09/14/2012 12:53PM

Santa Anita to unveil Zenyatta statue on Sept. 29

By Brad Free
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ARCADIA, Calif. – A life-size bronze of the mighty Zenyatta will be unveiled Sept. 29 at Santa Anita, where its permanent home will be in the paddock gardens near statues of John Henry and Seabiscuit.

The statue of Zenyatta – all 17.2 hands and 1,200 pounds – was created by renowned sculptress Nina Kaiser, who also produced the John Henry statue. The Zenyatta bronze will be south of the Kingsbury Fountain, directly across from the John Henry bronze on the fountain’s north side. Kaiser spent two years creating the Zenyatta statue.

The unveiling ceremony is scheduled for the first Saturday of the Santa Anita autumn meet, the same day as the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes.

The $250,000 race, formerly called the Lady’s Secret, was won three times by Zenyatta, 2008 through 2010.

Zenyatta retired in 2010 after winning 19 races and $7,304,580 from 20 starts. She won the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic in 2008 and BC Classic in 2009, both at Santa Anita, and finished second by a head in the 2010 BC Classic at Churchill Downs in the final start of her celebrated career. Zenyatta was named Horse of the Year in 2010.

Owned by Jerry Moss and his wife Ann, Zenyatta was trained by John Shirreffs and ridden most of her career by jockey Mike Smith. Zenyatta won six stakes at Santa Anita, including five Grade 1’s.

Santa Anita’s 2012 autumn meet begins Friday, Sept. 28.

JoyJackson21 More than 1 year ago
Good for you, Zenyatta! I can't wait to see Zenyatta's statue at Santa Anita. I hope it's as beautiful as she is. A well-deserved honor for a fabulous horse!
Michelle More than 1 year ago
Are you all kidding me????? Zenyatta not only did what no other horse has ever done she has the heart and temperament any horse owner would dream of. It sounds like you are all jealous or something. If there were more horses, owners and trainers like this team racing would be a better place. This statue is going to represent so much for the people and will be important for the racing industry.... not to mention art! This is going to be one of the most incredible pieces of equine art in the world!!!
Ray Sousa More than 1 year ago
zenyatta was definetely the most overated thourobred of our time,but as an ambassador for the sport she was one of the best,she brought the crowds and the money and in todays culture thats all that matters.she beat what was arguably the worst breeders cup classic field ever and then got beaten by a short margin by a better horse in BLAME the following year,if you look at video from her 2 breeders cup classic races you will see she ran exactly the same race,in the first they whent slow early and she fell 12 to 15 lenghts behind in the second they whent faster early and she fell 20 lenghts behind.but if popularity is the measure by which her greatness is measured then shes right up there with seabiscut and the others.
Mick More than 1 year ago
Oh please. I bet if anyone other than Zenyatta had won that '09 Classic you'd be touting that field up left and right. She beat a great field of horses in there. In addition to being a great ambassador to the sport, she was one of the greatest horses of our time, and all time.
Chantal Smithless More than 1 year ago
You got THAT right, Mick! The field she beat in the 2009 BC Classic "was arguably the worst field ever"??????? Oh please is right! I wonder what Ray Sousa considers a quality field? Oh, I know -- I bet it is the one that Rachel Alexandra beat in that Woodward of hers........
silver_charm More than 1 year ago
I'd love to personally see the new Zenyatta statue for myself. Never been to Santa Anita but hope to go some day. Breeders Cup tickets in the grandstand for both days were $500 a person, which is prohibitive, for 2 people, especially when you add in airfare, accommodation, food, trinkets, and big betting expenses. Anyway, it's a deserving statue & I hope horse racing sets up a new body which teeth to market it and other ideas and has actual power to make changes for the sustainability of the sport.
Lady Zen More than 1 year ago
We're local, so it's less expensive of a trip for us to Santa Anita for Breeder's Cup. We've been twice already and we'll go this year, too. Maybe next year we'll spring for the expensive seats. We go on Day #1 and stay home for Day #2. It's so crowded and it really takes it out of you!! Hopefully it won't be too hot this year!! We just budget a certain amount for betting, souvenirs, admission, etc. and save it ahead of time......that works best for us. I know how fortunate we are to live so close and I don't want to waste the opportunity to see these races!!
thomas b More than 1 year ago
You don't need a grand stand seat. Best seat in the house is general admission. Come early and post up on the finishline. Yet another reason why Santa anita is the greatest venue for the breeders cup. Been to churchill for three bc's. Terrible seating and expensive. Add cold and dark. Go and enjoy the beauty, history and value. Oh and great California weather.
himmelle More than 1 year ago
I bought my seat for $75....I think you must have been looking in the elite clubhouse area
Diane Eidemiller More than 1 year ago
Bame....cheated?????? I didn't think so then and for sure not now.
Bamb Ezzy More than 1 year ago
Most undeserving Horse of the Year of all time, Great race mare. definitely an all time great, but her best season she was overshadowed by Rachel, and the season she won HotY the colt that beat her in the BC Classic was a much more deserving winnner. I don't place any value on Eclipse awards after Blame got cheated.
BrandonLayer More than 1 year ago
She should have been Horse of the Year the year Rachel won. Rachel was all out to best a weak Woodward field at 1 1/8 miles while Zenyatta impressively won the Classic at 1 1/4 miles over a much better field. Plus Rachel totally ducked Zenyatta in the Classic.
Chris F More than 1 year ago
So sick of that false reasoning. Rachel WON the Woodward AFTER an amazing streak of record setting performances. In other words, she won at the tail end of supremely difficult campaign, and she was asked to face OLDER STAKES WINNING MALES AT SARATOGA..HER SIXTH TRACK THAT YEAR.. Zenyatta won ONE important race. If you are going to say the older males Rachel faced were weak, you cannot say west coast fillies with records of 1 for 50 were strong. Well, I guess you can try, but it makes zero sense. Sorry dude. Rachel was a tour de force in 2009 while Zenyatta had a nice comfy schedule with one big race...which by the way, not a single horse in that field was good at 1 1/4M, nor were they experienced over that crap surface. So in reality, no matter how many stakes they won on dirt, they were highly compromised on the synthetic pro-ride. The weakest HOY campaign EVER.
Chris F More than 1 year ago
You are correct. Blame had the best overall campaign and beat all the major players when they were at their best. He beat Quality Road when QR ran one of his strongest races ever, and then Blame went on to beat Zenyatta herself. People will lash out at you but only out of emotion. No sane person would tally up her modest victories against less than stellar competition that year and then hand her the crown.
thomas b More than 1 year ago
The industry awarded her "the crown." Or maybe you forgot. But I guess all those turf writers and industry leaders that voted for her are not sane and you are completely rational right? Get a grip and stop making excuses to belittle a unique equine star. It's too bad people like yourself didn't appreciate the greatness of Zenyatta and instead applied it to glorified milers like Quality Road and Macho Again. Your loss. Nothing against Blame. But no mare has ever ran a race like that on dirt going 10 furlongs, spotting a G1 field 20+ lengths. The greatest and most courageous head loss in horse racing history
Chantal Smithless More than 1 year ago
AMEN Thomas B! No one ever "handed" Zenyatta ANYTHING. She actually earned HOY in 2009 but the East Coast Bias HANDED it to Rachel if you insist on using that term, Chris F. The field Zenyatta beat in her BC Classic win FAR exceeded the weak field Rachel beat in her Woodward. And I don't think Blame can breathe air in the same AREA code as Quality Road if you want to get down to brass tacks. He just happened to run the race of his life at Churchill Downs that day. Those who are "experts in the field" unanimously agree that Zenyatta is the greatest race mare of this decade; most think of the past 37 years (since Ruffian).
Ed Gredvig More than 1 year ago
You can put all the statues you want in the paddock of Santa Anita, but until you start, and I mean start improving the facility attendence and handle will continue to fall. Most TV's in the facility are worn out. The tote board is unreadable if you are over 40. Anyone see the tote board at Saratoga? The outlook for the horse inventory is dreadful and the purse structure is 34% LESS than Del Mar. Why would i want to go out there? A seat at the Frontrunner bar was $135 for Breeders Cup 3 years ago. This year $350. Count me out, i'll sit at home and play online.
silver_charm More than 1 year ago
That's quite an indictment Ed. I've never physically attended Santa Anita but it's my favourite track. As bad as your description paints it, Santa Anita still seems way better than many other tracks. the question is: how can those problems be rectified, & what industry body will be set up to deal with them? Leaving it up to egotistical business barons is not an answer.
Greg Scherr More than 1 year ago
If the mare was owned by most other people except the Moss's this wouldn't happen, Jerry Moss is on the board of the CHRB and has a bigger ego than most in the game today, and that's hard to do. Everyone thinks the grass is greener where Sherriffs, Moss walk, I promise it's not. Anyone want to ask them why they continue to race 5 & 6 yr old maidens for $8k up north until the break-down? They need the purse $$, NOT.
Diane Eidemiller More than 1 year ago
Wow the name Zenyatta brings out the venom.
Kimberly Martin More than 1 year ago
it sure does. None of these 'haters' remember how many fans she brought to the sport? just to watch her dance. She was special. Her record proves it.
Lisa More than 1 year ago
Nor will they ever admit it. They need to look at what is happening around them. This mare ran until she was 6, and who else is doing that???? Most running now can't make 5 races without falling apart. Not RA and surly not the crop this year. Today Potesta broke down. Wake up before you you rant!!
Chantal Smithless More than 1 year ago
Yes it does and what does that say about the people that become "venomous" at the mention of her name? We all know that she did more for the sport in that short amount of time than all of the media, advertising, etc. can do or have EVER been able to do and the mention of her name brings out people who even go so far as to start attacking her human connections. Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?
Gene Martin More than 1 year ago
Wow Greg, you have some of the dregs of the earth train for you (O'Neill, Aguirre among others), and now you are insulting two people who are among the most respected in racing. If Santa Anita did not feel an all time fan favorite was deserving of a bronze, there wouldn't be one, regardless of Mr Moss's CHRB post. Maybe they race horses up there because they are sound, but talentless and feel adding to the horse inventory is beneficial to saving No. Calif. racing? regardless, when you have incurred 1% of their success, then you should pop off....
thomas b More than 1 year ago
Uneducated. That's all I can say. The Mosses don't throw their horses away, sound or otherwise. They donate an incredible sum to retirement and rehabilitation facilities. Do a little research before making slanderous comments about people who do so much to benefit the sport.
Gerardo Helguera More than 1 year ago
Since the autum meeting is not Oak Tree anymore Santa Anita had to rename all of their stakes races know the facts
Big Jeff More than 1 year ago
You are the one lacking the facts. The race was renamed the Zenyatta well before the take over of the Oaktree meeting. Which, by the way, was yet another disgraceful act by the head clown Frank Sronach. In fact, it was renamed after her first, brief, retirement, and then postponed because they thought it awkward if she were to show up in her own race.
Gerardo Helguera More than 1 year ago
Best of the Best, Zenyatta!