NEWS
Rachel Alexandra to run at Monmouth, Zenyatta likely to Del Mar
Posted: Thursday, July 01, 2010 3:33 PM
RACHEL ALEXANDRA
Adam Coglianese/NYRA photo
by Ed DeRosa
Monmouth Park isthe latest in a long line of tracks that tried to stage a showdown between 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and undefeated two-time champion Zenyatta. While the Oceanport, New Jersey, track succeeded in attracting the former, the connections of the latter are leaning toward a race at Del Mar.
Owner Jess Jackson said in a statement released on Thursday afternoon that he would enter Rachel Alexandra in the $400,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes on July 24 at Monmouth. The track bumped the purse from its listed level of $150,000, moved it from its original August 1 date, and lengthened the race to 1 1/8 miles. Rachel Alexandra is unbeaten lifetime when racing beyond 1 1/16 miles but lost two starts this year at that distance.
“We had a great experience at Monmouth Park,” Jackson said, “and we appreciate the overwhelming show of support the fans there have given us. It’s the perfect place to start what we hope will be another championship run.”
Rachel Alexandra won the Fleur de Lis Handicap (G2) on June 12 at Churchill Downs by 10½ lengths after losing the first two starts of her four-year-old season.
Rachel Alexandra defeated three-year-old males in the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) last year at Monmouth before capping her season with a victory against older males in the Woodward Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. The Lady’s Secret could serve as a prep for a number of late summer races, including a Woodward defense on September 4 or the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) on August 29, both at Saratoga, or the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2) on the same day as the Personal Ensign but at Monmouth.
Indeed, Monmouth General Manager Bob Kulina said that Rachel Alexandra’s connections chose the July 24 date at his track because of its place on the calendar, 15 weeks before the Breeders’ Cup World Championships November 5-6 at Churchill Downs.
“They’re very interested in keeping Rachel [Alexandra] on a five-week schedule,” Kulina said. “They worked back from the Breeders’ Cup because that’s their objective, and July 24 worked well for Steve’s pattern. The distance of 1 1/8 miles was what they wanted. We had contact with them long before this and told them we’d do whatever to make a race work with their schedule.
“We’re pretty excited that we’re able to do this.”
Neither of Rachel Alexandra’s next two races are likely to attract Zenyatta, however.
Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, racing manager for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and wife of trainer John Shirreffs, said on Thursday afternoon that Monmouth contacted Team Zenyatta about running in either the Lady’s Secret Stakes or the Molly Pitcher.
“They had reached out to us, but we graciously declined,” Ingordo-Shirreffs said. “They were nice about it, and they did call, but it didn’t fit into what we want to do at this point in time.
“We’re still making a decision [as to Zenyatta’s next start]. We’re waiting to see how the surface is at Del Mar. That’s one of the considerations, to see what the surface is like.”
Kulina would not say what the purse would have been for a race that featured both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, although he intimated that it would have been substantially more than the $400,000 currently on offer for the Lady’s Secret if Rachel Alexandra starts.
“If both horses had committed, we’d have made it worthy of both horses,” Kulina said. “We knew it was a longshot, and we took it.”
Ingordo-Shirreffs said the long-term goal for Zenyatta remains the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on November 6 at Churchill Downs. Jackson has said numerous times this year that he is pointing Rachel Alexandra to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships as well but has not specifically said whether she will run in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) on November 5 or the Classic a day later.
Breeders’ Cup Ltd., the New York Racing Association, Oaklawn Park, and Sam Houston Race Park all have made major pushes over the past ten months to attract both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta with Oaklawn seemingly coming the closest when it offered a $5-million for its Apple Blossom Stakes (G1) if both started in what the Arkansas track dubbed “A Race for the Ages.”
“Obviously, I think that’s the idea of everyone who has a racetrack—that’s the race we’d all love to see,” Kulina said. “Hopefully, the industry will see them somewhere down the road.”
If Rachel Alexandra races every five weeks, then either the Beldame Stakes (G1) or the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Belmont Park or the Overbrook Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland Race Course could be fall targets, and any of those races could be possible for Zenyatta as well.
Ed DeRosa is news editor of Thoroughbred Times
READER COMMENTS
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Posted by: BRUCE, fargo, ND on July 10, 2010 at 08:52 PM
Garry, there goal is the BCC, Zen will be there, they didnt watn to ship in at monmout for 400,000 when jj woudl do like he did in the AB, I have another question for ya, Jessica is back was defeated by RA int the FDL, Jessica went on to run in the grade one Princess Rooney today and she won the grade one race,being her first grade one race. NOw why in the crap is the 2009 hoty running in ungraded stakes to weak comp after her win in the FDL and is not running in a grade one races???? dont make much sensse to me whta about you?? Furthermore, Zen has nothing to prove except defend her titlee in the BCC and they will be there, but the 2009 HOTY has alot to prove and aint proven crapp.........just looing worser eveyday...
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Posted by: Garry, Elizabethtown, KY on July 10, 2010 at 08:11 PM
Bruce I got my information from TVG and Monmouth Parks website. And it was Dottie Sherriffs Zenyatta's racing manager and she said that they had other plans. So what i said was 100% correct. And yes i know the race with Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta would be in the millions, so why is it that they are taking Zenyatta to Del Mar to run in a 250,000 race when they could bring her to face rachel and make millions for one race. So why don't Moss keep his word and bring her out of California?
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Posted by: sandra, henderson, NV on July 10, 2010 at 05:10 PM
rachel alexandra is agreat horse and i hate seeing people cut her down, why can;t we just enjoy rachel and zenyatta while we have them ,give it a rest people
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Posted by: BRUCE, fargo, ND on July 10, 2010 at 02:20 PM
Garry, I heard completely opposite of you, I heard that when JJ heard about the invite he went off, and threatend to pull Ra becuase he didnt want to go against Zen yet. Which makes more sense, If JJ wanted any part of Zen before the BCC, He would get in touch with Moss himsefl, After all, he ducked out of the AB, so it is up to JJ to get to Moss and set it up. Believr you me Garry, IF you aint seeing RA running agaisst grade 1,horses and in grade 1 races, He sure to hell dont want any part of Zen yet. I dont know were youre getting your tales but you aint getiing them right........Believe you me, don't you think if JJ wanted a meeting up bad enough, some damn race track would offer a bigger darn purse than a shitty 400,000 we would be looking at a purse in the millions....Zen will be in the BCC, she loves the longer distance than in the BCL. What would be the use in Zen running in the BCL, she beats them mares everyday, She needs to beat the boys on dirt at CD, then she will be the biggest star ever.........and she will do it....RA will go to the BCL, or he has nothing to lose or gain by her running in the BCC, It wont help RA either way.......
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Posted by: Garry, Elizabethtown, KY on July 10, 2010 at 02:09 PM
Bruce, you did make some excellent points but i really and truly believe that you won't see either one of the mares in the Breeders Cup Classic this year. Remember that I said that and we will watch and see what happens. We may see one or both of them in the Ladies Classic but I can almost guarantee that we wont see either in the Breeders Cup Classic. and i say that because Rachel Alexandra is off to such slow start and Zenyatta's times are slower and even though she won her last race it was barely and the whole world thought that she had lost that one in the stretch. And the fact that Jerry Moss said that he was going to run her a lot on dirt tracks to prepare her for the classic. she is not only dodging the great dirt horses on the east coast they are dodging a lot of the great california horses that are probably going to run the the Classic. This is why i say you will not see either one of them in the breeders cup classic. Like i said Monmouth invited zenyatta to run against Rachel Alexandra on the 24 and they declined. After the eclipse awards Jerry Moss said that wherever Rachel Alexandra runs that they would line up beside her, they have their chance on the 24 and they declined and elected to stay in California again. All of us on the east coast are waiting on Jerry Moss to stay true to his promise that Zenyatta was going to run on dirt. It is just a shame that Jerry Moss and John Sherriffs are probably going to cost Zenyatta horse of the year again by carefully selecting races for her to run in California. Surely some of this you agree with, it is in black and white and it has been on TV. I am a fan but i am a honest one. Hang in there bruce we may get to see them race one day.
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