It's impossible to imagine a more dramatic 25 seconds. The Twin Spires are glowing purple in the darkness at Churchill Downs, with only the racing strip itself brightly illuminated. Blame, seeking to become the first Classic winner for historic Claiborne Farm on its centennial, surging to the lead near the head of the stretch. The indomitable Zenyatta, looking to end her career a perfect 20-0, coming with her trademark late rally after appearing hopelessly beaten. The crowd is willing the big mare on. Standing at the clubhouse turn, with the field coming directly at me and the grandstand rocking in the darkness, was an out-of-body experience. I wished those 25 seconds could have lasted forever. We all know the result. In the end, I could do nothing but applaud both horses. As Zenyatta walked by us on the way back to her barn, I found tears coming to my eyes - not because she had lost, but because I was so grateful for the ride she has taken horse racing on for the past three years. I could do nothing but applaud as I tried to get the words "Thank you" out over and over past the lump in my throat. When Blame walked by several minutes later, a subdued crowd barely took notice. A friend and I waited by the rail and called congratulations to this brave little stallion as well. Whichever one of these two champions is crowned Horse of the Year in a few weeks - it will be a shame the other has to lose.

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

Don't let Goldikova's plain brown wrapper fool you - although not flashy, France's mighty mare is a little spitfire with extreme attitude about her. She showed dual Eclipse champion Gio Ponti her heels while coasting home in a star-studded edition of the Breeders' Cup Mile - making her the first horse ever to win three Breeders' Cup events. She'll go for four in 2011. Trainer Freddy Head rode the legendary Miesque to two Mile victories in the 1980's; Goldikova's wins give him a feat that will likely never be matched.

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

It's rare to feel as proud of a horse as I was of Rachel Alexandra in defeat in the Personal Ensign, Aug. 29 at Saratoga. After the filly won the Woodward, nearly a year to the day before, many nay-sayers noted that she was all out to hold off a closing rival at nine furlongs. They surmised that another furlong would be her outdoing. My belief all along was that perhaps she could, perhaps she couldn't - but she would give her all either way. After sizzling through early splits against the stellar Life At Ten in the Personal Ensign, Rachel Alexandra was already flagging on the turn for home as Persistently closed stoutly. A lesser horse might have folded and finished toward the rear of the pack. But Rachel found some untapped reserve of courage and dug in. She was finally caught in the shadow of the wire by Persistently - but the heart she showed in that longest quarter-mile of her life defines a Thoroughbred. As a nice aside, Persistently raced for the Phipps family and Shug McGaughey, who earlier in the year had lost the race's namesake.

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

The Whitney was billed as a showdown to determine the best handicap horse on the East Coast. Blame had won four straight races dating back to the previous fall, including the Stephen Foster in his prior start. Quality Road had swept all three of his starts in 2010, including a record-setting romp in the Donn and an impressive win in the Met Mile. The race lived up to all its advance billing, as Blame nipped Quality Road by a nose in a photo that took several minutes to examine. It was truly a memorable showdown, as Quality Road didn't lose that race as much as Blame won it.

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

On June 13, Zenyatta went after her 17th consecutive victory, which would push her past Cigar and Citation to stand alone with the longest win streak against top-level thoroughbred competition. Facing her that day was St Trinians, a British-bred spitfire who earlier that year had knocked off Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic winner Life Is Sweet before turning in a credible effort against males in the Santa Anita Handicap. The field also included Zardana, who earlier that year had defeated Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies. Turning for home, Zenyatta found herself in third, still better than two lengths behind St Trinians and Zardana. The big mare furiously rallied to catch a game St Trinians by a neck at the wire, prompting a frenzied exclamation from caller Vic Stauffer and a rousing reception from the fans.

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

This year's Belmont field was missing both Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky. However, the race still produced a memorable and likable result, as the regally-bred Drosselmeyer held off a furious finish from Fly Down to win by a neck. It was the first victory in a Triple Crown race for one of the most accomplished trainers in the game, Hall of Famer Bill Mott; it was also the first Belmont victory for Mike Smith. The race began a series of tough beats for Fly Down, who went on to finish second by a nose in the Travers and third in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and Classic. It also continued trainer Nick Zito's hard-luck year, as also he saw his horses run second in the Derby, Jim Dandy, Travers and Dirt Mile and third in the Preakness, Gold Cup and Classic.

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

The California-based Blind Luck, who will likely be crowned an Eclipse champion in January, took her show on the road many times this year, running nine times at seven different tracks in six states. The cleverly-named daughter of the one-eyed Pollard's Vision, out of the mare Lucky One, was known for her heart-stopping late rallies. The most thrilling finish of those came in the Kentucky Oaks, when she flew from last at the head of the stretch to nip the talented Evening Jewel by a nose, giving trainer Jerry Hollendorfer his third Oaks win. With Blind Luck, Evening Jewel and many others from their division returning in 2011, the distaffers should once again hold the spotlight.

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

The Santa Margarita, at Santa Anita on March 13, was Zenyatta's first start since winning the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic - the first start of the 2010 campaign that had been so eagerly anticipated ever since Jerry and Ann Moss reversed the decision to retire their superstar. Giving between 11 to 16 pounds to her seven rivals, Zenyatta was in fifth and bottled up toward the inside in deep stretch. A disappointing result loomed - for a split second, I thought, "Geez, she went out on such a high note in the Classic - and now this. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she doesn't have it in her for one more year." But like a linebacker, Zenyatta opened her own hole between horses and bulled her way through to win going away, stretching her win streak to 15. A mere mortal would have been excused for losing that race. Zenyatta needed no excuses.

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

After losing her first two starts of the year - albeit by narrow margins - the pressure was on 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra heading into the Grade II Fleur de Lis on June 12 at Churchill Downs. The filly delivered, romping by 10 1/2 lengths under the Twin Spires. She beat a soft field, and indeed, she wouldn't go on to another championship. But in that moment, her performance rekindled memories of her glory run the year before. On that day, it felt like anything was possible. Plus - we got to listen to Sam Hollingsworth struggle to pronounce "Fleur de Lis."

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

Lisa's Booby Trap was one of the best stories to come through Saratoga this summer. The 3-year-old filly, who is blind in one eye and has a club foot, was purchased for a song by owner/trainer Tim Snyder, who named her for his late wife and for a gentlemen's club in Florida. The filly won her first two starts at low-tier Finger Lakes by a combined 36 3/4 lengths, then shipped out to Saratoga for the listed Loudonville Stakes on Aug. 6. Lisa's Booby Trap, sent off a heavy favorite by the crowd, broke slowly and trailed early in the sprint, then made a sweeping move on the turn to win by six going away. The crowd, roaring in appreciation during the stretch drive, applauded her heartily as she returned, and Snyder could barely reach the winner's circle through all the well-wishers. It was a feel-good moment.

Each day for the rest of 2010, Nicole Russo is counting down her top 10 most memorable races of 2010. What are yours? E-mail sports@saratogian.com or leave a comment below!

On Dec. 15, 2007, I sent a friend an e-mail with a YouTube link to an ordinary allowance race that had taken place earlier that day at Hollywood Park.

"Check this girl out," the e-mail reads. "3YO half to Balance, by Street Cry, and is she huge! Now 2-for-2 lifetime and check out that late kick. Keep an eye out. Could be something."

Three years, 18 races, over $7.3 million and countless hearts stolen later, Zenyatta is no longer just Balance's little sister. She's indeed something.

It's been just over a month since Zenyatta's trademark heart-stopping rally came up just a head short - for the first and only time in her career - in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Last night, the big mare arrived home in Kentucky for good. After her emotional farewell ceremony at Hollywood Park on Sunday, she flew into Lexington Monday night, made a brief appearance at Keeneland, across the road, and then took a short van ride to Lane's End Farm. She'll be bred next spring to a stallion not yet disclosed.

Historians will debate Zenyatta's place in history forever. How many Grade I winners did she defeat? Will she be regarded as the best horse of California's synthetics era? Did any other highly-lauded racehorses ship as infrequently as she did? Why didn't she face males more often? Does she or does she not finally deserve Horse of the Year?

But in the end, Zenyatta is worth more than the sum total of all her parts - as witnessed at this year's Breeders' Cup.

I have never been in a racetrack crowd that was as alive, and as united behind one horse, as I experienced at this year's event at Churchill Downs. There were the guys who flew in from California in the purple '19' jerseys and the pink-and-teal shoelaces. There were the little girls in pink-and-teal dresses clutching Beanie Babies with Zenyatta saddlecloths. There was the gaggle of middle-aged women with brown felt horse ears attached to their caps, with cotton balls stuffed in them. It felt like stepping back in time, to an era before off-track wagering and the rise of other sports, when racing was the sports of kings and these horses were household names, heroes.

When the horses stepped onto the track for the Classic walkover, that crowd - waiting all day - started up a roar that sustained itself for the next half-hour, culminating in a frenzy as Zenyatta, who appeared hopelessly beaten leaving the backstretch, suddenly swung to the outside, taking dead aim on the leaders at the head of the stretch. Standing there as the entire grandstand shook in support of one incredible horse was an out-of-body experience. And although we all know that rally fell just short - in the end, Zenyatta's will to try even while facing the prospect of defeat, a situation that might have cowed many other horses, defined her.

As she walked past us on the clubhouse turn, on her way back to the barn for the final time in her career, I looked down the rail. There was hardly a dry eye visible. Everyone was still on their feet, applauding her as a conquering hero, calling out praise to her - "Thank you" and "We still love you." I suddenly remembered visiting Secretariat's grave two days earlier, thinking of what he meant to so many people, and the knowledge that great horses like this are a once-in-a-lifetime gift.

And I suddenly found tears on my own face, and my throat closing up as I tried to call "Thank you, Zenyatta" as she walked away into the darkness. Thinking of what she meant to so many, and how much I will miss her - miss that trademark strut to the post, the unfathomable charisma, the feeling of my heart in my throat as she rallied. It was a moment I never would have envisioned when I wrote that short e-mail about Balance's little sister three years ago.

Most racing fans would count themselves lucky to see one true superstar. I've been blessed with the gift of more than one. Cigar was my first true love, and then I waited nearly a decade until Zenyatta and then Rachel Alexandra came along. Zenyatta's retirement to Lane's End - just a short drive from Stonestreet, where Rachel now resides - officially closes the book on the story of these two amazing girls, and the wild ride they took the racing world on. It's been quite a chapter.

I think I've gotten my quota of great horses for my lifetime. But rather than feeling sadness as we bid farewell - it's time to be thankful for what we had, and start looking for the next one.

You know you likely never will. But that's why we love the game - for the possibility.

Trainer Bob Baffert has had some tough luck thus far in his quest for his 2,000th win as a Thoroughbred trainer. He moved within reach of the mark with winner No. 1,999 last Sunday, but has been winless since, with a few close calls.

Favored Star Presence was beaten just a nose in the opener at Hollywood Park on Thursday, and a few hours later, Queenie Marini was also second. On Friday, the trainer's only starter, For The Memories, was fourth.

If Baffert gets his milestone win today, it will be an upset. He sends out Spurrier in the Grade III Native Diver Handicap against favored Dakota Phone, winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile last out.

Baffert starts three horses at Hollywood on Sunday - maidens Tokubetsu and Free Pourin in the third race and Wynning Ride in the Grade II Bayakoa Handicap.

Mechanicville native and Saratoga resident Chad Brown has earned his first training title on the NYRA circuit, saddling more winners than anyone else at the recently-concluded Aqueduct fall main track meet.

Brown sent out nine winners during the 18-day meet, edging Rudy Rodriguez and Gary Contessa who each had seven winners. Rodriguez was looking for his second straight title after earning his first at the Belmont Fall Championship meet.

Brown's overall record on Aqueduct's main track was 33-9-9-5 - finishing in the money an incredible 69 percent of the time - and his charges earned a combined $287,294.

Brown, 31, was an assistant to Hall of Fame trainers Shug McGaughey and Bobby Frankel before going out on his own in late 2007. He's quickly risen to the top of the sport and has enjoyed a banner year on the New York circuit. He sent out a personal-best 17 winners at Saratoga, placing him third at his hometown meet behind Todd Pletcher and Linda Rice - both of whom sent out nearly twice as many starters as Brown. He also saddled seven winners at Belmont's Fall Championship Meet, tying him for 12th.

Ramon Dominguez continued his domination of the New York jockey colony, piloting 12 winners at the main track meet to defeat Jose Lezcano by nine wins for the rider title. Dominguez has won 11 of the last 12 meet titles at NYRA, with the only blip when he was third at Saratoga this summer.

Racing at Aqueduct moved to the inner track on Thursday and Dominguez was off to another hot start, winning two of the first three races.

Bob Baffert, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009, can reach another milestone this weekend, as he has a chance to saddle his 2,000th winner as a Thoroughbred trainer.

Baffert sends out two runners on today's card at Hollywood Park. He has a solid chance to get the milestone win in the day's first race, a maiden for 2-year-old fillies. Baffert's Star Presence is the favorite against just four rivals. Post time for the perhaps-historic race is 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Should she be upset, Baffert also sends out Queenie Marini in the third race, an allowance/optional claimer, also for 2-year-old fillies.

Tomorrow, Baffert saddles For The Memories in another maiden special weight event, and on Saturday, he sends out Spurrier to face Breeders' Cup winner Dakota Phone in the Grade III Native Diver.

Baffert won his 1,999th race on Sunday when the promising Alcindor improved to 2-for-2 lifetime with a win at Hollywood.

If you turned on your TV today expecting to see the opening day card from Aqueduct's winter inner track meet - don't adjust your dial. NYRA cancelled racing Wednesday due to heavy rain in the New York area and a high wind advisory. The facility isn't open for simulcasting today, either.

Aqueduct will hope to open the inner track meet with a first post tomorrow of 12:30 p.m.