Rachel Alexandra Drills Bullet

If I had a horse of that quality, a private trainer would be hired

If you were lucky enough to be a rich owner of a top-class horse like Zenyatta or Rachel, would you rather have Assmusen or Sherriffs as trainer? Assmussen has a 1,000 horse stable dotted all over the country, while Sherriffs has a smaller stable. Sherriffs sees his horses EVERY day, meanwhile Assmussen gets updates from his assistant trainers. I know one thing for sure, I'd rather be Assmussen's cell phone provider, i could retire right now!

Longevity is a big part of greatness. Undefeated six-year-old mare Zenyatta has won 16 consecutive Grade 1-2 races (12 G1's) dating back to Jan '08. As a 3-year-old filly, Rachel Alexandra was very good during a stretch of five Grade 1 races from May-Sept '09. Rachel was managed aggressively for a short period and is paying the price in 2010. The more conservatively handled Zenyatta is still going strong at age six.

If I worked hard only 4 times a year without traveling excessively then I could be the 'best' too. Z has not had to extend herself like Rachael did last year. Hr owners have protected her from any really stiff and continuous competition. They are also keeping her in the limelight with only positive publicity. Cudos to them for convincing so many to praise her greatness.

That was yesterday. One remains relatively the same, the other is gutted.

It is amazing how many Zenyatta fans cannot get over the fact that RA was Horse of The Year. They continue to malign her when in fact on a scale of 1 to 10 her 2009 was a 10 while Zenyatta was a 8 at best. The 2009 campaign surely has affected RA's form this year. What she did as a three year old filly was unprecented. She put it all on the line in a number of races. In thoses races she ran hard from start to finish. Check out the splits she was running while being pushed by colts and older male horses. She wasn,t lollygagging at the back of the pack and then running by clearly inferior horses. Zenyatta's only accomplished race was the BC and even there it was on her home favorite surface and against what was probably the weakest BC field ever. We won't even get into Zenyatta's cupcake schedule this year, you would have tobe embarassed to defend it. In conclusion RA's 2009 season was won for the ages, you can never take it away from her and Zenyatta no matter how many she wins in a row will never be able to match it.

Well said!

ultra short sprint workouts tell us NOTHING about the diminishing distance capabilities of this animal. Quickness, an inborn genetic phenomena, was never in doubt