La Troienne discussion

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by Princess Doreen

If this isn't Rachel's last race, I'm pretty sure it's Calvin's as her pilot.

Bummer!

I can't figure out why he didn't let her run on a bit when she moved alongside Be Fair just as they turned onto the backstretch.

[the_fat_man]

What's there to say: 2nd time out she gets beat by a NOTHING.

It was the ride, again, I get it.

The ****in' Horse of the Year needs yet another excuse.

Let's start some more threads now about how Z is ducking her.

DONE

[letswastemoney]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

What's there to say: 2nd time out she gets beat by a NOTHING.

It was the ride, again, I get it.

The ****in' Horse of the Year needs yet another excuse.

Let's start some more threads now about how Z is ducking her.

DONE

I wouldn't call Unrivaled Belle nothing, she's a graded stakes winner already.

[Clip-Clop]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

What's there to say: 2nd time out she gets beat by a NOTHING.

It was the ride, again, I get it.

The ****in' Horse of the Year needs yet another excuse.

Let's start some more threads now about how Z is ducking her.

DONE

Not sure a closer would have gotten to those two.

[Scav]

It won't matter, Rachel is done, no way they continue, and she also slightly stumbled coming down the lane.

[SCUDSBROTHER]

She had a big bounding stride last year. That's gone.

[Indian Charlie]

Hasn't anyone ever considered the following?

1. All the talk of RA not being the same as last year, well, it's due more to her facing decent horses this year as opposed to last. I felt that while yeah, she deserved HOY, all this talk of her all time greatness last year was ridiculous. The same can be said for Zenyatta.

2. This goes hand in hand with point 1. Zardana was undefeated prior to today on dirt. Unrivaled Belle has one loss, in which she went to the shelf immediately afterwards.

To me, she's the same horse she was last year, and I think her training schedule and race riding has helped expose her alleged greatness (all time), as has her competition.

What the hell happened today with Zardana anyways?

[Port Conway Lane]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Hasn't anyone ever considered the following?

1. All the talk of RA not being the same as last year, well, it's due more to her facing decent horses this year as opposed to last. I felt that while yeah, she deserved HOY, all this talk of her all time greatness last year was ridiculous. The same can be said for Zenyatta.

2. This goes hand in hand with point 1. Zardana was undefeated prior to today on dirt. Unrivaled Belle has one loss, in which she went to the shelf immediately afterwards.

To me, she's the same horse she was last year, and I think her training schedule and race riding has helped expose her alleged greatness (all time), as has her competition.

What the hell happened today with Zardana anyways?

All good points especially about the competition. However she ran three (maybe four) huge races last year that were historic in what she as a 3yo filly did accomplish. Her place in history will be appreciated much more 10 years from now. Same with Zenyatta.

[Smooth Operator]

Can only shake my head in DISGUST over what the misguided voters did to one of the TRULY great fillies (Z) of our lifetimes last year.



RA EXPOSED … AGAIN!!!

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Hasn't anyone ever considered the following?

1. All the talk of RA not being the same as last year, well, it's due more to her facing decent horses this year as opposed to last. I felt that while yeah, she deserved HOY, all this talk of her all time greatness last year was ridiculous. The same can be said for Zenyatta.

2. This goes hand in hand with point 1. Zardana was undefeated prior to today on dirt. Unrivaled Belle has one loss, in which she went to the shelf immediately afterwards.

To me, she's the same horse she was last year, and I think her training schedule and race riding has helped expose her alleged greatness (all time), as has her competition.

What the hell happened today with Zardana anyways?

If i had first read your post i would have simply agreed

And Zardana was heard muttering something about the Rockies as they led her back to the barn

[Left Bank]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Hasn't anyone ever considered the following?

1. All the talk of RA not being the same as last year, well, it's due more to her facing decent horses this year as opposed to last. I felt that while yeah, she deserved HOY, all this talk of her all time greatness last year was ridiculous. The same can be said for Zenyatta.

2. This goes hand in hand with point 1. Zardana was undefeated prior to today on dirt. Unrivaled Belle has one loss, in which she went to the shelf immediately afterwards.

To me, she's the same horse she was last year, and I think her training schedule and race riding has helped expose her alleged greatness (all time), as has her competition.

What the hell happened today with Zardana anyways?

It was that airplane ride over the rockies.

[Danzig]

Have yet to see the race since I was at work. I know that racels people said the goal, win or lose today, is the bc. Whether that remains the case we'll have to wait and see. I agree with others who posted that it gets old every time one horse gets a mention, within a few posts, here comes the other. Its a testament to both that they Are only compared to each other.
However, much like stories with two sides, I think the truth about both of these horses lie somewhere in between. They aren't as good as some claim, nor as bad as others say. They both have done amazing things, yet both can be questioned for who they did those things against. Questioning their competition is entirely valid. As for zen being undefeated, that's a rarity for sure -but one has to recall that horses such as peppers pride have done the same. I don't see anyone talking hof for her. And regarding HOY last year....gimme a break. This year has nothing to do with that.
Here's to continued good health and good luck to two exciting distaffers.

[miraja2]

For me it goes like this, the results of the races this year point to the fact that when scribes are making their lists of the top 100 horses of the 21st century (at some point in the distant future) Zenyatta thus far deserves to be ranked higher than Rachel. Her ability to carry her top form from one year to the next is worthy of a lot of credit. A lot of horses - including, it would appear, RA - are simply unable to do that. Zenyatta has also demonstrated real ability on multiple surfaces over her career as a racehorse. For her career full of achievements she deserves - in my opinion - the higher overall regard. Congrats to Zenyatta and her swarms of fans (who bizarrely seem to live vicariously through her) on this achievement.

For me, that remains an entirely different question than the one of who deserved HOY last year. In my mind that was unquestionably Rachel Alexandra, and I don't see how that fact is in any way discredited by today's race, or by anything I wrote in the first paragraph.

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by DaTruth

I can't figure out why he didn't let her run on a bit when she moved alongside Be Fair just as they turned onto the backstretch.

How could they fire him for doing what he's told? It's not like that's how he's always ridden her. It's not his bright idea to go a slow half. You never know, though. Jess could decide he's gotta blame somebody.

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

How could they fire him for doing what he's told? It's not like that's how he's always ridden her. It's not his bright idea to go a slow half. You never know, though. Jess could decide he's gotta blame somebody.

I really hope the gameplan going into the race wasn't to get in a duel the last quarter mile.