Who could have figured that the horse to end Zenyatta’s perfect record would have a name with such a fitting negative connotation?
That was Blame edging out Zenyatta literally by a nose at the Breeders’ Cup. Zenyatta was 19-0 entering the race and was expected to be retired afterwards. Jockey Mike Smith somewhat blamed himself for the loss, saying he allowed Zenyatta to fall too far in the back of the pack and left her with too much to do. Additional factors that bothered Zenyatta was a dirt track and the wall of horses that made it difficult for her to come back from behind.
She’ll go down as one of the great horses (please, spare me the female athlete of the year nonsense), but the one blemish will keep her from reaching truly elite status. It’s just a shame.
