Zenyatta will take on the Boys !

[RenoZag]

BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC (G1)

CLASSIC (G1)

PP ODDS HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY
1 12-1 MINE THAT BIRD Bennie L. Woolley Jr. Calvin Borel
2 12-1 COLONEL JOHN Eoin G. Harty Garrett Gomez
3 9-2 SUMMER BIRD Tim A. Ice Kent Desormeaux
4 5-2 ZENYATTA John A. Shirreffs Mike Smith
5 20-1 TWICE OVER (GB) Henry Cecil Thomas Queally
6 12-1 RICHARD'S KID Bob Baffert Alex Solis
7 12-1 GIO PONTI Christophe Clement Ramon Dominguez
8 12-1 EINSTEIN (Brz) Helen Pitts-Blasi Julian Leparoux
9 20-1 GIROLAMO Saeed bin Suroor Alan Garcia
10 7-2 RIP VAN WINKLE (Ire) Aidan P. O'Brien Johnny Murtagh
11 20-1 REGAL RANSOM Saeed bin Suroor Richard Migliore
12 12-1 QUALITY ROAD Todd A. Pletcher John Velazquez
13 30-1 AWESOME GEM Craig Dollase David Flores

The BC races are a lot like the Triple Crown races from a wagering standpoint: There have been some mighty handsome exacta, trifecta, and superfecta payouts over the history of the series. Last year's Classic results paid $160 for a $1 Exacta, $2,395 for a one dollar Tri, and the $1 SF cashed in at $10,236.00

[LynetteG]

No filly/mare has ever won the Breeders' Cup Classic so this is history in the making folks! Tune in at 345p Pacific, 445p Mountain, 545p Woohoo, and 645p Eastern to watch! I believe it is on network TV.

GO BIG GIRL! Get 'er done!

Look out boys, here I come!

[LynetteG]

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/rac...sic-field.aspx

Champion Zenyatta leads star-studded Classic field

by Jeff Lowe

In the shadow of Hollywood, the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) will not lack for drama as the blockbuster climax to the 2009 season in both the U.S. and Europe.

Leading lady Zenyatta will have star billing and a chance to cap her career in unprecedented fashion as she meets ten Grade- or Group 1-winning males in the richest race on the American calendar.

With Rachel Alexandra absent, the Classic may not have a bearing on Horse of the Year honors, but Zenyatta will get a chance to add a historic chapter to her thread of brilliance built with 13 wins in 13 starts.

“I don’t think it’s about any titles,” said Jerry Moss, who owns Zenyatta with his wife, Ann. “It’s just not about that. It’s about giving this horse, who is perhaps one of the greatest gifts we've ever been given, a chance to really show how great she can really be. And we believe this is within her reach.”

The script just happens to have Zenyatta on a familiar course and surface, while eight of her 12 Classic foes will have to deal with a surface switch, from either dirt or turf to Santa Anita Park’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface. Zenyatta has registered four wins at Santa Anita, including a 3 1/4-length victory in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1).

“If she fires, she's certainly going to be the one to beat,” jockey Mike Smith said. “I think you're going to see something amazing.”

Raven’s Pass ascended from turf to a Classic triumph on the Pro-Ride last year, which made him the second European-based horse to win the 1¼-mile race. Rip Van Winkle (Ire), a three-year-old, will be following an identical path this year after winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Eng-G1) at Ascot, the same race that Raven’s Pass won in his final prep.

Top U.S. three-year-old Summer Bird will seek his fourth Grade 1 win in a meteoric burst that has already accounted for dirt victories in the Belmont Stakes (G1), Shadwell Travers Stakes (G1), and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) in his last four starts.

The diverse group that will join Zenyatta, Rip Van Winkle, and Summer Bird in the Classic includes six horses who are listed at 12-to-1 on the morning line: Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Einstein (Brz), Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Mine That Bird, Florida Derby Presented by Blackberry (G1) winner Quality Road, 2008 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Travers winner Colonel John, Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) winner Richard’s Kid, and Gio Ponti, who won four straight Grade 1 races on turf this year after beginning his season with a Pro-Ride victory in the Beaufort Stakes.

Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer

[LynetteG]

ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!!!!!!!!!


and that trifecta was just TOO easy!

here's a link to the race. she is #4 and has a horrible trip, breaks dead last. she finally gets to the outside down the stretch and shows us what she's made of...INCREDIBLE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5IGp8w0xaM

[LynetteG]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ap/index.html#

Zenyatta wins Breeders Cup Classic

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) -- What a gal!

Zenyatta beat the boys in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday, running her record to 14-0 in the most impressive effort of her career.

The 5-year-old mare rallied from last in the early going and fought off Gio Ponti in the stretch to win by a length at Santa Anita, beating a loaded field of 11 males and becoming the first female to win the Classic in its 26-year history.

Quality Road was scratched at the starting gate after he acted up and scraped his hind leg, delaying the start by several minutes. That may have explained Zenyatta's poor start as she broke from the gate on the wrong foot and trailed early in the race.

Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, Zenyatta still ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.62 and paid $7.60, $5.60 and $3.80 as the 5-2 wagering favorite of the 58,845 fans.

Gio Ponti returned $9.20 and $6.60, while Britain-bred Twice Over paid $7 to show.

Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird was fourth and Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird ninth, extending his losing streak to five straight since his 50-1 upset on the first Saturday in May. Irish import Rip Van Winkle was 10th.

Zenyatta was the star of the show, prancing as she paraded past the grandstand on her way to the gate. Fans held up pink signs reading "Girl power! Go Zenyatta" and roared when the hometown hero came through the tunnel and stepped onto the synthetic track.

Owners Jerry and Ann Moss decided to enter Zenyatta in the Classic instead of trying to defend her title in the $2 million Ladies' Classic on Friday. Her presence gave a big boost to the signature event of the two-day world championships, which was missing the year's other star female, Rachel Alexandra.

That 3-year-old filly went 8 for 8 this year, including three wins against the boys, one coming in the Preakness Stakes. But Rachel Alexandra's owner, Jess Jackson, shut her down for the season rather than run her on the synthetic surface, which he dislikes.

Debate had raged in the week leading up to the race about whether Zenyatta could handle an international field of males and possibly snatch away Horse of the Year honors from Rachel Alexandra. The argument only intensifies after her explosive performance.

Smith let Zenyatta lope along at the back of the field, her usual position early in races. Rounding the final turn, Zenyatta still had a lot of ground to make up on the leaders and her chances appeared bleak.

Zenyatta then made a bold inside move midway through the far turn to gain momentum. After the field turned for home, Smith angled her to the far outside and the crowd erupted.

Showing the grit of an undefeated champion, Zenyatta closed relentlessly and denied Gio Ponti the upset. Smith pumped his left arm as Zenyatta galloped past the grandstand for possibly the last time in her career.

The Mosses have said Zenyatta, named after the 1980 album "Zenyatta Mondata" by The Police, will go to the breeding shed next year.