Her friends are so jealous
You know how bad girls get
Sometimes it’s not so easy
To be the teachers pet

- The Police, from the album, Zenyatta Mondatta

You could almost hear the song playing in the background, as Rachel Alexandra was left sulking in her stall. She was robbed of the chance to be the best in the world. But in truth her owners did her the favor of saving face. She would not have beaten Zenyatta, no way, no how.

The queen of the racing world was crowned yesterday, and remained unbeaten. Her brilliance was breathtaking. The giant mare did her signature dancing before the race, and uncorked  a rally that will be talked about forever. This was not her patented lay back and come wide. She was in the 2 path most of the way, weaved her way through the pack, and then swung out and came flying. The race gave me a chill, similar the one which ran down my spine watching Secretariat.

If listen to the call of the race, you could even hear the doubt in Trevor Denman’s  voice:

Zenyatta is dead last.
And Zenyatta is dead last
Zenyatta is still a good 10 or 11 off the lead
Zenyatta has a lot, a lot of ground to make up
This is unbelievable
Looked impossible
What a performance
One of the most sensational ever

And that is the incredible thing about this lady. She looks hopelessly beaten, then comes like a freight train. That is fine against a nice band of fillies and mares, but to do it in the classic? Unreal. Unbelievable. Unmatched. The other horses in the field were mere canaries in a coal mine. They were powerless to repel her, no one could stop her from completing her unbeaten quest.

Horse of the year, no question. Rachel Alexandra has been amazing. But yesterday put Zenyatta in a different universe. She won our championship, and did it in fashion we seldom see.

My name is Zenyatta, don’t stand so close to me.