JC / Railbird - Zenyatta

Odds and Ends

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

Much the Best

Mike Watchmaker asks, “Seriously. How good is Forever Together?” (Beware: DRF+ link.) Just watch the Jenny Wiley stretch run for the answer:

Slow pace, late kick: After Kiss With a Twist takes the field through the first six furlongs in 1:17.12, Forever Together makes her move on the outside, going from sixth entering the stretch to a win in less than 30 seconds (with the final sixteenth in :6.13), all under a handride, becoming the latest Breeders’ Cup winner to return successfully this year. It’s going to be fun watching her campaign through the summer and fall …

Zenyatta too, whenever she debuts. The champion worked six furlongs in 1:10.60 on Saturday in prep for her eventual return. A race in May at Hollywood is a possibility, said trainer John Shirreffs, but nothing is set. Whatever the race, it seems safe to say it’ll be the most anticipated of the spring.

Oaks and Derby odds and ends: Ashland winner Hooh Why is under consideration for the Oaks; no decision yet on Stardom Bound, who gets a new rider in Garrett Gomez. Julien Leparoux picks up the mount on General Quarters, replacing rider Eibar Coa for the Derby. (The General gains a little more credibility with that move.) Pioneerof the Nile worked a bullet four furlongs handily in :46.20 at Santa Anita this morning, Papa Clem arrived at Churchill on Tuesday, and @derbyoaks tweeted that West Side Bernie jogged over the track for the first time today. Also on the grounds and out of quarantine, Desert Party and Regal Ransom. The duo will work over the weekend. Terrain is off the trail: “We just feel he’s not quite a Derby horse,” said trainer Al Stall, who said the gelding would be pointed to the Lone Star Derby instead. If only more connections had the restraint. Instead, come Derby day, “8 or 9 certainly won’t belong at Churchill.”

That gives me an idea: Who are five unlikeliest Derby prospects? The horses you think would be better pointing elsewhere? List below in the comments …

Posted in Racing on April 15, 2009 / Tagged Distaffers, Forever Together, Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, Zenyatta