Rachel Alexandra - weak opposition exposed, once and for all

[Bing-Bang-BOOOOOOM]

The best field Rachel Alexandra faced this year had just two other runners and Rachel Alexandra was 1-to-20 on the board. Furthermore the race was simply handed to Rachel Alexandra when the other two, each running for second money, staged a white-hot battle for the early lead with Rachel sitting last and able to pick up the pieces once the others expired.


The Kentucky Oaks, supposedly a Grade I affair, brought forth competition that has tallied a 2-for-21 record since the race. One of those wins was the typical four-horse field in the slop variety.


The Preakness found the next eleven runners across the line able to combine for just two wins since mid-May. One of those wins came at Charles Town Race Track, and the other was an optional claimer in the slop. The final horse in the field switched to turf and later won a pair of Grade 1 races for 3yo's.


The Haskell saw six opponents tally just three wins between them since, all of which were in the slop, and one was the usual 4-horse field. Summer Bird accounted for the other two wins.


The Woodward Stakes, as everyone knows by now, hasn't seen any of the starters win a race since, now more than three months after the race.


So in four of Rachel Alexandra's five Grade I wins this year, the competition all put together can claim exactly two fast-track wins between them since the respective races.

The only other Grade I success by Rachel Alexandra was handed to her by extraordinary pace conditions.



Zenyatta, by contrast, faced not-in-common opponents who accounted for ten Grade I wins vs. unrestricted company in 2009. Rachel Alexandra's not-in-common opponents accounted for just two Grade I wins vs. unrestricted company in 2009.


Zenyatta: $3,330,000

Rachel Alexandra: $2,746,914

Rachel Alexandra hasn't faced a soul this year in the way of a not-in-common opponent who has in 2009 earned anywhere near to Life Is Sweet's $1,620,000 yearly bankroll. Most of that earned since being Zenyatta's habitual punching-bag.


Life Is Sweet dominated the older fillies and mares in the championship event of a division into which Rachel Alexandra never even set foot.


I don't think we really need to go over the 2009 records of runners who have beaten Rachel Alexandra, but one of them couldn't even win for $7500 claiming at Lone Star and was later unable to complete the course in a $6250 claimer at Zia Park. Another managed a maiden win at Evangeline Downs while still another took a maiden claimer to run her record to one-for-fifteen.


Zenyatta, by contrast, has never been defeated.


The media can highlight or emphasize anything it chooses, but herein lies the rest of the story.

Maybe you attended the races on a day when Rachel Alexandra ran in your city, and maybe you even cashed a ticket hinged in large part on her winning, but that doesn't have any bearing on whether she deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with an undefeated champion. (not just "undefeated in 2009", but undefeated using the true definition of the word)

[PaceAdvantage]

I've barely read your post all the way through, but something that immediately catches my eye:

You are downgrading Rachel's performances because of sloppy surfaces ("saw six opponents tally just three wins between them since, all of which were in the slop, and one was the usual 4-horse field") yet nowhere do you mention artificial surfaces when it comes to Zenyatta.

Yeah, you're objective.

PS. Welcome to the board...

[johnhannibalsmith]

Thank heavens for colors and font size so we can at least be treated to something refreshingly new and unique on this tiresome subject.

[Spalding No!]

Great spin.

Fact of the matter is that Rachel Alexandra's beaten foes accounted for 7 Grade 1 events subsequent to facing her.

Zenyatta's beaten foes accounted for a single subsequent Grade 1 event.

[the_fat_man]

I don't know.

Any claim about anything in racing that doesn't contain "Beyer number', at least a half dozen times, just doesn't appear credible to me. Do a rewrite, throw in a "Beyer Number' for each line of text and you're good to go. I'd sign off on it with the changes.

I'm sure this will become a HUGE thread.

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

I don't know.

Any claim about anything in racing that doesn't contain "Beyer number', at least a half dozen times, just doesn't appear credible to me. Do a rewrite, throw in a "Beyer Number' for each line of text and you're good to go. I'd sign off on it with the changes.

I'm sure this will become a HUGE thread.

Another broken record...

[Stillriledup]

Rachel Beat the Ky Derby winner, fair and square, when that runner was at the height of his game and she beat him on his best surface. Add up all the Grade 1 winners that Mine that Bird beat in the Derby and add that to Rachel's totals.

[Zippy Chippy]

Lets just enjoy this incredible year that we've had with these 2 tremendous fillys. They've both done everything that has been asked and more. We will probably never see another year like this in our lifetime

[Stillriledup]

Originally Posted by Zippy Chippy

Lets just enjoy this incredible year that we've had with these 2 tremendous fillys. They've both done everything that has been asked and more. We will probably never see another year like this in our lifetime

[cj]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

I don't know.

Any claim about anything in racing that doesn't contain "Beyer number', at least a half dozen times, just doesn't appear credible to me. Do a rewrite, throw in a "Beyer Number' for each line of text and you're good to go. I'd sign off on it with the changes.

I'm sure this will become a HUGE thread.

I really hope you have both of your posts saved in a Word document so you can just copy and paste them. If you had to type them out each time you'd be in serious jeopardy of carpal tunnel syndrome.

[Cratos]

Originally Posted by Bing-Bang-BOOOOOOM

The best field Rachel Alexandra faced this year had just two other runners and Rachel Alexandra was 1-to-20 on the board. Furthermore the race was simply handed to Rachel Alexandra when the other two, each running for second money, staged a white-hot battle for the early lead with Rachel sitting last and able to pick up the pieces once the others expired.


The Kentucky Oaks, supposedly a Grade I affair, brought forth competition that has tallied a 2-for-21 record since the race. One of those wins was the typical four-horse field in the slop variety.


The Preakness found the next eleven runners across the line able to combine for just two wins since mid-May. One of those wins came at Charles Town Race Track, and the other was an optional claimer in the slop. The final horse in the field switched to turf and later won a pair of Grade 1 races for 3yo's.


The Haskell saw six opponents tally just three wins between them since, all of which were in the slop, and one was the usual 4-horse field. Summer Bird accounted for the other two wins.


The Woodward Stakes, as everyone knows by now, hasn't seen any of the starters win a race since, now more than three months after the race.


So in four of Rachel Alexandra's five Grade I wins this year, the competition all put together can claim exactly two fast-track wins between them since the respective races.

The only other Grade I success by Rachel Alexandra was handed to her by extraordinary pace conditions.



Zenyatta, by contrast, faced not-in-common opponents who accounted for ten Grade I wins vs. unrestricted company in 2009. Rachel Alexandra's not-in-common opponents accounted for just two Grade I wins vs. unrestricted company in 2009.


Zenyatta: $3,330,000

Rachel Alexandra: $2,746,914

Rachel Alexandra hasn't faced a soul this year in the way of a not-in-common opponent who has in 2009 earned anywhere near to Life Is Sweet's $1,620,000 yearly bankroll. Most of that earned since being Zenyatta's habitual punching-bag.


Life Is Sweet dominated the older fillies and mares in the championship event of a division into which Rachel Alexandra never even set foot.


I don't think we really need to go over the 2009 records of runners who have beaten Rachel Alexandra, but one of them couldn't even win for $7500 claiming at Lone Star and was later unable to complete the course in a $6250 claimer at Zia Park. Another managed a maiden win at Evangeline Downs while still another took a maiden claimer to run her record to one-for-fifteen.


Zenyatta, by contrast, has never been defeated.


The media can highlight or emphasize anything it chooses, but herein lies the rest of the story.

Maybe you attended the races on a day when Rachel Alexandra ran in your city, and maybe you even cashed a ticket hinged in large part on her winning, but that doesn't have any bearing on whether she deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with an undefeated champion. (not just "undefeated in 2009", but undefeated using the true definition of the word)

Rachel Alexandra beat the horses which were entered into the races that she raced in; neither she (and I realize that she is a horse) nor her connections decided on which horses should be in her races.

Furthermore your comments would be more meritorious if they had come after each of Rachel’s races, but to wait until the season is over and you now myopically look back at Zenyatta’s spectacular BC Classic victory; and start demeaning Rachel’s competition moves you from the ridiculous to utter stupidity.

[Jackal]

Bing-Bang-BOOOOOOM all I can say is you are deluded. Big drama had more graded wins than you accounted for.

Zenyatta stood in her stall and watched 750K+ races. Other than the BC she never ran in a race with a purse larger than 300k. Moreover no horse that never left CA has ever won HOTY.

Bing-Bang-BOOOOOOM you simply ruined your credibility.

[Stillriledup]

Originally Posted by Jackal

Bing-Bang-BOOOOOOM all I can say is you are deluded. Big drama had more graded wins than you accounted for.

Zenyatta stood in her stall and watched 750K+ races. Other than the BC she never ran in a race with a purse larger than 300k. Moreover no horse that never left CA has ever won HOTY.

Bing-Bang-BOOOOOOM you simply ruined your credibility.

What credibility? the guy has 1 post and never came back.

[rokitman]

Originally Posted by Stillriledup

What credibility? the guy has 1 post and never came back.

Why would he? To get dooshbagged some more? He naively invested quite a bit of time in his first post, not knowing how inferior he was. But, apparently, he's a quick study.

[Show Me the Wire]

Maybe this is what born2ride means about the way new posters are treated. Poor fellow he didn't know this is R.A. central and thought he put forth some legitimate points.

Let me up this can of worms. It seems to me the bias against Zenyatta is the aws. If Zenyatta would have run on dirt once or twice this year and turned in her typical performance, would all you R.A. backers concede Zenyatta is HOY? It is a hypothetical question.