Zenyatta in Breeders' Cup Classic highlights championships
Arcadia, CA (Sports Network) - Undefeated mare Zenyatta will take on males for the first time in Saturday's $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park. The 1 1/4 mile race is the concluding event of the 26th annual Breeders' Cup World Championships to be run Friday and Saturday.
The two-day event features 14 championship races worth a total of $25.5 million. This is the second straight year Santa Anita is hosting the Breeders' Cup. Churchill Downs will be the 2010 host track.
Friday's lineup of races will consist of the $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon, $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, $2 million Juvenile Fillies, $2 million Filly & Mare Turf, $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint and $2 million Ladies' Classic. The Marathon will go off at 3:35 P.M. (et).
The eight Saturday races begin at 1:45 P.M.
(et) with the $1 million Juvenile Turf followed by the $1 million Turf Sprint, $2 million Sprint, $2 million Juvenile, $2 million Mile, $1 million Dirt Mile, $2 million Turf and at 6:45 P.M. (et) the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Zenyatta won last year's Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic on her way to becoming 2008 champion older female. This year, in an effort to have her voted 2009 Horse of the Year, the five-year-old will face 12 male thoroughbreds on Santa Anita's synthetic track, Owned by Jerry and Ann Moss, Zenyatta will start from post four with regular rider Mike Smith.
The mare is the early 5-2 favorite for the Classic as announced last week.
"The extra eighth of a mile certainly should benefit her," said Smith. "She shows that in her races, anyway. She runs a mile and an eighth all the time (three races), and she's always galloping out with plenty left. You wouldn't think an extra eighth would matter to her. I should hope not. But she's training well and she's ready to go.
Zenyatta, trained by John Shirreffs, is perfect in 13 career starts, including four this year, with $2.77 million lifetime earnings.
The 7-2 second choice is European runner Rip Van Winkle. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, the three-year-old colt will be ridden by John Murtagh from post ten.
"He's only a three-year-old and didn't have it easy," O'Brien noted, "but we're looking forward to him in the Classic. He's a real crack miler and full of determination and strength at the end. He has never been on a synthetic surface, but he is a good mover and fast ground is his forte. The season has been long and hard, but he is one of those horses with real mile pace and he is not wilting at the end." Rip Van Winkle is the winner of half his eight career starts with $915,117 in winnings.
He is coming off wins in the Queen Elizabeth II and Sussex Stakes for owners Mrs. John Magnier and Michael Tabor.
Leading three-year-old colt Summer Bird has been installed as the 9-2 third pick for the Classic. Winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup last time out, the colt will break from post three with Kent Desormeaux once again riding.
"My horse will run according to how the pace scenario sets up," trainer Tim Ice said. "He definitely can lay up close, and I also think he can be four or five (lengths) off of it. I think it's just a matter of seeing how the race sets up, let 'em break and see where you're at.
"If we can get a head start on them (into the stretch), I know we can kick away, and my colt, he doesn't stop until the wire comes. If they head him, he's going to have a lot of fight." Summer Bird won the Belmont Stakes and Travers after his sixth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and second to Rachel Alexander in the Haskell. Owned by Drs.
Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman, Summer Bird has won four of eight career starts for more than $2 million.
Here is the complete field for the Breeders' Cup Classic in post position order: Mine That Bird, Colonel John, Summer Bird, Zenyatta, Twice Over, Richard's Kid, Gio Ponti, Einstein, Girolamo, Rip Van Winkle, Regal Ransom, Quality Road and Awesome Gem.
ABC and ESPN will provide televised coverage over the two days.
11/03 18:18:52 ET
