RACHEL ALEXANDRA VS. ZENYATTA WON’T HAPPEN AT OAKLAWN

Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, horse racing’s two super fillies, have been in a dance around each other and toward each other for the past year as if they were heavyweight prize fighters.  The comparisons are inevitable, but the 2009 Horse of the Year (Rachel) and runner up (Zenyatta) have yet to face each other on a racetrack.  Both had been entered in the April 9th Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn—with a $5 million purse at stake apropos of such an epic encounter.  On Sunday, however, Rachel Alexandra’s management announced that they wouldn’t be running at the Apple Blossom after all.

In another obvious parallel to championship boxing, the two horses were entered in ‘tuneup’ races on Saturday.  Zenyatta ran in the G1 Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita, where it was business as usual.  After starting off the pace as is her typical MO, jockey Mike Smith guided Zenyatta through the field like a NFL running back breaking tackles for a touchdown.   She went on to win by 1 ¼ lengths over 51-1 choice ‘Dance to My Tune’.  

Jockey Mike Smith never went to his whip, nor did he need to.  After the race he said he was essentially ‘along for the ride’ as the notoriously competitive Zenyatta ran down the field on her own:

"I wish I could say I contributed. I might have done a little steering, but that was about it."

Trainer John Shirreffs sounded like he was in awe of the horse he works with on a daily basis:

"Isn't it amazing? I have so much faith in Mike. When you have a big X on your back, things don't always happen. You find yourself in places in races you need to get away from.  She's a super athlete. She can do it all. How are you going to be better than perfect?"

Zenyatta keeps finding a way to exceed even her lofty expectations.  Her competitive fire is legendary, and was on display Saturday when she was blocked early in the race and recovered easily.  It was in many ways similar to her run in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, which is already imprinted into horse racing history alongside Secretariat’s insane run at the 1973 Belmont.

Rachel Alexandra didn’t fare as well in her ‘tune up’ losing by ¾ of a length to Zardana at the New Orleans Ladies.   Jockey Calvin Borel said that his ride tired late in the race, but was otherwise in good health.  Rachel ate and slept well after the race and was in good spirits on Sunday morning, but owner Jess Jackson has made the decision that she won’t be going to the Apple Blossom:

"Yesterday's race while a disappointment helped us define Rachel Alexandra's racing condition. While she is healthy, just as I had anticipated, she is not in top form. Therefore, I decided today she will not be going to the Oaklawn Invitational on April 9. Steve (Assmussen) 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."

Trainer Assmussen added his thoughts:

"She's not where we want physically. That most likely eliminates the Apple Blossom. We're not comfortable with how she responded to the accelerated program, so we're going to continue to train her at Fair Grounds and see what happens."

Without both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta in the field, the purse for the Apple Blossom will revert to $500,000.  Zenyatta is still planning on running in the race, and horse racing fans will continue to anticipate a matchup between the two best fillies in the sport.