NEWS
Oaklawn could boost Apple Blossom purse to $5-million
Posted: Thursday, February 04, 2010 11:56 AM
Oaklawn Park will spike the purse of the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) to $5-million if both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta compete in the April 3 race.
Oaklawn President Charles Cella said the owners of both horses expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity. Jess Jackson and Harold T. McCormick own Rachel Alexandra, and Jerry and Ann Moss own Zenyatta.
“As you have heard me say many times before, a number of factors must be considered when deciding where to race a horse—the number one factor being the condition of the horse,” Jackson said. “Rachel [Alexandra] will tell us when she is ready to start her 2010 campaign, and we humans must agree she is in top form.
“My family and I would love to see her run at Oaklawn Park. If she is in top form and it fits in our schedule, we will be there. Rachel [Alexandra], as you know, likes the track having won twice there last year.”
Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, the racing manager for Jerry and Ann Moss and the wife of Zenyatta's trainer John Shirreffs, expressed excitement about the race.
"We're all very excited about the opportunity," Ingordo-Shirreffs said. "It would be fabulous for the fans and the racing industry. It's a race we've won before, so she likes that track. We'll do our best to make teh race, but obviously, it all depends on Zenyatta and how she's doing."
The purse would be the largest for a race for fillies or mares in racing history and would equal the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) as North America’s richest race.
“We have always pursued a goal of bringing the world’s best racing to Arkansas,” Cella said. “That is what led us to create the Racing Festival of the South more than 30 years ago. We have been even more fortunate in recent years. That gives us the opportunity to fulfill the promises we continually make to our fans, our horsemen and all of our supporters—should this race come off as expected, it will most certainly fulfill every promise made.”
Oaklawn also will extend the Apple Blossom’s distance from 1 1/16 to 1 1/8 miles and offer entry into the race on an invitation only basis.
“We commend Oaklawn Park and the Cella family for striving so aggressively to attract Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta,” National Thoroughbred Racing Association President Alex Waldrop said. “This is the matchup that every fan wants to see. Assuming that each horse remains healthy and fit, a showdown between these two great Champions on April 3 in the Apple Blossom truly could live up to its billing as a race for the ages.”
Zenyatta registered her first Grade 1 win in the 2008 Apple Blossom, which remains her only start on dirt, when she defeated ’07 champion older female Ginger Punch.
Rachel Alexandra raced at Oaklawn in two of her first three starts as a three-year-old in 2009, scoring by eight lengths in the Martha Washington Stakes and by 8 3/4 lengths in the Fantasy Stakes (G2).
Oaklawn said the Apple Blossom would be an invitational event only if both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta participate. If either defects, the purse would revert to $500,000.
Zenyatta has a head start on Rachel Alexandra in their training regimens. Zenyatta breezed five furlongs in 1:01.60 on Wednesday at Hollywood Park in her sixth published workout since December 7. She is scheduled to make her first start of the year in the Santa Margarita Handicap (G1) on March 13 at Santa Anita Park.
Rachel Alexandra covered four furlongs in :52 on Sunday at Fair Grounds in her first workout in almost five months since her victory in the Woodward Stakes (G1) on September 5 at Saratoga Race Course.
Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta garnered the only votes for Horse of the Year honors for 2009, and Rachel Alexandra was a decisive winner by a 31-vote margin at 130-to-99.
