Racing fans in general and Zenyatta fans in detail were disheartened to learn terminal week that 17-year-old Champion Street Weep daughter and 2010 Horse of the Twelvemonth Zenyatta lost her 2021 foal by Argentinian Champion Processed Ride. Both reside at Lane's Cease Farm in Versailles, KY.

Lane's Cease announced Zenyatta'due south loss in a brief argument concluding Tuesday:

"We at Team Zenyatta and Lane's End Farm are securely saddened to share that Zenyatta lost her 2021 foal early this year," the statement read in part. "She had been carrying a second Candy Ride colt, and we grieve the loss of this precious life. Thankfully, Zenyatta remains in excellent health and is doing very well."

The exact date of the loss and its possible cause were non made public.

While all heave a sigh of relief that Zenyatta "remains in excellent health," it is somewhat more than questionable that she "is doing very well."

There is picayune enquiry to support the widely held belief that horses grieve the loss of a foal or of a companion horse. Researchers have documented what seems like grief rituals in a variety of social animals, particularly among species of apes and among elephants. Even Fido and Felix—dogs and cats—are oftentimes reported to grieve the loss of a human or creature companion, forth with several species of birds.

Beyond Zenyatta'south personal and emotional state, at that place are reasonable questions about her breeding history and its results and so far.

Zenyatta was little short of spectacular as a racehorse, surely the well-nigh pop of her generation. She helped enthuse a younger generation about the sport. Her legion of frequently tween fans were usually present at her California races, some wearing her colors and waving "Girl Power" posters.

Girl Power! CREDIT Breeders' Cup

Champion Older Clay Female from 2008 through 2010, Breeders' Cup Classic winner in 2009 and Horse of the Twelvemonth in 2010, Zenyatta raced 20 times for trainer John Shirreffs and owners Ann and Jerry Moss. Her alone loss on the racecourse came in her last contest, the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic in the darkening twilight at Churchill Downs.

Zenyatta'south success in racing has yet to translate into breeding success. She has been in foal eight times since her 2010 retirement to a broodmare career.

Each of her pairings have been royal. She is the dam of four registered Thoroughbred foals. None accept won a unmarried race. Cozmic Ane (by Bernardini) and Ziconic (by Tapit) accept both been retired to 2d careers equally off-track Thoroughbreds. Her four-yr-old Medaglia d'Oro colt Zellda was working out last year merely has not raced. She has foaled a yearling filly, Zilkha, likewise by Candy Ride.

The sadder losses of her brood were not on the racetrack. She lost two by War Front in 2014 and 2016. The 2014 foal was humanely euthanized after a paddock accident. The 2016 colt died days later birth from meconium aspiration syndrome, a condition that results in respiratory distress. Zenyatta aborted an Into Mischief foal in 2018.

Rachel Alexandra became the outset filly to win the Woodward at Saratoga in 2009. CREDIT Eclipse Sporstwire

Zenyatta is non the outset high-contour track heroine to have difficulty in their broodmare career. Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Twelvemonth and Champion Three Year Old Colt was only the fifth colt to win the (2009) Preakness before this year's Swiss Skydiver.

Rachel Alexandra foaled twice: Jess's Dream by Curlin and Rachel'due south Valentina, an eventual Grade 1 winner by Bernardini. The latter well-nigh killed her. The foaling was uneventful, simply information technology was later found she had suffered a ruptured colon and had fecal thing in her abdomen, usually a capital punishment for horses. Buoyed past fans' prayers, an fantabulous Rood & Riddle surgical squad and effectually the clock mail service-surgical care for months, she survives—thrives in fact—today.

Just because of her foaling difficulties, owner Stonestreet decided not to brood her again. She now spends her days pensioned and outside in the company of retired mares, selected specifically to give the Champion other horses with which she could bond.

Should a similar decision be fabricated with Zenyatta?

There is in a sense a "workplace fairness" issue involved. Males retired to stud careers will breed several hundred times a flavour, sometimes even shuttling between hemispheres. While their "successes" become notable, fifty-fifty catalogued and ranked, their "failures" do non gain the same measure of attention every bit practise the unsuccessful results of pop female foaling.

Racemares retired to broodmare careers are often high profile. Popularity aside, they have the added scrutiny of beingness able to foal only once a twelvemonth. And, while information technology does happen that males suffer infrequent poor health consequences of breeding—sometimes in the form of a fatal heart attack—females are more than at hazard.

During last Thursday evening's virtual Eclipse Award ceremony from Spendthrift Farm, four-fourth dimension Champion mare and iii-time Breeders' Loving cup winner Beholder, at present residing as a Spendthrift broodmare, was seen in a alive cameo mere days away from foaling, her 4th (by Bolt d-Oro). Her previous three foalings (by Uncle Mo, Curlin and War Front end) were successful and uneventful. Her first foal, Q B One, is gear up to brainstorm his racing career.

Champion mare Beholder and her first foal, Q B One, as a weanling .COURTESY Spendthrift Farm

Three popular racemares, iii different breeding histories.

Healthy mares can theoretically brood into their 20s. That means Zenyatta could continue to be bred several more times. But should she exist?

Equus caballus lovers and racing fans who thrilled to Zenyatta's accomplishments on the race track all volition promise any conclusion most her breeding future will be made with merely 1 consideration—what is best for the horse.

Feature paradigm: Zenyatta—that close to perfection. CREDIT The New York Times