Zenyatta comes up short in Classic

LOUISVILLE — She came running as she had done so often before — 19 times to be precise — stretching every bit of her 17.2-hand frame down the middle of the track and swallowing up yards of ground with each stride.

Somehow, despite coming from the back of the pack, despite spotting the leaders about 20 lengths at the start, the big mare was again passing rivals with ease and zeroing in on the finish line.

It was quintessential Zenyatta, except for one major difference.

This time, she didn't get there.

This time, there was a better horse.

The 72,739 in attendance at Churchill Downs Saturday came to see whether history would be made in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic. Instead, the crowd found themselves stunned into relative quiet as multiple-Grade I winner Blame defeated the previously unbeaten champion mare Zenyatta by a head in a stirring photo finish that will go down as one of the most memorable moments in World Championships history.

Of all the grand horses who have come to the Breeders' Cup with records and reputations on the line, none has generated the kind of fervor that followed the charismatic Zenyatta.

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In 19 starts, the 6-year-old daughter of Street Cry had never tasted defeat. She had 13 Grade I wins, including victories in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic and last year's Classic — both over the synthetic track at Santa Anita.

Once she arrived at Churchill Downs on Tuesday, her quest to end her career at 20-0 featured police escorts to and from the track, rows of fans lining the barn fence each day, and the kind of media following usually reserved for those named Gaga or Lohan.

"It hurts more than I can explain," said jockey Mike Smith, the man who has guided her in all but three of her starts, his voice breaking with emotion. "You know, I believe she ranks up there with the greatest of all time and, if she'd have won this, you could arguably say she was.

"To come up a (head) short is just ... it's too hard. It's too hard."

As great as Zenyatta's record was, there were still questions that lingered over her heading into the Classic.

She hadn't faced males yet this season and hadn't beaten a horse this year who was a Grade I winner. Her previous two starts on dirt had come at Oaklawn Park during her wins in the 2008 and 2010 Grade I Apple Blossom Handicaps.

Blame, by contrast, had established himself as the horse many felt was the biggest threat to Zenyatta's streak of perfection.

The 4-year-old son of Arch loved the Churchill surface — as he proved during his win in the Grade I Stephen Foster Handicap in June — and he had taken down the highly touted Quality Road in the Grade I Whitney Handicap before finishing second in the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Owners/breeders Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider had been pointing the bay colt toward the Classic since last December.

"It's one of those rare things where everything comes together once, and that's obviously what it takes to win a race of this magnitude," said trainer Al Stall Jr., who earned his first Breeders' Cup win. "When I saw her (Zenyatta) coming, I had a sneaking suspicion that he (Blame) was waiting a little bit like he does. It got hairy there at the end, but I'm sure they could have gone like that another eighth or whatever had to be done."

It is Zenyatta's style to fall to the back of the pack and then come charging at the end, but she got away slowly even for her and was several lengths behind the main pack as First Dude set the pace with Quality Road — who eventually faded to last — through a half-mile in :47.14.

She got herself closer up as the 12-horse field made its way down the backstretch but had only one horse beat with a quarter of a mile left.

"(The dirt) was hitting her, and she wasn't used to it," Smith said of the even-money favorite. "When I got her out, it was a gallant effort on her part. If I had it to do over again, I would have. It was my fault. She should have won, and it hurts."

As Zenyatta was battling to get into contention, Blame was sitting seventh alongside Preakness Stakes winner Lookin At Lucky, waiting for the cue to come from jockey Garrett Gomez.

When the field came off the final turn, Blame wedged his way between Lookin At Lucky to his outside and Espoir City inside and got to work earning his ninth win in 13 starts.

"He was there for me. He did everything," Gomez said. "I was asking him without asking for everything, trying to save just enough so if she did come to me, I had some kind of response.

"He was marvelous today, probably the best race he's ever run."

Fly Down came running late to get third, edging out Lookin At Lucky.

Final time for the distance was 2:02.28.

"We're so happy with what Zenyatta has done. She ran her heart out today," trainer John Shirreffs said. "She ran her race, and congratulations to Blame. I'm just so proud of her. She ran an excellent race."

The one trophy missing for Zenyatta in her career is Horse of the Year. Though it is sure to be a tight race between her and Blame for this year's honor, what transpired under the lights at Churchill might be the deciding factor.

"I thought the battle for Horse of the Year was fought about a half-hour ago, and Blame won it," Claiborne's Seth Hancock said after the race. "She's a great horse, but she had her shot to get by, and she didn't do it. I can't believe (Blame) wouldn't be Horse of the Year."

This story was originally published November 7, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Zenyatta comes up short in Classic."