No Breeders' Cup for Rachel...
 

Stonestreet Stables' Jess Jackson, majority owner of Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and Preakness (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra, said in a wide-ranging media teleconference June 24 that the superb filly would not race in this year's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita but that there is a good possibility that she would return in 2010 for a 4-year-old campaign.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...m_medium=email

I guess Jess probably won't send to Dubai either, since they are going synthetic next year also. 2010 Classic at Churchill?

I wonder what he stance would be if Curlin had won last year.

Actually think this is good news. Fucl< the Breeders Cup on fake dirt. Good for Jess... liking the man more and more every day.

Also if she is sound there is absolutely no reason for her not to race as a 4 year old and even a 5 year old... especially if Jess is as unhealthy as I've been hearing.. might as well get all the action in now while you're still around!

Exactly

Maybe he'll send her over to Japan for the Japan Dirt Cup. Its about the last big "dirt" race out there

Hearing?

How about "looking"?

He looked like "The Terminal Case of Benjamin Button" in the Preakness winner's circle.

I know, I felt so bad for him, I didnt realize who that was at first. Do we know what is wrong with him, have they said?

He is 79 years old. Maybe his age has caught up with him.

No thats not age! I mean he looks like a totally different man. If you put pics of him from even when Curlin was running and now, you wouldnt know it was the same person. Very sad

Racing being as backwards as it is, I'm expecting the BC to announce any second now that Santa Anita is their new permanent home.

I'm hoping for a win and you're in for the Malibu.

Better yet, how about win any BC race, and you are in for the next year!

I don't think it would risk RA to run on synthetics anymore than it risks her to run on dirt. If I was 79 years old and owned her, I would run her in both this year's and next year's BC and see what happens.

:eek:

me too!

Sounds like he's affraid to face Zenyatta.
What happened to doing the "Sporting" thing? The sporting thing would be to run in the BC even if it's on Zenyatta's home track. If RA is that good she should have no problem running on synthetics.

Zenyatta has nothing to do with it. He said from the beginning that if they ran in the BC it would be in the Classic.

What happened to doing the "Sporting" thing? The sporting thing would be to run in the Clark Hcp even if it's on Rachel's home track. If Zenyatta is that good, she should have no problems.

See how easily that works both ways? The fact is that Zenyatta's proven on synthetic and dirt and Rachel's proven only on dirt. So wouldn't it make more sense to match them up on something they are both proven on instead of one that is an unknown for one of them?

If it's a fact Zenyatta is proven on dirt because of her win at Oaklawn you could say Rachel is proven on synthetic...she won an allowance race at Keeneland in October. So it does work both ways.

I think its funny how everyone is on a Zenyatta versus RA kick when that is not even the issue at hand.

I don't see anyone critical of how screwed up a sport it is when the two best horses, who happen to both be female, can not even hook up on racings "championship" day, because of the surface.

People keep talking about slots, is that really the issue that the sport has, or is it a complete ineptitude to put out the best product for the people that truly support the sport, not people pulling one armed bandits.

You are right. Winning a nw2L proves you can handle a surface just as much as winning a grade one while beating the reigning champion mare does.

You said the surface was an unknown...nice spin.

Racing effed up by putting the BC at SA for two consecutive years. If someone can't acknowledge that, I don't know what planet they are from.

There are plenty of opportunities for Zenyatta and RA to face each other. But the connections of Zenyatta won't take any of them, just like they won't take an opportunity to run her against boys. Her projected 2009 campaign is the most deliberately boring campaign of any (supposedly) top-grade horse that I can recall. No one can say the same thing about RA. This weekend will mark the 5th state (and 5th track) she has been to this year.

Meanwhile, Zenyatta is cooped-up on the most godawfully boring "major" racing circuit, to run against the same tin cans over and over, apparently. Zzzzzzzzzzzz.

While I dont agree with her campaign and hope they run in either the PC or the BCC, you must be new to the sport, this is the same exact campagne Azeri had to her second championship only 5 years ago....of course maybe that means she was not top class in your opinion.

I thought the natural conclusion for most people would be to understand that the class of competition you face might have something to do with the result of a race. Being able to beat a field that you completely overmatch on talent doesn't mean that you answer all questions.

Yeah, Curlin beat a bunch of good horses in the BC Classic and beat some good horses on the turf. Had he been running against allowance fields in either case he would have won. Doesn't mean he wasn't much better on the dirt.

At least Azeri made one trip outside of her home state during her 2nd championship campaign.

NT

It's possible to recognize that she's top class and still be bored to tears with the schedule they have for her. For me, it was the same way with Azeri and I was happy when she went to Lukas.

I was just pointing out its not that rare, same campaign Paseana had in her championship year of 1993.

True, and if I remember correctly Azeri still got beat up for her schedule by most people. See you really can't please everyone.

Paseana won the Apple Blossom and Spinster in 1993 and the BC was in her backyard that year.

NT

I forgot about the Spinster, what a strange move.

.....what the curlin camp never mention is that he made the exact move in last years classic.......the only problem was he wasnt dacing the same mules he had been beatin. ravens pass was simply better.

....yeah, she is a " supposedly " a top grade horse. you are an idiot.

It wasn't a strange move at all. The Spinster was a regular race for older mares from Southern Cali to point to until the Lady's Secret got a purse bump and upgraded. Paseana went in 1993 but she also went in 1992. Bayakoa went in 1989 and 1990. I remember Different won it in 1996.

How many have left now that the Ladys Secret is in place?

The Lady's Secret was first run in 1993. That year, Paseana shipped to the Spinster, understandable since the Lady's Secret wasn't an established race. Since then, the only primarily California based runner I can think of is Different in 1996.

Model last year, but she is like an alw type horse

Well yeah. I was thinking more along the line of the leading Southern California mares, like Paseana, Bayakoa, and Different were.

there was not a horse in the world last year that was "better" than Curlin on "dirt".

You might have already known, but Paseana also got leveled in the Ruffian at Belmont in '93.