Rachel is out of the Apple Blossom

[GARY Z]

As reported in today's DRF Jess advised she is not in top form and states:
Steve and I discussed this fully and we now regret we tried to accelerate her training in order meet the Apple Blossom schedule. We have a whole season before us to help define her greatness. She will tell us when her next race will be."

So, the AB purse drops to 500,000 from 5,000,000.


Question: As the DRF has named the two horses Team Zenyatta,
and both "Z" horses will face each other in the AB, will Zardana,
if in a stretch duel with Zenyatta be all out to win?


:confused:

[LottaKash]

Good news/Bad news......The Bad: we won't get to see RA & Z in the AB....The Good: don't you just like a trainer that is in touch with reality and did the right thing by RA....I suspect he was under much pressure to get his girl ready for the 2010 campaign, ahead of schedule....

I am not the greatest at evaluating body language, but it sure did seem to me, that RA was struggling a bit, when she was trying to pull out her "greatness", and she just couldn't seem to make the splash that we all know she is capable of....I think most of those who watched the race, had an innate feeling about her form-cycle hurry up...

Good thing for racing & RA....Screw the kash.....

best,

[CincyHorseplayer]

Good call.

Myself,of the invincible RA belief,am totally on board.As a 3yo girl she ran her eyeballs out.She was extended to fight off the BS perception of what she wasn't capable of.And she delivered.A 3yo girl that shouldn't be scrutinized til the wheels come off.She should be trained til she comes around.Period.

Her race was not bad but reeked of rusty.That's it.

To those of you who have been clamoring for this since the Preakness=you got your wish.Now piss off!;)

This is in no way a disclaimation of HOY.It's a single paw print in a footstep of a whole season.Which has just begun.

Disappointment by this advocate=hell yes.

End of the story=hell no baby...

[broadreach]

Initially it was smart from the Zenyatta team to send her much inferior barnmate against Rachel to test her out.
But having her beaten has killed the chance for Shirreffs and co. to win the major share of $5 million.

[Seabiscuit@AR]

If Zardana is not in the race then RA wins by many lengths and goes to the Apple Blossom for sure

The whole idea of the race was so she could have a prep race for the Apple Blossom and did not have to face Zenyatta first up. She has had her prep race and run OK. If she had run a fading 4th or 5th yesterday then fair enough. But this is not the case, she was 11 lengths in front of the rest

The Apple Blossom is going to be run on a leader biased dirt track over 9 furlongs

There is no legitimate excuse for RA to avoid the Apple Blossom. She was narrowly beaten by a better horse on the day yesterday but most people feel she needed the run. She will be fitter next time and if she lost to Zenyatta at Oaklawn that would just make her fitter even still for another rematch down the track

[castaway01]

If Zardana is not in the race then RA wins by many lengths and goes to the Apple Blossom for sure

The whole idea of the race was so she could have a prep race for the Apple Blossom and did not have to face Zenyatta first up. She has had her prep race and run OK. If she had run a fading 4th or 5th yesterday then fair enough. But this is not the case, she was 11 lengths in front of the rest

The Apple Blossom is going to be run on a leader biased dirt track over 9 furlongs

There is no legitimate excuse for RA to avoid the Apple Blossom. She was narrowly beaten by a better horse on the day yesterday but most people feel she needed the run. She will be fitter next time and if she lost to Zenyatta at Oaklawn that would just make her fitter even still for another rematch down the track

Of course there is a legitimate excuse: the trainer feels the horse is not fit or ready for the race. There is no more legitimate reason than that.

[Robert Goren]

If Zardana had been a late scratch and RA wins by 10, is there anyone who believes that RA wouldn't have been on the next plane to Little Rock by now?

[wisconsin]

If Zardana had been a late scratch and RA wins by 10, is there anyone who believes that RA wouldn't have been on the next plane to Little Rock by now?

Thank you. The nail has a big headache now.

[FenceBored]

If Zardana had been a late scratch and RA wins by 10, is there anyone who believes that RA wouldn't have been on the next plane to Little Rock by now?

But, isn't a vunerable RA in Hot Springs for $5 million exactly what Team Zenyatta should have wanted? So, by your own figuring, they screwed themselves out of $2.2m with that manuever. :bang::lol:

[Dahoss9698]

If Zardana had been a late scratch and RA wins by 10, is there anyone who believes that RA wouldn't have been on the next plane to Little Rock by now?

Fair question. She probably would be in the race if she won by 10.

My turn for a question. If Zenyatta doesn't find running room in the Margarita and is 2nd or 3rd, do you think she goes to Oaklawn?

[Show Me the Wire]

Fair question. She probably would be in the race if she won by 10.

My turn for a question. If Zenyatta doesn't find running room in the Margarita and is 2nd or 3rd, do you think she goes to Oaklawn?

Yes, because Zenyatta's connections would relish the chance to beat HOY. But that point is moot now, which means there is a possibility Zenyatta won't show up either.

[Tom]

Wasn't Zenny pointed there to begin with?
I though they said Saturday that she was going there and after that it was up in the air.

[Rackon]

Yup, the AB has alway's been on Zenyatta's schedule, and Moss has stated as late as yesterday that they'll be there. Team Z's plans have not changed, only the purse has.

And I don't think any of Zen's connections care much about the money. It's about putting together a HOTY campaign and having fun...and maybe a little revenge.

I wouldn't be surprised to see her show up in Louisville in May.

[freeneasy]

if zandana was not in the race then borel wraps ra up early and she coasts home by at least 5-6 lenghts. would that manner of a showing have been enough to convince mccormac and asmusen that she was at the top of her game and ready to take on z? probably and deceptively so. she struggels and loses by 3/4 of length beating the rest of the field by 10-12.
without zardana she wraps up early, wins by 5-6 with no one forcing her to show that she needed to struggle to try and get this race.
with zardana she beats the field by 10-12 but has to maintain a balenced struggle to the finish in order to beat the rest of the field by that same 10-12 lengths.
if zardana was 5 -6 lengths back with the rest of the field then she would have shown no signs of needing to struggel and her time would have been a full second or so slower in winning. if borel would have stayed with the whip she probably she peobably would have won and u would have seen or probably seen her take on a more noticable or even greater struggel in getting to the win. u would have seen a great win by a horse that was not yet a 100%. no way borel stays off the whip if that was zenyetta instead of zardana.
so if zardana was not in the race she wins easy, everybody thinks rachale alexzander is all the way back and zenyetta goes on to beat her by 2-3