Zenyatta denied in quest for 20 wins by Blame

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — She came running as she had done so often before — 19 times to be precise — stretching every ounce of her 17.2-hand frame down the middle of the track as those long, dark bay legs swallowed 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, on this day, there was a better horse.

The 72,739 in attendance at Churchill Downs on Saturday came to see if 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 undoubtedly go down as one the most memorable moments in the World Championships history.

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

In 19 prior starts, the 6-year-old daughter of Street Cry had never tasted defeat and included among her 13 Grade I wins were victories in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic and, most famously, her triumph last year over males in the 1¼-mile Classic — both over the synthetic track at Santa Anita.

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

What it didn't include, for the first time in her life, was a trip to the winner's circle.

"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.