They seem to be the ones ducking? What world do you live in?

"Uh, well, um... We don't run on poly."

"Even after two preps, we still aren't happy with her 'fitness.'"

I guess I should say they seem to be the ones ducking now. And in case you missed the main point, I'm saying the RA camp should cave and make the trip west since they skipped out on the Apple Blossom.
I'm a fan of RA and Zen and would just like to see them race sooner than later. Even if they both plan on making the Classic, that's a long way off and a lot can go wrong between now and then.

Yeah, JB floated this idea about trying to get them together in the Ruffian on the T-G board the other night.

Really no reason for the dual BC champion mare to start chasing some 1 for 3 filly around the country, at this point.

Yeah, just like there's no good reason for the reigning Horse of the Year to cross those dreaded Rockies to run a race on balls of rubber.

The world where real champions aren't proven on that bullshit surface Zenyatta makes her home on. Two preps? She should've run in the Vanity this weekend? No, sorry, that's not how it works. You want to prove yourself in America, you run on dirt, not recycled tires.

Well, MR, when your filly only has a single win … in a G2 contest, no less … on the year, ya gotta start takin' some chances.


We'd love to see RA in SoCal…

:tro: :D

It does not sound like Del Mar is a done deal per Jay Hovdey DRF blog:

"You would think. Moss, clearly the more adventurous of the two, was floored by the rock star reception Zenyatta received at Oaklawn Park, were she won the Apple Blossom in April, as well as enlightened by its physical effects on his mare.

"I didn't realize how much trips take out of the horse," Moss said. "And it's not just preparing for the race. It's the crowd, and the people that gather around her all the time. We saw that at Oaklawn Park, and we really hadn't thought about it before. You can put up a screen, like John does. But she's still aware there's something going on. There a lot of energy generated. As far as racing elsewhere, we did think about trying to do other things, and we still might. There's options. I wouldn't pay too much attention to Del Mar being a solid item. There's no commitments there."

Great point. As big of a Zenyatta fan as you seem to be you should fully understand what "takin' chances" is all about.

RA's next start will likely be at Saratoga. Whether she flies or is vanned she'll have to travel over or through both the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountains. Don't even get me started on crossing that Ohio River. Talk about takin' chances.

So Zenyatta has to be shipped all over the country to prove herself? She's already tried dirt twice. She likes it. 2-2, with two Grade I's. The last time out on dirt, she actually showed up at the playground after school.

And I really don't understand why people keep saying she hasn't beaten anyone. "Zenyatta has defeated Grade I or Group 1 winners Gio Ponti, Twice Over, 2009 Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, Colonel John, Richard's Kid, 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, Rip Van Winkle, Einstein, Ginger Punch, Hystericalady, Life Is Sweet, Tough Tiz's Sis, Romance Is Diane, Double Trouble, Sealy Hill, Cocoa Beach, Santa Teresita, Carriage Trail, and Music Note." [Wikipedia :o]

Hey, I fell in love with Rachel Alexandra last summer like everyone else. She's my girl. I just don't see how people can dismiss Zenyatta so easily or say she's overrated. If I were Team Rachel, that horse would scare the $hit out of me.

For the umpeffingteenth time, no one's dismissing her or saying she's overrated. But she's won all of one truly quality race, and she did it on her home track on a surface many dirt horses don't take to. I don't think anyone's "ducking" anyone, but Zenyatta's connections have mapped out a completely chickenshit done-to-death schedule for her, and the onus is not on a dirt horse to prove herself against a synthetic horse on synthetics. Dirt is the proving ground, the equalizer, and that's why I wouldn't ship Rachel west either.

Clearly you are not from California, thus I will give you an approximate translation, going from Zenyatta speak to English.

When Moss says "I didn't realize how much trips take out of the horse," what he's really saying is "Of course we know what shipping does, because we've had top flight horses for years and have shipped enough times to know"

He then finishes the thought by blathering "And it's not just preparing for the race. It's the crowd, and the people that gather around her all the time. We saw that at Oaklawn Park, and we really hadn't thought about it before. You can put up a screen, like John does. But she's still aware there's something going on. There a lot of energy generated."

What he's really saying is "I'm really completely full of ****. We realize that star horses have shipped to other tracks before, with far bigger crowds and far more energy going through the crowd. The Breeders Cup for instance! We know that big name horses ship from not only across the country, but also from entirely different continents! We are just acting like overawed white trash who just hit it big on Wheel of Fortune because we are trying to deflect attention away from just how lame we really are. After all, our horse really isn't the first horse in history to be affected by 'crowd energy', is it?!"


Then the coup de grace.

"As far as racing elsewhere, we did think about trying to do other things, and we still might. There's options. I wouldn't pay too much attention to Del Mar being a solid item. There's no commitments there."

What he's really saying is that "yes, we did think about trying to do other things, and because we are such complete pussies, we dismissed it. Of course, we still might think of doing other things, but only if there is enough public outcry at our lack of initiative and imagination.

There's options. We can run at Del Mar, or wait for Santa Anita. I wouldn't pay much attention to Del Mar being a solid item, because we are going to run there and there is no point in paying any attention to anything that we say about that. There's no commitments there either. We are likely to run against fillies, but if Quality Road has a bigger lead in the race for HOY, that opens the door slightly for us to run in the Pacific Classic, but only if Rail Trip is on the shelf again by then. Of course, as I said a few seconds ago, we could also just run at Santa Anita. After all, Zenyatta hates the Del Mar surface. "

Do you understand what he was actually saying now?

Am I the only one that had to look up who the heck a few of those horses were that Dean Smith named in his post? Romance is Diane? Double Trouble? I mean, I consider myself a somewhat learned person in the world of thoroughbred racing, but those are some obscure GI winners, that's for sure. RIght up there with Colonial Colony in the annals of recent GI winners who never lifted another foot on the racetrack.

when they start talking about secretariat and man o war, and that she's the greatest mare ever, that's when i think she's overrated. otherwise, no she's absolutely not dismissed or overrated. now, her campaign has sucked, but she clearly is a special horse. but, problem is, as soon as you say rachel also has done some special things, you get shot down by those who think that there can be no room on the good horsie pedestal for two.

:tro: