Rachel Alexandra (116 Beyer for Haskell)

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Wiggins actually has better numbers on synthetic tracks.

Heck - going from Asmussen to Glenn Wismer is a gigantic trainer improvment for synthetic track racing ... of course .. that could just be all the Cozar's making it seem that way.

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Wiggins actually has better numbers on synthetic tracks.

Heck - going from Asmussen to Glenn Wismer is a gigantic trainer improvment for synthetic track racing ... of course .. that could just be all the Cozar's making it seem that way.

Imagine Hal Wiggins getting her back in the barn..Sort of like when you come home from getting a tattoo and your mom goes nutz..."What have they done to my baby"

[DaTruth]

Originally Posted by justindew

Screw the NTRA. Screw the BC. I love this idea. Only they should do it on BC Day. Get the Dubai people involved.

The BC should be moved permanently to Churchill. It is a neutral site as far as the East Coast-West Coast rivalry goes, has good surfaces, the Euros like the weather, and the facility can handle the crowds.

[the_fat_man]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Zenyatta will beat her to a pulp on that surface...

What are we basing this on, concretely?

You know what I'd really like to see? All those 'fast' horses all you POLY FOBES drool over, you know, those kickback specialist sprinters, on the SA downhill turf course in a 6.5F race. Let's see if they're 'fast' enough to wire on that surface. Nothing wrong with earning a win, whether you're 'fast' or not, is there?

I have other suggestions as well, for the athletically 'challenged' but 'fast' dirt darlings.

Just ask.

[westcoastinvader]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

I really think you are overestimating the promotability of the BC to non-racing fans.

True.

I was at the Breeders Cup last year.

Seriously, I heard at least five or six people who were obviously in SoCal on business and decided to lay over and come to the Breeders Cup.

I guess they were at least regular racing fans.

I overheard their ends of conversation with friends from home with their excited brag that they were at Santa Anita and "at the Breeders Cup!"


Each and every time, they needed a follow up conversation to explain what the Breeders Cup and it's significance was all about.

For the record, I'm very glad I was there.

I suspect that most of you who diss Santa Anita live in states that elected Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Barrack Obama and John Kerry.

Our Governor can kick the arse of all your current and prior elected officials. Except for perhaps Hillary Clinton.....

And we have Bo Derek on OUR state racing board.

[tector]

Screw the BC. They bed their own sh*tty bed, let them lie in it. No one is obligated to bail them out. Let them fail--it is only way things might change.

If RA keeps this up, she will be HOY without the BC. Assuming her connections pick another challenging spot next time out, and if she wins again, then Zenyatta's path to HOY will require her to either come east and win over RA, or win the BC Classic. Her connections chose a path that would have worked unless a 3YO freaked--and it is their bad luck that the one that did is an utterly charismatic filly who is taking one challenge after another, and winning with style. Most casual fans outside of California don't even know Zenyatta exists. Casual fans everywhere know RA. Notwithstanding the Shadow of Assmuffin, it would be insane not to make her HOY. And it would also be a good wayto register disgust with the BC and polymania.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by GBBob

As many problems as the BC admittedly has, anyone who complains about why horse racing is so fractured and can't gain any national traction, probably should look to you for an answer. Taking your toys and running away won't solve anything, but all the dirt lovers who insist they love racing lose all credibility when they promote splintering what little base we have. No one outside the industry will notice if RA doesn't run in the BC, but if promoted in the right way, a whole lot more of the public would be aware if she did run.

nobody cares about breeders cup except racing fans. Regular people care about the Derby, Preakness and the belmont only if a horse has won both the derby and preakness. I disagree that its some big time horse in the BC will change anything.

she needs to stay on dirt. her racing on national tv in the travers or jcgc would satisfy "what little base we have". what is a disgrace is that this race wasnt on espn or better..

[Scav]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

nobody cares about breeders cup except racing fans. Regular people care about the Derby, Preakness and the belmont only if a horse has won both the derby and preakness. I disagree that its some big time horse in the BC will change anything.

she needs to stay on dirt. her racing on national tv in the travers or jcgc would satisfy "what little base we have". what is a disgrace is that this race wasnt on espn or better..

If she runs in the Travers, I am guessing ABC might pick it up, there was f'n swimming on TV today for christ sakes....

[letswastemoney]

Originally Posted by Scav

If she runs in the Travers, I am guessing ABC might pick it up, there was f'n swimming on TV today for christ sakes....

Swimming beats horse racing to the majority of the world

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

Sorry Bob, but I just don't see how running her in the BC is going to bring more publicity than the Preakness and Haskell....if being stubborn means Jackson's going to run her in races like the latter, I hope he continues this mad stubborn campaign. If anyone else owned her, it's very unlikely she does both the Preakness and Haskell.

Are you kidding? The Haskell asnt even televised? Everyone wants to talk about the "good of the sport". What would be worse than skipping a $6 million dollar nationally televised race with the best and most well known horse in the country because another horse lost on the surface the year before? it is ridiclous that people make the assertion that no one else would have run in these races with her. Hell most everyone thought that she would have won the Derby, what is the big stretch? Wayne Lukas has run a lot of fillies against the colts over the years and no one ever swooned about what a sportsman he is. People who believe that they should teach the BC a lesson and skip the race are not seeing the big picture here. The general public wont understand the issues and having our "championship" day be trivialized because the horse everyone wants to see run, not run is a negative. The Breeders Cup is not going away and the way that guys campaign horses these days, the good old days of the fall championship meet at Belmont arent going to be recreated. Hell when people are ducking $5 million dollar races why wouldnt they duck and dive in $1 million dollar ones.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

What would be worse than skipping a $6 million dollar nationally televised race with the best and most well known horse in the country because another horse lost on the surface the year before?

The Classic??

I don't think she'd hit the board in the Distaff - and that's even assuming no Euro's come over.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

The Classic??

I don't think she'd hit the board in the Distaff - and that's even assuming no Euro's come over.

What difference does it make how she does? Her being in it makes it an event instead of a horserace. Why people dont seem to understand that, I have no idea. It is sad that Jackson is praised for running an $8 million dollar horse in logical million + race as a 1/2 fav. How far has the sport fallen when guys who run huge favs are suddenly charitable sportsman? Hell the other guys who ran their horses are a lot more sporting for showing up regardless of what Monmouth paid them.

[chucklestheclown]

RA has to do nothing for the rest of her life.
She
is
the
best
filly
ever.

[tector]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Are you kidding? The Haskell asnt even televised? Everyone wants to talk about the "good of the sport". What would be worse than skipping a $6 million dollar nationally televised race with the best and most well known horse in the country because another horse lost on the surface the year before? it is ridiclous that people make the assertion that no one else would have run in these races with her. Hell most everyone thought that she would have won the Derby, what is the big stretch? Wayne Lukas has run a lot of fillies against the colts over the years and no one ever swooned about what a sportsman he is. People who believe that they should teach the BC a lesson and skip the race are not seeing the big picture here. The general public wont understand the issues and having our "championship" day be trivialized because the horse everyone wants to see run, not run is a negative. The Breeders Cup is not going away and the way that guys campaign horses these days, the good old days of the fall championship meet at Belmont arent going to be recreated. Hell when people are ducking $5 million dollar races why wouldnt they duck and dive in $1 million dollar ones.

Try to be coherent--more people might listen to you (although, in this case, it is doubtful).

I understand the "big picture" perfectly fine. The "big picture" is that the BC is a clusterf**k run by nincompoops, and the mad rush to relatively untested artificial surfaces was incredibly stupid. You answer is, basically, to ignore all this and just have everyone pretend that everything is fine "for the good of the game".

People just like you ruined the formerly great sport of boxing, by refusing to take a stand while step after step debased that sport. There was time when baseball, boxing and horse racing were the three most prominent sports in the US. Now boxing and horse racing have fallen off the map. Emulating boxing further is no solution.

Screw the BC, screw Santa Anita and screw ABC. Jackson paid 10 million for his filly, and he doesn't owe any of those losers a damn thing. I will be just fine watching RA in the JCGC or whatever. It will be a hell of a lot more interesting than almost any of the BC "dirt" races (I still hold out hope for some of the turf races). You're deluded if you think the BC means much to the general public--that is reserved solely to the Derby and Triple Crown. The BC is supposed to be championship series for US, horse racing fans. Instead, it is now a joke, a completely self-inflicted wound.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

What difference does it make how she does?

I think if you have a great horse you shouldn't place it in spots that can likely make your great horse look far worse than it is.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by justindew

My problem with the BC really has nothing to do with the dirt/synthetic issue. It's what the BC has done to the entire racing calendar that bothers me.

The BC hasn't done anything to the racing calender. Your issue should be with the trainers out there that keep the top horses from meeting more often during the year so that the only time top horses all get together is in the BC and because there are so few opportunities to see them matched up, Eclipse voters place too much emphasis on the BC result. The BC was at the same time of the year back in the 80's and 90's when horses raced more and faced each other more. It's what the trainers and voters have done, not the BC.

Originally Posted by Scav

If she runs in the Travers, I am guessing ABC might pick it up, there was f'n swimming on TV today for christ sakes....

Yes and the Cavic-Phelps rematch on Saturday dusted any horse race this weekend.

[Arletta]

Originally Posted by randallscott35

I love Jess Jackson. Good for him.

Came across this article..

I guess we can be glad he did'nt get out back then


http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...calls-it-quits

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

The BC hasn't done anything to the racing calender. Your issue should be with the trainers out there that keep the top horses from meeting more often during the year so that the only time top horses all get together is in the BC and because there are so few opportunities to see them matched up, Eclipse voters place too much emphasis on the BC result. The BC was at the same time of the year back in the 80's and 90's when horses raced more and faced each other more. It's what the trainers and voters have done, not the BC.

Yes king, but it is what connections have done in response to the existence of the BC that has, in part, caused this to happen. Therefore if the BC didn't exist, their response wouldn't exist either.
I am not an anti-poly guy, but this idea that they simply must run their horse in some BC race is what bothers me. Why? Connections are supposed to pick out races that make sense for their horses....right? If they don't think running on poly makes sense for their animal....they shouldn't do it. If they like dirt and want to send a message that they want the BC on dirt....they should do that too.
As for the argument that it would be good for the sport to run her because tv ratings would be up, in a BC-less world wouldn't tv ratings also have been up if she ran in some races in the fall like the JCGC (which in a BC-less world wouldn't have become just a "prep" race).
Basically I am in favor of almost any move by any person that makes the Breeders' Cup even a little bit less important.

[miraja2]

As for the filly, I think Summer Bird, Munnings, and Papa Clem are all pretty decent horses, and the ease with which she dispatched them all yesterday was quite impressive.
She's the real deal.