Ten Memories From Breeders’ Cup 2010

7 11 2010

“We sat and heard in silence. What other expression had we that was not meant for such an awful universe of battle?” – Lt Frank Haskell –  Gettysburg, PA – July 3, 1863

It’s hard to believe that the 2010 Breeders’ Cup is already a historical memory.  With so much anticipation and build-up, I’m surprised each year as the races rattle off and the weekend winds down just how quickly the whole affair can happen.  This year, like all others before, was filled with memories; some of them favorable, some of them far more disconcerting.   On the plus side, attendance and betting handle were up from 2009.  On the downside the races didn’t quite end in the story-book fashion many were hoping for.  As we wind down from the weekend that was, I thought we might take a quick look back at 10 memories that will stay with us from the Breeders’ Cup 2010.

  • Jockey Fight 2010:

It’s a shame, but you sort of have to begin here. Things got off to a strange start in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup when Calvin Borel and Javier Castellano exchanged blows following the running of the  Breeders’ Cup Marathon. The moment was captured live on ESPN and instantly went viral – becoming the first sustained memory of the championship weekend.  From Castellano’s seemingly stunning left jab to the enraged look in Borel’s eyes as he was held back and then removed from the scene.

The entire ordeal was both bizarre and absurd.   This couldn’t have been the start the organizers of the Breeders’ Cup were hoping for, but there’s a line of thinking that suggests any exposure is good exposure, and if nothing else the novelty of two height-challenged individuals resorting to fisticuffs in the winner’s circle certainly attracted the attention of folks who would otherwise would not have cared.  The real tragedy was the number of times throughout the continuing racing coverage that “jockeyfight” was harped upon.  Additionally, the high drama surrounding the entire affair should’ve given us a clue as to the proper hunch play for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint the following day.

  • The Big 10 can’t play defense:

Sadly, horse racing fans have to be acutely aware of this fact, but any who didn’t already know that the teams of the Big 10 have a ways to go as far as being able to actually prevent opposing offenses from scoring at will got a healthy reality check about midway through the racing action on Saturday afternoon.   Just as ESPN was switching it’s coverage from ESPN2  to it’s main channel, fans were greeted with a stunning Overtime battle between Illinois and Michigan.

Yes, those two powerhouses fighting for middle-of-the-pack status within the conference wound up going through 3 OT periods before a winner was decided.  During that time racing fans the world over began to form organized resistance as it appeared we would not be able to see the running of the Juvenile.  Thankfully the heavens parted, Michigan sealed the game, and we wound up getting to see Uncle Mo’s brilliant performance (more on that in a moment) in stunning HD quality…and there was much rejoicing.

  • Rough Sailing breaking down:

Probably the saddest of all memories from the past weekend was the injury suffered by longshot Rough Sailing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.  The horse fell, dropping Napravnk from the saddle and then had to be taken away in an ambulance. Not long afterwards came word that the horse was euthanized. Ironically, the winning horse in the race, Tam Valour’s Pluck, was very near Rough Sailing when he fell, and jockey Garrett Gomez deserves credit for steering Pluck away from what seemed to be a collision in the making once Napravnik was on the ground.  A scary moment that could’ve turned out even worse if not for some quick thinking and reflexes.   Sadly, as far as Rough Sailing is concerned, there was no silver lining.   RIP.

  • Bet the longshots!

Right out of the gate we were greeted with a glimpse of what was to come when Eldaafer scored in the Marathon and returned $23.20 to win.  The only favorite that won on the first day was Awesome Feather, who still managed to return $10.40 worth of value to her supporters.  By the time the weekend was through we had witnessed More Than Real scoring at $29.20 in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, Dangerous Midge at $19.00 in the Turf, and bank breakers Dakota Phone ($77.40) and Shared Account ($94.00) in the Dirt Mile and Filly & Mare Turf, respectively.

Shared Account’s victory in particular being memorable as it came over the highly regarded and heavily favored Midday – and may have ultimately led to the decision of Arc winner Workforce being scratched from the BC Turf.  Suffice to say, if you played value horses over the favorites throughout the weekend, chances are you were highly rewarded.   Personally I didn’t catch either of the whoppers, and the victory by Dakota Phone bounced me from the Late Pick 4 on Saturday.

  • Uncle Mo exploding in the stretch to win the Juvenile:

The question everyone wants answered with the yearly running of the Juvenile is whether a 2-year-old exists that is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the competition in the division. While it’s still a long way to go until the “First Saturday in May”,  many folks will no doubt be looking back to Saturday’s performance from Uncle Mo as an early indication of a potential 2011 Kentucky Derby favorite.  Mo’ exploded in the stretch when asked by jockey John Velazquez and stopped the clock on the 1 1/16 mile race at 1:42.60, good enough for a 108 Beyer Speed Figure for the son of Indian Charlie.

Only time will tell if Mo is able to continue his form cycle into next season, but it’s interesting to note that the last horse use the race as a stepping stone to a victorious Derby campaign the following season, Street Sense, also won the Juvenile over the main track at Churchill.  Admittedly there may have been a speed bias favoring the rail during Street Sense’s06 Juvenile score, but for Uncle Mo it seemed like a simple case of being the far superior horse in the field.

  • Dakota Phone noses out Morning Line:

The score that essentially crushed my Pick 4 dreams in the final races of the championship weekend, the 37/1 victory by Dakota Phone was undboutedly a key component to a memorable weekend for those lucky enough to have covered him in the exotics.  The son of Zavata got up just in time to nose out the tepid early favorite, aptly named Morning Line, by a nose in the photo finish.

Personally, I had spread 6 horses deep to cover this race on my tickets, and like many folks I was reminded that in contentious Breeders’ Cup races, sometimes going 6 deep just isn’t enough.  I suppose it’s a bit of a handicapping lesson; if you’ve got no real opinion in a race and are covering that many runners, keep in mind that “anything can happen”, and in the case of the Breeders’ Cup, “anything” probably will happen.  Hats off to anyone that used this horse.

  • Unrivaled Belle best of the ladies:

In a race that featured the 3 biggest names of the division other than Zenyatta (Blind Luck, Life At Ten, and Havre De Grace), Unrivalled Belle may have been somewhat under the radar to many folks.  While clearly capable on her best stuff, it was assumed by most that one of the more highly touted runners would be able to reel her in during the stretch run.  Several handicappers did select Belle, however, most notably (in my opinion) the much adored Christina Olivares of TVG.

Wish I would’ve paid that selection more attention, but in truth by the time I caught this on the DVR I was a bit “opinioned out” and essentially not listening to anything more being said.  Big mistake.  The daughter of Unrivaled Song took command as the field entered the turn and then pulled away to a convincing 1 3/4 length score.  Blind Luck showed the heart of a champion but could not make up the ground that separated the two.

  • Life At Ten – the scratch that should’ve been:

As the field headed to post in the 2010 Ladies’ Classic, it was clear that something was wrong with Life at Ten.  A blind man could’ve seen it.  How this horse went to post is beyond me. She was the surest toss of the entire weekend once she was observed in the post parade.  Of course, that was little comfort to those of us who had confidently wagered on her in the multi-race exotics.  Todd Pletcher had himself a pretty good Breeders’ Cup weekend, but Life At Ten’s debacle is likely the memory that will haunt him the most.

Thankfully she appears to be okay and not seriously injured, but had something even more disastrous occurred I don’t think the game would’ve been able to avoid the proverbial backlash.  When folks who have never seen a horse race in their lives are asking questions like “why are they letting that horse run?”  you know things aren’t going well.

  • Goldikova makes it 3 in a row:

One has to wonder if somewhere in the back of her mind Goldikova wasn’t tired of playing second fiddle on the center stage for Breeders’ Cup 2010?   The champion proved she was every bit the super horse that we’ve made her out to be in earning her unprecedented 3rd consecutive Breeders’ Cup victory in the TVG Mile.  For a while it seemed like she may be in a bad spot, and turning for home I remember thinking “this is going to take everything you have.”  And yet, it didn’t, as the daughter o Anabaa pulled away to a clear 1 3/4 length victory over her primary foe, the Eclipse Award winning Gio Ponti.

For his part, Gio Ponti can now claim that if not for two of the greatest mares the sport has had in recent memory running the races of their lives, it might be he we are fawning over for consecutive Breeders’ Cup victories.  It was Gio, after all, who trailed the great Zenyatta during her 2010 Classic score.  The big question everyone is hoping for a positive answer to is whether Goldikova now tries to make it 4 in a row in 2011?  Considering she’s now won over 10% of the Turf Mile events ever run at the Breeders’ Cup, I’d expect it may still be a possibility.

  • Blame over Zenyatta in a Breeders’ Cup Classic photo finish

I’m torn on this moment and a bit confused as to what my proper feelings should be.  On the one hand I’ve liked Blame all year and thought he may be the only horse capable of holding off Zenyatta in deep stertch.  In fact, I even went so far as to predict a photo finish between the two in our pre-race handicapping selections.  On the other hand, despite the valiant effort, I’d be kidding if I claimed to not be a bit heart broken.

There was a feeling in the air, even as Zenyatta went to post amidst the roar of the crowd and began her patented “dancing” routine, that things were going to be desperate.  Early on in the race I thought she looked like she was not enjoying herself.  She’s always in the back of the pack but she was so far back I worried that she may wind up being pulled up.  Turning for home it seemed as if once again the great mare was going to find a way to thunder down the center of the track and into the history books.  She would have – if not for an equally game contender in Blame.   Someone must’ve forget to tell Blame that he was supposed to play 2nd fiddle to the great one, and he simply did what he knows to do best in holding off a living legend at the wire for the score.

Deflating for Zenyatta lovers?  Sure.  Indicative that Zenyatta is not the super horse of legend we’ve made her out to be?  Hardly.  In fact, I’d argue that the 2010 Classic was one of Zenyatta’s best performances given how absolutely out of it she seemed as the field entered the final turn.   A mile into the race she was in 11th position.  At the top of the stretch she was already in 3rd and rolling.  She may have lost the head bob, but she gained so much more in terms of respect and appreciation.  We learned that we don’t need perfection – as who amongst us can claim to be perfect in anything – in order to appreciate greatness.


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Categories : Blame, Breeders' Cup, Breeders' Cup Coverage, Churchill Downs, Handicapping Selections, horse racing, Horse Racing News, Zenyatta

Saturday Breeders’ Cup Selections

5 11 2010

Race 4: The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

Similar to yesterday’s card, we start out with a race I don’t have a particularly strong opinion about.  Not a single runner in the entire field has a previous start over the Churchill dirt.  We know the turns are tight and the ground has been reportedly more firm than many of the Euro connections would prefer.  This race will be our first indication of how the European runners will fare the rest of the day.  Speaking of which, MASTER OF HOUNDS should be tough here if he has shipped well and will be my top selection.  I also like the looks of MANTOBA with Dettori aboard.  For the domestic runners I gravitated towards the outside horse, PLUCK, for Todd Pletcher even though I hate the post position.  MADMAN DIARIES came close to being my 3rd selection. You can really make a case for just about anyone in this field.  Tricky race to start the day off with.

  • Selections:
    • #5 Master of Hounds (9/2*)
    • #3 Mantoba (5/1)
    • #13 Pluck (6/1)

Race 5: The Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint

I’m going to keep things fairly simple in the sprint.  I like the favorite, GIROLAMO quite a bit, but as the morning line odds of 3/1 suggest, he is a bit vulnerable here.  It’s interesting to note that he (along with Gio Ponti who races later in the card) are two examples that buck the myth that suggests horses who have faced Zenyatta don’t go on to achieve much of anything.  This son of A.P. Indy (one of many in the BC) took the G1 Vosburgh last out despite being “steadied” at one point early in the race.  BIG DRAMA is a horse that makes a good deal of sense here as well, but my gut tells me he finds a way to finish 2nd again.  CASH REFUND is probably the fastest of the field, which in theory should help for a sprint.  KINSALE KING figures to offer solid reward relative to his chances due to the recent “darkened form” in the last two efforts.  The horses that I was torn between for 3rd selection were ATTA BOY ROY and WARRIOR’s REWARD on the outside.  Definitely those are not ideal post positions, so despite the fact that I like both horses I had to leave one off.  I think of the two WARRIOR’s REWARD has the better chance to wind up in the winner’s circle, whereas ATTA BOY ROY has a better chance to hit-the-board (if that even makes sense…forgive me folks as I’m running on about 3 hours sleep).

  • Selections:
    • #2 Girolamo (3/1*)
    • #1 Big Drama (7/2)
    • #12 Warrior’s Reward (12/1)

Race 6: The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint

This race was extremely difficult for me to narrow down even a top selection – perhaps the most difficult of all 14 championship races this weekend.  In fact, I’m not even going to do an analysis here. My advice is to just play whatever your opinion is and don’t listen to anything anyone else has to say.  If someone twisted my arm I’d say that I expect the pace to be fairly quick here, and that may setup for DUE DATE and CALIFORNIA FLAG to be rolling late.  I know just about everyone has totally given up on the Flag, but not me.  He can still beat these guys,  and 12/1 isn’t half bad on the horse that won this race last year.  Obviously the post position is horrific though and gives me great pause.  I like to use CHAMBERLAIN BRIDGE but he seems to have trouble winning in graded stakes.  ROSE CATHERINE was going to be my top play as I feel she doesn’t “need” the lead in this, but I’ve begun to question that selection the more I look over the race.  Guess I’ll have to make SILVER TIMBER the top choice then?  The post isn’t bad and he makes some sense having defeated the aforementioned DUE DATE (not to mention $450k in earnings at the distance).

  • Selections:
    • #5 Silver Timber (4/1)
    • #9 Rose Catherine (6/1)
    • #12  California Flag (12/1)

Race 7 : The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

The Juvenile features a showdown between two highly regarded colts, BOYS AT TUSCANOVA and UNCLE MO.  My initial opinion is that UNCLE MO may be the best of the two at the mile-and-a-sixteenth distance, but I would advise using each of them in the win position on your exotics.  Looking over the rest of the field, STAY THIRSTY would make some sense to include underneath of the top two. MURJAN and BIONDETTI come into the race sporting perfect records from overseas, while J B’s THUNDER is a perfect 2 for 2 here in the U.S.  J P’s GUSTO hasn’t missed an Exacta since her debut in May.  Lastly you have the improving sons of Kentucky Derby champions Smarty Jones (ROGUE ROMANCE) and Fusaichi Pegasus (RIVETING REASON).  Even the “easy” races are filled with intrigue.

  • Selections:
    • #7 Uncle Mo (7/5*)
    • #2 Boys At Tuscanova (5/2)
    • #6 Stay Thirsty (8/1)

Race 8: The TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (Turf):

While all of the attention is focused this day on the Classic and the undefeated Zenyatta, racing fans the world over are perhaps equally anxious to see GOLDIKOVA get her shot at defeating the boys for an unprecedented 3rd Breeders’ Cup victory (although that unprecedentedness may be fleeting, depending on developments later in the day).  We all know the story; trainer Freddie Head who rode the great Miesque to consecutive Mile victories has the daughter of Anabaa looking very tough to defeat, although it will be interesting to see if she can once again overcome some adversity in the form of post position and familiarity with the local track.  PACO BOY has the most familiarity with the favorite, having been defeated repeatedly at her hands (hooves). GIO PONTI is the x-factor here who probably is better suited for the BC Turf, but gives GOLDIKOVA’s connections something to think about.  PROVISO is another interesting runner who has rattled off 4 consecutive victories.  I haven’t liked what I’ve seen of SIDNEY’S CANDY in the morning workouts to support that horse as an upset contender. I could see including DELEGATOR as an underneath play.  COURT VISION is a horse I’ve always been fond of, but I can’t envision him defeating the likes of Goldi.  Look for history to be made in this race – hopefully not the last time we get to say that for the evening.

  • Selections
    • #10 Goldikova (6/5*)
    • #3 Gio Ponti (4/1)
    • #11 Proviso (12/1)

Race 9: The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

The Dirt Mile looks like another great betting race where folks have numerous logical directions they could go.  MORNING LINE was awarded favoritism at 7/2 but I think many of us are thinking this is a play against at those odds given the distance and post position questions for a one-turn mile.  I actually like the other Tiznow colt here, TIZWAY at 6/1.  I thought that was a big win in the Kelso last out over Cool Coal Man, and the 3rd behind Quality Road and Musket Man in the Metropolitan could look flattered by the end of the day depending on how those runners perform in the Classic.  HERE COMES BEN is another logical contender that you don’t want to let knock you out of the exotics.  CROWN OF THORNS was going to be a play against from me before his late scratch.  The x-factor horse I think may show up big here though is VINEYARD HAVEN.  I just wish he drew a better post position because I think he has every right to be there at the wire and 10/1 is attractive value.  Very interesting race.

  • Selections:
    • #2 Tizway (6/1)
    • #5 Here Comes Ben (6/1)
    • #12 Vineyard Haven (10/1)

Race 10: The Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf

For the sixth time in history, a winner of the Arc De Triomphe, the world’s richest turf race, will attempt to prevail in the BC Turf within the same year.  The previous competitors are 0 for 5 lifetime, so keep that in mind before accepting low odds on WORKFORCE.  Even more concerning has been the hot topic story this week that the connections feel Churchill’s turf course is “too firm” and does not have enough moisture in the ground to set up the Arc winner for his best run.  This is actually a continuing theme that we’ll have to pay close attention to throughout the weekend to see how the Euros hold up, but moisture in the forecast and the opportunity to have viewed numerous turf races prior to this point will hopefully have clarified the picture.  If you’re looking to beat captain obvious, I thought the other Arc runner, BEHKABAD made quite a bit of sense.  I’ll be using WINCHESTER and AL KHALI on some exotic plays.

  • Selections:
    • #6 Workforce (7/5*)
    • #7 Behkabad (9/5)
    • #5 Al Khali (10/1)

Race 11: The Breeders’ Cup Classic

And so it all comes down to this. One race, two minutes, and a date with destiny.  Obviously my heart, like that of every racing fan on Earth, will be beating rapidly in the hopes that Zenyatta will be able to unleash her trademark gigantic run down the center of the track and then gallop off into history as the greatest race horse that many of us younger fans have ever had the pleasure of seeing with our own eyes.  If she loses, well, unfortunately such circumstances tend to bring out the worst in human nature – but no mater what anyone says or types her legacy was sealed when she prevailed at Santa Anita last year.  Nothing can ever take away that accomplishment, and I fully expect her to be right there at the wire on Saturday.  The horse with the best chance of knocking down the champ has got to be BLAME.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a photo finish between them. LOOKIN AT LUCKY would make a great deal of sense to me here if he had not drawn such a crappy post position – but Baffert does seem quietly confident lately.  QUALITY ROAD and MUSKET MAN have every right to factor into the equation, and of course you’ve got a runner like HAYNESFIELD who was able to get loose on the lead and defeat BLAME last out.  I like BLAME and ZENYATTA hitting the wire together with MUSKET MAN edging out other rivals for 3rd.   If this is indeed the last time “slow cheetah” will grace us with her presence, here’s hoping she goes out as a winner.  This one’s going to be tough though, folks.  It may take her absolute best – but rest assured that her absolute best is pretty darned good.

  • Selections:
    • #8 Zenyatta (8/5*)
    • #5 Blame (9/2)
    • #7 Musket Man (20/1)

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The cream rises to the top

13 06 2010

Following a turbulent spring in which the 3-year-old division never really sorted itself out the way many of us had hoped – this Saturday provided an opportunity to establish a firm sense of where things stood among the ranks of older females and males.

Defending Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra had been the subject of intense scrutiny and conjecture – as friends and foes alike pondered what had happened to the killer instinct with which the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro had dispatched her challengers over the course of her previous campaign.

Struggling in the stretch against the likes of Zardana and Unrivaled Belle – who while good horses certainly did not appear to be “Rachel beaters” on paper headed into their contests with the champ – had left a foul taste in many folks mouths.  Tensions were running so high that there were calls for her to be retired – and even exercise jockey Dominic Terry wound up being replaced by Steve Asmussen following some sort of disagreement (Terry, it must be noted, was a fan favorite who routinely conversed over the internet with Rachel’s fans – so this author was sad to see him removed).

Then, of course, there was the looming specter of the “figure 8″ – the singular piece of equipment that had caused so much grief as it seemed that Asmussen was trying to alter the way in which Rachel Alexandra responded to the bit as well as when and where she would make her move while racing.

As noted by Sid Fernando – Rachel Alexandra did not wear the figure 8 when sent to post yesterday for the G2 Fleur de Lis.  The result, as may have been expected, was that the filly ran off the screen again, invoking memories of her victories last year in the Mother Goose, Haskell, and Kentucky Oaks.

While watching the race live, it may not have seemed such a foregone conclusion to her throngs of fans.  It looked for a moment like a repeat of what we had seen against Unrivaled Belle and Zardana.  Rachel collared Jessica is Back and moved to the front, but then Distinctive Dixie seemed poised to pounce on her.

It was then that something peculiar happened.  Rather than allow a “lesser” horse to surge past her as she had done both times this year, Rachel seemed to remember who she was, digging down deep to procure a semblance of that greatness.  She pulled away brilliantly in the stretch, and with a furlong to go the races was as good as over.

Full results chart from Equibase

The final margin put her at 10 1/2 lengths in front of Distinctive Dixie, crossing the wire in the 1 1/8 mile race in 1:48.78.   The distance and time are not insignificant as just 4 races later many of the top older males in the land would go the same route in the G1 Stephen Foster.

Comparing the two races directly is a bit difficult to do – as the Stephen Foster featured a full field of 11 runners who were quite comfortable setting  a much slower pace early on (:24.50 and :48.72 as opposed to the :23.93 and :47.25 of the Fleur de Lis).  Still, it’s noteworthy that when Blame stopped the clock after prevailing in the Stephen Foster, he did so almost half a second slower than Rachel at 1:49.37.

Take nothing away from Blame’s performance though.  He absolutely devoured the highly regarded Battle Plan in the stretch, overcoming a highly disadvantageous post position draw in the 11 hole in the process.

We noted headed into Preakness day that we thought Blame was a serious race horse who belonged in the discussion for the best older male in the handicap division – and this performance in the Stephen Foster clearly makes him a horse to keep an eye on as the season progresses towards the Breeders’ Cup championships this fall.

Of course these weren’t the only two horses making  strong appearances.  Thanks to imperfections of racing’s calendar you also had Rail Trip winning the G2 California Stakes at Hollywood Park.  Additionally, there was Life at Ten staging the upset over the aforementioned Unrivaled Belle in the Ogden Phipps at Belmont, and Miss Singhsix prevailing in the G3 Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park (a race that you would be excused for thinking may not have existed, considering the total lack of coverage it received).

As if all this action were not enough – there’s still the undefeated super mare Zenyatta today at Hollywood Park in the G1 Vanity!  That’s right – the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and widely regarded greatest horse on the planet.  While it’s a bit odd to see such a horse running on a Sunday, I think it goes without saying that we’ll take our Zenyatta races any way we can get them.

Here’s hoping that advertising and marketing execs have been paying attention whenever the spine-tingling Breeders’ Cup commercials featuring Zenyatta’s ’09 Classic victory air – they are precisely what the sport needs!

Now, as ESPNs Jeremy Plonk has rightly pointed out – if only we could get all these horses together in a race (or two) – rather than spread out across the nation in races that tend to cannibalize the importance of each.

While I understand the criticism of the column linked to in the above statement – the one benefit of having so many races for the same division strung out across so many tracks on the same weekend may have been the reappearance of Rachel Alexandra.  That may have been exactly what she needed.

I still don’t think she’s ready to throw down with the likes of a Zenyatta – but it felt darn good to see her pull away in the stretch and “stick her tongue out” at the competition.

Now there’s only one thing left to do – get Zenyatta home on top in the Vanity to run that unbeaten streak to 17 for 17.


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Categories : Belmont Park, Blame, Churchill Downs, Delaware Park, Hollywood Park, horse racing, Horse Racing News, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta

Rachel, Zenyatta, and the real fans of horse racing

14 03 2010

“Were these things real or are they but the vagaries of mine own imagination?”

- Private Sam Watkins, Company Aytch (H), 1st Tennessee Volunteers

Unbelievable: the word captures the feelings still percolating among the masses as they continue to deal with the unanticipated defeat of the 2009 Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra, at the hands of the relatively unknown Zardana in her first start of the 2010 season.  The word also describes how fans felt who watched as the defending Breeders’ Cup Classic champion, Zenyatta, appeared trapped at the top of the stretch for the Santa Margarita, as the undefeated daughter of Street Cry was forced to duck inside and do some dirty work from down along the rail before pulling off in typical Slow Cheetah style.

To be certain, there were numerous players who thought either horse might be worth playing against, but I’m sure in their hearts they fully expected both champions to prevail.  As we’ve been reminded countless times in the last 24 hours, Rachel Alexandra becomes the first defending Horse of the Year in the last 10 attempts to lose her debut race the following campaign.  Of course, we also know that most great horses eventually lose – including greats like Kelso and Secretariat.  The trouble is, for Rachel at least, that her rival, Zenyatta, doesn’t lose.  She almost did once to Anaaba’s Creation, in what would’ve been an equally upsetting, well, upset, but found a way to gut out a win.

Let there be no mistake about it: Zenyatta is the best horse on the planet.  It’s not even open for debate anymore at this point in time.

That’s not to say I’m taking anything away from Rachel Alexandra.  Far from it.  Unlike the throngs of absolutely classless Zenyatta fans (oh yeah, I’m calling YOU OUT if you were one…if you weren’t then please don’t take offense) who actually cheered that Rachel was losing.  The living embodiment of the words “classless” and “disgusting.”  I can only assume that in their adolescent minds this Saturday’s race was some sort of referendum on the 2009 Horse of the Year voting.  It wasn’t, as anyone with an IQ over 40 understands.  2009 was about 2009, and that issue has been settled and debated to death.

Seriously, I wasn’t there to see it firsthand and so don’t want to spend a lot of time talking about it, but both folks on TVG and Twitter reported that fans at Santa Anita were “cheering” and “celebrating” Rachel’s defeat.  I hold out hope that these reports are untrue or were grossly misrepresented and/or taken out of context.  If, however, you were among those doing so – shame on you.  SHAME!!!!!! Nothing but shame, and eternal shame!   Just absolutely Wal-Mart trailer-trashified if you ask me.

Suffice to say that these reports were received as absolutely sickening by just about anyone with a pulse outside of California.  This ranks right up there with Eagles fans booing Santa Clause and cheering the injury of Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin.  The only way it’s excusable, in my mind, is if those cheering  had wagered serious cash on Zardana to pull the upset.  If that’s the case – yes, you have every reason to erupt in celebration.  Something tells me though that was not the driving force behind the episode.

Ironically, it was during the stretch run of Zenyatta’s victory just minutes later that we were publicly admonished by the Santa Anita track announcer “if you don’t have goosebumps now, you’re not a fan of horse racing!”


Really?????

Taken on its own merit, I fully agree with the sentiment of the statement.  The timing of its delivery though, coming hot off the heels of the reports of Santa Anita fans rejoicing and celebrating at Rachel Alexandra’s downfall, could not have been worse.  It left many perplexed as to just where in the hell anyone associated with Santa Anita would get off thinking they had any wiggle room to lecture the rest of us as to how “real fans” of horse racing ought to think, feel, or act.

What’s next, Nancy Pelosi telling us we need to be more fiscally responsible?  Michael Vick chastising us over how we treat our pets?  Octomom offering crtitical reviews of our parental skills (or lack thereof)?

The whole thing was laughable at best, if not somewhat aggravating.

Most “real fans” I know were pulling heavily for both horses to win.  Obviously some self-described fans of one horse (but not the other) actually hate the “other side.”  This is unfortunate and not something I subscribe to in our sport, but I suppose it’s what happens with great rivalries.  No doubt many Ali fans despised Frazier.  Yankee and Red Sox fans aren’t known for their cordial demeanor to one another. I think I detest Sidney Crosby (just a bit) for scoring that overtime goal in the Gold Medal game of the 2010 Winer Olympics to defeat Team USA in overtime.   Obviously there’s the Bama/Auburn rivalry I was born into.  And of course, I’ve never found room in my heart to forgive either the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates or the 1989 Toronto Blue Jays for crushing the hopes and dreams of my beloved Baltimore Orioles.

So yes, I get it – and I know many folks just have trouble containing their emotions and displaying “the better angels of our nature” when they are flushed with either victory or defeat.  It does makes it extremely hard for those who identify themselves as Rachel fans to even be able to cheer for Zenyatta at all (though I concede that if Saturday’s results were the other way around, I might be penning admonishing words to Rachel fans for behaving in classless fashion towards Zenyatta fans, so I digress).

I guess I’m a poster child for this phenomenon/dichotomy/conundrum.  Perennially torn between both factions.  Zenyatta was a horse I fell in love with on paper in her maiden race, and then followed closely here as she progressed up the ranks.  BEFORE the great masses who exist now had showed up.   I remember screaming from the rooftops when she won her allowance victory that she was a “future Grade 1 winner, at least” (with the “at least” part suggesting the sky was the limit for her).  Turns out that suspicion was correct and that she’s not just a Grade 1 winner, but an undefeated Classic winner who is every bit a champion and then some.

Then Rachel came along.  A once-in-a-lifetime 3-year-old that broke hundreds of years of historical precedence every time she took to the track.  Her 2009 campaign, despite all of the recent bashing from “haters” who are coming out of the woodworks in droves now, was a thing of beauty.  No 3-year-old filly had ever achieved such a distinguished mark of races won.  Was she ever better than Zenyatta?  In hindsight, I don’t think so, but see – that’s where most fans get caught up.  They mistakenly assume that “Horse of the Year” should be bestowed upon whomever would likely win a theoretical race between the competitors.  It’s not about that.  It’s about who had the better overall campaign.

I maintain that a slightly more aggressive campaign with Zenyatta in 2009 would’ve locked up Horse of the Year.  She certainly had the race of the year, but for months while Zenyatta was barely in the news, Rachel was shattering history at numerous tracks.  Oh well.  At this point in time folks have heard it all before, so it’s not like anything I type is going to change anyone’s mind.  Everyone’s an expert – and everyone knows better than the Eclipse Award voters….yet everyone cowered like frightened schoolgirls when we suggested opening up the voting process to the public (far easier to sit back and criticize whatever happens in the voting from a safe distance, I suppose).

So where do we go from here?

Well, it all depends on how Rachel Alexandra returns from the race.  Personally, I don’t think she looked ready to take on Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom.  I can’t imagine Jess Jackson will send her.  I know she’s been off for 6 months, and that her training schedule wasn’t ideal, and she “needed a race”, but it would seem only those with extreme hubris or a personal lust to see her throttled on the big stage would dare put her in a race against Zenyatta now.

I wonder…if Rachel is scratched from the Apple Blossom, how many of those Zenyatta fans that actually cheered for Rachel’s defeat, and who also hold tickets for Oaklawn, will piss and moan about being “cheated” ?   That would be priceless!  One can only hope they take a healthy dose of egg on their face in some fashion.

That’s what I never understood about this situation.  Even if you are the most diehard Zenyatta fan and the most rabid of Rachel bashers – you should’ve been pulling for victories by both horses on Saturday.  That would’ve only hyped the Apple Blossom even more, and made any victory over the other horse all the more celebrated.  Just as the call for the Santa Margarita implored “if you don’t have goosebumps now, you don’t like horse racing” - well, guess what Californians – right back at you.  If you weren’t pulling for both horses, you don’t like horse racing.  Period.

I equate  this to what I go through during SEC football season.  I’m a diehard Crimson Tide fan.  I HATE Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida with a passion (to the extent that the color orange actually can make me physically ill) – yet you best believe yourself that I’d prefer to face all of those teams when they are undefeated rather than in some weakened state fresh off a humbling defeat.   Anyone remember last year’s SEC Championship game?  What made beating the Florida Gators in that game so special was that they were the undefeated, defending national champions – not some weakened foe that many saw as a “paper tiger.”

In fact, there’s a direct comparison we can draw between that SEC Championship Game and the supposed cheering of Santa Anita fans as Rachel was defeated by Zardana in the New Orleans Ladies.

In the final minutes of Alabama’s romp over Florida, the big screen at the Georgia Dome flashed an image of Gators quarterback Tim Tebow crying on the sidelines.  The stadium, and most Alabama fans erupted in joy.  I’ll admit – for a fleeting moment I smiled, thinking of Alabama’s motto (“make their ass quit!!!”).  As such, I think I can relate to what “Zenyatta fans” (those who are exclusively Zenyatta fans rather than fans of both horses) must’ve experienced the past year.  Every news broadcast, every College Gameday presentation – all were filled with references to “Gators this” and “Tebow that.”  Most announcers seemed to have an unnatural Tebow-fetish.  To defeat him on such a big stage was euphoric, if not outright epic.

Within minutes though, I was posting this to Florida fans across the net:

“Hold your heads high, Gator fans.  You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.  We know damn well it’s you we’ll have to face next year, and the year after that (and so on) if we want to repeat as SEC champs.  While I’m celebrating this victory with everything I’ve got, please know from one SEC fan to another that it pains me to see your magnificent quarterback reduced to tears of defeat.  He’s a warrior, and that’s not the way he deserves to go out.  Pick those heads up and go knock the tar out of folks in the Sugar Bowl!  We’ll see you next year for another epic conference championship.”

Man, what I wouldn’t give to see ONE classy comment from a self-proclaimed Zenyatta fan (and non Rachel fan) out there, if only to reinforce my general belief in humanity that normally defines me.  Sadly, all I hear so far is “nah-nah-boo-booing”, which while infinitely entertaining for children under the ages of 5, tends to get old to the rest of us pretty fast.

Wow…this far into the article and I’ve barely got to talk about the races themselves.

Zenyatta’s move was remarkable.  Much like Odysseus in the Tampa Bay Derby earlier in the day, it looked for a moment when Mike Smith sent her to the inside that the unthinkable was about to repeat itself.  She seemed to have nowhere to go.   Luckily some room did open up, and she began to extend those amazon-esque strides when she needed to, inhaling everything in her path.  In fact, it almost seemed like someone reminded Dance to My Tune (the off-the-charts longshot who would’ve won, had Zenyatta not caught her)  that she wasn’t supposed to win.

Amazing performance?  You betcha.  But, if I can say one thing – Dance to My Tune had not finished in an exacta since 2008.  I’m just sayin’ – we’ve seen Zenyatta beat the best before, and this field certainly was one she was supposed to toy with.

Of course, so was Rachel in the New Orleans Ladies.  I actually thought, despite the contentious pace setup on paper, that we’d see more of a Mother Goose style performance rating off the pace and then exploding in the turn.  Instead it looked like Calvin Borel was fighting her a bit early in an effort to keep her relaxed, and that she simply had nothing in the tank for the final 16th of a mile when she needed it the most.

In other news, as pointed out over on the TVG Community, take a look at these Google results from yesterday.

racingtrends.jpg

Anyone doubt that we could “Take Back Saturday” now (if we’d just get our butts in gear)?   Temper a bit of the excitement with the fact that the majority of those “NTRA” searches were from folks like yours truly in mad, rabid bids to attempt to access the promised “LIVE streaming video” that the NTRA absolutely choked on delivering.   So much so that I actually felt embarrassed for having spent energy broadcasting to folks all over the internet that the live streaming was supposed to be available.

There they were – no doubt in greater numbers than anyone (including me) had anticipated.  Real fans – the kind of fans who go out of there way to organize an entire day around the haphazard channel and multi-media surfing we force them into, if only to catch a fleeting glimpse of our future stars.  Real fans – ones who don’t need to quantify the validity of their fanship by categorizing the physical reactions of their epidermis in response to unfolding situations on the track, and who aren’t participating in orgies of celebration over the downfall of a perceived foe.  Real fans – folks who just love horse racing.  We had them – and we failed to deliver.

Alex Waldrop has already issued a public apology on the matter.  Look, I know folks will snicker and laugh, but I’m glad he’s done so.  The situation was utterly unacceptable and displayed everything that’s been so damn frustrating for those of us that tirelessly try to promote this game.  We aren’t paid marketing staff.  We aren’t on anyone’s salary list.  We work day jobs, raise families, and spend significant portions of our “home time” thinking up ideas to promote the sport and then firing off posts hoping to attract someone from out there in the vast expanse of the internet.   And then, just when we’re on the cusp of making a monumental turning point – we’re failed by technology and those who promised us they had our backs.

It’s disheartening – but having met the folks from the NTRA, I’m satisfied that they understand this can never happen again.  I know they are racing fans at heart and I’m sure they are angered that this didn’t go off as planned.  Alex is a stand-up guy and issuing a public apology to the enraged masses (heck, even I dropped an “f-bomb” about the situation over on Twitter.  I’m only human – and I was PISSED) was the right thing to do.  He didn’t waste any time in doing so, either – nor did he fill it with political or party-line mumbo jumbo.  Just “straight-up”, we screwed up, we apologize, we’ll fix it.   I respect that approach.  Now let’s just make darn sure we deliver on that promise next time through.  NO EXCUSES!

If yesterday taught us anything it’s that we’ve go what it takes to turn some heads with our marquee racing action on a Saturday afternoon.  Kudos to the folks behind the Santa Anita operation that actually got the Santa Margarita broadcast LIVE on ESPN News.  That was a much needed  pick-me-up following the New Orleans Ladies debacle.  Remember folks – accessibility/availability is the first and most crucial component towards growing the sport.  ”People will come” – but we have to tell them where to go.  :)

As for the other races on the day?  How ’bout my boy Odysseus!!!



Who wants on the bandwagon now?  Left for dead as the field turned for home in the Tampa Bay Derby, somehow he rallied to fight his way into an EPIC photo finish with Schoolyard Dreams.  No matter how many times you watch this replay, it still seems unfathomable that he got there – but he did!   Suffice to say, he validated my aggressive top 5 placement in our most recent Kentucky Derby rankings, as did Lookin’ at Lucky and Sidney’s Candy (currently my #10 horse).  I also thought Interactif looked “hella” good running second behind Sidney’s Candy.   We’ll have our updated Kentucky Derby rankings posted shortly.


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Categories : Fair Grounds, Horse Racing News, Kentucky Derby Trail, Rachel Alexandra, Santa Anita, Zenyatta

Upon St. (Santa) Margarita Day!

13 03 2010

It’s no surprise to those who come here often that I tend to get a bit “pumped up” on big time racing days.  No speech in the history of mankind does the trick in terms of getting the mind ready for these days more than the rousing St. Crispin’s Day speech delivered by HenryV as the “poor starved band” of English prepared to receive their French host at Agincourt.

This actually began with a bit of wine-induced posting over on Ernie Munick’s Facebook page, and then over on the TVG Community. This isn’t the first time I’ve offered a (bad) paraphrase of the speech in an attempt to capture the moment.  These, my friends, are the days we live for!  Take Back Saturday!!! Rachel and Zenyatta!!!!!

Don’t forget, if you can’t get the races live on television, the NTRA will be offering LIVE video streaming of BOTH races at www.ntra.com.

And so, I humbly present the following, in honor of the return of Zenyatta in the Santa Margarita and Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies.

“Proclaim it, racing fans through my host.
That he who hath no stomach to this race,
may he depart.


His passport shall be made and crowns for convoy placed in his purse.
We would not cheer in that mans company, who fears his fellowship to cheer our girls home.


They call this race the New Orleans Ladies.
And she, who wins tomorrow and comes safe home,
will stand a tip-toe when this day is named, and rouse him at the name of Rachel.


And she who shall win this day, at Santa Anita,
will yearly, on the vigil, feast her neighbors,
And say ‘tomorrow is Santa Margarita.”
Then will she strip her saddle and show her scars,
and say ‘these wounds I had on St. Margarita Day.”


All fans forget, and all shall be forgot,
but she’ll remember, with advantages what FEATS she did that day!


Then shall their names, familiar in our mouths as household words:
Zenyatta, the Classic champion
Rachel, the Horse of the Year
Be in our flowing cups freshly remembered.


These stories, shall the good fan teach his son!!!

And Saturday shall ne’er go bye,
from this day, to the ENDING OF THE WORLD,
but they in it shall be remembered.
These happy two. This band of sisters.

For any filly or mare who races for us this day shall be our daughter. Be she ne’er so vile. This day shall gentle her condition.

And racing fans in horsedom shall think themselves a-CURSED they were not here,
and hold their MANHOODS CHEAP,
whilst any speaks -

who watched with us…….upon this Saturday!!!!”

Now bestow yourself, loyal fans, for our ladies are bravely in their battles set and shall with all expedience race before us!

Go, brave horses, race away, and as thou pleasest all, WIN THE DAY!!!!!

By the way, since I didn’t post any handicapping picks this weekend, here’s a quick 50-cent Pick 4 for Tampa Bay starting in the Hillsborough (Race 8).

1,4,6 with 3,6 with 2,4,6,9 with 6,7

Should be a $24 play.  Even though Odysseus is my boy, I had to add in Super Saver so as not to avoid getting “Pletchered” again here.  I also think Charly and Schoolyard Dreams make some sense in the Tampa Bay Derby, but my gut tells me Odysseus and Super Saver are the best horses in this race.

Best of luck to all!  We’ll close with an awesome video that started making it’s rounds a few days ago. Remember the famed “keyboard cat” of youtube fame?  Behold: the next generation.

Play ‘em off for me, Keyboard Cat!

Hells yeah. I could get used to that!  Boo-boo. Boo-boo-boo-BOO-boo (meow) :)


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Categories : Fair Grounds, Handicapping Selections, Horse Racing News, Rachel Alexandra, Santa Anita, Zenyatta

Rachel and Zenyatta: The Return of Take Back Saturday!

11 03 2010

Zenyatta & Rachel Alexandra trading cards available at: http://www.appleblossominvitational.com

“Well have we done, thrice valiant countrymen.  But all is not done here.  Yet keep the French the field!”   – Henry V (Act IV, Scene VI)

Take Back Saturday.  Remember that phrase?  For about a year or so one could reasonably suggest I was mildly obsessed with the idea and everything it was supposed to stand for.  For those who weren’t around back then, it was the rallying cry for the Marketing Report a group of bloggers I was honored to be associated with presented to the NTRA in the fall of 2008 in an effort to put forth ideas on how to engage a new generation of fans. Take Back Saturday, by definition, stood for the notion of “telling a continuous story from the Triple Crown to the Breeders’ Cup.”  The idea rested upon two primary pillars for it’s foundation: accessibility and relevance.

The idea was that by making racing more consistently accessible to fans, and then giving them a reason to care about the entire racing season by doing a better job of “telling our story” and explaining why races mattered (rather than just the Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown, and the Breeders’ Cup), we could carve out a niche in the Spring/Summer that would help build excitement about the sport and make it more relevant on the national stage.

The idea was aggressively modeled after what the NFL was able to accomplish in turning Sunday from a day viewed primarily as one of religious worship into what we now refer to casually as “football Sunday.”  Folks knew that at 1PM on Sunday afternoons from September to January, they could watch compelling gridiron action on the television.  The sport sold itself.  It embraced the medium of television even when other sports insisted on doggedly sticking to the old ways.  The net result?  A country that only decades before cared more about baseball, boxing, and thoroughbred racing was suddenly a people obsessed with football – and we’ve never looked back.

Obviously it would be insane to think we have a chance of ever coming close to the popularity of a sport like football.  Nobody’s suggesting that at all.  What we can do, however, is learn some lessons from that success and apply them to our own world in an effort to grow the game as much as possible for the future of the sport.  Think about it for a moment.  The NFL was succesful because they made the sport infinitely more accessible than baseball or horse racing (by virtue of playing games on weekends), and they gave folks a reason to care by telling a continuous story from week to week as the season progressed, building up the hype for the marquee showdowns coming up just over the horizon.

Guess what?  We can do a bit of that ourselves.  Our biggest racing happens on weekends (usually Saturdays), and if we aggressively promote the sport on nationally televised networks from the Spring through the Summer, we can give folks a reason to care about our bigger races.  Consider that the person sitting next to you at work, though likely not a horse racing fan, has at least heard of the Kentucky Derby.  Most likely, however, they have never heard a word about other esteemed races like the Stephen Foster, the Woodward, or the Haskell.  Why is that?  Because the only time they ever see us is on the first Saturday in May (and perhaps an additional Saturday or two for Preakness and Belmont weeks, depending on how much the national press picks up on potential Triple Crown hype).  That’s it.  That’s our Andy Warhol “15 minutes of fame” each year.

Why not instead make the sport more readily accessible in the major preps leading up to the Derby, and through the marquee summer racing held at numerous tracks each weekend once the Triple Crown season is over?  We’ve got what it takes.  We’ve got compelling racing action, heated rivalries, and all of the excitement and drama associated with a major sport.  What we don’t do is do a solid job of selling those angles to the public, or even  making them available for public consumption in the first place.

That was the gist of our pitch.

More than a year has past.  In that time the calls for change to the sport have morphed to a degree, but they have not abated.  The NTRA, for it’s part, has kept our devoted band of fans informed and promised that we would see movement in the direction we desired sooner rather than later.

This weekend, my friends, the first step shall be taken.

The NTRA has announced today that they will host live streaming video of the seasonal debuts of both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta on their website, www.ntra.com.

Now, let me be clear.  This is not “one giant leap for mankind”, or even “equinekind.”  This is not the end-all, be-all of what we set out to accomplish with our marketing report.  This is, however, a marked improvement over situations that would have presented themselves just a year ago, and an absolutely critical first step.

No racing fan with an internet connection will be shut out from seeing Rachel Alexandra or Zenyatta in their seasonal debuts.

Contrast this with what happened in 2008, when the defending Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic Champion, Curlin, hot off his victory overseas in the world’s richest dirt race (the Dubai World Cup), came back to the U.S. to run in the Stephen Foster, and almost nobody here got to see it live.  Oh sure, a few folks with the correct satellite/cable tv packages were able to view the race live with no problems, but when devoted (and indeed self proclaimed “world’s biggest”) fans of the horse like me were relegated to watching the race on tape delay, well, let’s just say the situation left much to be desired.  This was our biggest star, running in a prestigious Grade 1 race at one of our most famous racetracks – and we couldn’t get the race nationally televised?  I remember thinking to myself at the time “no wonder the general population doesn’t care about us.  They don’t even know this race exists, let alone why they should care.”

Fast forward to today.  Now, any human being with access to the internet (sorry Somalia, looks like you’ll be shut out) will have access to the races LIVE.  Obviously it would be better to have the races this weekend being broadcast live on national television via one of the major networks (or ESPN), but let’s not kid ourselves here – this is huge.  In an era dominated by exclusivity in terms of track signals and televised races, suddenly we have a rare opportunity to ensure everyone can participate in a major event.  All of us will be able to watch with eager anticipation as our two biggest stars kickstart their 2010 campaigns, which already have everyone drooling in anticipation for the impending Apple Blossom on April 9 at Oaklawn Park.

Speaking of the Apple Blossom, good news arrived in the mail today just in time for this post.  See those photos up top?  Those are trading cards of Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta that Oaklawn has issued to help build hype for the Apple Blossom showdown.  Suffice to say, for a lad who was raised on baseball cards in the 1980′s, they were an instant “must have” addition to our memorabilia collection.  If you want some of your own, you’ve got to move quickly, as they are only distributing “while supplies last.”  Full details for the trading cards are available here.

For now, racing fans, rejoice and be glad that we shall not be “shut out” of one of this weekend’s big races.  It may not be all we asked for with the Take Back Saturday pitch, but certainly it’s a start.  The first element of the proposal was all about availability.  The sport has to be accessible to it’s fans and to others if it is ever going to prosper again.  Personally, I’d just like to tip my hat to Keith Chamblin, Alex Waldrop, Eric Wing, Fritz Widaman, and everyone else at the NTRA for making this a reality.

In closing, and I hope I’m not crossing any lines by doing this, I’ll share with you the note from Keith Chamblin that accompanied the email we received today announcing this development:

“…This is the first step-albeit a small one-in a multi-phased approach to “Take Back Saturday.”

That’s how a process begins.

To put a closing note on a totally unrelated (yet extremely relevant) topic, I’ll simply note that nearly 147 years after his heroic actions at Gettysburg during the repulse of Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863, Lt. Alonzo Cushing of Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery is finally going to receive his Medal of Honor.

And that, my friends, is closure.


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Categories : horse racing, Horse Racing News, Oaklawn Park, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta

Clash of the Titans! Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta to meet in the Apple Blossom

11 02 2010

And so it begins.

Not since Godzilla saved Japan from imminent destruction at the hands of Mechagodzilla has such an incredible, mind blowing event taken place between creatures capable of capturing man’s undivided attention.  On a day that included a complete turnaround on the topic, we finally have confirmation that Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta will meet in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park on Friday, April 9th.  The race everyone has clamored for is thus upon us.  Our big chance to garner a sliver of national attention outside of the Kentucky Derby or Breeders’ Cup is finally here!  Damn the torpedoes! It’s on like Donkey Kong!

Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta

Of course, these are fragile creatures we’re dealing with, even if they are unbelievably gifted athletes (equiletes?).  Before we get too excited about things, it goes without saying that anything can happen.

Let’s think about this for a moment though. What do have here?  I’m talking about the horse race of course.  You’ll have to free your mind for a moment from the Japanese monster movie greatness.  Two Hall of Famers in a showdown for the ages!  One can almost see it now. Rachel Alexandra, the Preakness champion out in front as the field turns for home.  Undefeated Zenyatta swinging to the center of the track as she inhales runners with every stride on her way to the wire.  The two make eye contact, locking horns mentally and physically.  A battle of wills for the ages ensues.  A desperate finish.  No quarter asked.  No quarter given.  An all out battle for the wire.

Anyone else feel like maybe we’ve seen this before?

Maybe it’s just me, but the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Distaff sure sounds very similar to what we may see in the Apple Blossom.  Certainly it’s one of the easier races to attempt to draw a direct comparison from.  The major difference of course being the stage – one being at the Breeders’ Cup, where such matchups, for the good of the sport, probably should happen – and the other being at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs Arkansas on a Friday night in early April – not a bad setting at all, just not the biggest stage one could imagine for such an epic race to happen.

Getting back to the race comparison – think about it.  Winning Colors was the Derby champion, jetting out to a commanding early lead.   Personal Ensign. the undefeated older filly that was racing on a surface some questioned whether she would enjoy.  Personal Ensign comes thundering down the center of the track, meaning business with every step, catching Winning Colors in a photo finish at the wire.  Seems to me that stretch battle between them is very close to what we might expect in the Apple Blossom this year.

Will history repeat itself?  I’m quite certain each of these magnificent horses will run their hearts out in impressive performances.  Their class will certainly rise to the top.  I usually like to play longshots in situations like this where the public turns the affair into a two horse race, but not here.  Not against these two monsters.  I’m not sure which is Godzilla and which is Mechagodzilla – but I don’t think there’s a filly or mare in the nation that stands a chance against them.  Thankfully the purse money was boosted to $5 million in an attempt to ensure both horses would run.  Considering the wealth of the respective owners involved here, I don’t think money is the principal motivating factor – it’s competition.  In that sense, think of the purse boost as insurance for the horses filling out the Superfecta as much as it is for the likely top two finishers.

To be honest about it though, I can’t even bet on the race apart from perhaps purchasing a souvenir $2 ticket on each.  In an odd way, I’ll be rooting for both of them.  That’s sort of a unique position for me.  I’ve never cared so deeply about something so momentous without having a clear cut “side” I was on.  I’m not taking sides here.   This one is bigger than that sort of petty nonsense.  This is about history, greatness, and everything that made us love the game of horse racing.  All I want is a good, clean race where all runners return safely – basically what I’m hoping for each time the gate springs open.

Well, that’s not entirely true.  That’s not ALL I want.

From the moment the Rachel/Zenyatta debate first raged, I’ve maintained a desire to see only one outcome – a dead heat where neither horse is forced to accept defeat.

They’re just too darned good for that.  I suppose it’s the proverbial rock and a hard place.  The fan and competitor in me wants to watch them race, but in my heart I don’t want to see either lose.  Oh well.  I suppose we can’t have our cake and eat it too.  At some point you must let the caged birds fly.

Who knows though – given how close that 1988 Distaff was?  I’m just sayin’ – don’t be shocked if it is a dead heat.


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Categories : horse racing, Horse Racing News, Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta

Snowmageddon Redux – The Great Debates

11 02 2010

A view of our back deck in the middle of round 2 of "Snwomageddon" on 2/10/10

Well, if you live on the east coast anywhere near the mid-atlantic region, you’ve no doubt seen enough of the white stuff to last you a lifetime.   Here in Hanover, PA we received as much as 28 inches of snow over the weekend, only to receive around 30 more inches yesterday.  Right on schedule, you guessed it, there’s a chance for even more snow this coming Monday.   What on Earth are folks to do being trapped inside their abodes for so long?   Thankfully (or in some cases not-so-thankfully) the racing gods have sent answers to our prayers to help break the monotony  in the form of numerous noteworthy or debatable issues.

  • Curlin’s first foal, the filly from Zophie has passed

I don’t like to start on a down note, but I have to mention this.  The filly from Zophie who was Curlin’s first born has passed in what is described as a “paddock accident” just weeks after causing so much hope and well wishing at the announcement of her birth.  So much for debating what to name the little gal.   I’m taking a glass half full approach with this as we all know how absolutely fragile thoroughbreds can be.  The “good news” is that she is not the only of her kind.  Curln’s got a fabulous looking daughter from Collect Call, a full brother from Smart Strike and Sherrif’s Deputy, and numerous other foals either just born or on their way.   Be sure and check out THIS VIDEO of the foal from Collect Call – it’s a heart warmer, especially in light of the news about Zophie’s filly.

Lost in the hoopla over his direct offspring, it seems many have forgotten the full brother to Curlin who arrived Preakness week in 2009.  As a reminder, here’s the video of this amazing little guy from way back then.

There’s also a foal from Curlin out of Home Court (by Storm Cat) that, if you ask me, is the spitting image of dear old dad.

Filly sired by Curlin out of Home Court (by Storm Cat)

Filly sired by Curlin out of Home Court (by Storm Cat)

  • Road to the Roses challenge

In more uplifiting news,  The Road to the Roses is officially up and running.  that’s right – you can enter up to 3 free stables now (10 horses, 2 trainers, and 2 jockeys).  Tencentcielo has started at least one private league I’m aware of called “A dime on the ten.”  Once you set your stable up, there’s an opportunity to associate it with an existing league.  You won’t see me there quite yet as I’d prefer to watch the Sam F. Davis Stakes this weekend at Tampa Bay before finalizing my top ten – especially since Rule, Tempted to Tapit, and the buzz horse UpTownCharlyBrown are all slated to run.

The launching of the contest each year usually coincides with my initial “Derby watch list”, and while there’s numerous other topics I’d like to get to in this post,  I will share a few quick thoughts here.  My top 5 at this moment in time are listed below (can’t give away the whole stable now, can I?  Although it’s probably not hard to figure out).

  1. Vale of York  (I love his stride and would love to see him on dirt this year)
  2. Lookin at Lucky (debated not including a synthetic horse on this list,  I wouldn’t bet him in the Derby, but he’s in my top 5)
  3. Buddy’s Saint (may wind up surpassing the top two)
  4. William’s Kitten (something about this guy I’ve liked ever since a friend pointed him out)
  5. Ron the Greek (perhaps my most controversial addition – at this point it’s just a hunch off that last effort).

Of course, I’m also a big fan of the Tiznows like Tiz Chrome and American Lion.  You can add Dorsselmeyer to that list of horses I’m also excited about.  If you’re not familiar with Drosselmeyer, then fellow TBA blogger Zipse at the Track has a writeup about him that might interest you.  I’ll leave the final two slots in my stable to the imagination.  Suffice to say Winslow Homer would’ve been there had he not been taken off the Derby trail.

  • Rachel vs Zenyatta redux

Another month, another Rachel vs Zenyatta discussion.  Yesterday Bloodhorse broke the news that Rachel Alexandra will not run against Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom.  Almost immediately, a person posting as “Zenyatta” on Facebook began with the trash talking about “ducking” and being “scared” – and a slew of the most insane commentary I’ve ever witnessed ensued.

Question for folks – did anyone ever think she was going to run there?  It seemed a foregone conclusion to me from the start of the Apple Blossom talk that it wouldn’t happen then and there.  Yes, I’d like to have seen it, but I maintain that these two will meet at Belmont or Saratoga later in the year.  I guess what I find appalling is the amount of hatred people have for one of these horses depending on which they love more.  It makes it very difficult to be a fan of both and seems to bring out the absolute worst characteristics of humanity.   I understand the frustration at not getting what we want – but let’s be careful what we ask for.  We want them both on TOP of their game when they meet – so as to limit potential excuses.  Why?  Because one race, unless won by double-digit lengths, is likely not going to settle the issue.  When you think of their respective running styles, and the prospect that Zenyatta would be flying to try and catch-and-pass Rachel in the stretch – you’re not likely to see that impressive a victory margin any way you slice it.

Anyhow, I’m not going to waste much ink (type) on this beyond acknowledging that the meetup the sport needs ain’t gonna happen at Oaklawn in the Apple Blossom.  Is that really such a bad thing?  Is that really where we want this to take place?  I love Oaklawn, don’t get me wrong, but is that really the venue we want the race of the year/decade/century/ new millennium to be held?  I guess I’m just bullish on my insistence this happen at Saratoga, if possible.  Just seems like a befitting setting for two horses of such stratospheric class levels.  Now if only their fans could show some of that same class.  And who knows…maybe we’ll get to add Quality Road to the mix as well?  Now THAT would be a race!

  • Tim Ice loses Summer Bird and Dr. J horses

This piece of news really took me by surprise.  Tim Ice has had Summer Bird and most of his other stock removed from his stable by the Jayaramans.   Having had the chance to meet both Tim and the Jayaramans on Haskell Invitational morning, 2009, at Monmouth Park, they seemed to have an exceptionally close relationship.  Ice speculated it may have been due to his slow start this year, or a disagreement over the direction of Summer Bird.  Whatever it was, it must’ve been something personal, as this feels like a personal disagreement rather than anything outwardly professional.

Ice is, after all, just 35 years old and already has a Belmont Stakes under his belt with Summer Bird.  I really like this guy, so on a personal level I was sad to see him take this kind of hit.  I’m sure the Jayaramans have their reasons though and I respect that they’ve kept the matter largely private.  It might be wishful thinking, but I’m hoping cooler heads will prevail and these folks will reconcile.

In the meantime, Summer Bird is with Tim Ritchey, who is a sensational trainer is his own right, perhaps most famous for his work with Afleet Alex – a horse that coulda, woulda, shoulda been a Triple Crown winner 2005 (just my humble opinion).

Happier Times - us with trainer Tim Ice and the Jayaramans - owners of Summer Bird

So, there you have it – that’s our midweek, snowbound update.  We’ll have a closer look at the Sam F. Davis and the weekend racing action coming up on Friday evening.  For now, be sure and let us know where you stand on the Rachel/Zenyatta question and everything else going on in the racing world.   If you’re feeling really gutsy – go ahead and share your Road to the Roses stable here.  I will have a full disclosure update once I make the final selections.   As you could infer above, there’s technically two spots left in my stable and I’m still debating the jockeys.


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Categories : Curlin, horse racing, Horse Racing News, Oaklawn Park, Rachel Alexandra, Summer Bird, Zenyatta

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