POORER TRACTION WITH SHOES?
Somewhere I read the statement that, horses shod behind have less :sadsmile:traction on synthetic tracks than those barefoot behind; is this true?
I’m not a big fan of Jess Jackson for assorted reasons, but I have to say this particular piece of drivil was rather inflamatory and goes beyond the typical press goating. What a jackass the author (who’s name is not attached) is with this junk found in some rag from The Villages, FL
June 30 “More to Jackson’s excuse than synthetic surfaces”
Three days before Rachel Alexandra ran away and hid in the three-horse field of the Grade-I Mother Goose Stakes Saturday, Jackson announced he would not take the filly to Santa Anita for this year’s Breeders’ Cup because of the synthetic surface. He once again used the announcement to blame Curlin’s defeat on what he called “plastic.”
Now I see why Jackson’s silks are predominantly yellow. They match his personality.
While Jackson was downplaying the synthetic racing surface at Santa Anita, all I heard was the “cluck, cluck, cluck” of a chicken.
Everyone knows of my dislike for the synthetic surfaces. In this case, I think there are other reasons behind Jackson’s decision not to run in the Breeders’ Cup.
The main reason is Zenyatta. Just minutes after Rachel Alexandra won the Mother Goose, Zenyatta ran her record to 11-for-11 while carrying 129 pounds in the Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park. She spotted the second-place finisher, a Grade-II winner, 15 pounds. Rachel Alexandra carried the same 121 pounds her other two outclassed rivals bore in the Mother Goose.
While Rachel Alexandra did defeat the boys in the Preakness, they were just 3-year-olds and she got a weight break. Stepping up to run against Zenyatta would be a whole new ballgame.
Did some goofball really say that Rachel “hid” in the Mother Goose? Breaking the stakes record and cantering the last 1/16th of mile yet being less then 1 sec off Secretariat’s track record … is hiding? Her having now broken 4 stakes records in 12 lifetime starts makes her a fair monster in her her own right. With all due respect the 5-yr old Zenyatta has never set/broken a stakes record and has never raced outside of female company. In reality it’s apples and oranges with a debate …
I wouldn’t take anything out of the Villages seriously…it is a retirement community that is overrun with people over the age of 60 and the community has a VERY high rate of sexually transmitted disease…SERIOUSLY!! Guess that there is nothing else to do in retirement up there! (this was reported a few months ago in the Orlando Sentinel!)
What what WHAT!?
:eek: :o :lol:
Oh my. Please pass the brain bleach.
I think Rachel Alexandra is incredbile and while I initially thought calvin was amazing on MTB, I have to say he is wearing thin on me–in this last race with RA he came up between horses when he did not have too (what if she got knocked aorund and hit herself?), when he gets the lead he looks like he almost stood up on her and finally --geeshes --keep both hands on the reins (anything can happen in the last stages of a race- a bobble a duck especailly on a young horse?)
It was to me a relief to watch Zenyatta’s rider (Mike Smith?) professional workman like ride.
Personally, I hope someone reins Calvin in - his action to me detracts from her performance-and also more importantly do not appear to be in her best interest-- she is the superstar and he is just along for the ride.
I thought it was odd that he went to the stick when she was already about 5 lengths in front, since I’ve seen zero indication in her previous races that she has a tendency to relax when getting the lead. I’m sure he had his reasons, he’s the pro. I’m wondering if maybe (a) it was a training thing because he said she didn’t respond when he brought the stick out in the Preakness or (b) he was running for the stakes record for her HOY campaign or maybe © he wanted a really good work to prep her for another race against the boys. Just wondering here because I really don’t know. I can see why Calvin would choose to split horses when he could have easily gone around, he’s made it clear he likes to save ground whenever possible.
With the filly’s enormous talent up against the ‘field’ in the Mother Goose, all of this was unnecessary to win. I’m leaning heavily towards running for the HOY campaign, that makes the most sense to me.
I haven’t seen this news featured prominently anywhere, but Lotta Kim (RA’s dam) continues her hapless career as a broodmare - with the notable exception of RA. Her unstarted 2-year Empire Maker colt was recently euthanized due to wobbles.
As far as I know, that makes RA her sole offspring to date. (And she rejected RA, who was raised by a nurse mare after a difficult birth.) The colt she had this year did not stand and nurse, despite heroic efforts. And I understand that she will be left open this coming year.
I expect anybody wanting a sibling had better start amassing a fortune right now.
[QUOTE=Calena;4202704]
I thought it was odd that he went to the stick when she was already about 5 lengths in front, since I’ve seen zero indication in her previous races that she has a tendency to relax when getting the lead.[/QUOTE]
I had the same reaction and made the same assumptive conclusion.
There is nothing she/Calvin could’ve done about the very fast fractions early on in that race so set by others. As for splitting horses, I watched the headon and it wasn’t like Calvin was threading a needle. Plenty of room and no measurable amount of risk in doing so in my view. Frankly had CB checked her and gone to the rail it would’ve posed more of a problem.
I’ll go out on a limb here by myself and say while she won the race by daylight and almost in track record time I would’ve liked to have seen her ridden past the finish line. Instead of allowed to canter to the finish.
My reasoning being that she’ll be asked to go 1 1/4 mi distance in the near future. I’d think if you keep conditioning her into thinking real races are only 1 miles worth of racing and then a portion of cantering - that’s what she’ll expect. Accordingly then entering her into a longer distance plus likely having to go at an all out pace to the wire could be a nasty surprise.
I know she like most horses are worked at greater distances (e.g. 2 miles) but that never can replicate a true race scenario.
A nice gesture - On-going auction of Rachel Alexandra items for the benefit of the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
The V Foundation started in 1993 to honor the legendary NC State basketball coach Jim Valvano.
Current item - halter worn by RA (while working out at Pimlico) - $2,000, present bid.
And yes, in case anyone wondered before, there is to be a limited quanity Rachel Alexandra Wine - just 300 cases to be made. I still expect it to be K-J swill 
Gary West’s article from Thursday (July 2) suggested Rachel Alexandra could be HOY if she continues with her success and if her connections do what they suggest they will with a very aggressive 2009. That HOY hasn’t happened since 3-yr old filly Busher did it in 1945.
(Brusher, by War Admiral and out of Baby League, is ranked 40th in the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century)
Star-Telegram 7-2-2009 “Rachel Alexandra could carve out place in history”
Excerpts
Rachel Alexandra won’t have a campaign that’s designed just to protect her position as the top racehorse in the country, said her trainer, Steve Asmussen. In other words, she won’t have a campaign like cotton briefs, designed for ease and comfort.
“The objectives for her change,” Asmussen said. “We want her to be Horse of the Year, of course, but we don’t want to campaign her just to protect her position as potential Horse of the Year.”
Asmussen said, she will be nominated to virtually every upcoming race of weighty import, including the Whitney, Delaware Handicap, Go for Wand, Coaching Club American Oaks, Haskell Invitational, Alabama and Travers.
She could run against her elders, and she again could take on males. But she probably won’t feast on cherries and pastry. That would be too easy for a filly who’s probably going to be Horse of the Year.
Erm, that was an interesting simile.
Comparing racing to underwear: who knew?
So will her campaign be more like a thong? Uncomfortable, but aesthetically pleasing?
Perhaps a consult with Chantal would be in order on all things racing & underwear related.
Rachel A. as HOY?- She’s definitely a contender, no doubt about that, but to say she “probably” will be is just tempting fate at this point.
Glimmer: Run away and hide?
As snarky as it sounded to you, that is an appropriate comment-meant winning at a distance or I believe such as she could be ‘playing hide and seek’ with the others. That was actually the only non snarky bit in the piece. And as far as Jess Jackson, just like Big Brown, the horses cannot pick their owners.;):yes:
[I have just figured out how to get the smileys so forgive me if I overindulge!!!]:eek::yes::winkgrin::lol:
I would like to see the HOTY honors go to a horse has had a good campaign…LOTS of races…not just 5 or 6 is that possible. This has been the best year for racing in a long time…more then one good horse to watch. Would love to see them race against each other at the same time…
I hope Zenyatta does have a match up with RA, that would be some race…different styles but fun to watch…
Agree with Larksmom -
The saying “ran away and hid” means the horse & rider were so far in front of the rest that they could be hiding from the rest of the field. It is actually a very good thing to say about a racehorse. 
Yep, perhaps folks are right about the Runaway and Hide quip despite the negative tone of the article …
She had her first work at Saratoga July 6, 2009 at 5:30 am on the Oklahoma Training Track
Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, and his lead pony Dakota guided Rachel Alexandra, with exercise rider Dominic Terry aboard, onto the training track at 5:50 a.m. The sensational three-year-old filly owned by Jess Jackson breezed four furlongs in 50.67 seconds over a track labeled as “fast.” Rachel Alexandra took the first quarter in :25 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:05.
“She went in an easy half mile to get her accustomed to her surroundings and the track,” Blasi said. “It was a maintenance breeze. We weren’t out there to impress anyone today.”
A small, but anticipated, crowd waited for Rachel Alexandra to arrive on the track. Besides the usual horsemen like trainer Todd Pletcher and former trainer Elliott Walden, a father and his young daughter watched the workout along the outer rail.
"Nothing surprises me with horses like her. It’s the anticipation and excitement she brings. When you see a kid up at 5:30 in the morning to come out and watch Rachel breeze, that sums it up," Blasi said.
A freaking bullet work this morning at the Oklahoma training track with Dominic Terry up and no signs of her being exhausted! Jerry Bailey was on hand to see her work, too. Brisnet July 13, 2009 “Rachel Alexandra works bullet for next start”
Officially pegged five furlongs in 1:10.38
She took the first three fractions in :12 3/5, :25 and :37 1/5 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:14 4/5. This was the first time that Asmussen has been at his Saratoga stable since Rachel Alexandra arrived there on June 28, a day after she romped by 19 1/4 lengths in the Mother Goose S. (G1) at Belmont Park.
“She’s tremendous; she’s a beautiful animal; she’s doing great,” Asmussen said. “She was unbelievably light on her feet today and she felt great about doing it. It was about as easy as she could do it. It was exactly what I was hoping to see.”
DRF 7-13-09 “Rachel works, moves closer to start”
Among the possibilities for her next race are this Sunday’s $1 million Delaware H. (G2) going 1 1/4 miles at Delaware Park on Sunday in which she would face older rivals for the first time, and the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) for three-year-olds over 1 1/8 miles on August 2 at Monmouth Park, in which she would again face males, as she did in the Preakness.
Times Union July 13, 2009 “In photos: On track with Rachel Alexandra”
Example - Photo: Skip Dickstein / Times Union “… gets a little fractious following her early morning speed work.”
As luck would have it, I was there for Rachel’s work and post training routine. I’ve posted some of the pics on FaceBook and will put them on photbucket shortly.
As promised:
http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/bb31/Linny999/Rachel/
The first item is a short clip of RA breaking away from the pony ridden by Scott Blasi. The grey horse in the western tack is a barn pony (different from Blasi’s) who was tied near the bathing stalls. He was a love bug.
Great photos! Thanks-just love hearing about this filly.
Thank you, I hope to see her work again, but getting up at 4am just ain’t my thing.
I caught a pic of Jerry Bailey and Steve Asmussen back at the barn, but it’s from quite a distance and none too flattering to either man.:winkgrin:
