A “stretch” to say the least. As Laura pointed out…Seabiscuit lost to a champion who set a track record beating him….That was no track record setting performance yesterday…not even close!!!!

I don’t believe in the comparisons between these two matches & I don’t see anything remarkably similar to Rachel Alexandra to Seabiscuit.
I also don’t buy that anyone in the camp hoped she’d lose to set up an underdog situation. Simply, Rachel Alexandra was not fit enough to race, by all accounts from people who were at the race. On T.V., it didn’t look like the same old Rachel Alexandra. Somewhere she lost her fight to be the “herd leader” and overpower.

I really don’t know what they did with Rachel Alexandra all these 6 months. I was mistakenly under the assumption they had turned her out. Now it seems they just hauled her from track to track with them, which makes no sense at all, because it doesn’t seem to be the best way for a horse whom they said needed a break & rest to actually get said needed rest.

I suspect an ego was as stake, thus they had to pick a race, any race, to bring her back because they had no choice but to get a race in her. But, she likely won’t be ready by April 9th, so now what?

And why are we wasting so much time discussing a loss rather than Zenyatta’s win? I am sorry I took the bait to keep harping on this tired topic, but for once and for all….. it baffles me. Horses, even champions, lose every day. It’s just a loss… get the horse in better shape & maybe she won’t lose. It’s like Olympic champion sprinter Bolt lying around, eating Cheetos and Twinkies and not training & then someone says, “oh, the Olympic trials are in a few weeks, maybe you need to start training.” A victory is less likely considering her training seems to have been not only badly delayed but also misjudged. Jess Jackson has no one to blame but himself for his big bragging mouth & this bravado about meeting up at the Apple Blossom. I am sure Asmussen thinks it’s unlikely & may have thought it unlikely at the time they committed to the April 9th match up date.

Hillenbrand’s statement that Zenyatta’s connections were “hoping to preserve her unbeaten record” implies that they used an easy race for her comeback instead of the Grade I Santa Margarita.

Rachael’s race was not even graded. Who was hoping to preserve what?

Well said, Paula. Jackson also said that if Zenyatta wins her first race back, she (z) will be retired instead of facing RA. He just keeps aggravating fans of Zenyatta and if the Moss’s read his comments, them as well. They have always done what is best for Zenyatta. She is a huge mare and regular training and racing had to be changed to nurture her correctly so that she could become the racehorse she is today. Yet, she does get dissed from all sides. I don’t get it. Maybe it is this East Coast, West Coast thing and since most publications are here as so are the racing fans, it is Zenyatta that will always take the heat. Both girls have different racing styles so that is already intriguing and may set it up for RA. Who knows, as everyday is a different day in racing. Watching Zenyatta get blocked yesterday with no where to go at first, was just heart stopping. For the size she is,carrying 11-19 more pounds, that was UNBELIEVABLE!

My first post here. I enjoy this blog a lot but the latest round of Rachel/Zenyatta kerfuffle is driving me nuts. I couldn’t agree more with Paula (great response). What else does Zenyatta have to do? Be trained by Steve Asmussen and owned by Jess Jackson? Would THAT make people take her seriously? Rachel won a vote and as we all know, votes are subjective… especially when the huge majority of voters have an obvious bias. I suppose East Coasters were smarting under the triple whammy of Rachel getting beaten, a John Shirreffs horse beating her, and Zenyatta winning. Or maybe Jess Jackson tried to buy Zenyatta and the Mosses wouldn’t sell.

No horse has been better managed than Zenyatta and the Jackson/Asmussen team don’t seem to be doing that good of a job with Rachel. I love that you have to go back decades to justify Rachel’s loss but anyone who thought she could beat a fit John Shirreffs horse with some lousy half-mile works is just being stubborn. It was a little surprising to see the racing press drink the Jess Jackson Koolaid (or Merlot, I suppose) and talk about what a wonderful prep Rachel’s race was instead of giving John Shirreffs his due. Or maybe it had more to do with the fact that the majority of these folks voted for Rachel for HOTY and she proved that she wasn’t invincible. For the record, the Santa Anita paddock was surrounded by people cheering for Zardana. John Shirreffs did something incredible yesterday but all I’m seeing are people searching way too far into the past for reasons Rachel will rebound. Jess Jackson has been a poor sport through all of this. He should be grateful for winning an Eclipse Award for having millions of dollars to throw around because that’s all he’s done. Gee, Jess, I suspect the majority of people who saw Rachel win the Kentucky Oaks would have bought her if they’d been loaded. I still can’t believe the turf writers REWARDED him for that. Appalling. The Zenyatta team has NEVER made pre-race excuses and showed a tremendous sense of sportsmanship in running Zenyatta in the Classic and in bringing her back this year.

Enough of this. Besides, we all know that it’s Rachel who is War Admiral and Zenyatta is Seabiscuit. Talk about being repeatedly shoved behind the 8-ball. Jess Jackson and his hollow posturing already made me root against this filly but the scrambling by turf writers to make their own excuses makes me root against THEM.

ANY horse in todays world , who can run 9 furlongs , and come in the money ,is a Champion to me.
I am glad to know that the race weights (Should RACHEL ALEXANDRA & ZENYATTA both run ) will be at 123 lbs & not handi-capped.
I have never been worried about who won in the past ‘Prep-races” before the APPLE BLOSSOM. Any good trainer has a strategy in mind , as I’m sure Mr. Assmussen did.
When the Apple Blossum is run , only then will we have the answer.
I think Mr. Paulicks comparisons do have merit.
I also know that horses, like people have their great power days and other days when they are not quite “On”……..and any number of factors can effect the out-come of the race.
JUST to have this race and a chance for FIVE MILLION DOLLARS U.S is a wonderful thing & Mr. Cella and Oaklawn, et al , are to be admired and congratulated for their big heart…..I hope the race goes forward with all entries attending. WIN , LOOSE or DRAW…to BE in such a race is a true HONOR.
I wish everyone the best of racing luck and a safe return.At this point , who wins, isn’t even in my personal excitement…..to be so good as to be invited is a testament to the greatness of ALL who have been invited. BEST WISHES !!! HAPPY SUNDAY !!!

I rooted for Zen to get horse of the year but still greatly admire Rachel.

But yesterday if the pacesetter had faltered suddenly early in the stretch Zen would have been blocked and suffered her first defeat to a field that according to the pre-race commentary had a lot of high class allowance horses trying to sneak a Grade 1 merit of azhievement. (Did not have access to a racing form to confirm.) Still, these were high class mares.

If both horses had lost then it would have been little different than the great Secretariat or Seattle Slew suffering a defeat. No long term tarnish to the reputation.

If Zardana had not shipped east to run yesterday Rachel would have won off by 12 lengths and the race of the year would be on. But there was sweet revenge when the second stringer, who could beat Zen on a day when Zen does not get through the obstacles her style potentially sets up every time.

Zardana was obviously a very good mare who was more fit than RA. But maybe RA peaked when she bareleyy held off Macho Again. A California trainer on HRTV said Rachel had appeared spent after her final win of a spectacular season. Maybe she should have been given 45 days on a farm to just be a horse.

One thing I tired of this morning was hearing how RA was set back by all thar rain in Louisiana a few months ago – as if southern California has not had its share of race card cancelling rain.

And I do not understand why the east coast seems to disrespect Zen. Do they forget how Swaps humbled Nashua and Summer Tan? I wish that anger would be sublimated some other, more healthy way. Sherref deserves respect. He seems to get horses ready without attracting suspensions or investigations.

Bad analogy Ray. Not even close, took sack hold Rachel up to Seabuscut tho.

You Yankee turf writers can keep making excuses for Rachel and that is fine. You guys can not believe Mike Smith when he says he’s never asked Zenyatta for everything she has, and that’s fine as well. But ignoring the fact that in her race against the boys Zenyatta handily beat a great horse in Gio Ponti, and Rachel scarcely held off Macho Again in her last open race, proves that the east coast bias exists not only in other sports but racing as well.

PS Just one other side note about the Fair Grounds race. OK I have to rub it in a little , Rachel was beaten by a horse ridden by a jockey who was Zenyatta’s original jockey. Way to go David!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How in the world can RA possibly go to the Apple Blossom….

@Kay..”something happens to the track when she appears”..Hey, something happens in my den when she appears…it’s a wonderful, special feeling that I look forward to having every day. Zenyatta brought me thru the despair of Barbaro when I was ready to leave racing. She is the reason I am back. I very much hate the “east coast bias” and the way Zenyatta has been treated by them but that does not in any way take away from her greatness. I was happy to see her retire undefeated but also happy they decided to bring her back. I trust their judgment that it was the thing to do. I will be watching her every day on youtube, ntra, espn, equibase, wherever I can find her. Go Zenyatta 2010 and a safe trip for all.

Ray you might be right.it looks like Rachel might need a bit of a shock now.especially to get by Zenyatta

Lets put ZEN to a REAL test Run her against a fresh group of boys not at the end of the year when the field is tired.
Zen ran against a group of tired horses.
RA will be still winning races when Zen is not.
As far as strdegy you can’t beat Asmussin and company.
They put a figure 8 on RA this is done so the jock has TOTAL control over the horse.
NO trainer who has the welfare of a horse would send their hourse ALL out after a 6 month lay off.
STRADEGY and CARE is what makes a good trainer
Boasting who is better end in defete.

@Pat — hilarious. Keep on moving the goalposts, hon. I’m sorely tempted to correct all of your angry spelling errors as well…

The fact that Zenyatta keeps winning given the huge weight spreads she’s been handed makes her look like an old-school iron horse. Yes, by all means, take care of the horse. But running a horse in a race and then admitting that the horse isn’t fit doesn’t exactly speak well about concern for the horse’s welfare, does it? I hope that if Rachel comes back, she’s happy and wants to run. Too often, great fillies go track sour. It’s rather monumental that Zenyatta hasn’t.

One thing is for sure Asmussin WILL NOT run a horse to prove a point as does the people who manage ZEN.
RA will still be running when Zen is retired. Could Zen have soundness issues in her rear end
If you watch her gallop you can see how wide she keeps her rear legs. Also why does Smith keeping looking to her rear in a warm up gallop.
Pot the dots together

With the utmost respect for California’s great racing fans that seeminly go to the windows and bet with both hands making us east coasters like like hobos, there is in my mind very little bias coming from the east, except for the surface that the racing public out there wants us to equate equally with a real dirt surface. It used to make me crazy when I coud’nt watch SA because DTV doesnt carry HRTV for the simple reason that I love the racing out there, the previously mentioned fans and the horsemen and TVG’s onsite coverage. I love John Henry ,The Shoe ,Bobby B , Mccarren and those California horses that among the best of them ,like the east, are Ky breds. I love Zenyatta too. Why would’nt I ? The question is, why would the unbiased West coasters cheer the defeat of the filly in Lousiana on Saturday like they did at SA? Whats worse is that Shirriffs who must be as big a sore loser as the Moss’s was intellectually dishonest to take any pride in beating a horse that everyone knew was’nt near 100% After the campaign she went through in 2008. I dont know that she’ll emerge her old self later this year or not but real unbiased race fans would not only be hoping that she does, but would’nt have cheered her loss as some kind of vindication as Shirriffs himself seemed to. I see people calling Jackson all kinds of names but who was the classiest owner on Eclipse night Jackson or the Moss’s? It’s obvious that if there is a bias, it comes from the west not easterners who could give a fiddly about where the Ky bred that wins HOY is stabled. Im sorry but the people cheering the defeat of Rachel Saturday as if it meant anything other than the filly is’nt ready to race yet were a disgrace to the sport. anyone who would think it has any meaning visa vee her 2009 efforts are either small minded or not knowledgable race goers as much as victims of the FOX News like campaign TVG has played in touting “Queen Zenyatta” for the last few years..

@Bobbie — Zenyatta was un-retired BEFORE the Eclipse Awards were announced. Get your fact straight.

@Greg hill — Since every human involved with racing talked about the East Coast bias, which was so obviously in effect for the Eclipse Awards, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Want to know why people cheered for Zardana? Because John Shirreffs is a master horseman who was ignored at the Eclipse Awards because he doesn’t have the kind of McStable Asmussen has. Jess Jackson is the very opposite of class.

i CANT BELIEVE all these nice people are still whining about RACHEL not winning, not being fit & whatever etc…my goodness, i think the race was $200,000 not $200..what was DAVID FLORES suppose to do??? TAKE a light hold on his mount and let RACHEL WIN..
he only beat her by 3/4 of a length…they were 11 1/2 lengths in front of the rest of the damn field…the TRACK RECORD for 1 1/16 is 16 YEARS OLD & is 1: 42 when that track was faster then it was last saturday…what the heck > they went in 1:43 2/5…isnt there any horsemen around…what the heck was wrong with RACHEL’s race…it was >>>GREAT..<<<< YOU ALL act like she broke down….not trained right …bashing steve & scott…. i give up

NYC Horsefan: I was at SA on Saturday and watched the RA case. While there was sporadic cheering when she lost, those were people who had bet on the winner. For most people it was silence and sadness that Z and RA will not meet.

I noticed a similarity between Z v. R and S v. WA last year, but not related to the horses’ records. Jess Jackson’s actions and words really remind me War Admiral’s owner Sam Riddle. Both are rich, older, white men. Both make ignorant, disrespectful comments about California racing. Both demand to have things all their own way. And like Charles Howard, I think the Mosses will have to do all the chasing to make any match up happen.

However, I think there’s one major difference. Riddle seemed to have complete confidence that his colt was better. Jackson, in my view, is running scared.