Archive for the ‘Rachel Alexandra’ Category

By Ray Paulick
 What’s that old expression often repeated in the legal world: He who represents himself has a fool for a client? I think a similar statement can be said of some horse owners: He who makes decisions on where and when his horses should run has a fool for a trainer.

That phrase came to mind, not once, but twice this week when the owners of two of America’s highest-profile Thoroughbreds, Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and early Kentucky Derby favorite Eskendereya, made the type of decisions that are better left to their trainers. And the real trainers of these two horses, Steve Asmussen and Todd Pletcher, respectively, are anything but fools. Both are locks to someday be inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.

Jess Jackson struck first when he issued a press release Sunday declaring Rachel Alexandra out of the April 9 Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn Park, less than 24 hours after she was defeated in the New Orleans Ladies at Fair Grounds.

“Yesterday’s race while a disappointment, helped us define Rachel Alexandra’s racing condition,” Jackson said. “While she is healthy, just as I had anticipated, she is not in top form. Therefore, I decided today she will not be going to the Oaklawn Invitational on April 9. Steve and I discussed this fully and we now regret we tried to accelerate her training in order meet the Apple Blossom schedule. We have a whole season before us to help define her greatness. She will tell us when her next race will be.”

The key phrase in the above paragraph is “Therefore, I decided…”

Only a few hours earlier, the Fair Grounds media office sent out the following comments from Asmussen, a two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer: “We don’t have any negative indications yet today. Like anything, you want to be 100% and if you’re not you go from there. We don’t have any negative this morning other than the loss and the hurt feelings of yesterday. Our main concern is how Rachel feels and her well-being and we’re very pleased with her today.”

Two days later, Ahmed Zayat made a decision to pull his Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth winner Eskendereya from an intended start in this Saturday’s Florida Derby and have Pletcher instead send him to Aqueduct for the Wood Memorial on April 3.

“The main issue is timing,” Zayat was quoted in Daily Racing Form as saying. “I’m not really comfortable off the six weeks (the gap between the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby). If I’m genuine about the Kentucky Derby, I need to give the prep I want to make sure he peaks on the right day.”

Zayat, who has been sued by Fifth Third Bank over alleged delinquency on a $34-million loan and has put his racing stable in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, like Jackson has owned racehorses for only a few years. Apparently, he thinks he knows more about training a Thoroughbred than Pletcher, a four-time Eclipse Award winner.

Earlier in the week, Pletcher was quoted in the Miami Herald saying he thought six weeks between starts was just right for Eskendereya. “He won an allowance (at Gulfstream) six weeks out from the Fountain of Youth,” Pletcher said. “So, six weeks seems like good spacing for him.”

Cynics may be thinking Jackson and Zayat–two owners with immodestly sized egos—might be fibbing about their decisions. In the case of Jackson, the real reason to skip the Apple Blossom could be based more on the winning performance by unbeaten champion Zenyatta at Santa Anita the same afternoon Rachel Alexandra lost. He can’t be blamed for wanting no part of Zenyatta at Oaklawn, and for that I say he’s nobody’s fool.

Zayat’s reason could be entirely different. The beleaguered owner has been entertaining offers to sell all or part of Eskendereya to help satisfy his loan obligations, and it’s possible he wants to finalize a deal before the son of Giant’s Causeway makes his next start.

I hope that’s the case. If Zayat thinks he can train a horse better than Pletcher, he really is a fool.

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According to Gary West of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Steve Asmussen has confirmed that 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra will not run in the April 9th Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs Arkansas.

Read it at West Points

UPDATE: The following statement from Jess Jackson was just sent to the Paulick Report

ADDITIONAL QUOTES FROM JACKSON AND JERRY MOSS

JERRY MOSS:  “We’re disappointed that we’re not going to be able to face each other in the Apple Blossom.  Hopefully, we can meet down the line.  We respect both Steve (Asmussen) and Mr. Jackson as horsemen and they’re going to do what’s right for their horse.  That’s all anybody could ask for.

JESS JACKSON: “We tried and we really wanted to go (to the Apple Blossom). It’s unfortunate but the timing just wasn’t right. For the health of the horse. It’s obvious she’s not in top shape. The race yesterday was to define how far along she was. I repeatedly told people she was only eighty or eighty-five percent of what I thought was up to her top condition last year. That race proved it.”
 
What will be her major goals for the year now? “It’s up to her. She has to show us that she’s back up to her ’09 form. We had progressively accelerated her conditioning and it didn’t work, so we’re going to gear back, let her develop at her own pace. I can’t give you a prediction as to when but it might take a couple of months.”

By Ray Paulick
There has been a lot of talk since Charles Cella shocked the racing world with his $5 million Apple Blossom gambit comparing the proposed Rachel Alexandra - Zenyatta confrontation at Oaklawn Park with the storied match race between Triple Crown hero War Admiral and the great Seabiscuit. Jess Jackson, the owner of Rachel Alexandra, likes to talk about how he saw Seabiscuit race in California during his youth. But does Jackson remember that Seabiscuit was defeated in his final race before the match with War Admiral, just as Rachel Alexandra lost her 2010 debut Saturday at Fair Grounds?

I went to the source on all things Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Seabiscuit: An American Legend and asked for her thoughts on yesterday’s performances that went from the agony of defeat for Rachel Alexandra’s camp to the thrill of victory for those backing Zenyatta. Here are Laura Hillenbrand’s thoughts comparing the two rivalries:

There are obvious limits to the parallels one can draw between Seabiscuit-War Admiral and Rachel-Zenyatta.  But what came to mind as I watched Rachel lose, and Zenyatta win, is that past is not always precedent in such meetings.  War Admiral’s last start before the match race was the Jockey Club Gold Cup, and he won it much as Zenyatta won her race–under wraps, in smashing style.  In his last start prior to the match, Seabiscuit was soundly beaten by the soon-to-be champion three-year-old filly, Jacola.  He was carrying 24 pounds more than Jacola, and encountered traffic trouble, but she beat him rather impressively, breaking the track record at Laurel.  Seabiscuit’s loss made War Admiral even more of a favorite in the match race, but Seabiscuit’s trainer, Tom Smith, wasn’t the least bit worried.  The losing effort brought Seabiscuit’s fitness to the place he needed it to be, and he trounced War Admiral a little more than two weeks later.

Zenyatta’s connections were surely hoping to preserve her unbeaten record; for Rachel, a loss would be a much smaller deal, so perhaps they could afford to have her a little less fit, in the service of having her peak in the Apple Blossom.

Times have changed and horses are handled far differently today, but am I crazy in suggesting that there could still be an Apple Blossom between these two with Rachel winning, just as Seabiscuit not only went on to face War Admiral but defeated him soundly?

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Kate Hunter wins the prize for traveling the farthest to see Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds in New Orleans on Saturday, coming all the way from Tokyo, Japan. Actually, Hunter, a native of Nashville, Tenn., is an English teacher in Tokyo who was back home on a school break but decided to go forego family and hop in a car for the drive to Louisiana.

Paulick Report asked if she would mind sending us a brief account of her experience at the Fair Grounds, whether Rachel Alexandra won or lost.

Hunter writes her own blog on Japanese racing at www.keiblog.net and takes racing photos in Japan for Bloodhorse.com. Following is her recap of the mood at the Fair Grounds after the reigning Horse of the Year suffered her first loss in more than 15 months. –Ray Paulick
 

By Kate Hunter
You wouldn’t have known that Rachel Alexandra had lost her 2010 debut by listening to the reaction of the crowd as she made her way back toward the grandstand to be unsaddled. The cheers and applause were just as loud after the race as they had been during the post parade.

People of all ages and from far away places were there to see the 2009 Horse of the Year in action and to cheer her on, no matter what the results were. Racing fans from all around the United States came to the Fair Grounds on March 13tto see the inaugural New Orleans Ladies Stakes and their favorite racehorse. New York, California, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, and of course Louisiana were there to lend their support.

Between all of the hats, signs, shirts, hoots and hollers, it felt more like a rock concert than a horse race. Track officials hoped for about 10,000 people to visit their dear Fair Grounds, and they might have gotten close. There were so many people in attendance that late comers had to park in the stable area. This ended up delaying Rachel’s return to her stall by almost an hour, since hundreds of race fans found themselves trying to navigate their way to an exit, through the racetracks vast stables.
 
Even after hearing about Zenyatta’s victory, Rachel’s fans held to their beliefs that their girl would win when she finally does meet trainer John Sherriffs’ other mare whose name also starts with Z. They justify their belief by the 11-plus lengths between second place Rachel  Alexandra and third place Unforgotten, and the fact she fought back so hard down the stretch. "Rachel Mania" won’t let a second  place finish rain on their parade.

Today, the Paulick Report received a puzzling email from PETA claiming that the upcoming Apple Blossom featuring Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta would be a ‘grueling match race’. They went on to compare the April 9th race to the infamous breakdowns of Ruffian and Go For Wand.

It appears that someone needs a dictionary or at least a cursory knowledge of what a match race actually is. Of course, the Apple Blossom will have a much larger field than the two super fillies and not once was the idea of a match race even discussed. It makes one think of the Happy Days episode when The Fonz jumped a shark, causing the hit show to lose credibility overnight. On second thought, that’s implying that PETA had any credibility to lose.

- Bradford Cummings

This morning, PETA fired off letters to Jerry Moss and Jess Jackson imploring them not to enter their fillies—Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra, respectively—in what is essentially a grueling "match race" scheduled for April 9 during the Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. In the letters, PETA points out that in an industry that causes the deaths of more than 1,000 thoroughbreds on the tracks every year, match races and other extreme duels have proved to be particularly deadly for famous fillies, including Ruffian and Go For Wand, who were both fatally injured on the track.

"Forcing horses to race to the point at which their bodies can’t handle the stress is cruel enough, but pitting Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra against each other in a race that could easily claim one—or even both—of their lives takes that cruelty to new heights," says PETA Vice President Kathy Guillermo. "These two fillies have bestowed enough fame and prestige on their owners to last a lifetime, and their ‘reward’ shouldn’t be to have to run the toughest race of their lives."

PETA’s letter to Jerry Moss follows. PETA’s similar letter to Jess Jackson is available upon request.

Dear Mr. Moss,

I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our 2 million members and supporters to urge you not to enter Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom Invitational. This race is being touted as a duel between Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. History shows that these types of match races are dangerous to fillies. As I’m sure you remember, Ruffian suffered a catastrophic breakdown in her match race with Foolish Pleasure and was euthanized. Go For Wand, in a race that was essentially a match race with Hall of Fame filly Bayakoa, fractured her leg at the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The tragic deaths of these great fillies in front of national audiences sent shockwaves throughout the industry and the country.

Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra have already secured their places in racing history as champion fillies. They have nothing to prove. Pitting these competitive fillies against each other would be risking their lives just for spectacle. Why jeopardize their safety by forcing them into the toughest race of their careers, pushing them to their limits and beyond? And the risks are compounded by the fact that the race is scheduled in April—too early in the season to subject these fillies to such intense physical demands.

More than 1,000 thoroughbred horses break down and are subsequently euthanized on tracks in the U.S. every year. May I have your assurance that you won’t risk adding Zenyatta to this statistic?

Sincerely,

Kathy Guillermo
Vice President

PRESS RELEASE

Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra will make her 4-year-old debut in the March 13 New Orleans Ladies, assuming she continues to progress as expected, owner Jess Jackson of Stonestreet Stables confirmed Thursday. The $200,000 New Orleans Ladies is for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
 
“That is our intended goal,” Jackson said by phone Thursday evening. “I believe she’s on schedule and she’ll get the prep race before she goes on to Oaklawn. There are other tracks that have offered to have us go, but right now we’d rather stay here.”
 
Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., announced earlier Thursday that the date of the Grade I Apple Blossom had been moved back to Friday, April 9, in order to give Rachel Alexandra and champion older female Zenyatta sufficient time to each get one start before meeting for the first time in what Oaklawn is billing as the “Race for the Ages.” The new date of the Apple Blossom places it 27 days after the New Orleans Ladies.
 
“We’re obviously thrilled by the news that Rachel Alexandra, already a legend based on her accomplishments last year, intends to make her 2010 debut at Fair Grounds,” said Fair Grounds Vice President and General Manager Eric Halstrom. “We are already working to make sure March 13 will be a special day befitting of racing royalty.”
 
Jackson expressed his hope that the New Orleans Ladies would attract a solid field of competitors despite the imposing proposition for the others of having to face one of the top female racehorses in history.
 
“I’d really like to have more than just nominal competition in the race,” Jackson said. “Assuming it’s a fair race I don’t expect Rachel to have any trouble but at the same time, regardless of whether they’re superstars or not, it embellishes the track’s reputation and Rachel’s reputation to have the best possible competition.”
 
Record rainfall in December and more high levels of precipitation in January repeatedly forced two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Steve Asmussen to adjust Rachel Alexandra’s schedule. More recently, however, she has posted official workouts on consecutive weekends, including a half-mile breeze Saturday in :50 3/5.
 
“It’s not anyone’s fault, but with the rain and the track conditions it’s been a serious setback to Rachel’s routine,” Jackson said. “When you’re training a horse it’s an animal that needs to have a regular routine and Steve’s been hard-pressed to keep her going given the weather. When we do get her to the track it’s well maintained, but she’s behind schedule and that means we’re compressed to try to get everything done and keep her on schedule leading up to works and preparing her for a major competition at Oaklawn.”
 
Fair Grounds officials added the New Orleans Ladies to the stakes schedule last fall in hopes that a scenario such as this would play out. Now it appears Fair Grounds will get its wish—to showcase the champion filly in front of New Orleans’ faithful race fans.
 
“It’s always fun to visit New Orleans, one of the top cities in the United States,” Jackson said. “My wife loves it. You have great food. The rebound has been phenomenal as far as sports are concerned so maybe that will help lead to a full recovery.”
 
Rachel Alexandra established herself as one of the all-time great fillies last year with historic wins in the Grade I Kentucky Oaks and Grade I Preakness Stakes, as well as six other stakes races, including the Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks. She defeated older males twice, in the Grade I Haskell Invitational and the Grade I Woodward.

By Ray Paulick
Jess Jackson could have waited until Friday night at 9 o’clock or so to send out a press release anouncing his regrets for not pointing Rachel Alexandra to the April 3 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. Oaklawn owner Charles Cella had proposed increasing the Apple Blossom’s purse to $5 million if Jackson’s 2009 Horse of the Year and the unbeaten two-time champion mare Zenyatta were both in the starting lineup for the race.

That’s what the president of Toyota did—schedule a press conference for 9 p.m. on a Friday night–to respond to mounting public outrage over safety problems with cars produced by the world’s leading automotive manufacturer. Spin doctors always advise their clients to put bad news out late on a Friday to get the lowest possible publicity and media coverage.

But not Jess Jackson. He had the courage to send out a press release at the end of the business day on a Wednesday, when most racetracks East of the Mississippi were closed due to blizzard conditions. His press release was very clever, too, utilizing an old-fashioned smokescreen—a grand proposal for a three-race series between the two distaffers—to obscure the fact Rachel Alexandra would skip the Apple Blossom. To make matters worse, he made trainer Steve Asmussen the fall guy who had to deliver the bad news: ““Out of respect for the level of competition and the importance of this race, I have told Mr. Jackson it was not in the best interest of the horse to race on April 3,” Asmussen was quoted as saying in the press release. “Getting to this level of fitness after a six-month layoff takes time.  If all goes according to schedule, and we do not have any further weather delays, the earliest we could have a prep race would be the middle of March. It is then not fair to Rachel to ask her to race again three weeks later.”

I could be wrong, but I think that’s the most Jackson has allowed Asmussen to say since the California winemaker bought Rachel Alexandra after her victory in the Kentucky Oaks last spring.

But the confusing part of the release was Jackson’s statement that the proposed racing series between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta has been “in the works for several weeks.” If that’s the case, why did Jackson indicate even the slightest bit of interest when Cella proposed the Apple Blossom purse increase?

Also, why is Jackson suddenly relying on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association to put something together? The NTRA owns no racetracks, has no authority over tracks, stakes schedules or race conditions, and doesn’t even have any juice left with television networks.

If anything, Jackson should be asking the Breeders’ Cup—not the NTRA–for assistance in putting the series together and promoting it, since racing fans hope the two fillies will remain sound throughout 2010 and eventually go head-to-head in either the Breeders’ Cup Classic or Ladies’ Classic this fall at Churchill Downs. A series of races betweem the two leading up to the Breeders’ Cup would be in that organization’s best interests, and the Breeders’ Cup does have stronger ties to ESPN for broadcast opportunities.
 
Finally, if the proposal by Jackson was genuine, why on earth were Jerry and Ann Moss not even mentioned in the press release. As Zenyatta’s owners, I think they might want to have some say in this proposed series.

Sorry, Jess, but I’m calling your bluff.

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Today, Jess Jackson released the following press release proposing a three race series between Rachel and Zenyatta. This proposal comes on the heels of Rachel’s connections informing Oaklawn Park that they are unable to commit Rachel to the Apple Blossom.

Read the release below and let us know what you think.

The owners of Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra, today called for a  racing  series between now and November in which the two phenomenal female race horses will meet.

“The fans have spoken. The media has spoken. Everyone wants to see Rachel race against Zenyatta - including me,” said Rachel Alexandra co-owner Jess Jackson.  “In fact, I want it to happen several times this year. We have been in discussions with Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of National Thoroughbred Racing Association, with the hope of coordinate training schedules, racing schedules, purses and all ancillary factors, so that we can all agree upon three dates and three venues for what will be a racing series to rival the Triple Crown.”

The proposal, in the works for several weeks, comes as Rachel Alexandra’s connections informed Oaklawn Park race track that she would not compete on April 3rd, the announced date of the Apple Blossom Invitational.  “Out of respect for the level of competition and the importance of this race, I have told Mr. Jackson it was not in the best interest of the horse to race on April 3.  Getting to this level of fitness after a six-month layoff takes time.  If all goes according to schedule, and we do not have any further weather delays, the earliest we could have a prep race would be the middle of March. It is then not fair to Rachel to ask her to race again three weeks later,” said 2010 Trainer of the Year, Steve Asmussen.

The track had offered a $5-million purse if Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta met on that day.  Rachel’s connections had requested a week delay in order to have Rachel race at Oaklawn Park against Zenyatta but track officials told Jackson today that would not be possible.

“Hopefully, these discussions will take place at earliest possible time so that we can announce something that will give the fans a season to remember,” Jackson added.

Rachel Alexandra, the reigning 2010 Horse of the Year, became the first filly to win the Preakness since 1924, beating a field of world-class males, including Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. She went undefeated throughout the 2009 campaign, defeating world-class colts three times.

By Ray Paulick
A potential April 3 matchup at Oaklawn Park between Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and unbeaten, two-time champion Zenyatta may be the best news racing fans have heard in a long time. Oaklawn Park owner Charles Cella announced the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap would have its purse bumped from $500,000 to $5 million if both horses run, and the race would be lengthened from 1 1/16 miles to nine furlongs. It would change from a handicap to an invitational if both participated. If either fails to enter, the Apple Blossom would revert back to a $500,000 race.

Left unaddressed in the press release from Oaklawn Park was whether any network television plans for the race have been formulated beyond TVG and HRTV. April 3 is a busy day on the racing and sports calendar.

NBC will be televising two important races for 3-year-olds late that afternoon, the Wood Memorial from Aqueduct and Santa Anita Derby from Santa Anita Park in Southern California. Would NBC try to squeeze the Apple Blossom into the same broadcast, and would Oaklawn Park agree to share such a marquee event with two prep races for the Kentucky Derby?

The NBC deal was done with Churchill Downs, not the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which formerly was responsible for much of the horse racing industry’s television exposure, primarily on the ESPN family of networks. The NTRA, while no longer in the television business and Oaklawn Park no longer a member of the NTRA, have assured the Paulick Report they will aggressively work with all parties to promote this event. According to Keith Chamblin, “The NTRA has and will continue to do everything it possibly can to maximize the promotion and television exposure of a showdown between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.”

Post time for the Apple Blossom could be a tricky decision, too. If the race is run after 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time (Arkansas is in the Central time zone), it could go head to head with the first of two Final Four games in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament from Indianaapolis, which will be televised on CBS that evening. If it is run between 4:30-5:30 p.m. Eastern, it could butt heads with the Wood Memorial and Santa Anita Derby.

Needless to say, with the Final Four games scheduled that night, horse racing will have a difficult time getting much coverage in the mainstream press around the country. But if Oaklawn Park can pull it off, it will be a huge day for the Arkansas racetrack, and existing fans of the sport will have got what they wanted.

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Statement by Jess Jackson on Apple Blossom Invitational:

 “As you have heard me say many times before, a number of factors must be considered when deciding where to race a horse — the number one factor being the condition of the horse.  Rachel will tell us when she is ready to start her 2010 campaign and we humans must agree she is in top form. 

My family and I would love to see her run at Oaklawn Park.  If she is in top form and it fits in our schedule, we will be there. Rachel, as you know, likes the track having won twice there last year. ”