While Curlin will be the headliner for the nine Breeders’ Cup races contested on Saturday, the five Cup races today are not without their own star power.

Zenyatta, with a flawless 8-for-8 career record, will lead the way in the Ladies Classic, a race formerly known as the Distaff.

Trained by John Shirreffs, Zenyatta, a 4-year-old daughter of Street Cry, has been nothing short of sensational every time she steps onto the track, and holds the home field advantage here having already won the Lady’s Secret over Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface in her latest start.

That Zenyatta is the odds-on favorite in the morning line is a testament to how brilliantly she has won her races considering her competition includes the defending champion – Ginger Punch – and four other Grade 1 winners.

Ginger Punch fought out gutsy victories in both the Go For Wand and Personal Ensign at Saratoga this summer, and will offer odds of greater than 3/5 for the first time since she returned $11 in winning this race last year at Monmouth Park. Yet her campaign has been taxing, and perhaps began to show when she was caught late by Cocoa Beach in the Beldame.

Behind Zenyatta, the remainder of the Ladies Classic field appears wide-open, and a case can even be made for 50-1 bomber Santa Teresita, who finished second to Zenyatta in the Milady.

Ladies Classic Picks: 1st Zenyatta; 2nd Santa Teresita; 3rd Hystericalady; 4th Cocoa Beach.

In the Filly and Mare Sprint, champion Indian Blessing makes her return to the synthetic surfaces she was once shipped east to avoid. While cutting back to sprint distances, she has learned to relax early in her races, and has been a monster, winning her last three starts by a combined 18 lengths.

Yet trainer Bob Baffert has repeatedly stated that synthetic surfaces take away from Indian Blessing’s brilliance, and at a short price, may be worth taking a shot against.

Ventura could prove a worthy challenger as she began this season with a pair of visually impressive wins when sprinting.

Filly and Mare Sprint Picks: 1st Ventura; 2nd Indian Blessing; 3rd Zaftig; 4th Tizzy’s Tune.

In the Juvenile Fillies Turf, Saucey Evening was a stylish winner when trying a route of ground for the first time most recently, and now gets back on what should prove her preferred surface.

Juvenile Fillies Turf Picks: 1st Saucey Evening; 2nd Laragh; 3rd Heart Shaped; 4th Sugar Mom.

In the Juvenile Fillies, all eyes will be on Stardom Bound, who has exploded through the stretch of her two latest outings to draw clear from big fields. And while she has no knocks against, she will find some new shooters amongst this cast that just may prove tougher than the California-based fillies she has been whipping.

C. S. Silk has inherited her sire Medaglia d’Oro’s high cruising velocity, which should place her comfortably near the front through the early stages. She has rapidly improved in all three prior starts, and could be the one to catch off the turn.

Juvenile Fillies Picks: 1st C. S. Silk; 2nd Stardom Bound; 3rd Sky Diva; 4th Pursuit of Glory.

In the Filly and Mare Turf, a wonderfully contentious group of 10 high-quality runners has assembled, and the early pace figures to prove most critical.

Folk Opera and Halfway To Heaven, both Group winners across the pond, figure to contest the pace, with Dynaforce and Wait a While in very close attendance.

Wait a While has yet to lose over this Santa Anita turf course, and off scintillating wins in the Ballston Spa and Yellow Ribbon, arrives seemingly still at the top of her game.

Mauralakana was compromised by the soft going in the Flower Bowl, and will receive a better setup for her explosive late kick today. Her stablemate Vacare will benefit from a race over the track as she clearly was reluctant to cross over the dirt last out, one of the nuances in the configuration of the Santa Anita racing surfaces.

Filly and Mare Turf: 1st Mauralakana; 2nd Wait a While; 3rd Visit; 4th Vacare.