Rachel, Zenyatta matchup worth $5M

Wow this would be an amazing race!!! i am a huge fan of both of these fantastic horses but i think that zenyatta would win it!!! But i am very excited to find out what will happen!! It could go either way!!

Would be a terrific race. I just hope a few others will show up to round out the field... but for $5m, you would have to think so. What if someone else beat them? That would be unthinkable, or would it?

As far as I'm concerned, if Zenyatta shows up for the Apple Blossom and Rachel Alexandra doesn't, then Jess Jackson is just flat out playing "dodge ball." Zenyatta is most likely going to run a tuneup race in the San Margaretta in March, that gives Rachel the same amount of time for a tuneup race of her own at the Fair Grounds or wherever? IMO, it doesn't really matter anyway. Rachel's best hope of beating Zenyatta was at 1-1/16, but since they're changing the name of the race from the Apple Blossom Handicap to the Apple Blossom Invitational, they're also changing the distance from 1-1/16 to a 1-1/8. Which is the proper distance that the two should be racing anyway. Either 1-1/8 or 1-1/4. But even at 1-1/8 I still think it will take more out of Rachel trying to run those 22 second quarters to stay out on the lead than it will take out of Zenyatta for Mike Smith to press her to stay a little closer to the lead. Rachel's toughest races have been against horses that are deep closers, i.e., Mine That Bird in the Preakness and Macho Again in the Woodward. But there's no denying, in facing Zenyatta, she'll be facing the toughest deep closer, male or female, in horse racing. JMO.

I very anxiously await!!!

I'll be shocked if this happens. Rachel Alexandra is not nearly far enough long and will certainly not want to face Zenyatta first off the layoff. But, $5 million is a ton of money. We'll see.