Zenyatta will always keep racing fans thinking what if, but Uncle Mo provides hope for the future.

Zenyatta put in a breathtaking run throughout the long Churchill Downs stretch, but it was not to be.  The winner’s circle eluded the charismatic 6-year-old mare for the first time in her 20-race career.  

After a 19-straight wins, and a thrilling stretch run, Zenyatta came up a head short against Blame in the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic in front of 72,739 fans under the lights at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.  

Jockey Mike Smith ended up blaming himself for the loss.

“It was my fault,” he said, tearfully.  “She should’ve won.”

The finish was so close that it had to be separated by a photograph, but ultimately, nearly all of the fans in attendance had realized that she had lost. When the result was made official, it broked the hearts of millions of Zenyatta fans around the world.  

Even though going in Zenyatta’s 19-for-19 record had no blemishes, there were some doubters as to her ability.  That is surprising given the fact she easily won the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, but that was run over an artificial pro-ride track surface, and some people reasoned that Zenyatta could not run as well on dirt.  Still, Zenyatta had twice over dirt when winning at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  But in the Classic, as the even-money favorite, Zenyatta removed all doubts that she belonged.

Ironically, it was Zenyatta’s inexperience with dirt racing that may have cost her the race.  In the initial stages of the race, Zenyatta appeared to slow her stride and turn her head away from the onslaught of dirt being kicked back by the other horses racing in front of her.  Just a couple of slow strides left her another few lengths back of the back, making it that much harder for her to make up the ground in the stretch.   

In the end, Zenyatta closed from over 15 lengths back to get to Blame.  If she only had a couple more strides, the result may have been different.  

The other highlight of the day was Uncle Mo, who proved himself as the winter favorite for the 2011 Kentucky Derby with a smashing 4 ¼ length victory over an overmatched Boys At Toscanova, who was another six lengths ahead of Rogue Romance in the field of ten.  Trainer Todd Pletcher plans to give Uncle Mo some time off for the rest of the year before preparing for a Derby campaign that will likely start in Florida and go through the Wood Memorial in New York.