Rachel to skip Breeders' Cup
While another crack at the boys in the Haskell and Travers, as well as a return to the races next year are options, this years Breeders? Cup has been all but ruled out for superfilly Rachel Alexandra according to owner Jess Jackson on a conference call Wednesday in anticipation of the filly?s next start in this Saturday?s Mother Goose at Belmont Park.
?She will not run in the Breeders? Cup this year,? Jackson said.?It?s not essential and I just don?t want to risk her. You may not think it?s a risk but I saw how Curlin struggled.?
Jackson of course is referring to Curlin?s fourth place finish in last years? Breeders? Cup Classic at Santa Anita, which uses the synthetic ProRide surface for its main track. The Breeders? Cup will be held at Santa Anita again this year. Jackson is far from being a fan of any synthetic surfaces.
?I?m pretty much anti-all of them,? Jackson stated. ?I?ve raced horses at Hollywood and Del Mar and at Keeneland. They all vary when it comes to dirt horses and Rachel is a dirt horse. There is too much guessing. It?s man interfering with nature.?
His reluctance to run Rachel Alexandra greatly hinders the possibility of a match-up between the filly and the undefeated and spectacular mare Zenyatta. Jackson said the mare would have to come east or race over a neutral track and not on ?plastic,? yet another reference to his disdain of synthetic surfaces.
?We?re looking for races that will establish her as the champion that she already is,? Jackson said. ?I wanna keep her as fit as possible so she could have the potential for a fourth year.?
Among the races that are open for discussion are the Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont, the Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park, the Haskell at Monmouth Park as well as the Alabama and Travers at Saratoga. Jackson said the fact that the 2010 Breeders? Cup will be held at Churchill Downs, the same track that she won the Kentucky Oaks over this year by over 20 lengths, would play a role in keeping the filly in training next year. It?s also one of the reasons she didn?t run in the Belmont.
?I think she could have taken it (The Belmont) but I don?t think it would have been the best thing for her career,? Jackson proclaimed. ?So many new, fresh horses ran in the Belmont. The 1-2-4 finishers were fresh horses. That is what beat Curlin, a fresh filly. The fact that fresh horses shoot for it make it that much harder to have a Triple Crown champion.?
Speaking of the Triple Crown, jockey Calvin Borel who won the Derby aboard Mine That Bird before choosing to ride the filly in the Preakness, was also on the call. Borel subsequently rode Mine That Bird to a third place finish in the Belmont ending his dreams of becoming the first jockey to win the Triple Crown on two different horses in the same year.
While Jackson was looking ahead to the rest of the season, Borel?s focus was strictly on this Saturday?s task at hand.
?The main focus is to get a good race in her and go from there,? Borel stated. ?I watched her work Monday morning and she was unbelievable. I have a lot of confidence.?
If anything can stop the filly, it could be the Belmont Park strip, known as ?Big Sandy,? and the problem could be twofold. Firstly, Rachel Alexandra has done her best running around two turns. Saturday?s Mother Goose is around just one. Secondly, Borel had some issues with the surface at Pimlico on Preakness Day saying the track was a little heavier than his filly usually liked. While Belmont usually plays fairly, plenty of chalk has fallen by the wayside at what is New York?s true ?Graveyard of Favorites.? Neither point even enters into Borel?s mind.
?It won?t really matter to her,? Borel casually stated. She?s puts herself into the race early and she?s very versatile.?
And the surface, Calvin?
?I think Rachel will run over broken glass. She?s the best horse I?ve ever been on and I?m going to ride her with the confidence I always have with her.?
While another crack at the boys in the Haskell and Travers, as well as a return to the races next year are options, this years Breeders? Cup has been all but ruled out for superfilly Rachel Alexandra according to owner Jess Jackson on a conference call Wednesday in anticipation of the filly?s next start in this Saturday?s Mother Goose at Belmont Park.
?She will not run in the Breeders? Cup this year,? Jackson said.?It?s not essential and I just don?t want to risk her. You may not think it?s a risk but I saw how Curlin struggled.?
Jackson of course is referring to Curlin?s fourth place finish in last years? Breeders? Cup Classic at Santa Anita, which uses the synthetic ProRide surface for its main track. The Breeders? Cup will be held at Santa Anita again this year. Jackson is far from being a fan of any synthetic surfaces.
?I?m pretty much anti-all of them,? Jackson stated. ?I?ve raced horses at Hollywood and Del Mar and at Keeneland. They all vary when it comes to dirt horses and Rachel is a dirt horse. There is too much guessing. It?s man interfering with nature.?
His reluctance to run Rachel Alexandra greatly hinders the possibility of a match-up between the filly and the undefeated and spectacular mare Zenyatta. Jackson said the mare would have to come east or race over a neutral track and not on ?plastic,? yet another reference to his disdain of synthetic surfaces.
?We?re looking for races that will establish her as the champion that she already is,? Jackson said. ?I wanna keep her as fit as possible so she could have the potential for a fourth year.?
Among the races that are open for discussion are the Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont, the Delaware Handicap at Delaware Park, the Haskell at Monmouth Park as well as the Alabama and Travers at Saratoga. Jackson said the fact that the 2010 Breeders? Cup will be held at Churchill Downs, the same track that she won the Kentucky Oaks over this year by over 20 lengths, would play a role in keeping the filly in training next year. It?s also one of the reasons she didn?t run in the Belmont.
?I think she could have taken it (The Belmont) but I don?t think it would have been the best thing for her career,? Jackson proclaimed. ?So many new, fresh horses ran in the Belmont. The 1-2-4 finishers were fresh horses. That is what beat Curlin, a fresh filly. The fact that fresh horses shoot for it make it that much harder to have a Triple Crown champion.?
Speaking of the Triple Crown, jockey Calvin Borel who won the Derby aboard Mine That Bird before choosing to ride the filly in the Preakness, was also on the call. Borel subsequently rode Mine That Bird to a third place finish in the Belmont ending his dreams of becoming the first jockey to win the Triple Crown on two different horses in the same year.
While Jackson was looking ahead to the rest of the season, Borel?s focus was strictly on this Saturday?s task at hand.
?The main focus is to get a good race in her and go from there,? Borel stated. ?I watched her work Monday morning and she was unbelievable. I have a lot of confidence.?
If anything can stop the filly, it could be the Belmont Park strip, known as ?Big Sandy,? and the problem could be twofold. Firstly, Rachel Alexandra has done her best running around two turns. Saturday?s Mother Goose is around just one. Secondly, Borel had some issues with the surface at Pimlico on Preakness Day saying the track was a little heavier than his filly usually liked. While Belmont usually plays fairly, plenty of chalk has fallen by the wayside at what is New York?s true ?Graveyard of Favorites.? Neither point even enters into Borel?s mind.
?It won?t really matter to her,? Borel casually stated. She?s puts herself into the race early and she?s very versatile.?
And the surface, Calvin?
?I think Rachel will run over broken glass. She?s the best horse I?ve ever been on and I?m going to ride her with the confidence I always have with her.?
