Part of me would love to see Rachel Alexandra skip the Breeders' Cup and run somewhere else on the same day. Then I'd like to see the Breeders' Cup go away forever, and have its disappearance somehow attributed to Rachel Alexandra skipping it.

Would really suck for the horses that skipped the BC to point for the Ack Ack.

His training methods - his shoes - his feeding program - maybe he forgets to clean their teeth ... how should I know?

The stats are overwhelmingly bad though.

It has nothing to do with Pyro's Blue Grass or Curlin's Breeders Cup Classic - or Asmussen's 4-for-73 with 23 straight beaten favorites at PID - it's based on a very large sample size. So long as the races aren't baby races at 4.5 furlongs - his horses tend to disgrace themselves over it.

There is nothing wrong with the Breeders Cup concept.

Few things are as correct as the BC concept imo.

The problem is the people who run the Breeders Cup.

Sorry Bob, but I just don't see how running her in the BC is going to bring more publicity than the Preakness and Haskell....if being stubborn means Jackson's going to run her in races like the latter, I hope he continues this mad stubborn campaign. If anyone else owned her, it's very unlikely she does both the Preakness and Haskell.

As many problems as the BC admittedly has, anyone who complains about why horse racing is so fractured and can't gain any national traction, probably should look to you for an answer. Taking your toys and running away won't solve anything, but all the dirt lovers who insist they love racing lose all credibility when they promote splintering what little base we have. No one outside the industry will notice if RA doesn't run in the BC, but if promoted in the right way, a whole lot more of the public would be aware if she did run.

I agree on your Asmussen/Poly angle..I just think it would have more merit if he had more than 3 months to mess her up.

I disagree...The Preakness did great numbers and she got huge pub..for horse racing. No one outside the fans ever heard of The Haskel so that's moot, but you can make a huge story out of Rachel against the boys in the BC. If someone wants to make a case why it's physically not good for her, that's one thing, but so far the arguments come from four factions..those that hate poly, those that hate the BC, those who think NY racing is the end all and all of the above.

How about the Woodward? Who does she have to fear? Dry Martini? She'd sip him for an apperitif and gulp Asiatic Boy for dinner.

Try six months.

Wouldn't you like the chance to be proven right?

Putting myself in the connections shoes - I wouldn't even have run her in the Haskell .. she'd have been in the Del Cap or got another chance for a 20 length Grade 1 against the great Funny Moon.

Putting myself in Asmussen's shoes regarding synthetic tracks ... it's like a new bar comes to town and every time you go there - someone takes you outside and kicks your ass. After that happens enough you avoid the place.

But yeah, I'd like to bet against her. Sure. But as a fan, I don't want to see her embarassed.

Pretty much how I feel. :)

I bet Assmussen would go there if Dr Dirt would let him.and wait a minute, if you could knock down a big ticket since when have you cared about embarassment;)

I really don't get it...if the agenda is to rid the World of Poly, that's fine, but RA not running in the BC ain't going to change a thing.

It might make those geniuses running the BC think twice about holding the event at poly facility (especially in back to back years).

My problem with the BC really has nothing to do with the dirt/synthetic issue. It's what the BC has done to the entire racing calendar that bothers me.

They won't do that again...guaranteed..so..next? Sorry Matt..but everyone needs to look at the big picture here and get rid of their hard ons for poly and the BC.

I wouldn't be surprised if she matched her Oaks number with that effort in terms of Thorograph. It was that good. I was more impressed with this race than the Oaks actually.

I hope she blows off the BC Cup.. They have no business running at SA back to back.. They should let the Euro's come and blow away all the crap that we have here for Poly/Pro Ride. Save Zenyatta who cares how well Dry friggin Martini runs in the BC Classic. I am looking more forward to the BC jumps in Far Hills in October then I am the friggin 2 year old turf race... Seriously a 2 year old turf championship race.. Bob has there been a two year old significant turf race in the US this year yet? It's August

If someone was smart at NYRA they would hook a big time sponsor for 3mil race and get Zenyatta and Rachel together..maybe even throw in a few colt slugs to fill the field. race it at Belmont in late Sept. and make the BC an afterthought.. Obviously the NTRA would punish NYRA and the next time they got the BC would be 2000 and dead.

I think it could be higher, I got a 121 and that may even be a couple points conservative. I just ran the numbers and got these for the 2 turn stakes:

Majestic Light Actin Good 92
Jersey Derby Endymion 87
Matchmaker Captains Lover 79
Lady's Secret Devil House 94
Oceanport Get Serious 98
Haskell Rachel Alexandra 121

Might even have been better by a 1/2 point or point. She got a -4 in the Oaks and she was 3w3w this time...