With her record-making performance in yesterday’s 56th Woodward Stakes, it’s OK to give her the one-name treatment. Just call her Rachel.
Inquiring minds wanted to know things and the questions began in the immediate aftermath of a truly remarkable performance.
I’m still thinking about some o my remarkable favorites. Someone mentioned Holy Bull’s Travers. There’s Personal Ensign’s Distaff. Slew’s Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Forego nailing Honest Pleasure from the center of Belmont Park’s grandstand. Meadow Star and Lite Light, a battle that took the camera 10 minutes to discern.
What does it matter, really? When these things occur the game defines itself in the best way possible. If you love horses and love racing, it’s a privilege to bear witness.
I know I don’t expect to see anything like it again.
Until Jess Jackson decides the only challenge left is the Grand National.
I can wait to see Rachel Alexandra run next as a four-year-old. The Horse of the Year dance is over. It ended at the Woodward finish line on Saturday.
No need to recall the rest of her season. If your memory needs jogging, follow Casey’s advice: You can look it up.
Zenyatta can win another 10 in succession. Almost anything pales in comparison.
The good news for Breeders’ Cup fans is--a Beldame showdown notwithstanding--that a victory over Sea the Stars in the Classic would give Zenyatta boosters a glimmer of hope.
“Don’t you want to see Rachel meet Zenyatta at a mile and a quarter? It’s the classic distance. I’m not sure Rachel can go a mile and a quarter,” someone said.
I was too polite to reply “I’m not sure you don’t need shock therapy.”
The counter to the distance postulate is a four-letter word: P-A-C-E.
Anyone who believes Rachel Alexandra’s effort in the final sixteenth of the Woodward was indicative of a horse that can’t stay 10 furlongs clearly doesn’t understand pace.
The early fractions were :22.85 and :46.41. Around a turn!
Getting an eight-pound allowance for sex and age, Rachel raced virtually head to head with a Belmont winner, was hounded from close range by last year’s Woodward runnerup and allowed a recent dozen length winner over the track and distance to sit a perfect trip.
Rachel Alexandra defeated Macho Again--last behind the brutal pace and was ridden pluperfectly, inside-out, by Robby Albarado--by a head in 1:48.29. It was the fastest two-turn Woodward run at Saratoga.
The Rachel chasers eventually finished sixth by 18 lengths, seventh by 20-½, and the third one was eased.
Take a second to reflect on that. Over four decades I’ve watched about four gazillion races? Many of them twice. The result is as astonishing in reflection as it was live.
Now it’s 22 hours later and I still haven’t met an observer who didn’t believe her beaten with a furlong left to run.
There is no need for Rachel Alexandra to run again this year. There’s one world left to conquer but there’s no rule that it has to be in this calendar year. But there is a concern.
This filly has a remarkable constitution and recovers quickly from efforts. Her preparation for the Woodward was a tad light because trainer Steve Asmussen couldn’t train her on the Oklahoma track the way he wanted, a surface that builds wind and takes the edge off.
Unflappable as she was when surrounded in a standing-room-only paddock, she was a little too energetic parading postward, bucking and unseating Calvin Borel. But she was composed enough to not run off, waiting for her rider to remount.
The point here is that she may not stand for an extended vacation. Do you turn her out? Let her be a horse?
Turning horses out is good for them. Allows them grow, recharge the batteries. But have her running around free in some paddock somewhere? I just don’t see Asmussen letting her out of his sight.
Given her recuperative powers, there’s the other philosophy: Run them when they’re good.
Jess Jackson spent his money buying potential greatness and set out to prove it the only place it counts, between the fences. Yesterday he gave racing an indelible memory.
Jackson has often said that Rachel tells him when to run. Perhaps she will before this year ends. If common sense were the measure, all other factors notwithstanding, she has much more to lose than gain at this juncture.
Every time Rachel Alexandra steps on a racetrack an industry holds its breath. She’s the biggest star in the game. The last two Woodwards drew 22,000 and 31,000 fans, respectively.
The 2008 attraction was Curlin, a reigning Horse of the Year. Yesterday, it was the three-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra. She was worth an estimated 10- to 15,000 people.
This morning on NPR radio, Rachel Alexandra’s Woodward victory was the lead news story. Even without national television people are beginning to notice a race horse again.
One, anyway.
08 Sep 2009 at 06:39 am | #
Well, it is finally over! The Saratoga summer meet attended by vacationers, who’s attention is now directed to the pennant race and college and professional football, as racing’s woes were temporarily forgotten. And, racing has a ‘star’, something that Andy, and most other turf writers, has clamored for; a star that paid $2.60; a star that has been owned about four months by a wine merchant with deep pockets; a star trained now for roughly four months by the number one trainer in the country; a trainer who supposedly has saddled and put a jockey up on almost 2000 thoroughbreds this year; a trainer that is ubiquitious, who on any given day starts horses at several different racetracks - faster than a speeding bullet, he is superman; and Daily Racing Form, racing’s turf authority confirms it.
From euphoria to fact: I read that handle to date is down over 11% and that attendance to date is down over 8% from last year.
What do the following racetracks have in common?
Canterbury, Calder Charlestown, Delaware, Delta Downs, Downs (Mx), Fairgrounds, Finger Lakes, Gulfstream, Hoosier, Louisiana, Monmouth, Meadowlands, Philadelphis, Penn. National, Prairie Meadows, Presque Isle, Remington, Ruidoso, Sunland, Will Rogers, and Zia; they are all on life-support from slot revenue or casino dole. And NYRA is waiting in the wings.
Recently Churchill announced their profit for the first six months of this year, and the profit was derived from slot revenue and their Twin Spires ADW - racing is a drag on their profits. How long before the bean counters at the racetracks listed above decide that profits would be much greater if racing were dropped?
I’m sure that Sir Charles and the corp of directors at NYRA are starting to sweat a bit as they burn through the $105 million the state gave them faster than Paris changes boy friends as slot machines are nowhere insight and bankruptcy, again, is closing in.
With no central leadership and no marketing plan existing, the writing is on the wall. The management at most racetracks today have slots and are directing their efforts away from racing; they no longer see handle and on-track attendance as important; they all want to become casinos.
All is not hopeless, though. Thor
08 Sep 2009 at 06:39 am | #
Well, it is finally over! The Saratoga summer meet attended by vacationers, who’s attention is now directed to the pennant race and college and professional football, as racing’s woes were temporarily forgotten. And, racing has a ‘star’, something that Andy, and most other turf writers, has clamored for; a star that paid $2.60; a star that has been owned about four months by a wine merchant with deep pockets; a star trained now for roughly four months by the number one trainer in the country; a trainer who supposedly has saddled and put a jockey up on almost 2000 thoroughbreds this year; a trainer that is ubiquitious, who on any given day starts horses at several different racetracks - faster than a speeding bullet, he is superman; and Daily Racing Form, racing’s turf authority confirms it.
From euphoria to fact: I read that handle to date is down over 11% and that attendance to date is down over 8% from last year.
What do the following racetracks have in common?
Canterbury, Calder Charlestown, Delaware, Delta Downs, Downs (Mx), Fairgrounds, Finger Lakes, Gulfstream, Hoosier, Louisiana, Monmouth, Meadowlands, Philadelphis, Penn. National, Prairie Meadows, Presque Isle, Remington, Ruidoso, Sunland, Will Rogers, and Zia; they are all on life-support from slot revenue or casino dole. And NYRA is waiting in the wings.
Recently Churchill announced their profit for the first six months of this year, and the profit was derived from slot revenue and their Twin Spires ADW - racing is a drag on their profits. How long before the bean counters at the racetracks listed above decide that profits would be much greater if racing were dropped?
I’m sure that Sir Charles and the corp of directors at NYRA are starting to sweat a bit as they burn through the $105 million the state gave them faster than Paris changes boy friends as slot machines are nowhere insight and bankruptcy, again, is closing in.
With no central leadership and no marketing plan existing, the writing is on the wall. The management at most racetracks today have slots and are directing their efforts away from racing; they no longer see handle and on-track attendance as important; they all want to become casinos.
All is not hopeless, though. Thoroughbred racing now has a star attraction, proclaimed by all turf writers coast to coast; and it appears that Rachel will not race again until next year.
I can’t wait to collect another $2.60, and use Rachel as a single hopefully in a pick three or four (I can’t afford the pick six).
Check out Calder’s website; it now readers ‘Calder Casino and Race Course’.
08 Sep 2009 at 08:52 am | #
Wendell,
Aside from an occasional “big” day, this sport is DEAD. Killed by synthetic tracks, drugs, unattractive racing cards, poor public relations......So many people I know who once were regulars, have now either cut back or flat out gave up on the sport. I’m all but done myself. Look at NYRA. The Big A is inundated with 3/5 shots, 4-5 maiden races per day. Unbettable. Belmont has been home of the “Turf Sprint”, sometimes as often as four times a day.
Saratoga is an interesting meet always, but that’s just a blip on the radar screen. And the Pricci’s, Klings of the world who get excited by and believe the sport will be saved by a filly who pays $2.60 to win couldn’t be more mistaken. Rachael’s already been forgotten by the casual fan, who’s getting ready for football season and the baseball playoffs. The hard core fan?? Only cares about a good wagering opportunity. $2.60 certainly wouldn’t qualify as such.
08 Sep 2009 at 09:36 am | #
Wendell,
Well reasoned discourse on the state of the game. Can’t argue with your take on this. Not the $2.60 part; people who bet their money made her 3-10 and the key to their Pick 3s, etc.
Mike,
We referred to Rachel as the great bay “Hope.” No one horse will “save the game.” The game itself, and the people who run it, must save it.
Oversaturation and high takeout alone will stick the knife in all the way unless that model is changed in the not to distant future.
Thanks for commenting.
JP