For all this safe and conservative talk, one thing is a certain Zenyatta will be on the biggest stage of racing this fall, RA may or may not. To me Zenyatta's connections got it right this time not RA's.

Sheriff's listed first time at a new distance as one of the reasons that he didn't want to run in races like the SA Handicap so that is very, very doubtful.

You really can't give them credit for this, can you? It fell in their lap

I don't care about patting them on the back or not, I think we all want to see the best horses on the biggest stage. As a fan and horseplayer this is all that matters to me.

Shiek Mo is pissed you called Sakhee a Coolmore horse. No season to Street Cry for you

So, just curious....

How many of you really honestly think having the Breeder's Cup at Santa Anita was a good idea?

Even though her record over the last 3 years is just 1-for-13 ....

I think Anabaa's Creation is deserving of a re-match.




And even though she hasn't won a race in over a year - and that win was against Cal Breds - Lethal Heat deserves some love as well.




I just hope we see some good Euro fillies on Breeders Cup day.

There are plenty of legit reasons not to run her on Pro Ride. If DrugS thinks she would be buried there is a dam good reason he is saying it. Sometimes horseman and handicappers need to work together. A friend of mine is a terrific handicapper and some horseman use him for advise. I have seen were his advised has made the trainers look very smart.

DrugS maybe a lot of things but he is no dummy when he says she would be trounced on Pro Ride there is some merit to it. I don't know if he is right but I know he is just not saying it to be an idiot.

No one thought it was a good idea (except for the braintrust at the BC and SA). But it is what it is. At least it wont rain.

What happened to Street Cry this year?

If Jackson said that after consulting with Drugs he wouldnt run it would have more merit than what he is saying now.

I thought last year's BC was one of the better one's I have witnessed, the only one's against this are the traditionalists who probably have their own agenda's.
Ie. The sore losers

It will be like picking :$: :$: up off the ground.

I love the idea from a personal side, there is almost nothing better then watching races at Santa Anita 15 feet from the finish line for $10, drinking maragaritas served to you by hot struggling actresses, and jumping up in down because some crazy horse this Irish guy gives you wins easily.....

Lethal Heat is a fine Cal bred.. She doesn't owe anybody a penny.

He is having a better year overall, just fewer marquee horses. He already has more winners than last year and is on pace for more money especially if Zenyatta takes the soft path. He has had 7 stakes winners and 3 grade 1 winners this year.

Chuck I like you want to see Rachel run in the Classic but she likely won't. The crime is we have billions of dollars spent on training and racing dirt horses and Championship day is devoid of a dirt race. It's like they canceled the day and made a new one SURPISE. I think Jess thinks he can make a difference and make sure this never happens again. He has done a marvelous job racing her, unfortunately people will remember him for not racing her.

The 06 crop is OK I haven't seen anything from 07 come across the wire.
The 04 crop was so good that its hard to compare.

i already said if she were mine, i'd run her. but it's a call for her owners to make. just because someone else is going, doesn't make it the decision he should make for her.
hell, he decide to take on open competition, where's your posts saying ice should have done the same?

thank goodness.

but i also take issue with the term 'championship'. these horses run all season, this is no super bowl. it's not football where the best left standing are the ones who duke it out. she won't be the only one skipping, and i perfectly understand why jess won't bring her. it certainly doesn't tarnish everything she's done if she skips it.

where are the offended that zenyatta never shipped again since early spring? or that other top horses in their respective groups such as fabulous strike won't be there. rachel is not the horse with something to prove here.

as for what is there to lose-he wants to run her next year. what if the surface switch (which everyone recognizes can and does pose a problem for horses making said move) caused an issue for rachel, one serious enough that she couldn't run another season?

pud size.

You think Rachel has a spare part? Maybe she is like that South American racing in womens races. Maybe that is why she crushes filly.. Rachel is really Robert..

It's up to Moss really. If they ship for the Beldame, which is highly unlikely, then Stonewall Jackson will ship for the Distaff/Classic. But then you have Moss who will probably chicken out after Rachel crushes Zenyatta at Belmont and he'll point her to the Distaff.

It just really sucks that two of the best horses in the sport are owned by such monumental a.ssholes.

:D

:eek:

jk DrugS

Agreed. And that personal agenda has zero to do with Rachel Alexandra. It has to do with defending Curlin's legacy. A horse who was over the top by Breeder's Cup day. The track was the excuse going into last year and it was the excuse coming out of the race. The track had nothing to do with his loss. He made a huge move to get the lead and hit the wall. Horses who dislike track surfaces do not handle it in fits and starts. I never bought Skip Away's "track" excuse after the 1998 Classic. The horse was beaten four lengths and it had to be the track. He was done in by two long hard campaigns that saw him post bullets in 59 of 64 published works.

By Cup day Curlin was not the same horse. All out to beat Past the Point, less than scintillating effort in the JCGC. It's funny, when it's a horse we like (Curlin) it's considered "professional" or "workmanlike". When it's a horse the majority of people on this board have fallen out of favor with (Zenyatta) it's "boring"

I think he should be at Santa Anita with Rachel. Zenyatta notwithstanding.

Not me. Didn't bet a dime last year and won't do so again this year.

Curlin's BCC was arguably his best race of 2008..."
 

This is the problem with Jackson's sour grapes(and many fans) - Curlin's performance is being judged by his finish position, when in actuality he was compromised by Robbie Albara'duh' while battling two of the world's best horses. It was a extremely strong effort. In spite of the sentiment, Curlin's BCC was actually an indication that Curlin did in fact handle the surface! You simply /can't do that much running on a surface you don't handle. Had he received a world class ride these horses would have dueled late with significantly different energy than what we saw.

Curlin's BCC was arguably his best race of 2008, depending on how you rate his DWC.

I do agree however that some of Curlin's late season efforts were not as impressive as Curlin on cup day or Curlin's better lifetime efforts. Interestingly(well only to a racing-nerd), Curlin's Man O'War turf effort was also highly misconstrued by the public. Red Rocks was able to effectively set an easy pace, well clear of the dueling cheapies. Albaraduh went wider and earlier (foreshadowing the Classic to anyone who would listen). While critics said he hated the turf, he had just run equal to Red Rocks while that rival received his optimum trip. Again counter-indicative of hating the surface.
Curlin almost certainly had a slight preference for dirt, but the deciding factor in the Breeders Cup Classic was not Curlin's preference, rather it was the level of genuine quality in the older handicap division vs the world class intermediate turf stars.


Rachel gives every indication that like most great horses she is versatile enough to run a big race on most surfaces.

This discussion is about as fruitful as a discussion between Pro Lifers and Pro Choicers.

Come to think of it, those two discussions are pretty similar, save the blood throwing and stuff.

Boy will put Rachel in her place.
 

Asiatic Boy, that is


Sharp in his first start in the country while spotting Macho five pounds

Came back with a good effort going ten

Yeah, he missed the Whitney cuz of fever ... but has thrown a couple nice works at Toga since.

Trainer good with layoff horses

Took a longer race in Dubai carrying 126


1. Asiatic Boy
2. Macho Again




"Down goes [Rachel]" :cool:

Asiatic Boy will not only need Rachel to fall over, but several other horses to fall over to have a shot.

Are you kidding me, didn't you see how he gamely dug in for second in the Suburban after putting away Finallymadeit?

After reading the post about how Asiatic Boy was going to win, I felt like Allicansayis How?

NT

Not in this race.

You have to wonder what Da'Tara is doing in here, is he here to set the pace for Cool Coal Man not that it makes any difference with RA's tactical speed or if he can even make it there.

I wouldn't say this about the Mosses but I'm sure Jess figures a monument to him is just around the corner. I say we put it at Santa Anita. :)

I know the cracks people've been making like this are meant to be a joke but geez, God help us if she broke down or something. I just can't find it funny as a way to say 'how could she lose?' Even when people say it about a jockey as in 'if only he doesn't fall off so-and-so will win' it makes me consider just how precarious things are, esp in the light of Straight and Douglas.

Yup totally being a wet blanket but there it is.

Nah, not at all. Smooth Operator is a tard.