Unbeaten beats the hardware
A show of hands, everyone. Who thinks past Horses of the Year Kotashaan, Criminal Type, Black Tie Affair or Saint Liam rank ahead of Personal Ensign in the annals of racing history?
Anyone?
Anyone?
Bueller? (If you're over 40, you might not get the Ben Stein reference from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," so here you go).
Personal Ensign's undefeated career and Breeders' Cup glory cemented her place in horse racing history. While she won an Eclipse Award, she never received the Horse of the Year hardware. That trophy went to the connections of Alysheba in 1988.
But people remember and still revere Personal Ensign because of perfection, and her unwavering determination in the muddy bog at Churchill Downs to overcome the track condition and reel in the seemingly gone Kentucky Derby heroine Winning Colors in the shadow of the wire.
Not since Personal Ensign have we seen a top-class racehorse get this deep into his or her career and look lifetime perfection in the eye. And then along came Zenyatta. Now 11-for-11 in her career, the sensational race mare sits just two wins short of the 13-for-13 mark Personal Ensign posted in her remarkable career. With three potential starts remaining in her date book, Zenyatta could eclipse Personal Ensign with a perfect mark in 14 starts if she can remain unblemished.
An Internet firestorm brews on whether the connections of Zenyatta risk Horse of the Year honors by not seeking out a race on Rachel Alexandra's terms, specifically at an East Coast venue on a dirt track. You won't get an argument from this corner that the brilliant filly Rachel Alexandra certainly has a leg up on any such Horse of the Year discussion, and has earned every ounce of praise heaped her way. She's been nothing short of breathtaking against her fellow 3-year-olds, male or female.
Meanwhile, the calendar flips to July this week, officially marking the second half of the year. That means there's a lot of racing still to go, and many important decisions to make. First and foremost for the connections of Zenyatta: What's more important -- Horse of the Year or Horse for All-Time?
While both can be achieved, Personal Ensign proved that the latter can be done without the former. Also keep in mind that countless Horse of the Year winners became fairly forgettable in any all-time discussions (Not too many Favorite Trick bumper stickers on the back of any Chevys these days, right?). So Horse of the Year does not guarantee any real place in history, and that's really what superstars like Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra are running for these days. Both have done so much to earn our respect and admiration. From here out, they're racing to see how long they'll be remembered.
Consider this scenario: What if Zenyatta beats Rachel Alexandra somewhere this summer and takes control in the race for Horse of the Year? It means very little in the grand scheme of historical accomplishments if she were to subsequently get beat before retirement, say in the Breeders' Cup. And, that's a pretty strong possibility considering the rigors it would take to beat Rachel Alexandra and then overcome the wear and tear that criss-crossing the country provides.
A 13-for-14 Zenyatta who would happen to beat Rachel Alexandra and later became blemished would not be talked about 50 years from now in the same vein that a 14-for-14 Zenyatta would be, with or without ever facing Rachel Alexandra. Perfection is such a rare bird that it trumps most memories. Don Larsen was a subpar 81-91 pitcher in his uninspiring baseball career, but he's renowned for his 1956 World Series perfect game for the New York Yankees.
And speaking of New York, few people still complain that Personal Ensign raced only once outside of her New York/New Jersey home-base, that being a trek to Churchill Downs for a memorable curtain call. Today, however, the nasty nature of Internet hate-mongering against Zenyatta calls her and her connections out as merely a state champion afraid to take on all comers, akin to New Mexico-bred unbeaten Pepper's Pride. That's outright blasphemous to compare Zenyatta and Pepper's Pride.
And while you might wish she'd span the globe more, for comparison's sake, Zenyatta has made as many road trips as Personal Ensign, one (that being her victory in the 2008 Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn on natural dirt). Personal Ensign has been forgiven, and so, too, would Zenyatta if she were to remain unbeaten.
That "perfect" theme can't be escaped. Horse of the Year has been given out since 1887. Adding that trophy to someone's case happens every year by both accomplishment and rule. Who ever secures the title this year will be the 123rd horse to do so. That's heady stuff when you figure the millions of racehorses who have graced America's ovals for more than a century.
But undefeated, top-class horses are another story.
When Personal Ensign wrapped up her career in 1988 with that historic, final lunge in the Distaff, she became the first unbeaten major racehorse in this country since Colin in 1908, some 80 years prior. That means since Colin, 101 years have passed and only Personal Ensign has done what Zenyatta possibly could accomplish. Truth is, Zenyatta could retire today and be in such rare air.
In this Google era, we're never more than a mouse click away from being reminded of history, or being taught a lesson we never knew. Upon Personal Ensign's victory in the 1988 Whitney, over just two male rivals, the racing press clamored that she would need to beat males again in the Breeders' Cup to earn Horse of the Year. Steven Crist, now of Daily Racing Form repute, wrote in the New York Times two decades ago:
"What is more appealing about Personal Ensign, though, is her bid to become that rarest of all things in racing: a champion who retires after a full career without ever tasting defeat. She would be defying one of the oldest axioms of racing: 'They all get beat sooner or later.'
" … Ogden Phipps, who bred and owns Personal Ensign, would not dream of selling such a special filly. He wants to do what is best for his horse and for the sport, and give his filly every chance to be remembered. That means running her in the Distaff instead of the Classic."
What was good enough for Personal Ensign 21 years ago should be good enough for Zenyatta in 2009. As it turned out, "undefeated" meant so much more to Personal Ensign's legacy than a Horse of the Year title, and it would to Zenyatta as well.
And this comes from a guy who would be proud to tip his cap to Rachel Alexandra as Horse of the Year and remember what a great year 2009 turned out to be on the track.
Jeremy Plonk has been an ESPN.com contributor since 2000 and is the managing partner of the handicapping website Horseplayerpro.com. You can E-mail Jeremy about this topic or anything racing-related at Jeremy@Horseplayerpro.com.
