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Shirreffs canvasses for Zenyatta

Zenyatta was head and shoulders above her rivals, both figuratively and literally (Benoit Photo) Trainer John Shirreffs was already making a case on Sunday for his undefeated Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (G1) queen ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) to be named Horse of the Year, just one day after leading contender Curlin (Smart Strike) finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). "It's quite an accomplishment to go all year undefeated, and to step up each time, four of them in Grade 1s, like she did," Shirreffs said of the four-year-old lass. "In the vote, she would have to be seriously considered for that." The last female to win Horse of the Year honors was Azeri in 2002, who climaxed that season with a victory in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, the original name of the Ladies' Classic. She was ridden by Mike Smith, the jockey aboard Zenyatta in her last six starts. This year's Breeders' Cup heroine is now unbeaten in nine starts, seven of which came this year. Shirreffs was also pleased with Classic third-placer TIAGO (Pleasant Tap).

"Both horses walked this morning," Shirreffs said from Hollywood Park. "Tiago came back last night. Zenyatta came back Friday night. I was very happy with both of them."

Tiago capped a memorable weekend for Shirreffs, Smith and owners Jerry and Ann Moss with his fast-closing third in the Classic, edging defending champion and 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin for the show spot.

"I was happy to see Tiago hit the board and excited to see him run such a big race," said Shirreffs of the four-year-old half-brother to Giacomo, winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1).

Zenyatta has wrapped up at least one Eclipse Award already (Benoit Photo) The Ladies' Classic was the first Breeders' Cup win for Shirreffs and the Mosses. They finished fourth in the Classic with Giacomo in 2006 and fifth with Tiago last year. CARRIAGE TRAIL (Giant's Causeway), who stamped her ticket to the Ladies' Classic with a dominating 7 3/4-length win in the Spinster S. (G1) at Keeneland, finished fourth, 5 1/4 lengths back of Zenyatta, and is now headed to the breeding shed. "Carriage Trail is retired. She'll go to the farm," assistant trainer Buzz Tenney said. FOREVER TOGETHER (Belong to Me) also exited her Breeders' Cup Friday victory in good order, recording a three-quarter-of-a-length win in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) going 1 1/4 miles for trainer Jonathan Sheppard. "She came back fine, cleaned up her feed and will be on a flight (cargo) late tonight (Sunday) or early tomorrow (Monday) into Baltimore (Maryland)," the horseman said. "She was more tired after the race than she was after her recent races, but it was the end of a long season."

Forever Together entered the Filly & Mare Turf off a score in the eight-furlong First Lady S. (G1) at Keeneland, and also captured the Diana S. (G1) at Saratoga this season. The four-year-old gray will be back next year, but will receive a break over the winter, Sheppard said.

"She was running back just three weeks after her last race (First Lady)," he explained. "Mr. (George) Strawbridge (owner of Augustin Stable) has decided to race her again next year, but she will get a good break over the winter, first at our farm in Pennsylvania and later in Camden (South Carolina). It's a long way off, but we might bring her back in something at Keeneland in the spring."

The best showing from the Todd Pletcher quintet of Breeders' Cup runners came from WAIT A WHILE (Maria's Mon), who was third while finishing just a head back of Filly & Mare Turf runner-up SEALY HILL (Point Given).

"I am not sure what's next for her," assistant trainer Mike McCarthy said of Wait a While. "She will stay here for a while."

Juddmonte Farm's three-year-old filly VISIT (GB) (Oasis Dream [GB]) finished fourth in the Filly & Mare Turf Friday for Sir Michael Stoute, but the English-homebred will stay on in California in the care of Juddmonte's longtime American trainer Bobby Frankel.

Jockey Mike Smith has given Stardom Bound the nickname Baby Z, which stands for Baby Zenyatta (Benoit Photo) Trainer Christopher Paasch said Sunday from Hollywood Park that the immediate fate of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner STARDOM BOUND (Tapit) would be determined at a meeting with owner Charles Cono on Tuesday. The two-year-old lass is scheduled to go through the sales ring with the rest of 85-year-old Cono's stock at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky Selected Fall Mix Sale next Sunday. "Right now the schedule is for her to be put on a plane Wednesday and be sold at the Fasig-Tipton Sale in Lexington (Kentucky on) November 2," Paasch said. Though he may be losing the gray from his barn, Paasch said he hoped the filly wrapped up the Eclipse Award for two-year-old fillies with her third straight Grade 1 victory. "This is as good as it gets for me," said Paasch, 52, after his first Breeders' Cup victory in three tries. "She's an unbelievable filly. (Jockey) Mike (Smith) said he had to move her early. He only hit her a couple of times in the lane. She started looking at the Jumbotron and he started flagging her to keep her mind on business." With his wins on Zenyatta and Stardom Bound, Smith has moved into a tie for second-place with the retired Pat Day for Breeders' Cup wins with 12, three behind retired leader Jerry Bailey.

"She was back at the barn here at 5:15 p.m. (PDT) Friday for dinner," Paasch added. "She's doing fine. She walked (Saturday) and (Sunday), and tack-walks (Monday)."

Paasch said that stablemate Foxy Danseur (Mr. Greeley), who captured Sunday's Cascapedia S. on Oak Tree's closing day, will also be sold at Fasig-Tipton and several Cono-owned broodmares and weanlings will be sold at Keeneland the following week.

Alcibiades S. (G1) heroine DREAM EMPRESS (Bernstein), runner-up to Stardom Bound in the Juvenile Fillies, was en route to Keeneland on Sunday morning and back to the barn of trainer Ken McPeek.

"I thought she ran fantastic," McPeek said. "What are you going to do? She ran great and just missed catching only one horse."

McPeek said he would point Dream Empress to the Golden Rod S. (G2) going 1 1/16 miles on November 29 at Churchill Downs and then give her a break of four to six weeks before heading to Palm Meadows in Florida.

Trainer Bobby Frankel was likewise pleased with Juddmonte homebred VENTURA (Chester House), who made the successful switch from turf to Pro-Ride to take the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint on Friday.

"I was very happy with Ventura's race," he said. "She figured to run big and she did. The rest of my horses were double figures (10-1 or higher in their betting odds). They all came back fine, though, so that's good.

"Ventura will race next year," he added, before reporting on the rest of his runners. "GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) likely will be retired. I don't know that for a fact yet, but I'm thinking so. PRECIOUS KITTEN (Catienus) ran good. I knew she would and I was happy with her. That filly she ran into (winner Goldikova [Ire] [Anabaa]) was a monster. (Precious Kitten) will race one more time -- in the (November 30) Matriarch ([G1] at Hollywood Park) -- and then be retired."

Champion Ginger Punch finished sixth in the Ladies' Classic while attempting to defend her title in the nine-furlong event; Precious Kitten was fourth in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1).

Fellow champion INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie) started the weekend off for Bob Baffert with a runner-up finish in the Filly & Mare Sprint on Friday, and was doing well after the event while at the same time making her displeasure known.

"She's just not the same on the synthetic," Baffert said. "She tried real hard but Saturday morning she was mad; she knew she got beat. I promised her I would not run her on a synthetic track again."

Baffert is hopeful owners Hal and Patti Earnhardt will elect to keep Indian Blessing in training with hopes of taking her to Dubai next spring.

DEAREST TRICKSKI (Proudest Romeo) had a slight run-in with Indian Blessing in the Filly & Mare Sprint and will now head to the sales ring off her 11th-place finish.

"Dearest Trickski got stepped on by Indian Blessing and she's a little ouchy, but otherwise OK," trainer John Sadler said. "If they (owners Team Valor International, Des Scott and Robert Muir) get their price, she's selling in the (Fasig-Tipton) November broodmare sale in Kentucky. Maybe they won't and I might get her back."

More Breeders' Cup News & Notes:

Bayern, California Chrome and Shared Belief all OK after BC Classic

BC two-day attendance rises, total handle falls; Velazquez wins Shoemaker Award

Main Sequence could have Dubai agenda

Albertrani, Sadler runners doing well following BC efforts

Brown basks in BC triple

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