The Zenyatta Video

For this blog's post #900 how about a close look at the sensational Zenyatta video with a bird's eye view of the ride, and we see what a noted barn and jock do with a champion horse.

There's little in life more fun that being on a race horse at speed. You get a feel of this from the video. I'd add to what you see that when you're on board the ground going by will seem much clearer in real time than on the video. Unknown what Mike Smith does as he motors down the track, but I'm intent on the ground just ahead, steering my horses through the best part of the divots, calculating my exit strategy with every stride should something happen. Do I bail out right, left, how do I get the feet out of the stirrups, how do I land. You get a whiff in the video of the intense concentration involved as you notice the jabbering begins after the work.

In addition to what you get on the web cam, there's a 35 mph wind hitting you in the face, and possible negative pressure if the wind is already blowing hard. On dirt you hear the front lead leg smacking into the ground and get significant jarring with every stride. There is a strong forward propulsive feel from the bounding animal. My horses have to chug significantly harder to get their :12s than does Zenyatta here. She gives more the effect of :13s when she's lopping off :12s. It's difficult to notice lead changes and the reinsmanship in process to bring that about. Guarantee that is going on. And how about Mike Smith's enthusiasm after how many years and how many rides. Great stuff!

As to the handling of the horse, I might have been more impressed. Maybe a few years down the road we'll see significant changes in the protocol as it appears here, particularly with respect to the warm up where I'd guess the horse probably is ready for her best performance if she went another round. You'll notice here almost zero attempt to improve a performance and little idea in the purpose or concept of what is happening I was a little surprised at the lack of communication as I noticed it between rider and horse, and the ponyman dolt is one of the problems at our racetracks. What I see here as deficiencies in handling may best be explained by noting, where you to watch the same thing with one of my animals, you'd probably see the horse has a lot more say in what is going on, whereas in this one Z seems more like an irrelevant automaton. My guess, things are getting more sophisticated as we go. We're seeing that this year in the Derby training, if you read the daily notes.

Training:
Tues. 4/21. Rod's problem is a wound instead of right hind abscess. Looks as if he hit a rock at full tilt as there's smashing in about the size of a quarter in the sole and some exposed laminae. Hopefully a 2 or 3 day thing, if we can keep the thing from infecting. Art had been on quite a romp already as I arrived as he was red hot and sweaty. Following yesterday's speed stuff, easy today and reinto tack work 2 x 3f slow gallop with some trot-walk.