Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - The Breeders' Cup began in 1984 with longshot Wild Again winning the inaugural Breeders' Cup Classic. This will be the 26th running of the $5 million, 1 1/4-mile event and not a single female has crossed the finish line first.

That all could change this Saturday when Zenyatta hits Santa Anita searching for her 14th consecutive victory . The five-year-old mare has never been beaten in 13 starts, but this will be her first test against the boys. If she wins, she'll surpass the legendary Personal Ensign, who also began her career with 13 straight first-place finishes.

That filly did something Zenyatta has yet to accomplish and that's knocking off the colts. Personal Ensign won the 1988 Whitney Handicap over Gulch before prevailing in an epic stretch run over Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo in the Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Zenyatta, the 5-2 morning-line favorite to win the Classic, will be opposed by 12 other horses, including second choice Rip Van Winkle, winner of two straight in Great Britain, and Belmont Stakes champion, Summer Bird.

There are a couple of positives in her corner. She has the home-track advantage having run at Santa Anita three times in the last 14 months with one of those victories coming in last year's Ladies Classic over Cocoa Beach and Music Note. The other plus is that she's one of the gamest horses to hit the track in quite some time.

However, don't run to the windows too quickly. She has never been the 1 1/4- mile distance and there's an old racetrack adage that states: never wager on a horse doing something he/she has never done in his/her life, especially as the favorite.

THE OTHER FAVORITES

Rip Van Winkle will attract a lot of attention Saturday afternoon based on two wins in the Sussex Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. Prior to those efforts, he ran second to Sea The Stars.

On the negative side, career-long foot issues could become a factor in his first North American race. In addition, his last two races were both at one mile so he might be a tad short coming into the Classic.

Summer Bird just keeps getting better and better. The three-year-old has already won the Belmont, Travers, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, but has yet to race on the Pro-Ride synthetic surface so he could be up against it at Santa Anita.

LONGSHOTS WITH A HUGE CHANCE

There are a few horses that have proven themselves over the surface, namely Einstein and Gio Ponti.

Einstein won the Santa Anita Handicap earlier in the year but hasn't raced since a second-place finish to Richard's Kid in the Pacific Classic back in early September.

Gio Ponti could be overlooked in the betting despite four grade-one victories on the year. Primarily a turf horse, the four-year-old has two races over Pro- Ride - a win in the Sir Beaufort last December and a fifth in the Strub this past February.

Two other colts with a shot are Richard's Kid and Colonel John. The former ran third in the Goodwood over the track last month, one race after winning the Pacific Classic at 24-1.

The latter sports three wins in six starts at Santa Anita, most recently a second in the Goodwood. The son of two-time BC Classic winner Tiznow ran a troubled fifth to Richard's Kid and Einstein at Del Mar and could have finished faster if he wasn't blocked on the rail around the far turn.

SAVE YOUR MONEY

Mine That Bird could attract some attention since most of the country is familiar with his victory in the Kentucky Derby. However, he has yet to win since that race

Twice Over is coming over from Great Britain with three straight victories. He'll certainly relish the distance but in his lone race against the big boys, he lost by 17 1/4 lengths to Sea The Stars and Rip Van Winkle.

A troika of three-year-olds will be setting the pace as Girolamo, Regal Ransom and Quality Road all prepare to do battle in the early part of the race.

Six-year-old Awesome Gem rounds out the field. The Hawthorne Gold Cup winner likes the surface but is a cut below these in terms of class.

THE BETS

While the majority of the betting public will be placing their wagers on Zenyatta, Rip Van Winkle and Summer Bird, it's best to take a shot with a few horses that could fly under the radar.

Gio Ponti is the top male in the race and even though most of his wins have come on the turf, it's not a stretch to transfer that form over to Pro-Ride.

Bet Gio Ponti to win and place, and box him in exactas with Einstein, Colonel John and Richard's Kid.