Rachel Alexandra

[jbelfior]

It will be interesting to see how she handles a track and distance (1 1/8) that do not play kindly to up front and tracking speed going :46 and change and 1:10.

Getting 8 pounds; my gut feeling is that she is going to need every one of them.


Good Luck,
Joe B.

[analizethis]

Is everyone as brothered as me by Calvin\'s record at this Saratoga meet (1/31 at last counting) on a 2/5 M/L filly?
Does anyone have any insight as to why his record could be so bad? Does he just have no sense as to how the track plays or is just riding bad horses?

Bob

[covelj70]

he has given some decent horses some strange rides this meet.

I think the guy is kind of a one trick pony (pardon the expression).

He has parlayed his willingness/guts to ride the rail at Churchill into 2 Derby wins and the mount on one of the best horses ever which has put him into a status that his goes well beyond his true ability as a jockey.  That\'s my opinion anyway.

I would be more worried about Borel if she didn\'t lay over the field by such a large margin.

Adjusted for weights, almost all of her efforts this year are better than the fastest efforts any of the others have ever put in.  Something would have to go really wrong for her to lose.

[miff]

Bob,

Bo-rail mania was totally a function of freaky Rachel. He\'s an average rider,big pair though. He has not had enough live mounts to ride at the Spa, so his record is bad. In a meet like Saratoga, no live mounts, no winners regardless of a jocks talent. Anyway,it\'s the horse app 95% and he\'s not getting to ride any fast ones.

Race dynamics, with possible speed inside Rachel, D\'Tara who looks  deceased, and outside,Cool Coal and TTP, makes this race far more difficult than it looks on paper.A tough race set up is possible IF she gets sandwiched between the inside and outside speeds. It may be that D\'Tara no longer has the speed to protect the rail and hold Rachel off the fence.There are a couple of slower ones in there with live late runs that could get lucky if a pace war develops up front.

I think the race outcome will be determined by the first 3/8ths of a mile.Rachel gets big edge in weight which is magnified since she gets only 118 and all others get 126 and it\'s tougher to spot weight at the higher end of the scale where horses struggle more late under the impost.

Good Luck

Mike

[jbelfior]

Mike:

Great point about the weight and the fact it takes the starch out of the late kick, especially on the dirt. If she is to be beaten, it may end up being someone who freaks out on the front end.

Don\'t the MINESHAFTS get better at this point in their 4 yo career?


Good Luck,
Joe B.

[smalltimer]

Mike,
I agree with much of what you say here.  I\'m slightly concerned that Calvin just says, \"She\'s the best horse in here.\"  On paper she is, but if he rides her like much the best, she\'ll be in for a dogfight if he doesn\'t break her sharply and loses some ground on the turns.
Da Tara is a key in here, obviously hasn\'t put a race together in 2 years that would be competitive, but Zito\'s only purpose for this horse in the race is to ship him.  If he\'s lost all his early lick, he\'s a waste of an entry.
The race appears to set up to really challenge Rachel.  She looks like she can just run to the front against this bunch.  But, it\'s unlikely these connections are going to allow her to set modest fractions since they all give weight to her.
I think the race gets interesting on the far turn.  At that point, Rachel is on the lead or ready to move to the lead and then some of these old boys are making their move, I do think they will have to make an earlier move than they normally do, or she\'ll just spurt away. The 126# will probably cook a couple of them.  
Other than Da Tara, I see any of the 6 others with a realistic shot at winning the race if they fire their best shot.  Rachel and 5-6 older horses within a couple lengths of each other at the head of the stretch would make for a lot of excitement down the stretch.
On a related note, if Zenyatta\'s connections ever wanted to ambush Rachel, the Beldame is the place to go.  This Woodward, because of the depth of the overall field,  should prove a real challenge for Rachel despite her appearing superior on paper.
I\'m looking to put Rachel in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th holes in the superfecta and hoping she gets a fair trip with no excuses.

[jett]

I don\'t think they\'re offering a Superfecta in that race

[smalltimer]

them bastards!!!  lol

[Uncle Buck]

I\'m really looking forward to todays\' Woodward. Old man Jackson is really laying it down today. Running Rachel in this spot is a bold and risky move. If she gets beat a lot of air comes out of her balloon. Looks to me like Rachel, AB and It\'s a Bird stalk D\'Turd, then she swoops by and kicks away at the 3/8ths pole and digs down the last 1/8th trying to hold off Bulls Bay and Macho Man.

What a crying shame NYRA didn\'t audible and run this race tomorrow. Every sports fan in America is at the local beer mart right now loading up on Pork Rhine\'s and suds for a 12 hour college football opening day marathon. No network coverage and nary a mention of this race in the main stream media. BAD!!!!

A little flexibility and a wise move to run this race tomorrow afternoon could have most likely netted a national telecast of what promises to be a good race.

[Uncle Buck]

What a finish! I was loaded on MA but I don\'t care at all. God bless her. She\'s the greatest since Cigar for sure. Next stop Dubai?

[girly]

Macho Again made a valiant run, but it\'s all about Rachel!! Wow, did she kick it in to gear after that punishing first quarter!

[jack72906]

I checked my pulse after that race.....130! Normally I\'m at 55-60. What a finish!

[P-Dub]

I was standing in my living room the entire race. I rarely do that.

What is there left to say?? One of the greatest, male or female. Gives you goosebumps. She makes her own race, cuts solid fractions, holds off the closers. Spectacular.

[xichibanx]

Dubai is now synthetic and Jackson has been adamant that she will not run on that surface.  My guess is next year\'s Fair Grounds or Churchill meets.

[jbelfior]

Hats off to Rachel!!

In this screwed up world of greed and dog shit like Charlie Rangel, it\'s nice to have something to feel good about.

WHAT A CHAMPION!!!! If she could cook and do laundry I would get rid of my wife!


Good Luck,
Joe B.