Arcadia, CA -- (Sports Network) - Life Is Sweet, stablemate of champion mare Zenyatta, came roaring down the stretch Friday to win the $2 million Ladies' Classic at Santa Anita to conclude the first day of the 26th Breeders' Cup World Championships. The remaining eight championship events will be conducted Saturday.

Zenyatta was held out of the Ladies' Classic to run in Saturday's $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic versus the males. Also absent from the race was three- year-old filly Rachel Alexandra who is on vacation till next year.

Post-time favorite Careless Jewel set the pace in the 1 1/8 mile event for fillies and mares. The three-year-old filly led by as much as 10-lengths on Santa Anita's synthetic track.

Around the final turn the leader began to tire as the rest of the field cut into her lead. Careless Jewel faded badly down the stretch as Life Is Sweet and jockey Garrett Gomez rallied down the middle of the track.

Life Is Sweet, trained by John Shirreffs, posted a 2 1/2-length victory over Mushka with Music Note finishing third for the second straight year.

"I'm just so happy for Life is Sweet," said Shirreffs, "She's such a nice filly. She ran so great early in the year. I was glad she was able to get it done today. She really deserves this. She had been coming into this race really great."

The time for the Ladies' Classic was 1:48.58.

Owned by Pam and Martin Wygod, Life Is Sweet earned $1 million with the win. In 15 career starts the four-year-old filly has six wins for $1.7 million.

Life Is Sweet returned $18.20, $8.00 and $5.00. Mushka paid $12.80 and $6.40, and Music Note paid $3.20 to show.