Very good question.

Saratoga needs to step up here... Now that Rachel appears to be back and with big Z likely to win tomorrow... They should make the Whitney $5 million if Rachel, Z and QR show up... Likely if they all came and the purse was that big I am pretty sure Blame, Battle Plan and even Rail Trip would all show up... They could market it as the race of the decade, kind of stick it to the BC for giving it to Churchill again in 2011.

I like that idea except I would change the conditions of The Jim Dandy to have the race of the decade when I'll be there.

JD is straight 3.....

I know.

It was her best effort this year, however I would be leary of these comparisons. I have often seen these raw number comparisons mislead a handicapper. I think if she was in the Stephen Foster she would have had a hard time holding off Blame, that's just my opinion but you can't really compare the 2 races.

No doubt about that.

I dont think anyone will argue she would have won the Foster...
I think she would have ran 3rd in the Foster today, the top 2 are pretty good. Lets not compare who Rachel beat to Battle Plan, I doubt Battle Plan comes back to her the way Jessica Is **** did.

Maybe, but remember this Rachel often looks better when she is much the best in the race, this race posed no really challenges to a horse in her supposed caliber. She did what she had to do.

I wouldn't run her against QR yet. I don't think she needs another gut wrencher right now.

Blame ran huge, was there even one horse to win coming off the pace today on dirt? To run down a horse like Battle Plan makes it even more impressive also throwing in his post and wide trip, that was amazing.

Because NYRA has so much surplus money to use right now.

Of course they dont, but wouldnt someone put the money up?

I basicley just posted the same thing in the other thread, Blame is really good.

I understand by the many comments on here that there were high hopes for Battle Plan. And Blame certainly didnt have the best of trips to run him down, but I just couldnt help but notice, and I saw this watching live, that about 100yrs from the wire BP was looking for a place to lay down. He had everything his own way and basically stopped at the wire. Although it was a solid G1 win for Blame I just didnt see it as awesome. BP put up zero fight at the wire.

Battle Plan was running well and looked like he was going to win until he switched back to his left lead at the 1/16th pole. Right when he switched to his left lead, he came to a stop. I don't know why Castellano didn't at least attempt to get him back on his right lead. I'm not saying it would have necessarily worked but it was worth a try.

Yeah, I noticed that too. I thought he was in trouble before that though.

I would not be surprised at all to see Battle Plan go on the shelf, or never run again.

Why bring her back? If she won Horse of the Year last year, would she still be running tomorrow?

I think he would have had a shot to hold on if he would have stayed on his right lead. I don't think it was a soundness issue. I think it was more a result of the continuous right-handed whipping. When these horses are giving their all and the jock keeps hitting them right-handed, it will sometimes make them switch to their left lead.

As I said before, I don't know why Castellano didn't switch to his left hand to try to get the horse back on his right lead.

I missed it...when did Zenyatta beat boys at equal weights?

Zenyatta only spotted the boys 3 pounds in the Classic and I was refering to RA racing Zenyatta at equal weight at 1 1/4.

RA had a nice go as a 3 yo, but I still dont see undefeated in her PPs.

Probably not, so the answer to the question depends on who you ask. To most owners I would think it matters. I know what you mean about the HOY being wrapped up before the BCC and if they ran her in the Foster and won and continued a schedule that would be comparable to Quality Road and won the BCC the fans would get what they want and so would they.

They seem to be willing to take a chance that others will fail and they could simply pick up the remains in the BCC with a fresh horse.

Most likely not and that is what is wrong with her campain.

The Mosse's must think that if she goes undefeated and manages to win a 2ond Breeders Cup Classic that gets her HOY.

BFD.

So when did Zenyatta race RA at equal weight at 1 1/4 then? What am I missing here?

`Oh ,but it is.

It's amazing hope people just love to hate.

Nah, but when your argument is essentially "Rachel's nice but she's not UNDEFEATEDD!!!1!!!11!!!" it's too easy to point out the lameness.

She couldnt have done anything more than what she did today. I agree. But, Joey, do you really sincerely believe that Jessica is Back is a "good horse"? She is an allowance/stakes also ran that could just have easily been running for a tag yesterday.

This was a joke of a field and if Zenyatta beat this same field tomorrow at hollywood park, many would be asking to put an asterisk by the win.

I don't think there is any evidence that says this is the "real rachel" and the one that raced a month ago against Unrivaled belle was some type of impostor. She is the same filly. Its what was running behind her today that changed.

Pleae don't bring logic into this argument.

St Trinians is better than Jessica Is Back? Show me the proof of that. I dare you. Rachel stepped forward today from the last two races. If you can't see that, I worry about your ability to watch races.

Congratuations on being the biggest hypocrite on this board, if you can put down your poms poms for a moment, and take a step back you will notice St. Trinians is a grade 2 winner that beat the BC Distaff winner, has lost only once in NA, in a race a Gr.1 race against males where she was the favorite in which all her races till that point were easy wins.

What has the 6 yr old Jessica is Back done outside of Florida? How many graded stakes wins has she won? Her main claim to fame is finishing 2nd in the Gr.3 Sixty Sails. This to you means she is better than St. Trinians, if so I would love to hear why you think so...U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-E.

I think the difference is that Zenyatta is at the top of her game and therefore could be in races like the Californian or pointed to the Gold Cup, Goodwood etc. and that is why most people are unsatisfied with her schedule.

I think most people who question her campaign do so out of a respect of Zenyatta's ability. She could be dominating races like the Grade 1s for males all year. At this point, I would take a shot against the Rail Trips and Blames of the equine world before I would run against the fillies and risk Zenyatta getting a terrible trip and one of the other fillies getting a dream trip and beating her.

If St. Trinians was in the Californian yesterday, she would have been the second choice and most likely the main opposition for Rail Trip. She shouldn't be confused with a Distinctive Dixie or Jessica is Back. This is a better challenge than most give it credit for, 9 lbs and all.

There is no reason why Zenyatta should not be targeting the Hollywood Gold Cup. Ten furlongs, a racetrack she loves... no reason to not be there.

Zenyatta is a deep closer that is undefeated in 16 races and that will never be done again at grade 1 level racing.

RA has shown that she was the top 3 yo in the country last year and her campain this year is showing signs that she might not want to keep doing it. That is not the same a undefeated over 16 races.

People do love to hate, weather its East vs West, Bush vs Obama or Z vs RA thats the way it is.

Enjoy it while you can.

OH MY GOD.

Do you ever stop?

What does Distinctive Dixie or Jessica is Back have to do with Zenyatta's ability to handle the Californian field and possible Gold Cup, Goodwood fields? Only you can miss what is actually a compliment of Zenyatta's ability and think it somehow has to do with Rachel.

I have no problem with this, however she most likely has only 3 races left in her career after today. If this is the case they need a filler late in the summer before the BC, which means there will be one more race on the calendar. Just which race they choose will be the $1000 dollar question, if it's N.Y I'll take that over the HWGC.

I totally agree.

I still think she should of taken on the Met Mile at one turn.

I think you misunderstood me, what I am saying is St. Trinians is not much worst than Rail Trip(who I predict will fall back to earth as the yr progresses). Making today's race not the walkover it is portrayed to be. That's all, that's what I keep hearing here, people want her challenged. well this isn't the Foster but it isn't like last year's Vanity either. Setting the record straight.

If St Trinians isnt better than Jessica is Back (which itself is extremely questionable), i would wager most would agree that Zardana certainly is. No? Show me proof she is not. i dare you. :p

You can question my race watching ability all you want and no doubt it is certainly questionable (ask youbet!) but what was so much better about that performance yesterday? She faced weaker company than she had previously faced and she was able to draw off in the stretch. In her last race, replace unrivaled belle with jessica is back or that other nag from yesterday and Rachel does the exact same thing. How is this better? Because her speed fig came out higher?

I don't want to get deep in to this whole "who is better" thing. I am just saying that Rachel did what she was supposed to do yesterday and she did it stylishly but you aren't going to be able to tell anything about where she is until you put a real horse in there against her as opposed to the claimers she beat yesterday. Is that not a fair statement?