Rachel Alexandra

cigar · A fairly reasonable assessment of her, and her performance. · 21 hours ago

Rossington · Seeing what I saw out of Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies on Saturday, I'd describe it as a 4yr.old mare, who even after a 6 month rest period away from racing, looked like a spent mare on the track. Assuming that Rachel was racing at 85% of peak level on Saturday, shouldn't that still have been good enough to beat a far inferior group of fillies? Zenyatta was not at peak level either in the Santa Margarita Handicap on Saturday, but she was still good enough to beat a far inferior group of fillies. Maybe that grueling 2009 campaign took more out of Rachel than we know. Maybe she will never return to anywhere near the glory of her 3yr.old season in 2009. My gut says, after watching yesterday's results, that a future Zenyatt-Rachel Alexandra match-up is very doubtful. So maybe the race that the racing public may start crying out to see would be a potential 2010 race that involved both Zenyatta and Quality Road. I do believe after her win on Saturday, that Zenyatta in short order will be back to peak level. Watching Quality Road win the Donn Handicap a month or so ago, it would be hard to believe he's not already at peak level. I'm certain a Zenyatta-Quality Road match-up would make for far more interesting racing than a Zenyata-Rachel Alexandra match-up would at this point. JMO. · 16 hours ago

gardenesque1 · Rachel was probably more rusty than spent. Steven Crist had this to say on his most recent blog (The Pollyanna View) - As for Rachel Alexandra, she didn't look like quite the filly she was last year but her effort was hardly that of a sour or washed-up horse. At the top of the stretch I thought Zardana was going to slingshot past her and win by daylight, but Rachel fought back pretty nicely for a filly who hadn't been to the races in seven months to lose by less than a length. (If Zardana hadn't been entered and Rachel had won by the 11 1/2-length margin she had over third--place Unforgotten at the finish, it probably would have been off to the Apple Blossom, possibly as the favorite, off what might be being hailed as a brilliant return.) · 7 hours ago

cigar · Sad. But, not unexpected. Did anyone else think the Apple Blossom showdown was too good to be true? · 1 days ago

railbird1 · Just further proof even Jess Jackson knows who the real horse of the year was. Did you see the way Zenyatta over came all that trouble. She was blocked with a full head of steam coming into the stretch shifted her head 2-3 times looking for a place to go darted to the inside passed a few horses then had to shift back out to pass the leader in front of her to win easy. Could Rachel Alexandra do that? I think not!! · 1 days ago

Medlocke · Anyone who didn't see this coming just hasn't been paying attention over the last two weeks. Personally, I don't think Jess Jackson ever intended to race his mare against Zenyatta at Oaklawn in April. I think he asked for the extra week to train believing that Oaklawn would never agree to change the race date, therefore, saving face and Rachel Alexandra's reputation. But when Oaklawns President and the Moss's agreed to the extra week, it backed Jess Jackson into a corner. A corner, mind you, he's been trying to maneuver out of for the last 10 days to 2 weeks. Neither horse was at their peak racing level yet in their prep races yesterday. That to me is what sets the two of them apart. Zenyatta, certainly not at her peak yet, was able to do what champions do to get themselves to the winner's circle. Rachel Alexandra obviously didn't. At this point, I'm not sure the two will ever race each other. But even if they don't, sure as sunshine, yesterday will not be Rachel's only defeat in 2010, IMO. If they do ever square off, I still believe Zenyatta is just too much mare for Rachel to hold off in the stretch once she uncorks that devastating closing drive. Better foes than Rachel have tried and failed to withstand that onslaught. Being 15 for 15, Zenyatta's reputation speaks for itself. Rachel's reputation was forged in 2009 by winning races with "Prestigious Names," but certainly not with "Prestigious Competition." But in all fairness, it's hard to hold back or out run a "runaway locomotive." · 1 days ago

ruby · Well, Asmussen certainly let everyone know that Rachel wasn't 100% fit. I guess he knew what he was talking about. · 2 days ago

Arrrgy · What was the big shock. RA missed a long work. Worked horrible 3 back and raced on a tiring track. She was a false favorite if there ever was. Besides, she isn't the true horse of the year and she's a miler. lol · 2 days ago

cigar · False favorite? Hardly. But a vulnerable favorite? For sure. False favorites are horses who shouldn't even be the favorite. Ultimately, that wasn't the Rachel we saw last year. · 2 days ago

arazi · With a solid pace and a big run by Zardana, ultimately Rachel wasn't going to win this at 85% ready. · 2 days ago

gardenesque1 · I would like to see Rachel-Zenyatta meet when both are peaking. Zen is grooving and Rachel is not all the way back. At this point in the year the Apple Blossom would be a mismatch. · 2 days ago

cigar · Being able to race in November but also have virtually no break in the action gives Zenyatta a huge edge. Rachel has been off since September with a rushed schedule. Makes a big difference. · 2 days ago

amfuller · ok I'm kind of new to this but why is Striking Daner carring 115 lbs Sat and carried 116 lbs in the La Canada Stakes? Since she won that race wouldn't you think they would have given her a bit heavier weight, they accually went down a pound. I have faith in Z but that just seams like a huge weight difference, with the closest wieght 12 lbs lighter. · 4 days ago

bband · The truth is that racing secretaries are big wimps when it comes to assigning weights. They rarely assign high weights, except in the case like this where Zenyatta's camp really can't complain. They create big spreads to entice the others to run. · 4 days ago

Medlocke · bband, I think your absolutely correct. Zenyatta, anytime she races in Handicap's, because of her size and physical nature, is always the only horse in her races that get's saddled with a "boulder" while the rest of the field run's with a "brick." Rachel Alexandra drew top weight of 123 lbs. in the New Orleans Ladies Handicap, but she's only giving away from 2 to 6 lbs. Anything wrong with that picture? But provided both win their prep's, and one can only assume they will, finally fairness will be at play in the 2010 Apple Blossom Invitational, provided Rachel's camp actually shows. Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, and any other potential fillies or mares that will race in the Apple Blossom will all carry 123 lbs. All of them. To me, handicapping that race, that's one of the two deciding factors that makes me think Zenyatta will win. I think the two things Rachel needs to have a shot at beating Zenyatta are both gone. 1. The Distance- Rachel Alexandra's best chance of beating Zenyatta, no matter how many times they might race, will be at 1-1/16th. Since the distance was extended to 1-1/8th, advantage Zenyatta. 2. The weight- Zenyatta has been saddled with and won with as high as 129 lbs. in her career. I'm not certain what Rachel's top weight carried has been, as I think, starting her 4yr.old season, this is her first Handicap, and first time giving away weight. If anything, as a 3yr.old, I'd say she got weight given to her against the colt's. I don't see the conventional dirt at Oaklawn being an advantage for either. Rachel has raced and won over it twice. Zenyatta won, drawing off by 4 or 5 lengths in the 2008 Apple Blossom over it. So to sum it up, IMO, for Rachel to ever have a shot at beating Zenyatta, the race will have to be 1-1/16th and she'll have to get a weight break. But that's a break she'll never get in any race the two of them are entered in together because she won 2009 HOY. It would be extremely unusual for the horse that won HOY honors to get a weight break in a Handicap with other fillies and mares. TJMO. · 4 days ago

Rossington · Even though Zenyatta carried a higher weight of 129 lbs. in the 2009 Vanity Handicap, in the 2010 Santa Magarita, carrying 127 lbs., she's actually giving away more weight to the rest of the field as a whole than she did in the Vanity. But Zenyatta has always seemed to be up to the task, and always seems to respond to every challenge put before her. It does bother me, however, that in Handicap races that Zenyatta is treated as if she were a colt, and not a mare because of her size and physical presence. Some colts don't get assigned the weight that Zenyatta carries in Handicaps. I wonder, at times, looking at the weight assignments for the entire field of the Santa Magarita, if they're not trying to intentionally get Zenyatta beat by saddling her with such burdens weight wise. JMO. · 3 days ago

amfuller · That is my concern also. I know she can handle the weight it's just the weight difference. I mean 12 - 16 lbs is alot. As long as Mike keeps her a little closer and she can get going I think there will be no problems and hopefully she want run into traffic. · 3 days ago