Rachel will not be participating in the Apple Blossom according to her connections.
Oaklawn made a gallant effort to get these two superstars together and the timing wasn\'t ideal.
The timing wasn\'t ideal b/c Rachel\'s team is dodging Zenyatta. There\'s no way she\'d face Z on a fair surface that Zenyatta has proven herself to like off a layoff. They\'d hope for a meeting on a speed favoring track (maybe Saratoga). No way Assmussen is eager to have Rachel face Z anyway - he\'s probably wishing Z had retired. I will only take the test as meaningful if it happens on a fair surface like Oaklawn, maybe Belmont, and even Churchill in the fall. Eventually, if Rachel comes back OK, and I think that\'s a question right there, they will meet but it won\'t happen unless Assmussen feels Rachel has a big advantage.
Ah, yes, I stand corrected! Bring it on girls - finally! I can\'t wait!!!
Let this be the first in a series of meetings - I don\'t think one meeting will silence any opposing voices, but I consider Oaklawn a fair track and nether will have an excuses in my book.