ARCADIA, Calif. — A star-studded international cast of a dozen colts and geldings and one monster mare was entered yesterday for Saturday’s $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, the climax of the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships that begins Friday: 149 horses running in 14 races worth $25.5 million in purses.
Favored at 5-2 in the mile-and-a-quarter Classic, breaking from post 4 under Mike Smith, is the Cup’s leading lady, Zenyatta. The towering (17.1 hands) 5-year-old mare is undefeated in 13 starts, four of them over Santa Anita’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface, including last year’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic.
She takes on the boys for the first time in the Classic, and if she makes it 14 straight, it will rank among the great victories in the Cup’s 26-year history.
“We think she’s ready for this,” said Jerry Moss, the co-founder of A&M Records, who owns Zenyatta with his wife, Ann. “She seems to be peaking. It’s the right thing to do.”
But Zenyatta faces a tall task, as nine of her 12 opponents are Grade 1 winners. They include America’s top 3-year-old, Summer Bird, who won the Belmont Stakes, Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup; Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird; Gio Ponti, America’s top turf horse who’s a stakes winner over the Pro-Ride; Santa Anita Handicap winner Einstein; and the European sensation Rip Van Winkle.
“I’m just glad to be a part of it,” said Hall-of-Fame trainer Bob Baffert, whose colt Richard’s Kid, winner of the Pacific Classic, is 12-1.
Baffert said it would take “an act of God” for Richard’s Kid to beat Zenyatta. But he could be sitting on a big day with a pair of favorites: Zensational, 7-5 from the rail in the Sprint; and Lookin At Lucky, 8-5 in the Juvenile despite breaking from the far outside post 13.
Besides Rip Van Winkle, the 7-2 second choice in the Classic, several Euro-invaders should prove salty foes. They include the French filly Goldikova and England’s Conduit, who are looking to defend their titles after winning last year’s Mile and Turf, respectively.
ESPN2 will televise Friday’s six races beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST. The first three races on Saturday, with a 1:30 p.m. first post, will be shown on ABC, then the Cup switches to ESPN for the final five events. Post time for the Classic is 6:45 p.m.