ARCADIA, Calif. – Life got sweeter for Life Is Sweet without her daunting stablemate Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic. After fruitlessly chasing the undefeated mare in three previous races, Life Is Sweet found the winner’s circle.

Garrett Gomez guided her from last – more than 17 lengths behind – to a 21/2 length victory in Friday’s $2 million race at Santa Anita. Life Is Sweet was one of four long shots to win on the opening day of the 26th annual world championships.

“It was exhilarating,” co-owner Marty Wygod said.

The 4-year-old filly shares the barn of defending champion Zenyatta, who stayed in her stall resting ahead of today’s $5 million Classic against the boys.

She will put her 13-0 winning streak on the line in the 11/4-mile race, the richest in North America.

Both horses are trained by John Shirreffs for different owners.

“I was glad she was able to get it done today,” Shirreffs said. “She really deserves this. She had been coming into this race really great.”

American horses won four of the day’s six races, with jockey Julien Leparoux riding two winners on a day that went off without incident to horses or riders.

It was the second consecutive Breeders’ Cup to be run on Santa Anita’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface, which kept stellar filly Rachel Alexandra away. She was 8-for-8 this year, including three wins over male horses, one of them in the Preakness.

Life Is Sweet had lost to Zenyatta in three of her previous four races. She improved to 4-for-5 this year in races where Zenyatta wasn’t running, with her only loss to males in the Hollywood Gold Cup.

“If you have to be overshadowed by something, that is the right mare to be overshadowed by,” Wygod said.

Zenyatta ready for big day

Zenyatta had a quiet Friday morning at Santa Anita, one day before she will bid for immortality as the first filly or mare to win the richest race in North America. It will be a demanding 11/4-mile test against a deep and talented field that includes Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird and Rip Van Winkle, a top runner from Ireland.

“She is going to have to have her ‘A’ game and be lucky, too,” exercise rider Steve Willard said after taking the mare for an easy gallop. “The distance will be right down her alley, but there are five or six really good horses in there and no slouches. I just want her to have a safe race, come home good and make babies.”

Other races

Man of Iron, a 3-year-old colt, nipped veteran Cloudy’s Knight by a nose in the $500,000 Marathon. … Informed Decision capped a brilliant season with a 11/4-length win in the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint. She rarely missed a beat, going 6-for-7 this year.