatta.

Here she is winning yesterday's Vanity Handicap in her typical "I think I'll hang out here in the back for a mile while y'all pretend you can beat me" racing style:



Once again, she somehow gets up at the wire to overtake a very game and talented rival to whom she was giving nine pounds of weight. The victory made her 17 for 17 lifetime, a North American record and a feat that is beyond description in a sport where only about 40% of all registered thoroughbreds win a single race in their individual lifetimes.

Meanwhile, local dolly Rachel Alexandra announced that she is BACK, with a smashing open lenghts victory in the Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs.

Let's see: here we are in mid-June. Horses of this caliber usually space their races out in 5 to 7 week intervals. That would get us to awfully darn close -- if not in -- Saratoga season, wouldn't it? One can dream, right?

'Cus gee whiz: could this sport --- as well as New York racing --- ever use such an event...