\"Rachel Alexandra has yet to be tested in her four starts this year, which Lukas said he believes is a plus\"
\"Rachel Alexandra has pretty much had everything her own way, she hasn\'t even been asked to run,\'\' Lukas said. \"She\'s got a big edge. These colts coming off of that slick track at the Derby, some of them I think definitely went to the well a little bit\"
....would have thought that since RA has \'yet to be tested\'would be a negative esp against the colt gas she will hook on Sat. Guess D Wayne feels she has not put out any strenuous efforts. Sheet heretic!
Mike
D. Wayne Lukas, who has run more fillies against colts in prominent races than perhaps anyone, said if he\'d trained Rachel Alexandra, she\'d have gone in the Derby.
\"Are you kidding me? That would have been a no-brainer,\" said Lukas, who trained the filly Winning Colors to victory in the Derby and third place in the Preakness in 1988.
Lukas will try to beat Rachel Alexandra with long shots Flying Private and Luv Gov, but he said the filly won\'t be intimidated by any colts.
\"If you think she\'s some dainty violet, when she gets off the van here you\'re going to see she\'s got all the equipment to get the job done,\" he said. \"She\'s not going to be intimidated. She might not be bigger than my two colts weight-wise, but she\'s tall and rangy. ... If she\'s 2-1 (odds), I\'m going to the bank.\"
So DWL is betting against his own horses if RA gets 2-1?!
I\'d like to ask D.Wayne what he honestly thought of SilverBulletDay\'s chances prior to the Belmont 10 yrs ago. Pure speculation, but given his apparent attitude regarding fillies vs males I can only wonder if he gave instructions to Antley to stay close to her and not let her get away, when ultimately chasing her (deliberate?) fast pace might have cost him racing immortality.
The guy can not win. He says something that creates a buzz about the race and the filly and he is ripped. Gary Stute almost said the same thing he just didn\'t use it in the context he was going to bet on her. Zayat literally conspired to keep her out of the race.
>I can only wonder if he gave instructions to Antley to stay close to her and not let her get away
Would not have been any different than what Pat Day and Woody Stephens did to him on Winning Colors or he and Angel did to Genuine Risk with Codex.
This goes on everyday in racing and sometimes you are damned if you do and damned if you don\'t.
Silver Charm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> D. Wayne Lukas, ..., said
> if he\'d trained Rachel Alexandra, she\'d have gone
> in the Derby.
D Wayne would run any horse in his barn on Derby day regardless of chance as long as they had enough earnings to get in, so that statement does not surprise me...He likes the spotlight too much.
Screwed up the last reply. Big D also said, regarding Flying Private, \"this ain\'t my first bbq\" and \"we\'re not gonna embarrass ourselves\"....
Pretty sure the bbq part was right but the embarrass part was just a tad off...
Not countin\' on D-Wayne to be the final arbiter here.
Miff,
Suppose the question here is whether her afternoon rider has her relaxed.I think
his child-like expressions while aboard have already told the tale.
The three inside will go
five back she\'ll be or so
she\'s a -deuce coup
a two/three path round the loop
Top of the lane
colts gas and tire
Ah but one colt left
jones\' Freisan Fire
The clucks and the whips
game time game on
the numbers and the words
they\'ve sung their song
,
Interesting comments by DaKing on TVG.
Said the 13 hole is perfect for RA and if she gets away clean, gets into her stride by the time they hit the first turn it could be over.
Seemed to be gushing with adjectives and compliments based on having seen her in Oaklawn all spring and from watching the Oaks like the rest of the fans not realizing one of his runners was eventually going to finish second.
She is 9-5 now and a bandwagon full of supporters and another full of doubters.