Rachel Alexandra a go for La Troienne

[Merlinsky]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSNtxe4Si34

The music is an interesting touch, but she looks fierce.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by Merlinsky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSNtxe4Si34

The music is an interesting touch, but she looks fierce.

What's with the music? Almost wanted to do 2 laps around the living room...listening to that crap.

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by Smooth Operator

Wow … a "must win" for that reigning horse-of-the-year

Can you imagine the embarrassment if she falters in this spot too?


Too bad about CJ

Hopefully little z or one of those obscure beasts can keep the PRESSURE ON…

I'm thinkin' that if she fails here, the DRF/BEYER contingent will be booking weekend spots at the Brooklyn Bridge (for a mass jump). They need her to win more than anyone else.

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by CSC

What's with the music? Almost wanted to do 2 laps around the living room...listening to that crap.

Maybe they're trying to inspire to run faster, away from that noise.

[johnny pinwheel]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

I'm thinkin' that if she fails here, the DRF/BEYER contingent will be booking weekend spots at the Brooklyn Bridge (for a mass jump). They need her to win more than anyone else.

no, they are too self centered to do that. there will be other excuses....shes not fit...the fix is in or some equivalant tirade......"our numbers don't lie, something was up" its hilarious.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by johnny pinwheel

no, they are too self centered to do that. there will be other excuses....shes not fit...the fix is in or some equivalant tirade......"our numbers don't lie, something was up" its hilarious.

Almost as hilarious as seeing the Zentologists repeatedly brush aside Shirreffs' laughable justifications for continuing to run her against the same plugs at the same backyard tracks for the millionth and billionth times.

[Smooth Operator]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

I'm thinkin' that if she fails here, the DRF/BEYER contingent will be booking weekend spots at the Brooklyn Bridge (for a mass jump). They need her to win more than anyone else.

Hell, if she can't take this thing, everyone who voted for her should jump off the nearest high bridge.


Would pretty much be that Favorite Trick debacle all over again…

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by Smooth Operator

Hell, if she can't take this thing, everyone who voted for her should jump off the nearest high bridge.


Would pretty much be that Favorite Trick debacle all over again…

i cant believe I left you off my list of stupid opinions. How could I forget #1?????

[CSC]

Originally Posted by Smooth Operator

Hell, if she can't take this thing, everyone who voted for her should jump off the nearest high bridge.


Would pretty much be that Favorite Trick debacle all over again…

She's a good horse but hardly the horse the majority of this pro Rach board believes she is, you and I know this, a few here know this and I suspect the rest will come to realize this if and when Jess comes out of his shell and meets Zenyatta.

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by CSC

She's a good horse but hardly the horse the majority of this pro Rach board believes she is, you and I know this, a few here know this and I suspect the rest will come to realize this if and when Jess comes out of his shell and meets Zenyatta.

I find it very interesting that all these POLY horses are starting to run on dirt, and, in a good number of cases, are crushing their dirt counterparts. At one time, by the old Beyer system, these were all SLOW horses. Now, they're all faster, with the AD HOC tweaking of the numbers. Of course, the other explanation is that they're all DIRT horses that have been forced to run on POLY, which masks their true ability. Right.

Now, a good number of these runners are out of the Sadler barn. Sadler has gone from being the king of the stretchouts (one sprint is enough to get a horse fit to win a route) to being the king of the POLY to DIRT arena.

What's equally interesting is that you don't find many dirt horses moving to POLY and doing much of anything. (Someone correct me if I've missed something here.) Clearly, RA (and QR) would've been CRUSHED had they run in the BC. We understand RA's connections' apprehension.

Eventually, we will get to the point where horses able to run on multiple surfaces will be considered superior to those limited to a single surface. Now, for the most part, horses that handle POLY also handle the turf; and, as mentioned, more and more are handling the dirt. To this point, dirt runners have not shown the ability to run on either of the other surfaces -- at least not to the level exhibited by the other side.

The end result will be a complete collapse of the present racing 'paradigm'. Beyers will be of limited use, on dirt, and FAST, as utilized by Beyerites, will really not matter to anyone but the followers. Moreover, the equally ridiculous notion that dirt horses are superior to those running on other surfaces will just go away.

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by CSC

She's a good horse but hardly the horse the majority of this pro Rach board believes she is.

I can say the same damn thing about Zenyatta and her supporters. Enough with the whining. Again, if Zenyatta had ventured out of her playpen more than two times in three years, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

I can say the same damn thing about Zenyatta and her supporters. Enough with the whining. Again, if Zenyatta had ventured out of her playpen more than two times in three years, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Lost in all of this, and this is KEY, is that Zenyatta showed up for the AB and RA didn't. She also showed up for the BC and RA didn't. How much more simple can it get than that? How long will the silliness continue from the ONLINE RA camp?

So, Z is supposed to go out of her way to meet a horse that didn't show up when she had the chance, TWICE? Anybody with a brain buy into this?

When one's system fails, the result is MUCHO gibberish.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

I find it very interesting that all these POLY horses are starting to run on dirt, and, in a good number of cases, are crushing their dirt counterparts. At one time, by the old Beyer system, these were all SLOW horses. Now, they're all faster, with the AD HOC tweaking of the numbers. Of course, the other explanation is that they're all DIRT horses that have been forced to run on POLY, which masks their true ability. Right.

Now, a good number of these runners are out of the Sadler barn. Sadler has gone from being the king of the stretchouts (one sprint is enough to get a horse fit to win a route) to being the king of the POLY to DIRT arena.

What's equally interesting is that you don't find many dirt horses moving to POLY and doing much of anything. (Someone correct me if I've missed something here.) Clearly, RA (and QR) would've been CRUSHED had they run in the BC. We understand RA's connections' apprehension.

Eventually, we will get to the point where horses able to run on multiple surfaces will be considered superior to those limited to a single surface. Now, for the most part, horses that handle POLY also handle the turf; and, as mentioned, more and more are handling the dirt. To this point, dirt runners have not shown the ability to run on either of the other surfaces -- at least not to the level exhibited by the other side.

The end result will be a complete collapse of the present racing 'paradigm'. Beyers will be of limited use, on dirt, and FAST, as utilized by Beyerites, will really not matter to anyone but the followers. Moreover, the equally ridiculous notion that dirt horses are superior to those running on other surfaces will just go away.

I agree with the premise of this post, one thing I'll add is there is a certain bias against synthetic horses as being less superior to dirt horses. This is especially evident when they fail on dirt or run a number that isn't as good as a dirt beyer; however when a dirt horse fails on synthetics it is a perfect excuse to blame the surface. I would deem any horse that is able to win despite what surface they run on should be considered superior, it's common sense but we still have some thinking that winning on 1 surface, dirt is the measure of great horses, when winning on both truly is.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

I can say the same damn thing about Zenyatta and her supporters. Enough with the whining. Again, if Zenyatta had ventured out of her playpen more than two times in three years, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

If Zenyatta stays in California the rest of the year I will be the 1st to criticize her, however she did ship to the Apple Blossom to face Rach, on dirt. So you know what you said is not completely true, we will see a different campaign this year due to them pointing for the BC; however it is also fair to point out Rachel never shipped out west either, nor is she planning to, so I don't understand why she gets a free pass when the other doesn't.

[TouchOfGrey]

Is the draw for the La Troienne today?

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

Lost in all of this, and this is KEY, is that Zenyatta showed up for the AB and RA didn't. She also showed up for the BC and RA didn't. How much more simple can it get than that? How long will the silliness continue from the ONLINE RA camp?

So, Z is supposed to go out of her way to meet a horse that didn't show up when she had the chance, TWICE? Anybody with a brain buy into this?

When one's system fails, the result is MUCHO gibberish.

Read below about the BC. Your own logic about dirt and synthetic horses should tell you why they didn't want to run her in the BC, especially after what happened with Curlin the year before. As for the Apple Blossom, I'm disappointed that they didn't run her, but if the horse isn't fit, the horse isn't fit. Unlike the Mosses, Jackson doesn't have a history of treating his supposed superhorse with kid gloves, so he gets the benefit of the doubt. Again, you're deflecting instead of explaining why the immortal Z continues to run against allowance horses in her playpen nine times out of ten.

Originally Posted by CSC

If Zenyatta stays in California the rest of the year I will be the 1st to criticize her, however she did ship to the Apple Blossom to face Rach, on dirt. So you know what you said is not completely true, we will see a different campaign this year due to them pointing for the BC; however it is also fair to point out Rachel never shipped out west either, nor is she planning to, so I don't understand why she gets a free pass when the other doesn't.

Because, as your fellow Zentologist points out, dirt horses have a tougher time transferring their form to synthetic than vice versa. It's not understandable that Jackson didn't want to have an ultimate showdown between the two on a surface that Zenyatta was far more likely to excel on?

[CSC]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

Because, as your fellow Zentologist points out, dirt horses have a tougher time transferring their form to synthetic than vice versa. It's not understandable that Jackson didn't want to have an ultimate showdown between the two on a surface that Zenyatta was far more likely to excel on?

There's not much confidence from the Rachel camp when you already concede she will lose to Zenyatta out west even without attempting a race, what does that say? Then we come to the Apple Blossom and again they are not confident of facing Zenyatta on their preferred surface. Again that doesn't speak volumes from a faction that believes their horse is superior. Again, I state I believe Rachel is a good horse, a very good horse infact. Great? Not at this point. Better than Zenyatta not even close at this stage, Jess knows this and that is why we now have a last minute entry of Rach in the "Careless Jeweless" La Troienne. But Jess and SA have always been great at cherry picking races haven't they?

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by Smooth Operator

Hell, if she can't take this thing, everyone who voted for her should jump off the nearest high bridge.


Would pretty much be that Favorite Trick debacle all over again…

Have you gotten into the sherry? Can we stop the HOY retroactive-apalooza? People had an opinion, they were entitled to vote based on that opinion as it related to 2009, it's done. Two valid horses were up, not 1 and a mule. It was a judgment call and a fair one. You can claim whatever you want within the context of 2009. This year proves nothing about the last.

This is a new year, there are new consequences to everything, and the only vote that can be affected is that of 2010.

[10 pnt move up]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

Because, as your fellow Zentologist points out, dirt horses have a tougher time transferring their form to synthetic than vice versa. It's not understandable that Jackson didn't want to have an ultimate showdown between the two on a surface that Zenyatta was far more likely to excel on?

The truely great ones can run on anything IMO.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by TouchOfGrey

Is the draw for the La Troienne today?

Yes