Zenyatta back in style but Alexandra defeated Last year's Breeders' Cup Classic victor Zenyatta returned to the track in a blaze of glory at Santa Anita on Saturday. However, her long-standing rival Rachel Alexandra suffered a shock defeat as she made her seasonal bow at Fair Grounds. The pair captivated the American public last term with Zenyatta seemingly ending her career on a high at the Breeders' Cup, while Rachel Alexandra was crowned horse of the year after notching five Grade One wins on the bounce, including the Preakness Stakes. Owners Jerry and Ann Moss initially indicated Zenyatta would be retired but they reversed that decision in January and trainer John Shirreffs stepped up her prep work again. Conceding weight all round in the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap, Zenyatta was unable to make her customary late charge down the middle of the track after failing to find the necessary racing room. Jockey Mike Smith merely switched to the inside, though, and Zenyatta showed her class as she stretched away to win by a length and a quarter from Dance To My Tune. "Obviously, (Smith) went to the inside and then had to come back out, so - I just have a lot of faith in Mike," said Shirreffs. "I know once he gets her in the clear, he has a good chance. "She's cut in between horses and everything, but when you have a big X on your back, a lot of places don't open up that normally would." In a memorable day for the trainer, Shirreffs' Zardana was responsible for spoiling Rachel Alexandra's party in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes. The four-year-old had been off the track since winning the Woodward Stakes last September and she was just found wanting in the closing stages, going down by three-quarters of a length. "I'm just disappointed she didn't win. It was a lack in fitness, and it's our job to have her there and I didn't do it," said trainer Steve Asmussen. "She was strong early and got tired. (It's) very disappointing that she lost. You hate to be in that position, but now that it's over you know it's not something we got away with." Zenyatta, who is now unbeaten in 15 starts, is set for a showdown with Rachel Alexandra in the Apple Blossom Invitational Stakes on April 9 at Oaklawn Park. However, Asmussen admits he will have to monitor Rachel Alexandra's condition over the coming days before committing to the headline-grabbing clash. "How tired she is off of that will be established in the coming days," he told the Thoroughbred Times website. "She's not where I thought she was, and if I had thought she'd get beat she wouldn't run. You take her back, you evaluate her, you see how her mood is, her diet, how she goes back to the racetrack, how she breezes. "No crystal ball could see that far ahead." Jerry Moss is also not keen to write off Rachel Alexandra's chances next month. He added: "We watched Rachel's race in the paddock. I'm sorry she lost, but she lost to a better horse today. We'll see what happens (in) the next race. Zardana might try to get to that same race and that would be fine. "Rachel was a little short, perhaps. Hopefully, she'll come back a stronger racehorse in a month, and we'll see the real Rachel, so to speak."
