Zenyatta: The Star Attraction of the 2010 Breeders' Cup

By Sports Network

The Sports Network

No American-bred horse has ever won 20 consecutive races, let alone retire undefeated. Zenyatta has a chance to accomplish both feats with a second straight victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

The queen of California has ventured outside her home state on two occasions - both times racing at Oaklawn Park in the Apple Blossom Handicap. Ironically, those two wins were her most impressive in terms of margin of victory, taking this year's version by 4 1/4 lengths and the '08 race by 4 1/2 lengths.

Zenyatta has raced against the boys once before, in the '09 Breeders' Cup Classic, and many observers argue it was her crowning achievement as she knocked off Gio Ponti with a powerful stretch drive while running her final quarter-mile in a brisk 23 1/5 seconds. It was her first and only race at 1 1/4-miles - until this Saturday when she has a much tougher task ahead of her against the likes of Quality Road, Blame, Lookin At Lucky and, once again, Gio Ponti.

Even though the field is 10 times better, each of those horses mentioned above have their question marks. The first three have never won at 10 furlongs, while Gio Ponti's three 1 1/4-mile wins all have come on the turf.

The pace should be a fast one with the likes of First Dude, Morning Line, Etched and Haynesfield keeping Quality Road honest on the front end. Lookin At Lucky should get a dream trip but the three-year-old might not be good enough to beat this type of field.

If any horse is to hold off the late charging Zenyatta, the odds are it will be either Gio Ponti or Blame.

Gio Ponti began the '10 season slowly losing his first three races, but the five-year-old has won two of his last three, with the lone defeat coming in the Arlington Million to Debussy. The only knock on the Christophe Clement- trained turfer is the lack of a race on traditional dirt. However, that will only drive up his odds.

Blame has lost just once since 2009 and that was a second-place finish in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, a race Haynesfield had all his own way on the lead. Jockey Garrett Gomez didn't abuse Blame through the stretch in his first try at 1 1/4-miles so an improved effort is expected. Don't forget, he has won three of four lifetime starts at Churchill Downs, including the Stephen Foster Handicap back in June.