Rachel to Monmouth on July 24...
 

Interesting move. No detention barn for Big Z...

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...ing-news/57723

Lots of irony here with the "Zenyatta" stakes run out West formerly being named the Lady's Secret.

Anyone have good excuses to get out of going to a wedding? :o

Her connections do know that speeds not holding the way it did at MTH, right?

THis article confuses me for a couple reasons:

1. The Lady's Secret is listed on Monmouth's website as being run on August 1st.

2. The Lady's Secret is listed on Monmouth's website as having a purse of $150k.

Did they move it and not tell anybody?

3. It's also listed as being run at 8.5f, not 9. Something is amiss here.

these horses are more important to me than [___YOU____]...

the article answers those questions. MTH bumped the purse and the date to lure Rachel.

cant tell you about the distance thing tho

Looks like some accommodations were made.

A-ha! When I originally opened the article, it made no mention of the date or purse change, only that she was running that day.

Uh huh.

The truth never works!

Say that you've got a chance to hook up with this guy you've been chatting with online, who's going to be somewhere near you on that date and that you won't get another chance for a long time.

You'll look desperate and pathetic, but you will be believed.

“It’s the perfect place to start what we hope will be another championship run.”
This BS is a laugher. What's she been doing the rest of the year. Wasn't the Fleur De Lis enough of a "launchpad"?

They run 2 Grade 1s in the month of August at Saratoga, the first of which is the 9f Ruffian. That race is August 1st.

Over at Delaware, on July 17th, they run the historic 10f Delaware Handicap.

But Rachel Alexandra needs to run on July 24th. So they need some track to augment a race scheduled for a different weekend, carded for a different distance, and carrying a different purse.

The sad thing is, the main horses in the Eastern distaff division appear to be Life At Ten, Funny Moon, and Unrivaled Belle. I assume anywhere from 1 to all 3 could show up in the Delaware Handicap, which essentially eliminates them from starting in the Ruffian. Seems like the latter is a more than appropriate spot to run in, especially considering she'll be training there.

Furthermore, whatever takes place in her next start, what is the likelihood she shows up for the Personal Ensign at 10f? I don't think it's very good, especially if this steroid enhanced Lady's Secret doesn't affect the Grade 2 $300,000 Molly Pitcher run in late August at Monmouth at 9f.

You know what's going to be an even bigger debate than last year's battle between Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra for HOY?

This year's battle between Jess Jackson and Jerry Moss for the Big Sport Of Wussdom Award.

Nice to see Jess Jackson get exactly what he wants. Move the race...bump the purse...and change the distance of the race to make him happy. The guy is such a f'kn goober.

Tell them you caught equine flu. It's an off shoot of swine flu. ;) Or at least it is for the purposes of this fib.

I steadfastly have believed for months now that neither one will run in the BC Classic ... which is understandable - but the way they've been managed this year is a total joke.

There is no shame at all in losing - no shame at all. These horses are being managed is such a pathetic fashion - solely to reduce chance of defeat - that it's beyond lame.

At this point I'd rather watch Azeri v. Sightseek, Riboletta v. Beautiful Pleasure, or Sky Beauty vs. any number of Phipps fillies replays on a grainy Youtube upload than watch these two tarnished champions square off in a live race.

I hope One Dreamer comes out of retirement and beats them both in the Ladies Classic.

I think you're a bit confused. RA has already lost and lost pretty badly this year. Jackson pretty much had no choice but to duck Z in the AB and might just be aware that his horse of the year caught a speed favoring track last out. You must be just about the only one out who needs to emphasize the belief that RA is not going in the Classic.

As for Z, as long as she shows up for the Classic, her connections have nothing to answer for. Let's face it, the intent is to go after the Horse of the Year award. How exactly does she get this by beating Rail Trip? Exactly.

She will not show up in the BC Classic - nor should she based her on dirt form.

The meeting between the two will eventually take place in the Distaff at least. An entire racing season for the two of highest profile horses pretty much wasted by the both of them.

At least Life Is Sweet got to face Rail Trip.

At least Curlin wasn't given an SEC non-confrence type schedule after he lost his turf race as a 4yo.

RA lost pretty badly this year?

Did I miss a start where she ran up the track?

Or are you Smooth Operators meat puppet?

I got a problem with the implied definition of "lose badly." You might point to those that beat her, but her times and Beyers for the races were very much in line with those she'd had before. She ran respectable efforts. Sorry she wasn't 20 lengths ahead like last year. I guess in comparison it was a bit of a downer for you.

:rolleyes: That's hilarious. First off, the horse is the one that has to answer for things and it's all year, not just in one race. It's not the facing Rail Trip folks take issue with. It's that she's DUCKING Rail Trip (and doesn't need to be). What does THAT say? If it's so darn easy to beat him, go for it. They're avoiding it cuz it's riskier. End of. I wish that precious streak had never happened. One loss somewhere might've prevented this. She's got what it takes. What's the bloody problem?

No excuse for either avoiding competition. Better to go down swinging than keep up this charade.

Something tells me you've skipped a few chapters here and there.

Maybe...but only if you could get either of the two to take on a horse like Sky Beauty in the first place.

I thought you read everything?

"Tarnish" means to lose luster or become dull.

A synonym would be TAINT. Try Webster's if you can't find it. Either that, or use a mirror and hold it between your legs.

You can quote Don King all you want, but I think you just got beat down like Rodney.

I have to disagree... I don't see anything short of injury that keeps Zenyatta out of the starting gate in the Breeders' Cup Classic. And Curlin's 2008 campaign was more like Vandy and Miss St. at home following his turf loss.

Yea, because if 2009 taught us anything, it's the HOY voters are idiots who can't tell the difference between the word "year" and the words "one race."

Sure worked out swell last year. Seems like the same plan is a good one -- that is, if what I'm hoping to see is another emotional meltdown of biblical proportions from Zenyatta fans when she loses it again....which it is.

:wf

Another ungraded stake for RA. I'm really surprised. Imagine the outcry if Zenyatta was racing in an ungraded race.

Rachel has run in two ungraded stakes during the last sixteen months, which did include five consecutive Grade Is in 2009. You kind of make it sound like she's repeatedly running in ungraded races.

Neither of these two deserve any notoriety in terms of seeking out strong competition in 2010.

NT

Let's see, NYRA has kissed Jackson's *ss for three years now, make this year's hat giveaway a Rachel Alexandra version in a poor copy-cat of Santa Anita's Zenyatta boosterism, and the local media and NYRA press ofice follow her arrival in Saratoga this week as if a "rock star" had arrived, and this is the thanks Jackson shows them. I guess he won't be in Saratoga on August 1 to give away the trophy for the Curlin Stakes (in yet another sop to this guy) on the Ruffian undercard. This is beyond weak.

You could tell the bride that the groom wont stop hitting on ya...that might at least delay the event awhile

:tro::tro:

Maybe PJ Campo can tell Asmussen when he ships Rachel to Monmouth to not bring her back, as he'll need the stall at the Oklahoma for horses that support the Saratoga meet.

They're not being campaigned like stars. That's the problem. They're stars this year because you say they are. Why don't you understand that yes, we appreciate seeing these horses in 2010, but no, we don't appreciate running them in the same cupcake races over and over? Seeing supposed stars go untested 364 days of the year isn't a whole lot better than seeing them on the farm, especially when compared to the campaigns of the distant and not-so-distant past.

Here's what you and the other Z connection bashers seem to conveniently overlook. The intent behind bringing Z back was to go for the Horse of the Year, which they thought she deserved last year. The way to get it was:

1) beat the reigning Horse of the Year of the Apple Blossom

and/or

2) win this year's Classic (giving her 2 in a row)


1) didn't pan out when RA didn't show for the AB

2) has noting to do with whether she beats Rail Trip or not BECAUSE, clearly, if she beats RT and loses (or doesn't participate in) the Classic, she's almost certainly not getting HOTY. Let's make this a bit clearer: say Quality Road goes into the Classic undefeated for the year. If she beats him, she gets HOTY. If she loses and he wins, she doesn't. Once again, Rail Trip is not in the equation. Get it?

So, why run her under those conditions for the purpose of anything other than keeping her fit? Why ship her, as some have been demanding? Too bad RA couldn't keep her end of the bargain and 2 is now the ONLY option for the Z camp.

Nope. That's a straw man argument, and you should really stop using it. They've each had three races this year against inferior competition. They should be running in tougher races than the Clement Hirsch and a made-up ungraded Monmouth stake by now. No one said anything about a campaign exclusively against males, so stop being disingenuous and misrepresenting my argument. They've had enough warm-ups. True stars wouldn't still be facing cupcakes in August.

As far as Rachel Alexandra is concerned, what was wrong with either the Delaware Handicap or the Ruffian?

Aren't Life At Ten, Unrivaled Belle, and even Funny Moon more accomplished than Rachel Alexandra this year?

Did we really need a third race between July 17 and August 1 made up on the spot to further dilute the Eastern-based distaff pool?

Let me ask you a question. What exactly did these owners have to lose when choosing to keep these fillies in training?

The idea that we should all be enthralled by watching these horses beat over matched competition in pretty meaningless races is ludicrous. Perhaps I am just not a "modern" enough fan but when perusing you tube watching races looking for great stretch runs it becomes painfully obvious how lame the sport has become and your chastising us is just further proof that the sports standards are now REALLY low.