by Jeff Lowe

In the shadow of Hollywood, the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) will not lack for drama as the blockbuster climax to the 2009 season in both the U.S. and Europe.

Leading lady Zenyatta will have star billing and a chance to cap her career in unprecedented fashion as she meets ten Grade- or Group 1-winning males in the richest race on the American calendar.

With Rachel Alexandra absent, the Classic may not have a bearing on Horse of the Year honors, but Zenyatta will get a chance to add a historic chapter to her thread of brilliance built with 13 wins in 13 starts.

“I don’t think it’s about any titles,” said Jerry Moss, who owns Zenyatta with his wife, Ann. “It’s just not about that. It’s about giving this horse, who is perhaps one of the greatest gifts we've ever been given, a chance to really show how great she can really be. And we believe this is within her reach.”

The script just happens to have Zenyatta on a familiar course and surface, while eight of her 12 Classic foes will have to deal with a surface switch, from either dirt or turf to Santa Anita Park’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface. Zenyatta has registered four wins at Santa Anita, including a 3 1/4-length victory in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1).

“If she fires, she's certainly going to be the one to beat,” jockey Mike Smith said. “I think you're going to see something amazing.”

Raven’s Pass ascended from turf to a Classic triumph on the Pro-Ride last year, which made him the second European-based horse to win the 1¼-mile race. Rip Van Winkle (Ire), a three-year-old, will be following an identical path this year after winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Eng-G1) at Ascot, the same race that Raven’s Pass won in his final prep.

Top U.S. three-year-old Summer Bird will seek his fourth Grade 1 win in a meteoric burst that has already accounted for dirt victories in the Belmont Stakes (G1), Shadwell Travers Stakes (G1), and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) in his last four starts.

The diverse group that will join Zenyatta, Rip Van Winkle, and Summer Bird in the Classic includes six horses who are listed at 12-to-1 on the morning line: Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Einstein (Brz), Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Mine That Bird, Florida Derby Presented by Blackberry (G1) winner Quality Road, 2008 Santa Anita Derby (G1) and Travers winner Colonel John, Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) winner Richard’s Kid, and Gio Ponti, who won four straight Grade 1 races on turf this year after beginning his season with a Pro-Ride victory in the Beaufort Stakes.

Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer