Breeders’ Cup 2010: Zenyatta’s Run For Immortality Thwarted By Blame

Blame’s big win over Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic may have been the highest-profile Breeders’ Cup victory on Saturday, but it was just one of many.

In fact, European mare Goldikova may have been a bigger story than Zenyatta at Churchill Downs. She won her third straight Breeders’ Cup Mile, becoming the first-ever horse to win three Breeders’ Cup races, and prompted this quote from Christophe Clement, trainer of second-place finisher Gio Ponti.

Zenyatta likely finished her career today by losing by a nose to Blame in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic. The discussion about where she ranks among the all-time great racehorses may have just begun.

Among once-beaten horses, only Native Dancer and Man o’ War have more wins. Fewer than 15 horses have ever run off 19 straight wins like Zenyatta, and many of them raced in less competitive races in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. And Zenyatta, despite never racing in a Triple Crown race and starting her career late in her three-year-old year, racked up 13 grade one wins, tied for fourth all-time.

Zenyatta did not win in her 20th start. But the way she lost may have secured her legend forever.

The dark bay six-year-old placed in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, unable to run down Blame, the horse anointed by SB Nation’s horse racing blog And Down the Stretch They Come as her greatest competitor, despite a thrilling surge to the wire.

Sad news to report from the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs: Rough Sailing, who was competing in the Juvenile Turf race, slipped and fell while rounding a turn. There are differing reports; one says that Rough Sailing broke his humerous, while another reports that he broke his shoulder.

In either case, it was determined that the horse could not be saved, and it was decided that the best option was to euthanize the horse. Rosie Napravnik, the jockey, managed to avoid injury.

As of 2 P.M. Eastern on Saturday, the majority of Breeders’ Cup races have yet to be run. One of these, of course, is the Classic (6:45), which will feature the final race of Zenyatta’s historic career.

Thankfully, SB Nation has our very own horse racing blog, And Down The Stretch They Come, which has outlined some personal picks. Here they are:

The main event of Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup action is certainly the 11th and final race, the Classic, which is set to post at 6:45 P.M. Eastern. Unsurprisingly, Zenyatta remains the favorite, with odds better than 2:1. Here are the morning lines for each horse, as listed by Bodog.com:

1. Quality Road (J.R. Velazquez) - 5/1

2. Paddy O’Prado (K. Desormeaux) - 15/1

3. Haynesfield (R. Dominguez) - 12/1

4. First Dude (R. Albarado) - 15/1

5. Blame (G. Gomez) - 9/2

6. Fly Down (J. Leparoux) - 15/1

7. Musket Man (R. Maragh) - 20/1

8. Zenyatta (M. Smith) - 8/5

9. Pleasant Prince (J. Rosario) - 30/1

10. Etched (A. Garcia) - 30/1

11. Espoir City (T. Sato) - 20/1

12. Lookin At Lucky (M. Garcia) - 6/1

As of noon Eastern time, a few program changes have been made to some of the 11 Breeders’ Cup races. Most importantly, no changes have been made to the Classic, but you’ll want to give this a look if you’re putting money on some of the other upcoming races.

Race 2 - 12:35

Scratched: No. 5 Wildcat Heiress, No. 11 Magnificent Mia

Equipment change: No. 6 Aegean will run with blinkers on

Overweight: No. 7 Tidal Pool +2, No. 10 Fuzzy Britches +1

Race 3 - 1:15

Scratched: No. 12 Alpha Kitten

Race 4 - 1:50

Scratched: No. 1 Typhoon Slew

Race 5 - 2:30

No changes

Race 6 - 3:15

Scratched: No. 15 Yield Bogey

Race 7 - 3:55

No changes

Race 8 - 4:40

No changes

Race 9 - 5:20

Scratched: No. 8 Crown of Thorns

Racing with adjunct: No. 13 Cool Coal Man

Race 10 - 6:00

Scratched: No. 6 Workforce

Race 11 (Classic) - 6:45

No changes

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for updates on Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup action. And for more, be sure to check out our horse racing blog, And Down The Stretch They Come.

The 2010 Breeders’ Cup begins its second and final day of races at Churchill Downs in Louisville. 11 races will be run today. The last of these, known as the Classic, is scheduled to post at 6:45 and, and all eyes will be on Zenyatta.

Today’s Classic will be the final race of Zenyatta’s historic career. She’s a filly, and a filly has never won the Classic since its inception in 1984. She’s the heavy favorite at 2 to 1, however, as she has won all 19 of her career starts. If she and jockey Mike Smith can pull off a 20th and final win, some will regard Zenyatta as the best racing horse of all time, above the likes of Secretariat and Seattle Slew.