Blame Wins 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic, Zenyatta Finishes Career With Valiant Defeat

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.

After an anxious route to the starting gate and a very slow start that found her dead last, jockey Mike Smith executed a fairly smooth trip from the eighth chute, but Zenyatta fell behind by as many as 30 lengths early. And though Zenyatta, who will likely retire after this race with a sparkling 19-1 record, made a stirring dash through the pack to the wire, Blame won by a nose.

This isn’t the finish Hollywood would have written for one of the greatest thoroughbreds of the modern era. In defeat, however, Zenyatta found a way to show her class one last time, and losing just one final race to a game competitor doesn’t diminish her legacy.

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.