Is Zenyatta the best racehorse ever?

Vic Stauffer realized early on that this was one fast girl with a hell of a future. "And that's when you knew you were really lookin' at somethin' very special," he told Simon.

"She always comes from behind. You ever go a little bit crazy when she's way behind?" Simon asked.

"Again, yeah, because I've become a fan and I've rooted for her. But, that's just all part of the theater of her. She passes them all and I have a feeling that if there were ten more in front of her, she'd just pass them," Stauffer replied.

Jockey Mike Smith told Simon, "I think that's what keeps her sound and keeps her happy is that she only does what she has to do."

"So you might not have been on her at her fastest yet?" Simon asked.

"I truly don't believe I have. I've always, in every race that I've ridden her in, I've always felt that there was another gear if I needed it," Smith said.

But her beginnings did not seem special at all. The only thing remarkable about her was her price: she was bought at an auction when she was one year old for only $60,000.

John Shirreffs has been her trainer ever since. "We were just really blessed and fortunate," he told Simon.

Asked how they got her so cheap, Shirreffs said, "Well, I think because she had skin disease she had a form of ringworm so she wasn't particularly attractive at the sale."

Shirreffs told Simon she had a rash at the time.

"So, it's been from rash to riches?" Simon joked. "I don't quite believe I said that."

Under Shirreffs' tutelage, Zenyatta has won more than $6 million. But she was a late starter, not ready and too immature, Shirreffs thought, to run in the big races when she was a little kid.

Asked why he didn't run her in the Kentucky Derby when she was three years old, Shirreffs told Simon, "You know, she wasn't, as a three year old, she wasn't ready to race. You know, it took her a long time to mature into the horse she is now. And we just had to be patient with her."

Shirreffs gave Zenyatta time to grow up, and insisted on doing it at his own pace, without ever losing his temper. He thinks horses know when people are tense and they don't like it. We spent nearly a week with Zenyatta and, for a celebrity of her stature, we had unusual access. We could watch her beauty treatments in the morning, the bandaging of her legs in the afternoon. We played with her on the lawn which was planted just for her.

Zenyatta's owners, Ann and Jerry Moss, who made their fortune in the music business, knew how to pamper their starlet.

"She's touched and handled by 14, oh, at least 14 people a day," Jerry Moss said.

"She's touched by 14 people a day?" Simon asked.

"Over 14," Moss replied. "At least 14 people a day."

According to Moss, someone is with Zenyatta 24 hours a day.

"Pretty cozy," Simon remarked.

"It is," Ann Moss acknowledged.

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[stahlj]

Everytime I see Zenyatta, I recall a filly from a long time ago named Ruffian. I remember the devastation on the back stretch as we all watched in horror as Ruffian broke down and Foolish Pleasure crossed the finish line alone. Zennyatta brought back our faith in "girl power" on the race track! Many thanks to the Owners for retiring Zenny - may we look forward to her progeny for many years to come!

[LisagS]

I was watching when Ruffian broke down, it is one of the saddest experiences in my life, and now, Zenyatta, one of the happiest experiences of my life. So glad that the horses are better cared for than in the 70's.

[MargieRose94]

Agree....I enjoyed watching the replay of LAST YEAR'S segment however, I would have liked to have seen MORE of Zenyatta's CURRENT life at Lane's End Farm. With sooooooo much commercial time and sooooooo little of Z's current life reported on, I was VERY disappointed, this time, with your program. Your time and the expense of producing this program was wasted!

[jackmwolf]

Bob Simon and producer Tom Anderson missed a great opportunity here. This magnificent animal has endeared herself to thousands of fans through her web site. Yet nothing was mentioned about that or the fact that the breeding season is past the halfway point and the individuals who handle this mare will not reveal any information about her reproductive status (good or bad). Re-airing last October's piece with a bit of recent footage may have been entertaining however this is an ongoing saga and their is so much more that could have been addressed here. Not one of your best efforts.

[LisagS]

First, thank you CBS and 60 Minutes for acknowledging this beautiful human being in the form of a horse. I know this was done quickly, must 60 Minutes missed so much of her accomplishments since retirement. I just wish a little more research would have been done, Zenyatta is more than a racehorse and a retired racehorse. I am grateful that CBS and 60 Minutes acknowleges her, she deserves it. Thank you again.

[baileyccc]

Secretariat will remain the Gold Standard for this lagging sport.

[bradkt1]

THANK YOU! These people must be CRAZY to even think that there was a greater race horse than Secretariat!

[saopaulo66]

I think my sister athletes may be overly sensitive, which lends itself to imbalance. There is no comparison. She has four legs, we have two. She weighs more than a ton, we don't. She was sold to highest bidder. Hopefully, we weren't. Calm down, sisters.

Now to the real reason I'm writing until I read some comments registered before mine. THANK YOU SO MUCH, for the time you gave Zenyatta. She is beautiful, indeed. As a young girl, I rode in amateur rodeos, and I must tell you, each one of my plebian steeds were as grand as her in my mind! She is indeed a beauty and I wish her the best. I was also impressed by the owner, who thanked her for all he had given her. Good going, 60 minutes! Best, Robin