At 1-9 odds, not many in the grandstand at Del Mar were betting against the daughter of Street Cry in her attempt to notch her eighteenth career win in as many starts. But as she's done many times in the past, Zenyatta did just what she needed to do while taking the G1 Clement Hirsch by one half of a length.
Racing from the back of the pack, the six-year-old mare took the lead in midstretch and held off a gusty Rinterval to keep her unblemished record intact.
Owner Jerry Moss, Grammy Award winner and co-founder of A&M Records, has said before that he really enjoyed discovering and nurturing new talent. Moss is well known for launching and furthering the careers of such artists as Burt Bacharach, the Carpenters, Sting, Bryan Adams, Carole King, Sergio Mendes, Sheryl Crow, Peter Frampton, Amy Grant, Janet Jackson, Joe Jackson, Quincy Jones, the Police, Iggy Pop, Billy Preston, Soundgarden, Cat Stevens, Styx, Supertramp and Barry White.
Zenyatta, from Street Cry’s first crop, was picked up at Keeneland four years ago for a bargain price of $60,000. She was spotted by bloodstock agent David Ingordo in the consignment of Winter Quarter Farm, who sold her on behalf of her breeder Maverick Productions, Ltd.
Current plans see her taking her final bow at the Breeders' Cup at Churchill in November. No doubt, there will be more than a few wanting an encore from one of the best horses to ever look through a bridle.
