Dick Jerardi: At Breeders' Cup, Zenyatta caps perfect career with perfect race

Zenyatta's fans need no convincing. The old grandstand was jumping when she strolled casually by during the post parade, last then, too. When she passed them again, she was behind 11 horses. When she came around for the final time, the grandstand was shaking.

"There are tears coming to my eyes," said Zenyatta's trainer, John Shirreffs. "I can't believe it. She is a great, great filly. She is all heart. The way the crowd took to her was just amazing. They cheered for her, they clapped for her, they love her."

In the Classic, Zenyatta beat the winners of the following 2009 Grade I stakes: Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, Travers, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Pacific Classic, Champion Stakes (England), Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (England), Sussex Stakes (England) Arlington Million, Man O' War, Manhattan, Kilroe, Turf Classic and Santa Anita Handicap.

"I believe that if there was still another horse in front of her another length or so, she would have caught him, too," Smith said. "She just does what she has to do . . . If they run fast, she'll just run faster."

Horses really aren't like that. Romantics want to believe it is so. But it just isn't.

The very rare horse runs just fast enough to win. America's last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed, was like that. The great colt simply would not let another horse pass him.

Zenyatta is the reverse Affirmed. She passes all the horses. No horse can resist her. She passed 11 in her first race on Nov. 22, 2007. She passed 11 in her last race. In her 14 races, she passed 84 horses.

Watching Zenyatta is like seeing racing from another era. These days, horses simply do not do what she does. But she did it. And, this time, it was not in racing's shadows. It was squarely in the sunlight for all to see.

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