Zenyatta: Career Record, Major Wins and Racing Legacy

Zenyatta won 19 of 20 starts, earned $7,304,580 and was named 2010 Horse of the Year. Her late-running style and 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic victory made her one of American racing’s best-known mares.

Career at a Glance

• Foaled in 2004; by Street Cry out of Vertigineux.
• Owned by Jerry and Ann Moss and trained by John Shirreffs.
• 2007, age three: two starts, two wins.
• 2008, age four: seven starts, seven wins, including the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic.
• 2009, age five: five starts, five wins, including the Breeders’ Cup Classic against males.
• 2010, age six: six starts, five wins and second to Blame in her final race, the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

These figures and the chronology are documented by the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The official Zenyatta career archive provides a race-by-race route for further study.

From a Late Debut to the Classic

Zenyatta began racing in late 2007. David Flores rode her in her first three starts; Mike Smith took over for the 2008 Apple Blossom. Her unbeaten 2008 season came at age four, not three as an earlier version of this article stated. She was five when she won the 2009 Classic.

The 2010 Classic ended her 19-race winning sequence. Blame held off her late run, leaving her career record at 19 wins and one second. The narrow defeat belongs alongside her achievements, not as proof that an earlier rider change was a mistake.

How to Study Her Running Style

Zenyatta is best described as a closer. Watch how far she sits behind the pace, when she begins advancing and the route available through the field. Use the whole replay rather than a finishing position alone. A late run can look similar in two races while the early pace and opposition differ substantially.

Do not diagnose temperament from a paddock gesture or turn a famous result into a universal betting rule. Historical greatness does not tell you whether any particular price offered value. That requires a probability estimate made before the race, with uncertainty acknowledged.

Continue Exploring

Read about running styles and pace, explore the Breeders’ Cup guide, or browse more racehorse profiles. Study a fictional race through the beginner exercise without staking money.

For account research, see the TwinSpires review, racebook comparison and promotion-terms guide. These are separate from the historical racing record.

The sequence shows why age and season should be recorded separately. Seven wins in 2008 belong to her four-year-old year, while the 2009 Classic belongs to her five-year-old campaign. A total of 19 wins cannot replace that chronology when comparing how a horse developed.