A $5 MILLION APPLE BLOSSOM FOR RACHEL AND Z
After much speculation, Oaklawn Park’s press conference today confirmed that Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are being lured to Hot Springs for Oaklawn’s Grade 1 Apple Blossom. What wasn’t expected was the $5 million price tag that President Charles J. Cella and company put on what will undoubtedly be billed as the race of the year.
Read the press release below and then let us know what you think.
PRESS RELEASE
Oaklawn Announces $5 Million Apple Blossom
HOT SPRINGS, AR (Feb. 4, 2010) – Calling it “one of the most important moments at Oaklawn and in Arkansas sports,” Oaklawn President Charles J. Cella announced Thursday that Oaklawn will increase the purse of the April 3 Grade I Apple Blossom to $5 million provided champions Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta both start.
At a morning press conference, Cella reported that he has spoken with the owners of both Rachel Alexandra (Jess Jackson) and Zenyatta (Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss). Both showed enthusiasm for bringing their champions to Oaklawn for the first Saturday of the famed Racing Festival of the South.
Rachel Alexandra (Three-Year-Old Filly) and Zenyatta (Older Filly or Mare) were unanimous Eclipse Award winners in their respective divisions in 2009 and were the only finalists for horse racing’s highest honor – The Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. In one of the closest ballots in recent memory, Rachel Alexandra was named Horse of Year.
Oaklawn has long been perceived as the ideal neutral ground for the dream matchup, because both have used the Arkansas oval as a launching pad to future success.
As a lightly-raced but promising 4-year-old in 2008, Zenyatta captured her first Grade 1 victory in that year’s Apple Blossom, beating then reigning champion Ginger Brew among others in her only start outside of California and only start on a conventional dirt surface. She has since gone on to post a perfect 14-for-14 record, highlighted by her victory in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic and her victory against males in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic, in what was believed at the time to be the final race of her career. Rumblings about Zenyatta’s “un-retirement” began to be felt in December and Moss made it official Saturday, Jan. 16.
Rachel Alexandra kicked off her three-year-old campaign at Oaklawn with a pair of eye-popping stakes wins in the Martha Washington and the Fantasy Stakes. Her record victory in the Kentucky Oaks the day before the Kentucky Derby clearly stamped her as the best three-year-old filly in the nation. She proved more than that in her next start when she became the first filly to win the Preakness Stakes in 85 years. Rachel Alexandra beat three-year-old colts again in the Haskell and became the first three-year-old filly to win the prestigious Woodward Stakes against older males in September.
Should both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta start, this year’s Apple Blossom will be an invitational event. Other leaders in the filly and mare division will be invited to participate. The $5 million purse will be the largest purse for a filly and mare race in the history of North American thoroughbred racing.
“We have always pursued a goal of bringing the world’s best racing to Arkansas,” Cella said. “That is what led us to create the Racing Festival of the South more than 30 years ago. We have been even more fortunate in recent years. That gives us the opportunity to fulfill the promises we continually make to our fans, our horsemen and all of our supporters – should this race come off as expected, it will most certainly fulfill every promise made.”
The distance of the race, historically contested at a mile-and-one-sixteenth, will be extended to a mile-and-one-eighth.
Should Rachel Alexandra or Zenyatta fail to start, the Grade I Apple Blossom will revert to its original status as of February 3, with a purse of $500,000 Guaranteed.
Tags: Apple Blossom, oaklawn park, Paulick Report, Rachel Alexandra, zenyatta
February 4th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
You know what they say - “Money talks and the bull—- walks.” Or at least I think they say that.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
It was not a surprise for readers of Zipse at the Track.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Fantastic!
A real racing entrepreneur steps up to the plate!
Our sport has a chance to this, with these two Amazons, to grab our share of the spotlight and to use the attention to gain a new foothold in the public’s imagination.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
This is a great thing but Rachel’s training schedule may have to be bumped up in order to get her prepared to face Zenyatta in her first start in seven months. She was given a real vacation for the first time in her career so it remains to be seen how much time she needs to get back in top shape.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
“You know what they say - money talks and bull—- walks”. Who are they?
February 4th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
For that kind of purse the distance should be 1:1/4….Is Oaklawn afraid that Rachel/Jess would not be interested because he is doubtful that Rachel ca’nt go that far….
February 4th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
At last our Queen Z will get real respect from the east coast because she is going to beat RA!!! And on dirt!! This will be great for racing too-Girl Power!! Yay!!
February 4th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I am sorry, but this whole saga is starting to sound like a commercial for “The Bachelor” (or the Bachelorette, LOL!!)
To quote a DRF/NTRA post: “In the most dramatic offer yet…”
Starting to sound like the episode teasers for The Bachelor…”The most dramatic rose ceremony ever….”
Please, all of racing, quit focusing all of your energy on a fantasy match race that I (and many others) could care less about. I love watch both ladies run & have no desire to see one or the other defeated.
Isn’t it DERBY season? Isn’t the Dubai World Cup upcoming? One race doesn’t make racing anymore exciting to me. Give me 5/$1 million races or 10/$500 thousand for some turf stakes & I’ll be a happy horsewoman & racing fan.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
If they are ever to meet up this proposal should fit the bill more then any others.
Worth noting is that this race, now to be called the Apple Blossom Invitational, is no longer going to be a handicap rather all horses will carry 123 pounds.
If it happens I hope Oaklawn can make some money on the race. When Rachel ran in the Mother Goose the win wagering was so great that with the mandatory minimum payout NYRA had to fund out of pocket the almost $14k shortfall with the win pool.
Even with say a field of 5 I wonder if they’d allow a boxed exacta at Oaklawn ;>
February 4th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Mr. Cella should declare no same day medication. That would trun many heads.
February 4th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
@ #10 Tapit - what do you mean by “no same day medication”?
See Arkansas’s Racing Rules
http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/racingCommission/Documents/horse_racing_rules.pdf
Example, page 39, 1232(A) NSAIDs (1)(b) “These or any other NSAID are prohibited to be administered within the 24 hours before post time for the race in which the horse is entered. “
February 4th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
I do not want to see a match race. How many will back out of this race even with the purse inflation? It is a fair fight for distance and weight assignment. At least one will not carry 129 and the other 121. It sounded like Steve A. feels RA doesn’t need a lot of time to get ready.
So…let the games begin…
Tapit, no drug rule would be intersting since one trainer has had ‘issues”.
February 4th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
I hope Hot Springs has enough hotel rooms, because that’s going to be one hell of a race, and I hope the Queen Z wins!
February 4th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
The 1 1/8 miles distance should favor Rachel — after that, Zenyatta would run right past her.
February 4th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Right purse, right distance, right weight , right surface, right track…..GAME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 4th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Do I really need to explain this? “You know what they say..” just like “That’s what she said…” its a figure of speech. The “they” and “she” in those examples are not to be taken literally. lol
February 4th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Hot Diggity Damn,this will be one heck of a horse race.
I like how the obvious Zenyatta fans are already downplaying the race to favor Rachel.Myself,I don’t really care who wins,I just want to see one of the greatest races ever between 2 champions.
But I mean give me a break Eugene (oh for 5 million it should be a mile and a quarter);Just how many races are run in the U.S. Eugene for fillies and mares going a mile and a quarter ???
And now Zenyatta can’t win unless she runs past 1 1/8? Yet when Horse Of The Year Voting was up in arms stating this race that Zenyatta won 2 years ago going a mile and a sixteenth was justification to grant her Horse Of The Year honors in 2009 !!!!!!!!
February 4th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
I read with huge enthusiasm the posssible race, and added monies. WOW. Both owners as well as the Arkansas track are pure sportsmen & I tingle with excitement to start to plan to attend.
The added distance will be a good way to decide what a true classic horse IS. I look forward to discovering what other horses will compete, because you never know in a horse race until they cross the finish line. AWESOME. I hope Oaklawn Park makes a ton of money and see nothing wrong with the way they will pay out.. Seems fair to me & fair for all.
Keep us posted on this endeavor, I am already starting to pack for the trip of a lifetime to see such great Champions AND whomever may also send a horse..THRILLING and I am not even to AR. yet !!!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL !!!!!!!!!
February 4th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Am I one of the few or the only person who can see a dark side to this proposal?
Racing is in deep, deep trouble. How can pleas be made for assistance/sympathy when five million is proposed as a purse and if one of the two stars wins, the millions will be paid out to a multi-millionaire. Certainly not the picture to project to the political establishment.
What will the result prove? Maybe, which is better on that day? In the long run, what of lasting value will that prove?
As Paula has suggested (above), five millions spread more evenly across the board would help many more horseowners weather the economic storm.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
This excitement will be contageous and great for the sport. Look for the benefits. There won’t be magic millions dispersed elsewhere should this historic meet-up fail to happen.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Who else are they going to invite, and will those fillies and mares actually enter the starting gate?
I’m not interested in a match race.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I hope this race happens. Every track in America should have a special Apple Blossom day planned to get folks out to their facilities. This will be the biggest race of the year aside from KY Derby. The industry should embrace it and promote the heck out of it. In the end it won’t matter who wins the race because the sport as a whole will have a victory for once. The warring factions will have put all that aside to celebrate the real heroes, the horses.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Gosh, here we go again… Rachel vs Zenyatta we got a 2 week break from after the Eclipse. LOL
Garrett … good comments on the purse. How cool if part of $5M could be donated to retirement for horses, health care & insurance for riders.
February 4th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Unbelievable,give it a rest.Now let’s donate the money to a retirement facility.
I see some of these folks running these so-called retirement facilities suddenly driving new trucks and new tractors and ones that were unsuccessful in the horse industry have finally found a way to be successful under the Title Of Retirement Horse Facility !!!!!!!!!!
Not all of them but there seems to be more and more every day.that are operating under that label on one side.There careers out of donated money.
So what,they are 2 millionaires.I could care less.This is 2 of the greatest mares ever to step onto a track.When these 2 meet,it won’t be over with and forgotten about next year.It will be remembered for generations.
I am tired of every thread getting turned into a controversy over who has race track violations and retirement facilitie.It shows how sad this world is becoming.
February 4th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Well done to Charlie Cella and his family. Who needs NTRA to promote a racing event with broad appeal throughout country. jsl
February 4th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
I am excited about this as we live and race here in Hot Springs!!! I for one don’t see this as a match race because this is horse racing and anything can happen….its one of these “you never know”. As far as giving some of the money back I can bet you that the two owners involved here give to several of their own charities….anyway I certainly hope they can pull this off it will be GREAT for the racing world.
February 4th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Sorry to disagree with you J.C. but following the terrible publicity that horse racing has experienced and often created (high profile breakdowns and deaths, drug positives, starving horses, Gill and his gang, etc.), racing could use some positive PR by now.
Although neither the Mosses or Jacksons owe a thing to horse racing and fans other than behaving honorably and being compassionate toward their horses, should they agree in concert to donate part or all earnings from one or more meetings between Z and RA to respected, accredited horse rescues, it would not only be a noble gesture and set a great example for the industry, it would be fabulous PR for the entire industry, PR that racing can’t buy.
Should N and RA stay healthy and meet some day, both owners could agreed to create a charitable fund and offer grants to accredited and reputable Thoroughbred rescues for specific needs and urgencies.
February 4th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
J.C. no new trucks and tractors, God forbid! Rescues should drive old, broken down trucks to match their horses. Old trucks that may die while hauling a horse trailer on the way to pick up horses someone is ready to shoot or give to the meatmen who undoutedly drive brand new trucks because business is so good these days.
February 4th, 2010 at 11:02 pm
I hope Rachel and Zenyatta NEVER meet. They would race their hearts out until one or both are injured. Is that what you want, people?
Even if by some miracle, they both are ok after the race - do you really want one of them to lose? Neither one of them should ever experience a loss. They are both too beautiful, too talented and too spectacular to ever have to lose a race. Why would anyone want to do this to either one of these fantastic equines?
I hope one or both of the owners have the sense to put their horses first and never let them race each other. Both owners have tremendous love for their horses and I really don’t think they will put them against each other.
And there definitely should have been a co-HOY award - one is not better than the other - they are both perfect!!
February 5th, 2010 at 1:02 am
Adelle, good points, if such race takes place it should be without using the whip to make it safer, more exciting, humane and palatable.
February 5th, 2010 at 10:17 am
It s a safe bet to put 5 million out there. Rachel can’t be ready to go that far first time out. Steve Assussen has never shown he is that kind of trainer to run one that big off layoff. Its just not going to happen. Good publicity stunt on part of Oaklawn. 1 1/16 would be more like it. Sounds like Zenyatta camp made the rules.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Say what you want, but the public is super-stoked about this.
Called Oaklawn about 11:30 a.m. (central) today to reserve 4 tickets and was told all they had left was in section TA in the upper level. All lower-level stuff was gone, as was most of the upper level.
I am happy to report, however, that they are NOT jacking up ticket prices for this. If this actually materializes, Arkansas may be my new favorite state. And, as a lifelong snotty Yankee, that’s really saying something.
February 6th, 2010 at 11:40 am
Molly, I agree on them not raising the ticket prices. I called a few weeks ago when I thought Zenyatta would probably be there and ordered ten tickets. I wish I would have got 20 as now everybody I know wants to go! Anyway, ten tickets for $47.50 - can’t beat it! Oaklawn is great!
February 6th, 2010 at 11:55 am
An incredible achievement! The Cellas are a wonderful horse racing family that continue to care and to operate a facility dedicate to the sport and its patrons.
February 6th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Jackson will never run his horse against Zenyatta.
February 6th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
It would be great for this race to happen. Then we need a nice movie ending… a dead heat for first place between RA and Zen. Screen writers get your pens ready!
February 6th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
I totally agree with Adelle Wiesinger. I never want to see one of them beaten and as the thought that neither one might hit the board is totally preposterous. Let each one of these fantastic girls remain champions. If they should race, the winning camp will never let it rest.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
HEY “JC” TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION>>HOW MANY 1: 1/4 RACES ARE THERE IN
THIS COUNTRY…..( TWO)
HOW MANY $5 MILLION RACES ARE THERE FOR FILLIES & MARES IN THIS COUNTRY (ONE)
February 8th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Exactly Eugene - one for 2 of the greatest mares ever to step on the racetrack.