ARCADIA - Unbeaten mare Zenyatta will take on the boys on Saturday in the five million-dollar Breeders Cup Classic, and was installed as the early 5-2 favorite after drawing the fourth post on Tuesday.
"It’s her race and she deserves the chance to show what she can do," owner Jerry Moss said of the decision to put Zenyatta in the Classic rather than the Ladies Classic, which she won last year on the same Santa Anita synthetic track.
Zenyatta is undefeated in 13 career starts but has never raced against colts.
The Classic, the highlight of a two-day, 14-race Breeders Cup slate worth 25.5 million dollars, will also mark the first time she has ever raced 1 1/4 miles.
The 5-year-old, trained by John Shirreffs, has won all four of her starts this year against female competition.
Shirreffs insisted on Tuesday that opting for the Classic didn't ratchet up the pressure on Zenyatta, whose latest victory, in the Lady's Secret Stakes at Santa Anita, saw her equal Personal Ensign's record of 13 straight starts without a defeat.
"Equalling Personal Ensign's record was a big achievement for Zenyatta," he said. "Now it's like starting over."
He said he and Moss both thought that if Zenyatta was training well, she should have a chance to become the first female winner of the Classic.
Bob Baffert, who saddles Richard's Kid in the Classic, welcomed the move, even if it made his job harder.
"That's pretty gutsy," Baffert said. "That's what our sport needs... It's going to make for a great championship day."
The Classic field also includes Kentucky Derby upset winner Mine that Bird and Summer Bird, who jumpstarted his season with a victory in the Belmont Stakes and went on to win the Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup.
More than 30 European invaders for this year's Breeders Cup include the Aidan O'Brien trained Rip Van Winkle - winner of the Group One Sussex Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes this season - in the Classic.
Rip Van Winkle will be ridden by John Murtagh and was priced at 7-2 after drawing the 10th post.
The Henry Cecil-trained Twice Over, recent winner of the English Champion Stakes, will break from the fifth post - alongside Zenyatta.
In the one million-dollar Dirt Mile, the O'Brien-trained Mastercraftsman - a four time career Group One winner including the Irish 2000 Guineas - drew the inside post and was given a morning line price of 6-5.
The 1 1/2-mile, three million-dollar Turf will see Conduit, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, vie for a repeat after triumphing here last year.
The Turf field also includes John Gosden's Dar Re Mi - owned by Lady Lloyd Webber the wife of famed musical composer Lord Andrew, who is suffering from prostate cancer - and another former winner, Red Rocks.
In all 10 defending or former Breeders Cup champions are entered.
Among them, the Freddie Head-trained Goldikova will attempt to match fellow French filly Miesque - who was ridden by Head - by repeating in the two million-dollar Mile.
Friday's programme includes six races, capped by the two million-dollar, 1 1/8-mile Ladies Classic.
With Zenyatta out of the picture, Careless Jewel - winner of her last five starts - was made the early favorite after drawing the inside post in the eight-horse field. Former California-based English trainer John Gosden's Rainbow View drew the outside post.