RACHEL ALEXANDRA, ZENYATTA DUST OVERMATCHED FOES
By Ray Paulick
Twenty-eight hundred miles and about 20 minutes is all that separated the filly stars Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta on Saturday afternoon. After two fillies were scratched, Kentucky Oaks and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra had just a pair of 3-year-old foes in the Grade 1 Mother Goose at Belmont (one an allowance winner and the other a Grade 3 winner this year). Zenyatta, winner of 10 straight lifetime and 1-for-1 in her only start this year, had five opponents in the Grade 1 Vanity Invitational Handicap (in which she carried high weight of 129 pounds, spotting between 13 and 18 pounds to the others. Her opposition had won only six of 23 starts in 2009, with one of them a non-graded stakes winner and the others optional-claiming winners. Both races were at 1 1/8 miles, the Belmont on dirt and the Vanity on Hollywood Park’s synthetic surface.
Rachel Alexandra made short work of the $300,000 Mother Goose, settling into last place early in the long run down the backstretch, then vaulting to the lead on the turn, and drawing off to win with ridiculous ease, by 19 1/4 lengths (just one length shy of her winning margin in the Kentucky Oaks). Jockey Calvin Borel spent most of the stretch run taking in the sights behind him and apparently blowing kisses to the fans in the grandstand, still managing to set a new stakes record of 1:46.33 for the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track. (The track was playing very fast Saturday; maidens went six furlongs in 1:08.53 earlier in the card.)
That final time was made possible by the sizzling early fractions set by Malibu Prayer and John Velazquez, who went the opening quarter-mile in :22.57, the half in 44.66 and six furlongs in 1:08.86. Malibu Prayer didn’t want to load into the gate, and when Rachel Alexandra ranged up next to her on the turn, we all found out why. The winner, a daughter of Medaglila d’Oro went into a different gear under Borel, leaving her two foes in a cloud of dust while scoring her seventh consecutive stakes victory and ninth win from lifetime starts, the last two carrying the colors of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables. Harold McCormick is the minority partner in the filly, who was bred in Kentucky by Dolphus Morrison. She has been trained to her last two victories by Steve Asmussen, who took over from Hal Wiggins when Stonestreet and Morrison purchased her following the Kentucky Oaks.
What’s next for Rachel Alexandra? “She is going to Saratoga from here," said Asmussen. "We will train her there and that’s where Scott (Blasi) and our stable move this time of year. Curlin did the exact same thing. It’s gotten plenty warm back home (in Louisville) and we are very much looking forward to the cool mornings this time of year. The plans are for me to take to care of her. Just to have her in the best health possible and then sit down and try and decide what’s best for her.”
Mother Goose chart.
Zenyatta had to work a bit harder, but she also got the job done under Mike Smith, rallying from fifth position early to win drawing away by about 2 1/2 lengths for her 11th victory without a loss.
Briecat set the pace under Martin Garcia, going :24.46, :48.02 and 1:11.28 for the opening six furlongs. Zenyatta was kept wide and in the clear and was asked by Smith to pick it up going into the far turn, and she reached contention with just over a quarter mile to go. Briecat proved to be stubborn until the final eighth, when Zenyatta lumbered to the lead under the steadying 129 pounds and crossed the wire geared down by Smith. Final time was 1:48.15 after a mile split in 1:35.54. Briecat finished second, just ahead of Dawn After Dawn, with Hot n’ Dusty fourth.
There was no place or show wagering in the Mother Goose, with Rachel Alexandra paying $2.10 to win. There was no show wagering in Zenyatta’s second straight Vanity win; she paid $2.60 to win and $2.10 to place. The 5-year-old daughter of Street Cry carries the silks of Jerome and Ann Moss and is trained by John Shirreffs.
Chart of the Vanity.
The big question is whether the appearances of Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra brought enough fans to the track to at least crack the 10,000 attendance mark. The New York Racing Association promoted the Mother Goose heavily, with free admission for females and a pink Rachel Alexandra bracelet giveaway to the first 10,000 fans in conjunction with Jackson and Banke’s donation of a portion of the winner’s purse to the Susan G. Komen race for the cure for breast cancer. (UPDATE: NYRA reported 13,352 on hand for the Mother Goose; Zenyatta drew only 6,907 to Hollywood Park.)
But the biggest question is whether or not these two superfillies will ever meet, which according to their connections is not likely to happen this year. Before the Vanity, the Mosses and Shirreffs have indicated that Zenyatta will remain in California for the remainder of her career and defend her title in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic on the Santa Anita Pro Ride synthetic track. Jackson has said he will not run Rachel Alexandra on "plastic," despite her impressive victory on Keeneland’s Polytrack synthetic surface last fall when she was two.
Both sets of owners are independently wealthy and neither are commercial breeders. They are also sportsmen–an all-too-rare commodity in the modern era of racing. Jackson kept Curlin in training for his 4-year-old campaign last year when he could have retired the Horse of the Year to stud. The Mosses kept Zenyatta in training this year after she won an Eclipse Award and was runner-up to Curlin in Horse of the Year voting. The only thing either owner has to lose is their pride.
But the most significant loss will be what this sport misses out on if Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta do not meet later this year. Some way, some how, somewhere, it must happen.
But where and when…what do you think?
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: belmont park, Hollywood Park, mother goose, Paulick Report, Rachel Alexandra, Ray Paulick, vanity invitational handicap, zenyatta
June 27th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Nothing could help the sport more than a match race featuring these two amazing horses. This needs to happen!
June 27th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I love these two beaatiful girls, although Rachel steals my heart a bit more than Z does. Between Rachel, the Debutante at Churchill and Zenyatta, that was a very exciting 20 minutes!! What did I do before the internet??
June 27th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
I agree that a matchup between Rachel and Zenyatta would be amazing, and I hope it happens. However, I don’t feel a match race would prove who the better racehorse is. Speed usually wins, and is “artificial”. I do hope they meet up (both at their best) in the coming months.
June 27th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I hope that Z and RA stay in top form and meet next time out on real dirt back East. No match race. I would like to see both ladies race against the beatable boys which could seal several championships including HOY. It would be great for racing.
June 27th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Moss said today that he might come east to face Rachel.
June 27th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
I do not want to see a match race, but a race at 1 1/4 miles would be an awful lot of fun to watch.
June 27th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
There is NO QUESTION they will meet this year if they stay healthy now that Zenyatta’s people are going after Horse of the Year and Zenyatta is beating RA in the world rankings and outshining her on the track.
No way is Jess Jackson going to let them win because it’s said that he was afraid to let Rachel Alexandra meet Zenyatta.
Of course, Jackson will insist on dirt so that RA will have the advantage ( could backfire, considering the way I Want Revenge came alive on dirt ), but the two will met, and this year too.
June 27th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
P.S. the guy or gal behind that camera at Belmont sure missed the boat. 19 1/4 lengths and he/she STAYS TIGHT on Rachel Alexandra ? Sheeeesh.
June 27th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I thought the “Amazons” as HRTV was tabbing them today did well. Z’s was not as impressive as RA’s (track record, lengths of win), but from that I will ask the experts here a few questions:
(1) Why are so many looking for a contest between a 3 yo and a 5 yo filly/mare (yeah, I get it. They are HOT!)?
(2) What is the highest weight Z and RA have carried in any one race in their career; furthest distance and most variety of surfaces raced on (yea, I know check equibase…I don’t subscribe)?
(3) Why is it so important that Z and RA meet right now?…this season?
I appreciate these gals and the joy they provide me. I’m not thrilled about some of the connections or human motivations, but they are the top and I still hope that MTB can shake the tree a few more times. Heck…I’m still cheering for Einstien and a few others. Saratoga would be awesome. What do they call it? The Graveyard of Champions?
To “tvnewsbadge”:
How does the cameraman do a tight shot that includes the winner by 19+ and include the also rans?…Don’t want to get into the technical aspect, but thought the same camera technique was used in RA’s KY Oaks win. Also think that all camera at lesser broadcasts focus on the winner, not the field….btw, they can’t pull away fast enough when one goes down…just get the finish line.
June 27th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I honestly do not think a match race would be good for the sport. Asking these two top racehorses is run agaiinst each other is asking for a tragedy. I remember the horrible scene of Ruffian breaking down. It took years for the sport to recover. Why ask these great horses to overextend just for our pleasure? THEY ARE BOTH GREAT RACEMARES, LETS LEAVE IT AT THAT.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I’m assuming the connections have the scratch and smarts with track experience to figure out stress/hairline fractures of horses of this caliber. I don’t believe a match race would be Ruffianesque. I just don’t think it is appropriate at this point in these horses’s careers..different ages, expertise, surface, etc. That being said, was it Malibu Prayer? YEP!!!..that set the fractions with RA…yikes! and just awesome. Give that pony some kudo’s…or was she the rabbit?
And the weight, surface and temps with track conditions favored which horse?????
June 27th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Zenyatta is a great mare who keeps beating up the same average mares on a surface that she loves.. Rachael is brilliant and wins off like the freak that she is on the road.. Zenyatta has no chance against her on dirt. Please keep them apart. Lets remember them as they are. Fans want to see colts mix it up not the fillies.
June 27th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
So Rudy, what magic turns a dangerous match race into a presumably more safe three horse race, like we had today in the Mother Goose?
The idea that a match is more dangerous, based on one example nearly 35 years ago, is so asinine that it is almost amusing to see people offer it up time and again.
June 27th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
I see where those who disagree with match races are coming from. A couple of things come to mind… If the argument can be made against match races because of a tragedy, the same argument could be made against female horses running against males. The Ruffian tragedy is one example, Eight Belles is another. Yet, the year after Eight Belles, RA ran in a Triple Crown race even though if she were to have broken down it would wreck the sport. Horses will break down regardless of field size, surface, gender, distance, etc. However, I agree that tragedies in match races are particularly upsetting.
This opportunity doesn’t come along every year. True, if there was a breakdown in a match race, the tragedy would wreck the sport. The same could be said for another Derby breakdown. Should we discontinue the Derby, or any high profile race for that matter? Perhaps match races are overly taxing on the horses and I’m mistaken. But if I’m not, think of how much interest this would generate. The reason Ruffian and Eight Belles were so damaging from a PR standpoint was because of how popular the races were. Horses break down every day in maiden claimers with no mention. How can a sport grow when it shies away from public attention? Let’s be honest, who wasn’t biting their nails on Derby day? I think these two horses could handle each other. Anyways, a match race isn’t going to happen, zero chance.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:02 am
For what it’s worth, I was not proposing a match race between Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra. Many match races seem to be whoever makes the lead wins the race, and I would rather see a full field (well, at least a half dozen fillies and mares) to make it more of a horse race where it’s hoped the best horse would win. I agree that match races are no more dangerous than a regular race, but from a strategy standpoinit it gives the edge to the horse with the most early speed.
I am glad to see that Jerry Moss is talking about sending Zenyatta east (see David Grening’s story that is our lead headline…taken from a Sirius “Down the Stretch” interview with Mr. Moss)
June 28th, 2009 at 12:29 am
Great crowd today at Belmont. The applause for Rachel in the paddock prior to the Mother Goose was music. When she heard it, she knew what it meant, & waved her head & pranced in appreciation.
Witnessed something I’ve never seen, although I’m sure it happens. The entire 3rd floor ticket office staff came out of their office & were sitting in the seats behind us, rooting Rachel on.
Zenyatta’s triumph had @ fifty people in front of the TV screen, cheering & applauding.
Incredible. The country’s owners spent, what, @ $250 million on the current crop of race horses - & at the half-way point of 2009, only TWO of them are bona fide box office attractions.
Towering, majestic clouds, the remnants of June’s permanent storm, ringed the track. On this afternoon, they held Belmont’s races on an island in the South Pacific.
June 28th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Don Reed said: “Incredible. The country’s owners spent, what, @ $250 million on the current crop of race horses - & at the half-way point of 2009, only TWO of them are bona fide box office attractions.”
With all due respect isn’t that the case for almost any sporting franchise?
The NY Yankees pump hundreds of millions into payroll annually but for what? Are they year after year World Series Championships? Nope. Even the dregs of the MLB series still have to pump tens of millions into payroll annually to sit in the basement.
Same goes for almost any sport. Millions into the WNBA for which no one sees or cares about. Formula One? Again tens of millions required per team each year with most never seeing even one podium finish, championship point or constructors points.
If success was all about pumping in money wouldn’t that mean that General Motors should be an amazing success story?
Horse racing going back to Man O’War has always seen legions of expensive horses bought and flop on the track. There is little need to kick racing in the shins by effectively stating the obvious that only 1 horse out of 28,000 born will win the Kentucky Derby.
With Rachel Alexandra now up at Saratoga we can only hope that the ‘09 Travers Stakes will feature all three winners of the American Classics.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:36 am
I am an avid horse racing fan. One thing you can say about the NFL, NBA, MLB and all the other major sports is that they do a phenemenol job promoting their sport. They will never suffer lack for fans because every event they promote they are adding fans to the fan base everywhere. I think that horse racing does not promote itself as it should sometimes and this is definitely one of those times. These two females HAVE to meet in other to help promote the sport. I mean, could you imagine the promotion of a showdown such as this. And I don’t mean a match race either. We have learned from Ruffian that this might not be such a good idea. But pick a stakes race between now and the Breeder’s Cup (since Rachel won’t run on plastic), include other horses, and run the race. Because there are other trainers that would be willing to enter their horses and upset both heavyweights.They would also have a chance to etch their name in racing history. This would easily be on the top three televised horse racing events of all time. Believe it or not these two trainers owe it to the sport and to all the fans to settle the score once and for all. Because at the end of the day, when we look back on these fillies (because we all know neither of them will be back next year), there will always be a question mark over their careers as to were they the greatest fillies of their time. Let’s settle the score. No NBA team finishes 1st place in the Western or Eastern Conference and decids they don’t want to go to the finals. Both teams have to go to determine ultimate supremacy. It would be a classic. I could see the headlines already.
June 29th, 2009 at 3:16 am
Glim, the Yankees spend prodigiously, and they are rewarded by 3 million or so fans buying tickets each year. The horse owners open their wallets in the same fashion, and you’re lucky if 10,000 people show up on a non-Triple crown or Travers event date.
That was my point, although I had no intention of comparisons with other sports - but while we’re at it, there is no comparison.
I do believe the horse owners on average are much wiser than the baseball execs, who
A) Have squandered billions on disastrous free agent acquisitions; &
B) Would spend $16 million a pop on sixty Green Monkeys over the course of a quarter-century, if they were given carte blanche at Keeneland sales.
The difference is that the horse owners are spending their own money - whereas regardless of how much money is wasted on bad baseball players, each succeeding year, there seems to be the exact same mountain of money with which the baseball execs can go forth and screw it up again.
June 29th, 2009 at 3:25 am
Please forgive - the second half of the first sentence above should read,
“The horse owners open their wallets in the same fashion, and you’re lucky if 10,000 people show up on a non-Triple crown or Travers event date in the years when box office lightning hasn’t struck and produced a Smarty Jones, a Rachel Alexandra, or a Zenyatta.”