Zenyatta joined an elite club when going undefeated in the Apple Blossom (Kurtis Coady/Coady Photography)

Cigar, Citation and Hallowed Dreams all racked up 16 straight wins during their careers and, on Friday, ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) joined that elite club when galloping home in the $500,000 Apple Blossom (G1) at Oaklawn Park. The massive mare looked like she was out for a morning run under regular rider Mike Smith as she closed on the field nearing the turn and surged past entering the stretch. Never appearing to get out of second gear, the six-year-old galloped home in 1:50 3/5 for 1 1/8 miles on the fast main track.

Zenyatta has gone off favored in all but two of her races, one of which came when she made her dirt debut in the 2008 Apple Blossom. She scored by 4 1/2 lengths on that day, and the betting public wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Bet down to 1-20 odds, the undefeated star returned souvenir tickets worth $2.10 and $2.10. She nearly duplicated her 2008 margin of victory when crossing under the line 4 1/4 lengths clear this time around.

Taptam (Pleasant Tap) had the privilege of being second behind Zenyatta as the 35-1 longest shot in the five-horse field. She paid $6.40 after show wagering was canceled. The exacta totaled $18 and the 4-2-1 trifecta, with Be Fair (Exchange Rate) following Taptam by 1 1/2 lengths, came to $48.60. Just Jenda (Menifee) was another half-length back in fourth while War Echo (Tapit) trailed the field home.

Zenyatta put on a show for her fans at Oaklawn (Sunny Taylor/Coady Photography)

Originally declared as retired following the Breeders' Cup, she continued to work at her Hollywood Park base and was officially "unretired" in mid-January. Trainer John Shirreffs began preparing his charge for a return in the Santa Margarita Invitational H. (G1) on March 13, and the dark bay suffered a troubled trip when splitting horses in late stretch.

Smith decided not to circle extremely wide, instead opting to advance between rivals in search of an opening, and Zenyatta suddenly found no place to run in traffic, checking sharply as she altered course to the inside nearing the eighth-pole. The athletic six-year-old quickly regained her massive stride, closing fast up the rail into contention, and she angled out to blow past pacesetter Dance to My Tune (Stravinsky) in deep stretch, surging clear by a couple of a lengths as Smith wrapped up on her approaching the wire.

The superstar became the first distaffer to shoulder 127 pounds to victory in the Santa Margarita since Hall of Famer Bayakoa (Arg) in 1990, and Zenyatta had already established her weight-carrying ability in the Vanity Invitational H. (G1) last June, defending her title despite a 129-pound burden.

Zenyatta (outside) floated home in the Apple Blossom as her rivals struggled to keep up (Will Kenser/Coady Photography)

Smith took over on Zenyatta when she made her only start on dirt, and outside of California, next up in the Apple Blossom. She posted a dominating 4 1/2-length decision that day over then reigning champion older mare Ginger Punch, and has been unstoppable since. Returning to Shirreffs' shedrow at Hollywood Park, the mare reeled off wins in the Milady H. (G2), Vanity, Clement L. Hirsch H. (G2) and Lady's Secret S. (G1) before running away with the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (G1) under a hand ride. She returned to win the same four-race sequence in Southern California prior to the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Bred by Maverick Production Limited in Kentucky, Zenyatta is out of Broodmare of the Year Vertigineux (Kris S.), making her a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 queen Balance (Thunder Gulch), an unraced juvenile colt named Souper Spectacular (Giant's Causeway) and a Bernardini weanling filly named Eblouissante. Vertigineux foaled a filly by Henrythenavigator for 2010. Zenyatta, who is from the same family as 2001 Canadian champion turf mare Sweetest Thing (Candy Stripes), was a bargain at only $60,000 for her owners at the 2005 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.