Zenyatta faces One Caroline in clash of the unbeaten

Zenyatta will put her perfect mark on the line in Louisville (Ed Van Meter/Horsephotos.com) Defending champion older mare ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]), who narrowly missed in the balloting to Curlin for Horse of the Year honors last season, will make her long-awaited seasonal debut on Friday when she faces eight rivals in the $350,000 Louisville Distaff (G2) at Churchill Downs, easily the highlight of the Kentucky Oaks (G1) undercard which includes five stakes, four of which are graded. The undefeated five-year-old will carry top weight of 124 pounds and regular pilot Mike Smith. A seven-time stakes winner during her Eclipse Award-winning campaign, Zenyatta satisfied fans and purists alike with her flawless mark and her ability to handle any surface. Despite running predominately on synthetic surfaces in California, Zenyatta did make a trek to Oaklawn last April and put away champion Ginger Punch with effortless ease in the Apple Blossom H. (G1) in her only attempt on dirt. That victory should leave little doubt among the 100,000-plus crowd expected to be in attendance Friday that she will handle the dirt at Churchill in what will be her first race since taking the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) in October.

Zenyatta’s main competition in the 1 1/16-mile affair is likely to come from
another undefeated sort, ONE CAROLINE (Unbridled’s Song), who appears to be the
speed of the speed on paper. The Rusty Arnold-trained miss has yet to taste
defeat in five starts, including a 6 1/2-length romp in the nine-furlong Rampart
H. (G2) last out.

Others of note in the Louisville Distaff are Grade 1 veteran UNBRIDLED BELLE
(Broken Vow), recent Sixty Sails H. (G3) heroine SWIFT TEMPER (Giant’s Causeway)
and Falls City H. (G2) winner MISS ISELLA (Silver Charm).

A solid group of three-year-olds will travel 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn
turf course in the $150,000
American
Turf S. (G3). BITTEL ROAD (Stormy Atlantic), one of the leading juvenile
turf runners in the country last season, will return to the grass for the first
time since his runner-up effort in the Generous S. (G3) at Hollywood last
November. He will have to be on his best game to overtake the likes of BATTLE OF
HASTINGS (GB) (Royal Applause [GB]), who has captured the Baldwin S. (G3) and La
Puente S. in his last two starts at Santa Anita; Transylvania S. (G3) victor
STORMALORY (Storm Cat); and TURFISTE (Military), the winner of the Hansel S. and
Black Gold S. in his last two outings.

The $150,000
Alysheba
S. (G3) for older horses at 1 1/16 miles marks the return of MACHO AGAIN
(Macho Uno), who splashed his way to a one-length score in the New Orleans H.
(G2) at Fair Grounds on March 14. The winner of last year’s Derby Trial S.
should feel right at home under the Twin Spires and will carry top weight of 124
pounds. Looking to pull the upset are Grade 2 veteran COOL COAL MAN (Mineshaft);
last-out Harrison E. Johnson Memorial H. winner BULLSBAY (Tiznow); 2008 West
Virginia Derby (G3) victor READY SET (Touch Gold); Travers S. (G1) runner-up
MAMBO IN SEATTLE (Kingmambo); and the Grade 1-placed DR. PLEASURE (Thunder
Gulch), who went undefeated in two starts at Gulfstream over the winter.

The stakes action kicks off Friday with the $100,000

Aegon Turf Sprint (G3) over five furlongs. CANNONBALL (Catienus) and
CHAMBERLAIN BRIDGE (War Chant), narrowly defeated when second and third,
respectively, in the April 11 Shakertown S. (G3), figure to attract a lot of
attention. Also noteworthy is Canadian Grade 3 veteran SMART ENOUGH (Horse
Chestnut [SAf]), who placed second in all three stakes appearances last season.

LARAGH (Tapit) should be a heavy favorite in the afternoon’s lone listed
stakes, the $100,000
Edgewood
S. for three-year-old fillies. Under consideration for the Kentucky Oaks
before fading to last in the Comely S. (G2) at Aqueduct on April 11, Laragh
captured the grassy Jessamine S. last autumn prior to a strong third-place
effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She wound down her
two-year-old campaign with a front-running score in the Hollywood Starlet S.
(G1) on Cushion Track.

Hoping to upset Laragh are stakes winner ABBOTT HALL (El Corredor), who did
not have the best of trips in the Appalachian S. (G3) last time; Mardi Gras S.
runner-up FLEET STREAK (More Than Ready); and MAGICAL AFFAIR (Giant’s Causeway),
who remained undefeated in two starts on turf with an allowance score at
Keeneland on April 8.