Unfortunately I missed this year’s TV coverage and it looks like I missed out on seeing some racing history. Zenyatta was the first filly to win the Breeders Cup Classic race and this was her 14th win from 14 starts - another record - and is now expected to retire.

It looks like there was a possibility of her racing the the other superstar filly Rachel Alexander during the year but I guess we’ll never know who was the better of the two. Not that I think it matters. It’s just great for racing and the horse world in general when there are such superstars to watch.

All thoroughbreds are descended from Arabians and yet I have heard little about international Arabian horse racing. At the end of July at Ascot Racecourse in the UK and after the major flat race of the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a race for top Arabians horses took place as the English leg of an international series to promote Arabian horse racing.

The race was watched by approx 30,000 spectators. This would have been interesting to watch to compare the relative speed of the Arabians compared to their thoroughbred relatives.

The winner of the Grand National steeplechase event at the weekend was a 100-1 outsider. Mon Mome was the first 100-1 winner since the famous victory of Foinavon in 1967, when loose horses interfered with the main runners and Foinavon managed to escape trouble from the back of the field and went on to win the race. There have only been five winners of 100-1 odds or more in the 170 year history of the race.

The winning horse was trained by only the second female trainer to win the event. Venetia Williams was also one of the few female riders to have taken part in the race but injured her neck in a fall at the famous Beechers Brook fence.

The horse had only won once in three and a bit seasons and wasn’t in great form either before the race, although he was 10th in the race last year. Well done to the people who managed to pick him out as  a potential winner. I’d be interested to know how many people actually bet on him to win but the bookmakers were very happy with the result.

I always miss being at home when the Cheltenham Festival is held. It’s usually the middle of March and one of the main UK horse racing events of the year. This year it is 10 -14 March so it started today.

There is no TV coverage here in the US so it’s a case of checking the BBC website for the results.  When I lived in the UK, I used to try to take at least some days off work but didn’t manage it very often. At least there were usually some evening highlight programmes. If anyone finds any US TV coverage of this event, please let me know.

Unbeaten filly Zarkava was recently named Horse of the Year at Britain’s 2008 Cartier Racing Awards.

Zarkava was undefeated in 7 races in France in 2008, including the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe and has been retired to stud. Her perfect record included 5 Group 1 wins and winnings of more than 4.5 million dollars. The distances varied from a mile to 12 furlongs. She was also unbeaten in her two races as a two-year old.

She was the first filly since Allez France in 1993 to win the French 100 Guineas. French Oaks and the Prix Vermeille in the same season. Her Timeform rating of 133 is the best rating in 20 years.

I looked up the pedigree of this super-filly, who was bred and owned by the Aga Khan and it was full of some of the best-known stallions of recent years, including The Minstrel, Secretariat, Northern Dancer, Nijinsky, Blushing Groom and Mill Reef.

I’m sure it won’t happen but a foal by Big Brown out of Zarkava would be a very interesting pedigree…..