ZENYATTA COULD BE POINTED AT 2010 DUBAI WORLD CUP AT MEYDAN RACECOURSE

One of the biggest announcements in American horseracing is expected today- namely whether Zenyatta or her counterpart Rachel Alexandra will be named 2009 US Horse of the Year at the Eclipse Awards. Meanwhile, some racing pundits are already taking a guess at the next step in the game, with Zenyatta’s connections announcing that the mare will run as a six year-old, overtures are being made to bring Zenyatta to Dubai for the inaugural season at Meydan racecourse.
While Zenyatta’s owners are certainly in no fuss for money, it is clear that they appreciate the importance of their mare within the global sphere of racing. Conveniently, I don’t think the $10,000,000 purse is going to put them off a run in Dubai. The 2010 Dubai World Cup is set to be the richest race in the world and many believe it will be the biggest appearance by an American runner since Cigar put Dubai on the map back in 1996 with his thrilling performance at Nad Al Sheba.
A significant amount of American racing enthusiasts don’t think Zenyatta will ship to Dubai and will instead continue to focus on high-stakes racing at Santa Anita in Arcadia, California- a state where Zenyatta is a household name. Rumours are abounding, now that Zenyatta is back in the racing fold, that she is being prepped for a widely-anticipated showdown with Rachel Alexandra- likely at Oaklawn (the only course where both horses have raced).
I think there’s a better chance of the Dubai trip happening than certain other pundits seem to think. I think the synthetic surface plays into Zenyatta’s favour and, having made an example of the boys by coming from last to first on a thrilling stretch run in the Breeders Cup Classic, I think her connections will see this as really the only logical step up for Zenyatta. After that performance on the pro-ride in the classic, it is a very realistic possibility that she wins this massive race.
There are only a few names being seriously bandied about for the 2010 Dubai World Cup and they include Vodka- a Japanese heavyweight, along with French 5 year old Vision D’Etat who took the Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin back in mid-December. Prior to that, Vision D’Etat scored in several group 1’s including the Prix Ganay at Longchamp and the Prince of Wales Stakes at Ascot. This is a turf horse through-and-through and the potential showdown with Zenyatta is absolutely fascinating.
I think it’s going to be an incredible year for the 6 year-old unbeaten mare. A victory in the Dubai World Cup would likely install Zenyatta not just as one of the best horses in recent memory, but one of the best horses of all time.