Zenyatta jogs a day before shipping to Kentucky

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Zenyatta had a quiet morning at Hollywood Park on Monday, a contrast to the commotion that awaits her presence at Churchill Downs later this week in the build-up to Saturday’s $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The unbeaten 6-year-old mare jogged a leisurely mile on the backstretch training track at Hollywood Park on Monday morning and virtually had the track to herself. She was ridden by regular exercise rider Steve Willard and accompanied by a pony throughout the two-circuit exercise.

“She’s doing good,” Willard said. “If she were doing any better, it would scare me.”

While Zenyatta was on the training track there were seven to nine other horses on the track, mostly being exercised in the same way.

Zenyatta worked six furlongs in 1:11.80 on Saturday and was walked at the barn on Sunday. Monday’s jog was a typical routine for her first day on the racetrack following a workout. In Saturday’s BC Classic, Zenyatta will be trying for her 20th win and attempting to become the second horse in history to win consecutive runnings of the race preceded by Tiznow in 2000 and 2001. Zenyatta became the first female to win the BC Classic at Santa Anita last year.

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Zenyatta was scheduled to be flown to Churchill Downs in a pre-dawn flight Tuesday and was expected to arrive before lunchtime. Trainer John Shirreffs does not have an extensive exercise plan in mind for Zenyatta at Churchill Downs from Wednesday through Friday.

“I like to take her out late when it’s quiet,” he said. “We’ll have to see what it’s like when we get back there. She won’t do anything other than hack around and look at the scenery.

“She’s coming into the race as well as she could.”