$200,000
New Orleans Ladies
Fillies & mares, 4-year-olds and up, 1 1/16 miles, inaugural running
Jockey David Flores (Zardana, winner):
“We had a picture-perfect trip. The strategy was simply to get her to
relax and John (Shirreffs, trainer) said she would get the job done.
The pace was perfect for my filly. At the half-mile pole I asked her
and she responded big. I got after her pretty hard coming home but she
is a real warrior. This is a very strong filly, even though she’s a bit
small.
“She
bumped and I let Rachel run away … I got a nice hole. I didn’t want to
let her do too much that first half. I just stayed behind her and saved
as much as I could because we were going to need it to beat a big horse
like that. I saved as much as I could for the end.”
Do you think this mare will go on to face her stablemate Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom?
“I just did the job today. I don’t know. This filly
needs to go back home and the owners and trainer will make a decision.
I just feel like I was the best passenger today and that’s all I did.”
What were your impressions of Rachel Alexandra’s effort? “What can you say? She’s the Horse of the Year.
She needed the race.”
NOTE:
Winning trainer John Shirreffs was at Santa Anita
Park to saddle Zenyatta, who won the Grade I Santa Margarita about a
half-hour after the New Orleans Ladies was run.
Owner
Arnold Zetcher (Zardana, winner):
“We didn’t feel any pressure. We wouldn’t have brought her here if we
didn’t think she could get the job done. She’s small but she doesn’t
back down from a fight. There is nothing easy in this game. Rachel is
fabulous; she will be back.”
Jockey Calvin Borel (Rachel Alexandra, second):
“My little filly tried hard. She needed the race, that’s all. She
needed the race more than anything. I wanted to let her run her race
early but they wanted me to wait. I wanted to go on past the speed
horse early (Fighter Wing). I’d have got by her anytime and my filly
could have gone on but they wanted me to wait and not get into her
until the sixteenth pole. You know how I know she’s a real racehorse?
She was beat when that other horse went by her – but she didn’t quit.
She dug in and fought right back and stayed with the winner the rest of
the way. That’s the kind of racehorse she is. My little filly tried her
heart out. She just needed the race.”
“She
ran hard. She got tired and we needed a race. Now we got a race into
her and look forward to the next one. As long as she comes back good I
think we’ll be alright.
“She
was a little rank but going that slow she’s going to be rank. I was
just trying to save her for the end and have something to finish with.
She just got a little tired. I guess I tried to sit on her a little bit
longer than I wanted to and it kind of took a bit out of her. Other
than that, though, she needed it. She was so tired when I pulled her
up. We’re shooting for a goal, though, and win, lose or draw, that’s
the goal we’re shooting for. After today you’ll see a different filly.”
Trainer Steve Asmussen (Rachel Alexandra, second): “She was strong early and got tired. Very disappointing
that she lost. You hate to be in that position, but now that it’s over you know it’s not something we got away with.
“I’m just disappointed she didn’t win today. It was a lack in fitness and it’s our job to have her there and I didn’t do it.”
Was it enough to go on to the April 9 Grade I Apple Blossom? “Well, if I thought she’d get beat I wouldn’t
have run her today, so I’m definitely going to be cautious.”
Did Calvin Borel give you any indication of how she felt?
“There’s no way to talk with everyone around. I’m
sure we’ll go back and think about it and talk. It’s impossible to ask
the right questions or talk with everybody around. We just want to do
what’s right by the mare. You know Calvin and how strongly he feels
about her and we’ll go from there.”
Did she move forward with that effort?
“How tired she is off of that will be established in the coming days …
She’s not where I thought she was and if I had thought she’d get beat
she wouldn’t run. You take her back, you evaluate her, you see how her
mood is, her diet, how she goes back to the racetrack, how she breezes.
No crystal ball could see that far ahead.
It was a concern that she might not be able to relax early. “I thought she got to run in the first couple
jumps a little more than I was hoping today, where we felt we were at.”
Jockey Miguel Mena (Unforgotten, third): “She ran good. She’s just a nice filly. She’s won a half-million
and she shows up every time.”
Trainer
Dallas Stewart (Unforgotten, third): “She ran good and we got a big piece of it. I’m very pleased.”
Trainer Greg Geier (Fighter Wing, fourth): “She ran good. We went fast but we had to go fast. I’m very
pleased.”
Jockey Shane Sellers (Clear Sailing, fifth): “This definitely was not my filly’s race. We need to regroup
and see what went wrong.”
Trainer Glenn Delahoussaye (Clear Sailing, fifth): “Shane said something didn’t feel right, so he didn’t
want to abuse her. He let up on the bridal. I will find out more shortly and let you all know.”
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