You might also find this interesting:  Guess how many races Zenyatta won at 9 furlongs or more?  SEVEN.  Guess how many races Rachel Alexandra won at 9 furlongs or more?  SEVEN.

Rachel wasn’t distance limited – it’s all a function of pace.  She simply suffered in the late stages of any race where she battled through an especially hot early pace (as any horse would).  Just as Zenyatta struggled to run down far inferior competition in races with a slow early pace. The fact that Rachel held on to win in the Preakness and Woodward given the pace scenarios is a testament to just how talented she was.

Beyers aren’t higher for shorter distances.  They’re equivalent across all distances.  It simply requires more talent and more endurance to run higher Beyers at longer distances.  Virtually every horse can sprint, much fewer can be as good going long.

If history judges Zenyatta ahead of Rachel it will be because of her Breeders’ Cup Classic performances and Rachel’s poor 4 year old season.  3 year old Rachel Alexandra would have been heavily favored over any year’s version of Zenyatta had they faced each other and justifiably so.  Rachel’s 3 year old season was the most impressive of any 3 year old filly in history and far more powerful than any individual season Zenyatta ever had.