What Does Zenyatta's Breeders' Cup Loss Do To Her Legacy?

Zenyatta likely finished her career today by losing by a nose to Blame in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic. The discussion about where she ranks among the all-time great racehorses may have just begun.

Among once-beaten horses, only Native Dancer and Man o' War have more wins. Fewer than 15 horses have ever run off 19 straight wins like Zenyatta, and many of them raced in less competitive races in Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. And Zenyatta, despite never racing in a Triple Crown race and starting her career late in her three-year-old year, racked up 13 grade one wins, tied for fourth all-time.

There's little doubt that Zenyatta should rank as the greatest mare to ever race, but today's loss probably knocks her out of many discussions about the greatest thoroughbred ever. The way Zenyatta was finally felled, though — after one last magnificent attempt to pull of a dramatic come-from-behind triumph — might have seared her class in American minds.

Esquire writer Chris Jones, musing on the loss, thinks it might even have been a good thing for her story:

There's something better about Zenyatta, as a story, now that she's lost a race. Now she requires imagination.

At the very least, Zenyatta's legacy got one last breathtaking moment today. It's not the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic purse, but the memory of today's race will be invaluable and unforgettable for any horse racing fans who saw it.