8/7 (DMR): Clement L. Hirsch S. (G1)

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

Why should I answer when you made no attempt whatsoever to address my question about the BS from the Z camp? I honestly don't even know where you are going with the rest of it.

Can she win the Classic? Sure, she could, but I don't think she will. I don't think she is near the same horse on dirt.

How can I address your question when I don't own the horse? Tell you this much, if I agreed to go to OP on the condition that RA would be there, and she punked out after my 2nd stringer beat her, I certainly wouldn't be open to ACCOMMODATING her with a rematch -- especially one that entailed shipping cross country for. As for the taking on the males thing: what exactly does she gain by beating that sad bunch out there? Would they give her HOTY if she won a G1 for males?

If you don't think she can win the Classic, then bet against her, make a score, and have something to write about.

I don't get the obsession with this horse.

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

How can I address your question when I don't own the horse? Tell you this much, if I agreed to go to OP on the condition that RA would be there, and she punked out after my 2nd stringer beat her, I certainly wouldn't be open to ACCOMMODATING her with a rematch -- especially one that entailed shipping cross country for. As for the taking on the males thing: what exactly does she gain by beating that sad bunch out there? Would they give her HOTY if she won a G1 for males?

If you don't think she can win the Classic, then bet against her, make a score, and have something to write about.

I don't get the obsession with this horse.

I'm not sure how much is about accommodating Rachel vs what Shirreffs said recently about not wanting to leave his barn for weeks at a time like he might feel he'd have to in order to do his best training job for Zenyatta. He was more interested in the Beldame last year, even though the BC was at Santa Anita while NY had detention barns, and I'm guessing it was because he could come right back to his home base. That was still a form of accommodation. The Apple Blossom was less so because she'd gone there before with no plan to face Rachel and won.

I'd argue Jackson was the one accommodating Oaklawn with the rushed return to the races for Rachel. He didn't duck Zenyatta as much as he decided (in a rare moment of logic) that he screwed up once, and why do it again? Didn't stop them from trying the figure 8 bit again, but as mistakes go, it's far better to make that one than throwing an ill-prepared RA to the wolves when Zenyatta wasn't hanging in a barn for 5 months doing nothing. She was in training that whole time. It's how we got tipped off she might not be retiring.

I just heard about RA's latest work. Sounds like she might be getting in better gear. I think she's still been kept in some state of mothball storage even up to the Lady's Secret. If it results in a Classic win, more power to'em, but then you gotta say the same to Shirreffs and the Mosses right? If we're being fair. Still, bloody frustrating.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

What string? He has 59 starts for the entire year.

good question, but shirreffs is the one you need to ask. he's the one who doesn't want to leave his other horses behind. i have no idea how many that might be.

[horseofcourse]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Find me the horses that Zenyatta beat by 19.25 lengths that have since come back to win GI races on dirt. I can think of at least two from Rachel's Mother Goose last summer.

It probably has no meaning whatsoever to anything, but Ginger Punch had a 7 race string where she won the BC Distaff, Sunshine Millions Distaff, Louisville Stakes, Ogden Phipps, Go For Wand, and Personal Ensign. Her one loss in that skein was by 8 lengths to Zenyatta on dirt. So she won a grade 2 and 3 grade 1s in succession after that 8 length loss to Zenyatta. But for a very lucky photo in the Personal Ensign by Ginger Punch, two horses Zenyatta beat by over 8 lengths in the Apple Blossom would have come back to win G1 races on dirt in the same year actually, but alas, ginger punch got the photo over Lemon Drop Mom.

Time and margins, time and margins. I'm pretty sure 6 horses in the Goodwood ran faster than Zenyatta did in the Lady's Secret on the same day last year. Somehow on BC day all those slow times Zenyatta ran last year didn't translate. These threads are unusual to say the least. It is what it is. They chose to duplicate what they did last year after stating they wouldn't. I have no idea why. But at some point we simply have to accept life as it is. Oh well. They chose a one race campaign last year and it worked (other than not getting HOY). They are choosing the same thing this year. I have no clue why they can't even contest the Hollywood Gold Cup...she certainly could have beaten Awesome Gem and Rail Trip like rented mules in that race, but they just don't want to push it. It's just part of the pure joy that the BC has created in the sport. One race catch all this year is all it is, and that is what the Zenyatta connections chose to do. 10 to 20 race campaigns by star horses will never happen again...ever.