FLY DOWN for a surprise winner at a great price.  Won't even speculate on finish order for rest of field.

No perfection for the lady

Would love to see Zenyatta in the winner's circle, but I can't imagine it happening; such an amazing field.

Had to put the best female and male from Oaklawn at the top. Sorry, just a little bias especially to the lady!

wow

I CAN'T THINK. THERE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD HORSES. BUT DO THINK IT WILL BE CLOSE CALL WITH ZENYATTA, LOOKIN AT LUCKY AND BLAME. BLESSINGS TO THE JOCKEY'S AND ALL THE HORSES IN ALL THE RACES

P.S. QUALITY ROAD AND PADDY O' PRADO THEM ALSO.

Zenyatta will win :) she has more heart soul and strength than any other horse she faces. She is truely a world class athlete. I think some of the other horses might be a challenge, but like Mike Smith said, Zenyatta has a whole other gear that has never been seen... Maybe this time she will use it <3

Oh....I am so confused, the correct order of finish?? not even going to guess.

If Zenyatta wins, proves tomorrow all will be conviced she is  ALL that and always has  been....though if she is all that it is shame they never left California with her.  What a treat the rest of us missed in watching her whole career.

QR, Blame, Lucky who has grown up and put on weight and muscle....who knows.

I wish them all well tomorrow and that they have a safe trip and come home safely!

To the whole field of horses for Classic,.......bravo for making it into such an elite group!

Happy Cup day to all!

The race is Zenyatta's to lose. Rest assured no one will try to make her trip difficult. Quality Road and Lucky have post position problems to overcome and Paddy probably should have opted for the turf. I think that leaves Blame with home court advantage as the the most likely to complete the exacta.

Zen on top-rest of the field will hold the surprises.  

Zenyatta all the way.  Its a tough field but she has what it takes to beat these boys. <3

First Dude with Blame,Looking

at Lucky and Fly Down

underneath.Zenya Who?

This is one race where I'm rooting for the lady with my heart not my pocket book.  We need another "personal ensign" especially for the girls.

God speed all horses and their jockeys get home safely.

Go Zenny.

Patricia Guthrie, Author

Zenyatta is a Superstar and like /secretrait i believe she too has a whole other persona drive and ability.. i wish for her the best race of her live.....to  squelsh all nay sayers

Wow, I give up!  Must have sat here rearranging the order of finish for five minutes, all such wonderful horses.  But, no question about the winner, Zenyatta all the way!

I've got Zenyatta at #1, but I wonder if all the upsets we had Friday will continue Saturday.  I also wonder how the cold weather would affect her and the other horses that trained in California (like Lookin At Lucky).  I think if she does get beat, it will not be by one of the "most likely suspects", but by some longshot.  Specifically, I am looking at Paddy O'Prado, Musket Man, or Fly Down.

Espoir City

I love the turn foot this horse has reminds me of another back in the day sarva.Well the training pattern of Espoir City might be alittle crude or unusually but when he got moving his strides were not fluid  hell still trying to find the track  footing but when he warmed up it was an awesome fluid strides

The main reason that Espoir City is my pick new face very well put to gether and the other older horse in the race  5 yearold  male so ususally if younger verses older stats say older will prevail under stats.Yes zenyatta is the horse for the ages but this is a race any good horse will have its days off.Ie i want her to win for the perfect record but on sentiments only so Espoir City my pick is the horse of value  will be flying late breedercup classic has tons of early speed so hope zenyatta and mike  gets into traffic trouble.

This is the closest I've ever been to the general consenus! 5 out of 12! 1-4 and 11. I think it's funny that Z seems to be the top choice yet most of the comments are from people who think she won't win. I am confident that Team Zenyatta will be celebrating Saturday night! And I will too!

I really hate this, all my favorite horses are in this race, Paddy O' Prado is in the wrong race. I had Shared Account (20 to win) and Unriveled Belle (20 to win) Single bets. My husband was looking at me like DAMN! Ithink Zen will win, but not by much. Blame and Lucky will  be right on her spectacular behind. Hopefully Quality Road will make it into the gate this year.  Good luck to all !

We all want Zen to win.  That is not the same as thinking she will win.  She is up against a bunch of brilliant, experienced horses, many G1 winners.  This won't be easy for any of them.

Surprise! Sheriffs has ordered Smith to keep her closer like they did in her last 1 1/16th outing that Smith said was like a sprint for her. Still she came on and just started hustling the last 200 yards. 1 1/4 and kept closer than last years cup...no problem! Z by 3 1/2 and cantoring away...Fly Down catches Blame late for 2nd with QR fading to middle of the pack

Queen Z all the way.  GIRL POWER

I like loockin at lucky

Well I laugh at the people who gave Zenyatta crap about staying in CA for racing and Sylvester who stated with pure bluffness that Life At Ten would win the B.C. Ladies Classic and if Zenyatta would've run in the B.C. Ladies Classic that she would've lost to Life AT Ten. Well Sylvester Life At Ten if I believe came in last at Churchill Downs. Next time don't be so cocky.  

Kind of funny how a lot of people like Blame even though in Blame's last race Haynesfield blew his doors off without even trying hard.

I like Haynesfield a lot.

Too bad Goldikova didn't go into the Classic.  She did the mile too easily, at least 2 lengths ahead. That was the best race!  Good luck and safe trip to all.

Zen came home safe, did not embarass herself, lost by a head to a really good horse. She won't be in danger any more.

What a great day, and what a race the Classic was. I know there will be alot of tears flowing, and alot of what ifs and excuses and various other comments in support of Zenyatta and against her. I for one, was glad to see her get beaten but she ran a phenomenal race and has proved how great she really is. Let's give Blame alot of credit for not backing up and not cowering when she hooked him coming to the wire. Blame is a great champion and a deserving winner. Now, come January, he will add Horse of the Year to his resume. Congrats to his connections, and to Zenyatta's connections for a great race. Looking forward to seeing some baby Z's and some baby Blame's. Hope you all had a good day at the windows.

The best race of her career, the greatest filly or mare ever, and one of the greatest Thoroughbreds ever IMO, period. If you think about it, every TB considered a "great" has lost a race. So maybe, in fact, it was the perfect ending.

Forever Queen in my heart <333

1. Zen CAN run on dirt!

2. She beat Quality Road (Draynay pick goes down the toilet again)

3. I can't help it...MIKE SMITH SHOULD HAVE STIRRED HER UP AT THE BREAK DAMNIT! My last screach at the TV was NO DON'T LOOSE BY INCHES! AGH! What a GREAT race though...still, she should have won...poop.

4. She goes out healthy...thank you Mr. and Mrs Moss!

Zen was the best horse in the race. HOY no doubt about it.

Blame deserves far more credit for the win than people are willing to give him. He was the better horse today. Period. Now to move on to HOY for Blame who should be the deserving winner of the award.

great race.  great winning connections.  I must comment though that a horse named Upset defeated Man O War and a horse name Blame will always be remembered as the horse to "blame" for spoiling Zenyatta's finale

Zenyatta....much the best!I hope they keep her racing!  Props to Blame though hes a great horse.

I see in no way this makes Blame Horse of the Year.

Zenyatta won it last year and it didn't sew up HOY for her. I do not think he deserves it. She does.

Dusty, you said it well. It was the best race of her career. She overcame everything to get within a nostril of a horse that had an easy trip and speed. She was the best horse there, no doubt about it. I guess the idea of her being a "synthetic specialist" only was put to be for good. I was very rpoud of the race she ran and think it was her greatest. See Joe Drape's article for the NYT's.

Nancy, Blame is a wonderful horse. That's not in question. Is he a better horse than Zenyatta who came over 15 back to run him down after a horrible start? Um, I don't think so. He won by half a head because he had an easy trip. She overcame a very difficult trip and issues he didn't have. I am not blaming Mike Smith one bit either. He did the best he could. As for who was the better horse today, well the folks at TVG thought she ran the better race. I agree. The better horse does not always win. As for HOTY, I could care less at this point. Give it to that graceless and unsportsmanlike Seth Hancock. His comments after the race were, as one sportswriter put it, "unseemly." I agree with that assessment too. She is so much better than HOTY I cannot even express it into words.

No mater what anyone says Zenyatta is the greatest. She is a once in a lifetime horse that we had the privilege to watch race these past years. Man O War, Ruffian, Native Dancer, and Zenyatta all have two things in common. They were all beaten in only one race and they are among the greatest horses of all time. It is so sad that some people are unable to see this. Zenyatta will be remembered by her loving fans. Zenyatta: winner of 19 races, deserving of horse of the year 2008, 2009, and 2010. One of the greatest racehorses of all time.

Zenyatta ran a fantastic race but Smith had a very disappointing run. He was depending too much on her come-from-behind style. The first time Denman announced that Smith was asking Zenny to move up just a little, I saw it was hard for her. EVERYONE knew what Zenny's move is. Smith let her out and she gave her all as usual, "like a tremendous machine". I knew before the race that it was highly unlikely. I picked Quality Road (but he didn't do anything, glad I didn't really bet). Blame was the upsetter as predicted by many. A beautiful, beautiful run by Blame. No fluke, strong run and had to fight hard for his finish. Deserves a lot of credits, as mentioned several times here.  

Personally, I see far to many people knocking Blame. You can't pretend that he's not a good horse, and he certainly has the back class to prove it. Zenyatta got beaten, that's all there is to say about it. Either one seems to merit consideration for HOTY, but honestly, I feel that Blame deserves it! He won three major G1s, along with the G2s. Yes, Zenyatta won more G1 races, but they weren't exactly against the world's greatest. She and Blame went head to head, and Blame staved her off. Who knows what would have happened if the race were longer. Perhaps Zenyatta would have rolled right on by, or perhaps Blame would have found another gear and still won. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Zenyatta! She's as genuine as they come, and a blood brilliant horse! Certainly one of the greatest fillies of all time. However, I will always feel bad for Blame because he will invariably end up being known as the horse who dethroned Zenyatta.

What makes Zenyatta any more deserving of HOTY than Blame? They both seem to be really good horses, and they both have the back class to make good arguments for it (Blame possibly has more in the 'strength of competition' area, while Zenyatta has more in the 'G1 wins' area), but Blame did win the race over her. They don't hand out purse money based on who possibly should have won the race (if they did that, Dakota Phone and Shared Account would probably leave empty handed).

She ran her heart out today and gave it her all. If she hadn't been put in traffic coming down the home turn, she would have caught Blame. But it's over and we can't do anything about it. Blame was just on top of his game today and seeing that big mare bearing down on top of him did not phase him one bit. He just pressed forward and I bow my head to him for defeating this great Mare. Every great race horse has lost a race and it's unfortunate that Zenyatta had to lose her final race. But she lost by a simple nose and she just ran out of track, that's all. No doubt in my mind that she is the true winner. I will never forget the silence that came over Churchill Downs when they said that Zenyatta had lost. 170,000 people stood quiet as they processed this unheard of news. As heartbreaking as it is, we will move on when her foals reach the track. She is the Queen of racing, no doubt about that in my mind. Good job, Blame. You did fantastic today. Zenyatta, you did fantastic as well. You'll always be my favorite.

Zenyatta forever XOXOXO

Blamemakeshistory:

"I for one, was glad to see her get beaten..."

You've got to be kidding me. That is such a bitter and spiteful statement. What's wrong with you? This was history in the making and for that alone most horse racing fans were eager for it. Even the general public knows who Zenyatta is (when is the last time we could say that about a horse?). How can you consider yourself a racing fan? I have zero respect for that kind of attitude. Zenyatta is an animal with a love of running and a will to win that are exceptional. She doesn't know what people are saying to each other, she just tries her best every time and circumstances conspired against her yesterday.

Linda/Maryland:

I agree with you, Zenyatta won the Classic last year and it didn't make her HOY automatically and I believe the same goes for Blame this year. You can't argue both ways: Zen won the 2009 BC Classic, but her body of work wasn't good enough, and now Blame won the BC Classic this year so he should automatically be HOY. Aargh, this lack of logic drives me crazy.

Blame won three Grade 1 races (incl the BC Classic), was second in another Grade 1 and won a Grade 3. Zen won, what, 5 grade 1's at four different tracks and was 2nd in the Classic by a diminishing head? I think it's not over till the voting.

Oh, and one other comment. Curlin lost the Classic (4th!) and he was still voted HOY.

Poor Mike, I feel so bad for him. I said on the first turn, he's leaving her a lot to do. I really thought she was gonna catch Blame. She sure gave it her all. On the other hand Blame proved he is a really good horse by beating Zenyatta. He's the only one who ever has. This HOY will be another debate bordering on hysteria. Does she deserve it, maybe. Will she get it, I doubt it. When it's all said & done, she only won against her own sex all season. Did she show up at the Churchill and give the performace of a lifetime? You bet your ass she did. I just dont think it will be enough. I do expect her to get the eclipse award for champion older female. She has worked hard for 3 seasons and she fully deserves the retirement she is going to get. Breed her to Medaglia D'oro and see what they get.

Blame had the perfect trip, on his home track and was a narrow winner.  Same comments made about Zenyatta last year(not quite as perfect a trip) when she won the classic and not HOY.  Whether she wins HOY or not, she will always be remembered for this race and more so.  Smith cannot ride at Churchill and the start was disasterous.  But I do admire how closely bred the two finishers really are with Kris S and Mr Prospector close on both.  No wonder they finished like that.  Both bred for distance. What an interesting concept.

Two horses ran the race of their life...two jocks rode the race that dreams are made of...♥

Did you see Zen's swollen shut right eye after the race from the dirt being kicked back in her face as she fought through the pack?

Did you see Blame's eyes as he dug in as GG pleaded for one more stride?

My admiration and respect for her grew tremendously last night. She's a true warrior horse. A great horse. Blame showed he is a true quality horse, he outfought a great horse and won this battle.

She still lands among the brightest stars... talent always recognized but her courage established in a stretch run battle that that will be remembered always.

Nancy: Blame is a great horse..but not the best horse.  Zen collared him even with the slow start..dirt flying in her face..getting caught in traffic and swinging out wide and rolling home...Blame had a rail trip the entire race. Zenyatta deserves horse of the year hands down. This was her best race ever in my opinion and hopefully..finally..silenced her critics and all the naysayers.

Congratulations to Team Blame! It was a great race even if the order of finish wasn't what I wanted. Zenyatta losing by a head to a really nice horse like Blame is no disgrace. The next closest horse was over 3 lengths back. The big question is... what happened to Quality Road? I didn't expect him to hit the board, but last?? I hope he's ok.

I'm still amazingly proud of Zenyatta and will always adore her. She has done so much for the sport.

Thank You KC in Washington State !

I follow horse racing daily and only a few weeks ago did I ever hear of Blame. I, personally do not think that this race makes Blame HOY. More than ONE race should be considered. What the horse has done in the past year for the industry should be considered. That was the reason RA won HOY last year and I think that Zenyatta should win this year. If she doesn't, all of the new fans to racing will be disillusioned and all will be lost.

Yes, Blame is a nice horse but HOY, NO!!   NO WAY!!

If Blame wins, it will certainly will prove it's all Political and not the actual Best Horse of The Year!!

That is how I feel and I am absolutely positive it is how the majority of the Racing Fans Feel Too!

Is the debate to ensure a high stud fee or to HONOR the Best Horse of 2010?

The Nielsen reports that Sunday’s 60 Minutes telecast, which included a lengthy feature on Zenyatta, drew 10.74 million viewers. That’s a very big number considering the increased competition from Game 4 of the World Series on FOX and Halloween, in addition to Sunday Night Football on NBC.

When has Blame drew this kind of crowd? Blame has done nothing for Horse Racing and Zenyatta has brought it front and center.

As far as I am concerned, any person who votes for Blame for HOY is not voting for the best, only for the winner of the BC this year. One Race..It's ridiculous!!!

Blame is a very,very nice horse. He had a very nice trip on his home track. He won fair and square.

Zenyatta beat herself. Mike Smith rode her beautifully. She ran much farther than Blame. She finished second on her own terms.

That said where does Blame stack up historically? I think he is pretty much in the middle as BC Classic winners go. Is he better than Cigar? How about Tiznow, Alysheba, or Ghoastzapper. Proud truth, Concern, Cat Thief, Raven's Pass? Blame has had a very good year. He won 3 Grade 1 races.  I think Blame will go down as a deserving Champion, but not a particularly compelling one.

Zenyatta on the other hand won 5 Grade 1 races. Her race yesterday suggests that once she got over the surprise of getting dirt kicked back at her (Smith went through all of his goggles) she did love dirt perhaps better than synthetic. Something Sherriffs has always maintained.

In historical terms 12 inches, and we'd be talking about one of the best BC Classics of all time. If the race were run again would Zenyatta lose?

Blame was a deserving winner, but he was clearly the beneficiary of Zenyatta's largely self-inflicted (she was pinched back) slow start.

This is horseracing, and the best horse does not always win. Inan individual race, no one gets to vote on the outcome. Championships are decided otherwise.

Is, in fact, Blame a better racehorse? I don't think too many people could seriously entertain that notion.

Wouldn't you have loved to see Zenyatta on turf?

@KC in Washington State.... First off, I really don't care what you think of my comment. I was glad to see her get beaten, PERIOD. Not because like so many I don't believe she was great, she was great and I would have her right alongside some of the greats ever. I am now, and have been for over 30 years an avid fan of this sport. I just get so tired of people, like you, who want to take her greatness into some kind of otherwordly level. She raced 5 previous times this year and didn't face a single grade 1 winner, until the classic. She was coddled her entire career and nothing anyone says can ever change that fact. How many times was she tested in the slop? Against males? Out of the state of California? I am not gonna add on dirt because I believe she was as good or better on dirt. I realize all you hard core Zenyatta fans will continue to make excuses, etc. What a waste, Zenyatta doesn't need anyone to make excuses for her. She did what was asked of her ( though they should have asked more in some cases) and she did it well. Blame will win HotY because he deserves it, not because he won the classic. Sorry to all you hard core Zen fans, and feel free to bash me, I won't read it because I am done with this blog ( on to bigger and better things now), but Zenyatta DOES NOT deserve HotY. Look at what she raced against this year before the Classic. Nothing to speak of. Many HotY voters already had said she must win the classic to be HotY. Of the top 4 in contention, Blame has now beaten QR twice, LaL, and Zenyatta. Blame will be HotY, like it or not, and a very deserving winner he is. I love Zen too ( though not at the level of idol worship many of you do) but give Blame some credit for gods sake. Now KC, as far as you having no respect for my comment, I could care less. Take care everyone, and a great holiday season to you all.

Any jock could have won 19 in a row sitting on Zenyatta.I like Mike Smith but he rides every horse the same way,drop back and go wide. He left her with to much to do and then got her in trouble at the top of the stretch. Amazing that she still managed to get up against a top horse like Blame.

As good as Blame's victory was, Zenyatta still deserves HOY. Home track advantage gave him the slight edge over Zenyatta. He looked less than stellar in Belmont. just look at how well Quality Road ran. This goes to show how important having home track advantage is and how Zenyatta's narrow defeat should be admired more.

I was hoping Zenyatta would win yesterday, but seeing her before the race I thought she seemed upset and a little "off", not quite herself. It may be that yesterday just wasn't her day. In no way do I fault Mike Smith for his ride. I saw he was urging her early in the race and she was not responding well.

Zenyatta is a true champion and showed her heart yesterday...I wish she could have won that last one...

She has done her best for us so let's wish a happy retirwment and  peaceful pastures.

Smith can't ride at Churchill??? WTH ?? Wasn't he on board a little grey colt named Giacomo the first Saturday in May 2005 ? Yep, He sure was. 18 to 1 even. Please <sigh>..Mike Smith is a hall of fame jockey wherever he rides. Yes, the start was tough, but not because of anything Mike did. Zenyatta got squeezed between the 7 & 9 horses when they left the gate. Both bore in on her from either side. Im not making excuses for her, she ran a terrific race and came up about 10" short. I just wish people would get their facts straight before they sit down at their keyboards and make statements based on opinion and not fact.

OOPS, my bad Giacomo was 50 to 1.

Blame never even saw her. He didn't look her in the eye and beat her. She was a half a head behind him. A stride past the line, she was ahead of him. She ran the greatest race I have ever seen. Blame = Upset, Zenyatta = Man O'War. What we saw her do was otherworldly. In truth, the better horse did not win. He ran a very good race. Blame did not run a great race. That goes to Zenyatta. The folks at TVG made the same comment. Her courage and will to win was something beautiful to see.

Nancy you're nuts!!!! Blame the best horse period?  Did you miss the slow start and traffic trouble Zenyatta had?  Did you not read of her distaste for the dirt kick back?  Blame's jockey hailing his "perfect trip"?  Don't get me wrong, I love Blame - but the best horse that day lost only because of her bad racing luck.  Still, congratulations to Team Blame and Team Zenyatta - both epitomize all that we love about horse racing.  Great people and great horses go together.  God Bless them all.