HORSES THAT DRINK

I don't know if any of you are horse racing fans. Though I am familiar with racing, I do not follow the sport. The sight of horses legs shattering or jockeys being trampled, pretty much takes the fun out of it for me. However, every now and then a racing story comes along that gets my attention. One that eclipses the actual sport.

This is Zenyatta and Blame just seconds away from the finish line. Obviously not my picture.

Zenyatta is one of those stories. She is a tall, rangy mare with an amazing record. She had won every one of her starts, nineteen in all. Not all of these were against the ladies, she also won against the boys. You go girl.

Some considered her the greatest female race horse – ever. She was a cheap horse, purchased for only $60,000. Mostly the low price was because she had ringworm and a patchy coat at auction. Today her coat glistens and her owners sport mile wide grins at their good fortune and the over six million in purses she has won. Nice return on an investment.

Recently a story leaked out about her. Is it true? I think so. Zenyatta loves Guinness beer. Not just any beer, only a Guinness will do. Now I don't think she is a lush but it seems that kicking back her heels and enjoying a little brew in a Tupperware bowl after a work out is A-OK with the lady. This has made her the heroine of all beer drinkers around the world, and she is huge with Guinness drinkers.

Is this possible, that a horse could love a cold one? Why not, Guinness is made from barley. My horse, Jesse, would chase you down for a sip of beer and some Fritos. He disrupted more than one out door party at my place as some poor hapless soul ran sloshing beer and flipping Fritos trying to escape him. I eventually had to stable him at parties to protect my guests and to keep him sober and slender.

Those friends of mine who are race horse trainers that I previously wrote about, had just such a horse as Zenyatta, minus the winning record. Their night groom, unknown to them, was a tippler and got in the habit of sharing his beer with one of their horses. The horse got where she would only run if she were rewarded with a brew after the race. Hum, I did just say “her”? Perhaps this is a female thing.

Anyway, Zenyatta was scheduled to retire after the Breeder's Cup race at Churchill Downs. She was pitted against the boys and was almost guaranteed to win. Zenyatta ran all her races coming from dead last.

She would laze along at the start of the race, content to bring up the rear. Then she would pour on the coals with blazing speed and would pass the entire field to steal a win in the stretch. She really is a bit of a drama queen.

At the Breeders' Cup she stayed true to form. Starting from dead last per usual, she passed most of the field in the stretch and was closing in on the leader who was aptly named Blame. As they hit the finish line, it was a photo finish.

She missed a solid place in history by a nose and was beaten for the first time in 20 races. As her owner said, had Zenyatta only stuck her tongue out for the photo finish, she might have won. In the back of my mind I can't help but wonder, was she maybe a little hung over?

So today she is retired with an “almost” perfect record to enjoy her new career of making babies. I wonder how she will do when they cut her off during pregnancy? Bet we see this gal in a movie version someday. For sure, we will see her in a Guinness commercial.

If I drank, I would lift one in her honor. Kudos Zenyatta on a great career.