Racing: Blame defeated the previously unbeaten Zenyatta in a breathtaking finish to win last night's Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs and deny the champion mare a fairytale win in possibly her last race.
Zenyatta suffered her first loss in a 20-race career that has captured the imagination of the American sporting public after an agonisingly close defeat in a race that lived up to its billing as a classic world championship.
"It's mixed emotions because she's been a wonderful ambassador of the game," Blame's jockey Garrett Gomez said. "People that didn't know anything about horse racing became fans because of her. I wish she would have went 20 for 20 at the expense of someone else and not us. I'm very proud to say we beat her."
Blame, a four-year-old colt who had won eight of his previous 12 starts and was immediately retired to stud after his win, looked to have the race at his mercy when he shot clear as the field swept past the iconic Twin Spires when Zenyatta suddenly gave chase and threatened to mow him down.
For most of the race, Zenyatta had looked a forlorn hope after badly missing the start. She was last for almost the entire mile-and-a-quarter race and was more than 20 lengths behind the leaders with dirt being kicked back in her face.
But the crowd of 77,000 let out a mighty roar as she started to build momentum and closed in on the leader from a seemingly hopeless position only to fall short by a head. Fly Down was third, three and a half lengths behind.
"I truly believe I was on the best horse today. If I had to blame anybody, it would be me," Zenyatta's jockey Mike Smith said. "It hurts more than I can explain, just because it was my fault. She should have won."
Zenyatta's first career loss came after French-based mare Goldikova had also unleashed a devastating late burst to win the Breeders' Cup Mile and become the first horse to win three times at the world's richest race meeting.
Patiently ridden by jockey Olivier Peslier, the five-year-old showed a brilliant turn of foot after rounding the final bend in sixth place to flash past her rivals and repeat her victories in the same race in 2008 and 2009.
"She's amazing, she can do anything," Goldikova's trainer Freddie Head said. "I was the first jockey to win this race twice with a mare (Miesque) and now I'm the trainer of a mare winning three times. It's unreal."
Goldikova provided Europe with one of just two winners of the two-day $26 million meeting after Workforce, who won the Epsom Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, was scratched from the Breeders' Cup Turf just hours before the race.
Connections of the English-based colt were concerned about the hard surface and were pinning their hopes on rain softening up the track. Instead they were greeted by brilliant sunshine.
With Workforce out of way, another English-trained horse, Dangerous Midge, wore down Champ Pegasus in the shadows of the post to provide Frankie Dettori with his 10th Breeders' Cup win.
"I wasn't concerned about the ground. I thought the track was in very good condition all week," Dangerous Midge's trainer Brian Meehan said.
The meeting was tinged with tragedy when Rough Sailing, a longshot in the two-year-old race on the turf, was euthanised after snapping a bone in his leg in the race, brilliantly won by Pluck.
But it was another young colt, Uncle Mo, that really set pulses racing after a stunning win in the two-year-old race on dirt. Uncle Mo left his rivals in his slipstream as he cruised to victory by four and a quarter lengths and established himself as the early favorite for next year's Kentucky Derby.