2011 Breeders' Cup Results: Goldikova's Failure Does Nothing to Dampen Legacy

Goldikova did not win her fourth consecutive Breeders' Cup Mile. She gave a valiant effort, even leading down the stretch. But ultimately, she was not a part of the photo finish between Court Vision and Turallure, which was won by Court Vision. 

Now, I am not trying to hide from anything. I picked Goldikova to win her fourth consecutive Mile. So, you would think that missing out on a chance at history would hurt the horse's legacy. 

Here's the problem with that logic: Goldikova already had history on her side. No other horse had won that race more than twice. Only two had even accomplished that.

A six-year-old horse that's barely unable to hold a lead in one of the sport's best races at its premier event had a good performance. Win, lose, or draw, the performance was great. 

Now, if she had come out today and finished in dead last, her legacy wouldn't have been hurt. 

When she began the race, the only thing that her legacy could do was improve. Winning would have certainly aided her legacy. The same can be said about a slugger that breaks the home run record and adds to it. 

If they've already done something that's never been done before, their legacy isn't going to be hurt when they fail to distance themselves from No. 2. That's all Goldikova did today.

The bottom line is that she had already cemented herself as one of the greatest horses of all-time. Her owners, trainers, and jockey need to walk with their head held high. 

Saturday brought an end to one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport. This is a sport that hasn't given us a Triple Crown winner since 1978. What that means is that Goldikova's performance rivals anything that's been done since then.

Honestly, a case could be made that the longevity of her achievement is better than a Triple Crown.

No, she didn't make it four in a row. The time has come for a new horse to dominate. But the run she was on from No. 1 until the very end of her bid at No. 4 was unmatched.