Horse racing | Undefeated Zenyatta, a 5-year-old mare, beats males in the Breeders' Cup Classic

ARCADIA, Calif. — She had done nothing wrong a day in her life, yet the criticism lingered — much to her connections' dismay.

After months of clamoring for Zenyatta to face males, there were some who wondered if the 5-year-old mare would be up to the task. And if the boys didn't get her, there was the question of whether the 1 ¼-mile distance she was traveling for the first time would.

Only Zenyatta could provide the answers.

And with every huge stride that came from her dancer-like legs in Saturday's $4.545 million Breeders' Cup Classic, she crushed any lingering doubts.

The 26th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park came to an emotional climax as undefeated Zenyatta unleashed her closing kick in the lane to pass four-time Grade I winner Gio Ponti and win by a length. She became the first female runner to take the Classic, America's richest race.

As the Kentucky-bred daughter of Street Cry crossed the wire to the deafening roar of 58,845 fans, she crossed over into the annals of racing history.

If the Classic becomes her career finale, Zenyatta would go to the breeding shed with a 14-for-14 career record that includes eight Grade I victories. She is North America's richest female runner of all time, with a bankroll exceeding $5.47 million.

She took the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic a year ago at Santa Anita.

"We're over the moon, you know, what can you say?" said Jerry Moss, who co-owns Zenyatta along with his wife, Ann. "We had all kinds of opinions on whether we did the right thing or not ... "

Zenyatta, trained by John Shirreffs and ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, won in 2 minutes, 0.62 seconds on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface. She was the wagering favorite and returned $7.60 on a $2 win bet.

As the 13-horse field was loading, Florida Derby winner Quality Road became unruly, bucking repeatedly in and outside the starting gate to the point he had to be a late scratch because of what were termed minor cuts on his legs.

"I was a little worried when the gates opened she wouldn't move, period, and she didn't," Smith said of Zenyatta. "I thought oh, God, no, not today."

Notes

• The Classic ended the $2 pick-six sequence and one ticket was worth $1,838,305.20 for having each of the winners. The ticket was purchased at a bet-processing hub in Maine, according to Daily Racing Form.

• Vale of York ($63.20) won the $1.818 million Juvenile by a head over 2-1 favorite Lookin At Lucky, who is partly owned by former Mount Vernon resident Mike Pegram.