Zenyatta top storyline so far for #BC09

While the absences of Rachel Alexandra and Sea The Stars--almost certainly the Horses of the Year in the United States and Europe, respectively, this year--has somewhat muted the buzz leading up to this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships, there are still plenty of story lines to get excited about with less than three weeks to go before the big event.

1. Zenyatta

The undefeated champion mare has a chance to win her 14th consecutive race on one of the sport's grandest stages. Whether she goes for that win (unprecedented in the sense that most of the wins came against open [to her sex] graded stakes company) in the Ladies' Classic on Friday or the Classic on Saturday.

Trainer John Shirreffs said October 11 that he would not make a decision as to which race for a few weeks, so I expect the cacophony from my fellow scribes saying how unsportsmanlike he is to begin at any moment.

Anywho, while some are already sick of the Zenyatta debate, discussions such as these are why I love racing. Heck, most of the time the horses don't get a chance to settle the score on the track anyway (e.g., RA-Zen), so discussion is all we have.

Zenyatta running in the Classic is a no-lose situation in terms of her reputation. Simply starting in the Classic will clinch Zenyatta her second Eclipse Award as champion older female, as voters would not penalize her for running in the tougher spot. If she wins, then she would get Horse of the Year consideration and go down as one of the absolute best ever. If she loses, then she gave it a try and still has the championship to fall back on and maybe a couple more races before breeding.

Running in the Ladies' Classic would not only put the undefeated streak on the line but also the championship, since Music Note would win the Eclipse with a head-to-head victory over Zenyatta. A Ladies' Classic loss would also raise many questions about her competition throughout the year before the Breeders' Cup. A loss in the Ladies' Classic would be a huge blow to her reputation. She's still a future Racing Hall of Fame member and a worthy champion, but a second in the Ladies' Classic (especially to Music Note) decreases her cache far more than would a fifth in the Classic.

Other considerations:

• A win in the Classic would put Zenyatta ahead of Azeri as the all-time leading earner among North America-based females. A win in the Ladies' Classic would put her within striking range of that mark with another big one before retiring.
• No female has won the Classic, and only Bayakoa has won the Distaff twice.
• Zenyatta would certainly be favored in the Ladies' Classic, but she would be near the wagering choice in the Classic as well. It's tough to know how the public would bet it with Rip Van Winkle, Summer Bird, and Gio Ponti likely to take money, but Zenyatta will almost certainly a shorter than any of the previous females to attempt North America's richest race