This is great for racing and no we do not need any \"When will she face Rachel\" questions for a while.
Let her do her thing and if and when it happens it happens.
I gotta believe when the connections finally stepped out of the box and saw her do what she did they started thinking twice about, \"Maybe we didn\'t ask her how great she wanted to try and be?\"
Now they have their chance and if she does lose nobody will care.......
Silver,
With all due respect...Z\'s return is great for racing. \"When\" she will face Rachel IS THE MAIN topic. The fact Z\'s connections indicate she will run on dirt this year makes their meeting unavoidable, assuming Z and Rachel train well. My initial concern would be that Zenyatta finished her \'09 season full of piss and vinegar and Rachel was really knocked out from her brutal campaign. How long and how successful Rachel\'s return will take would be unknown, don\'t you think? No question neither Rachel nor Z\'s connections would ever entertain meeting the other unless their superstar were operating at peak performance.
Without a doubt, Z\'s connections did not ask her for enough in \'09.
If she does lose, nobody will care? That\'s total bullshit. Those people who have been slamming Z for being a good horse on plastic will rip her to shreds in here, if and when she loses. You know it and I know it.
Peace out
I would like to see the two of them in 2 races. One on Z\'s surface and one on Rachel\'s. Both at equal weights. I would prefer both to be at 1 and 1/4 mile but an 1/8 would be ok. But I realize this won\'t happen because Rachel\'s connections will never consent to face Z on her preferred surface. If they\'re going to meet then Z will have to do the traveling.
You are ohhhh sooo wrong.
If you are afraid to lose you are then afraid to take chances. Like betting with \"scared money\" at the track. Dare to be Great!!! Look what the Classic did for Z\"s reputation.
What if Z says they are going back to Oaklawn for some of that dirt? Think the Rachel camp is up for all that right now. In say 100 days? Doubt it.
Maybe Z goes to Dubai. Is that good or bad for racing? She will not be running at Oaklawn facing Rachel then.......
Lets just sit back and relax and if they face each other hopefully it is the right time and right place where millions of viewers can enjoy. If Z runs like she did on Classic Day there is only one horse out there who can beat her and that one had better be at her proverbial best.
Where is PDub, Frank and HP and Co on this one?
Oh, please. Saying she\'s not as good as RA is not exactly \"ripping her to shreds\".
TGJB,
My point is...IF Z gets beat on the dirt, then they will rip her to shreds by inferring she is only a superior plastic runner. I didn\'t say \"they\" have thus far ripped her to shreds, just that they will. To the best of my recollection, almost everyone in the \"Zenyatta\" camp gave Rachel the utmost respect at every turn. There were those in the Rachel camp who were not as nice.
No doubt, I\'m way too sensitive to be commenting on this topic, I should have just shut up. (I\'ll get agreement on this from many corners...lol)
I just spend a L-O-N-G campaign in \'09 reading about how Rachel is so superior to Z. She may be. I\'m hoping they will get together in \'10 and prove to either camp who the best is. I don\'t think you\'ll see Zenyatta\'s people \"waiting\" for Rachel to come visit her on the West Coast, rather, I think Zenyatta will make herself available for a matchup(s) on real dirt and may the best horse win.
Apologies to anyone I offended, again, I know and like John and Mike Smith both, human nature requires I defend them even though they do fine without me.
I don\'t see Zenyatta going to Dubai, I could be wrong.
I\'ll try to let this topic go now, I know its way to early to get worked up about it.
Peace out guys
I heard what you said the first time, and you\'re wrong. If she gets beat by RA, nobody will say she\'s just a synthetic horse, just that she\'s not as good as RA. If she gets beat by a lot of dirt horses that\'s another matter.
TGJB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I heard what you said the first time, and you\'re
> wrong. If she gets beat by RA, nobody will say
> she\'s just a synthetic horse, just that she\'s not
> as good as RA. If she gets beat by a lot of dirt
> horses that\'s another matter.
If she gets beat by a bunch of dirt horses, then something would be wrong physically or she just woke up on the wrong side of the stall.
I think Smalltimer was referring to the several posters, and there were several of them, that called her nothing but a synthetic horse.
JB, as much as I respect your opinion, do you really think NOBODY will take their shots at her if she were to lose?? As the Countdown crew would say.........C\'mon Man.
I\'ve said it before,she\'s better on dirt.
If she goes to Oaklawn and says to the Rachel Camp here we are, on dirt, in your neck of the woods, come and get us.
Who is the pressure on now as compared to last year?
The pressure is clearly on the RA camp but assuming both horses were in top form I would not want to see this matchup race at Oaklawn. The biggest and only reason being that short stretch!
On a side thought... can u imagine these two horses running off the board that race?! haha that probably be the biggest show pool in horse racing history! I can picture it now:
Zenyatta - bumped, tired in stretch
RA - no response, 3 wide LOL!
on a wagering view, the odds on every other horse in that race will be HUGE! odds would be like 6/5 and 6/5 for the favs and then 10 to 1 and up!
Zenyatta could make her 2010 debut in the $250,000 Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita on March 13, trainer John Shirreffs said on Sunday.
Ok I was the one who started this string by saying it wouldnt matter if she faced Rachel. If it happens it happens.
But wouldn\'t CD on Oaks Day make for a pretty good stage for them and horse racing in general
They can make that race 1 and 1/8th.
Heck they could move it to Saturday for that matter.
NBC is already there........
Silver Charm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Heck they could move it to Saturday for that
> matter.
>
> NBC is already there........
These 2 don\'t need to share top billing with anyone.
The below is already out there on Facebook. A race 90 minutes before Derby makes complete sense. Oaks Day puts it on the Food Channel or wherever the Oaks was last year.
C\'mon PDub its okay if was the BC Day but not if its Derby Day. You are sharper than that.........
\"Greatest Race in History\"
Category:Business - Marketing & Advertising
Description:Rachel Alexandra vs. Zenyatta in the 2010 Pimlico Special on Friday, May 14, 2010??? The Maryland Jockey Club will be honored if this \"once in a lifetime\" race takes place at historic Pimlico!
It would be the marquee matchup on a BC Day.
As big as this race would be, the Kentucky Derby is the biggest race in America. That is just a fact.
Why would you put these 2 on the UNDERCARD of the Kentucky Derby? As soon as the race is over, people will focus on the Derby.
This race is a stand alone feature at any racetrack in the country, and should be treated that way.
Led Zeppelin doesn\'t open for anybody, neither should these 2.
If they ran 9 furlongs at Pimlico on a fast track, I personally would handicap Rachel as 1-2. This though I doubt that she would ever be less than even and maybe not even the favorite.
Leamas
The Apple Blossom at OP would be perfect; forget an \"undercard\" at CD or Pim. From a timing standpoint, Mth in june would be ideal; fair track, not a short stretch like Oaklawn, gives the connections plenty of time to get them ready, but of greatest importance....A RACETRACK THAT I CAN PLACE A WAGER ON!!!! Currently shutout at OP, FG, HOL, SA, CD, GP, LRL, PIM, and counting...
If I were Zenyatta\'s crew the only dirt tracks I would consider for a race with Rachel would be Belmont or CD. Those tracks do not favor speed like OP, Pim,or MTH.
Considering they just lost HOY in a vote that was not as close as some had thought (130-99) maybe they wish they had taken one of those shots lst year.
CD on Derby Day makes the most sense. NBC TV already present, 100,000 plus fans in the stands, BC at CD this year, a betting handle for the day that could be the biggest in sports history, celebrities all over town, and a good chance to fill out the rest of the field so its not just a match race.
We do not need some sort of contrived garbage race like the Exxon-Mobil Microsoft Match Race.
BTW Moss appears to be throwing down the guantlet a bit on TVG saying where Rachel goes we will be in the gate next to her.
These two horses should be running most of their races in the east to prep for BC Day. Dont see anything wrong at all with both racing a regular prep race 20 debut race soon and then running against each other several times out east. Run them both Kentucky Derby Day, maybe the Islen after then the woodward.. then off to CD for Breeders Cup. The timing is spread out nice and maybe u can throw in some other stakes race in between seperately to fill in any gap. 3 meetings could be ideal to see who the better horse is or if any other horse would be good enough to step up and compete. Either that, or we will be seeing a lot of $4.20 exactas and $11.30 tris.
Liking it here
I think this whole debate is way off base.
I\'d make Miesque 2/5 against Ruffian at one mile on the turf, but make Ruffian 2/5 to beat Miesque at one mile on dirt. I don\'t think that diminishes the greatness of either.
IMO, the only way you can say one horse is greater than another is if one crosses over and beats the other at its own game. Otherwise, I think relative comparisons are more appropriate.
Rachel should be compared to Ruffian, Go for Wand, Bayakoa, Personal Ensign etc...
Zenyatta should be compared to Ouija Board, Miesque, Goldikova, Dahlia etc... because turf form translates so well.
We already know that RA\'s connections will not attempt to beat Zenyatta at her own game. They balked at the challenge. Zenyatta will probably resume her initial foray into dirt racing this year. So IMO Zenyatta is actually in the \"can\'t lose\" position. If she gets outrun, she\'ll be remembered as one of the greatest turf/synthetic mares in the history of America. If she beats RA at her own game, she\'ll be remembered as the greatest mare in history. It\'s RA that would be diminished by the loss.
Lets jump ahead to BC day 2010..
What race will Rachel run in....Ladies Classic or Classic?
With the figures she is running it would have to be the Classic... i mean does a bear ***t in the woods? I wouldnt even be surprised if a horse like Biofuel was in there too. The female horses are running faster than the males lately. Its... weeeeird