I blame the Jacksons for this whole thing imploding more than anybody. When the timing clearly wasn't right from their vantage point a month ago to point towards the Apple Blossom, they should have just said no then regardless of the purse.

Wouldnt this race be just as big (or bigger) two months from now at Belmont park after being properly promoted?

I think it would certainly be more widely attended at Belmont, or one would at least think it would. I know I'd consider going.

I don't disagree with that, but perhaps Team Zenyatta could have at least held off on ANNOUNCING HER RETIREMENT until they were done working her.

But they all just ran well and there's no reason they can't all be ready for Oaklawn. If Zardana isn't there, RA wins by open lengths with the highest Beyer over Zenyatta's. The RA camp would be chomping at the bit to get to the Apple Blossom.

I'm guessing that the Rachael Camp thought that this race was going to be nothing more than a public workout for the champ. Even if she was a bit short, she still would have won comfortably. Forget about the public work, now they have a horse that was all out trying to win. It was probably much more then they wanted/anticipated and they just feel like she's not going be ready/recover in 3 weeks. I'm personally disappointed, but I can't really say I'm suprised.

Stop it.

What I find really funny, is that Sherriffs wins the BC Distaff, and yesterdays race with 2nd stringers, and Zenyatta still gets no respect from winning the Classic. At what point is everyone going to realize how good she really is? What excuse could Racheal have? Was this race not written for her specifically? It only was the 1st Running of the New Orleans Ladies. What more did they want? They got beat by the same tomato cans that Zenyatta has been beating.

Personally I hope they don't meet until the B.C.. That includes Quality Road, Summer Bird (if he comes back), and any other top horse or mare this year. Let them all win their individual races this year and then slug it out in the Classic.

If Quality Road runs the way he did in the Donn, there's not an American dirt horse in training today who can beat him.

A gem* of an article by Joe Drape:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/sp...acing.html?hpw

(*- "gem"= "headslap")

"When, barely 20 minutes later, Jackson and Asmussen watched Zenyatta run her record to 15-0 by weaving through a field of some of nation’s best fillies and mares at Santa Anita, they had no choice but to bail on the Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn Park'

:zz: :zz:

.....on synthetic surfaces. I move to strike from the record for excessive disingenuous comparisons.

Those were the nation's best fillies and mares? Eek.

I like at the end of the NY Times article how he quotes the Jimmy the Hat saying,that some horses just want to be broodmares.

ditto :zz:

I know upsets have killed racing throughout history. Just think how much better off we would have been had upset not beaten man o War? Or if Secretariat had retired undefeated?

The problem is that everyone was sold a bill of goods. These arent invincible, unstopable forces who just steamroll their competition. They are very good fillies who have faced for the most part subpar competition. That the whole applecart is upset because one finished second shows how shallow and unrealistic our expectations are.

The problem with the whole matchup concept is that planning races too far in advance ignores the reality of horseracing. There are a million things that can go wrong and an bruised ego (which seems to be the case here) is just one.

Well there is the obligatory Ruffian/Foolish Please remark.

I dont know which is worse, people acting as though racing will cease to exist if the Oaklawn race doesnt come off or ones like this who condone horses NOT racing.

The anonymous quote was so ridiculous that I cant believe that he used it.
A "supposed" insider whose personal opinion as based on watching races on TV is passed off as some kind of expert testimony?

as Charles Barkley would say, "Steve Crist is rollin over in his grave..."

....getting fcing blown off the race track.;)