It was oh so close to a win for gamblers who wagered on Zenyatta at the sports betting website but the superstar horse lost by a nose to Blame in the Breeders Cup Classic on Saturday night. Zenyatta was heavily favored at sports betting companies and she nearly pulled off a great comeback to win the Classic but just fell short.
Perfection Ends
Zenyatta had won all 19 of her races and was looking to retire a perfect 20 for 20. It almost happened. She rallied from behind but could not get by Blame at the wire. Zenyatta got off to a slow start and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith did not push her enough early and it may have cost the horse the race. Smith blamed himself for the loss after the race was over.
Blame
The horse that got the win was Blame and it is very possible that he will win Horse of the Year. He won the Classic in 2:02.28 and paid $12.40 to win. Zenyatta finished second while Fly Down was third. Lookin at Lucky finished fourth. The win by Blame was his third on the dirt at Churchill Downs.
Goldikova
Lost in the hoopla of Zenyatta’s loss was the win by Goldikova. She defended her title in the Mile and became the first horse ever to win three Breeders Cup races. In other results from Saturday at SBG it was Dangerous Midge winning the $3 million Turf, Pluck taking the $1 million Juvenile Turf, Big Drama dominating the $2 million Sprint; Chamberlain Bridge winning the $1 million Turf Sprint; 37-1 long shot Dakota Phone taking the $1 million dollar Dirt Mile and Uncle Mo winning the $2 million Juvenile.
Saturday Notes
There was sad news from the Juvenile Turf as Rough Sailing was euthanized after breaking a major bone in his upper leg after he slipped and fell on the first turn. In other races, Gio Ponti finished second to Goldikova in the Mile and Mine That Bird who won the 2009 Kentucky Derby, finished 10th in the Dirt Mile. This year’s Breeders Cup which included 14 races saw American horses win 12 times in horse racing sports betting website odds, while European horses won just twice.