JC / Railbird

Rachel Alexandra

Odds and Ends

– This is taking fear too far:

Rachel Alexandra became a household name last Saturday when she took on the best colts in the country, including the top four finishers of the Kentucky Derby, and when she crossed the finish line first, the point was well proven.

She is the simply the best, so please, do what is best for her and thoroughbred racing, not what’s best for the Belmont Stakes or TV ratings.

Let her final racing picture be in the Preakness winner’s circle.

– But if Rachel Alexandra retires now, we’ll never see her meet this challenge:

In order for fillies to be regarded as the greatest of their generation, they must prove their worth on two counts: knocking off colts, then disposing older females later in the season. Rachel Alexandra accomplished the former with her Preakness victory; however, the second part of the equation will be the tougher of the two tasks, as she’ll have to knock off undefeated champion Zenyatta, most likely on that one’s favorite surface at Santa Anita.

– Jess Jackson is looking forward to the two meeting at the Breeders’ Cup.

– I’m with Sally Jenkins:

Let’s be clear about one thing: If Rachel Alexandra isn’t at her absolute peak, she shouldn’t run in the Belmont. If she struggles at all to recover from the Preakness, if she shows any lingering fatigue, if she is in the smallest way unfit, she should race another day. But if the argument against it amounts to “she’s a filly, and the Belmont is too hard,” well, that’s nonsense. The reason her owners bought her and entered her in the Preakness in the first place was to prove that she is “a champion horse, not a champion filly.”

– Taking bets on whether she’ll go, or not. Mike Smith says no:

“I bet you they won’t run her against him again,” Smith said. “I bet you she doesn’t run in the Belmont. I can almost predict it.”

– What’s certain is that Mike Smith won’t be riding in the Belmont. He’s jumping off Mine That Bird to honor a commitment elsewhere.

– Undeniably true (see: Superfecta re: the first point, Beyer for the second):

Still, it’s been hard not to detect a slightly patronizing tone in some of the coverage of the jockey, as if he’s some magical bayou Zelig, a la Forrest Gump. What’s gotten overlooked is what a ruthless, Jordanesque competitor he is.

– What might have been … Larry Jones has it right: “That might have been our Triple Crown winner if they had run her in the Derby.”

Posted in Racing on May 19, 2009 / Tagged Belmont Stakes, Champions, Rachel Alexandra, Retirement, Triple Crown, Zenyatta

Favorites for 2009-05-08

Each day, I browse Flickr for interesting racing images. Here are photos recently saved as favorites …

Posted in Racing on May 8, 2009 / Tagged Jockeys, Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Mine That Bird, Photos, Portraits, Rachel Alexandra

On the Move

Rachel Alexandra to trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn (as expected) … West Side Bernie to Godolphin (a mild suprise).

Posted in Racing on May 7, 2009 / Tagged Godolphin, Rachel Alexandra, Steve Asmussen, West Side Bernie

‘Rachel’ Round-Up

Early Wednesday evening, news broke that Jess Jackson and partners had bought Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra, with a plan to race the filly, then breed her to Curlin at the end of her racing career. Terms were not disclosed, but rumor pegged the purchase price at $10 million (news reports at $3 to $4 million) and a source close to the deal said ‘Rachel’ could move to trainer Steve Asmussen’s barn on Thursday. (Asmussen said he had heard nothing about a possible transfer.) The possibility that the filly, pointing to the Acorn in five weeks following her scintillating rout last Friday, could start in the Preakness instead was raised, with confirmation that someone from Stonestreet called the Maryland Jockey Club to inquire about supplementing into the race. Should she run at Pimlico, jockey Calvin Borel would be faced with an unusual, difficult decision, choosing between riding the Derby or the Oaks winner in the second leg of the Triple Crown. But Jackson hinted that the Belmont was more likely:

“It fits her history, and I’ve always appreciated how fans in New York are so appreciative of great racing,” said Jackson.

Trainer Hal Wiggins, who scored his first G1 win in a 40-year career with the Oaks, was disappointed, but gracious at hearing the sale was final:

“We hate it but we all feel blessed to have had her through the Oaks and we will always have those memories with our family and friends,” Wiggins said.

Fan reaction was swift. An open letter was hastily typed: Please, don’t break up the team. And a debate began on Twitter over how best to plot a Horse of the Year campaign for the 3-year-old super filly:

“OK, maybe not the Haskell. How about Travers, JCGC, and a BC race (beating the boys or Zenyatta)? That’s a HOY campaign.”

“#Belmont and BC Classic would do it, yes. Just the BC Classic would probably do it. Einstein and Well Armed aren’t pushovers.”

“She needs to win a classic for HotY. The Haskell won’t get it done with Zenyatta and Forever Together looming.”

“Acorn or #Belmont works for me; agree JCGC and the rest are on the agenda. Skip the #Preakness.”

“Take the Filly Triple Crown, then the JCGC, then the BC … wouldn’t meet Zenyatta … or would she?”

“I would point toward the tiara with a jcgc / classic double. The Belmont has a history of spending horses.”

All exciting possibilities. Now, I’m starting to feel a little energized …

Posted in Racing on May 6, 2009 / Tagged Hal Wiggins, HOTY, Jess Jackson, Rachel Alexandra, Stonestreet Stables