NEWS
Zardana spoils Rachel Alexandra’s season debut
Posted: Saturday, March 13, 2010 6:32 PM
ZARDANA
Lou Hodges Jr. photo
To view the New Orleans Ladies Stakes, click here.
by Mike Curry
Trainer John Shirreffs always thought he had a mare capable of beating Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, but he was expecting that horse to be unbeaten two-time champion older female Zenyatta, not her stablemate Zardana (Brz).
On Saturday at Fair Grounds, Zardana spoiled Rachel Alexandra’s four-year-old debut by rolling past the 1-to-20 favorite in early stretch and outfinishing her in the final furlong to win the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies Stakes by a three-quarters of a length.
Arnold Zetcher’s Zardana won the Bayakoa Handicap (G2) in December and entered off a fourth-place finish to St Trinians (GB) in the Santa Maria Handicap (G2) on February 13. She covered 1 1/16 miles on a track rated as fast in 1:43.55.
“I’m just so happy for the Zetchers and Zardana; she ran a beautiful race,” Shirreffs said.
Rachel Alexandra was making her first start since a win against older males in the Woodward Stakes (G1) on September 5 and, in fairness, the Medaglia d’Oro filly probably needed the race after a layoff of more than six months. But this was a race just about everyone expected her to win easily en route to the much-anticipated showdown with Zenyatta in the $5-million Apple Blossom Invitational Stakes (G1) on April 9 at Oaklawn Park.
“I’m just disappointed she didn’t win today. It was a lack in fitness, and it’s our job to have her there and I didn’t do it,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains Rachel Alexandra for owners Jess Jackson and Harold McCormick. “She was strong early and got tired. Very disappointing that she lost. You hate to be in that position, but now that it’s over you know it’s not something we got away with.”
Zardana’s 9.50-to-1 upset victory halted Rachel Alexandra’s eight-race winning streak. Rachel Alexandra became the first Horse of the Year to lose its next season debut since Ferdinand finished second in the 1988 San Antonio Handicap (G1) after winning Horse of the Year in ’87.
Rachel Alexandra stalked pacesetter Fighter Wing through a half-mile in :47.72 and six furlongs in 1:12.86 and appeared to be racing comfortably under Calvin Borel into the final turn. Zardana launched a bold, sweeping bid on the turn and pushed a head in front of Rachel Alexandra inside the eighth pole. The Horse of the Year battled back but could not keep pace with the winner.
“She needed the race, that’s all. She needed the race more than anything,” Borel said. “I wanted to let her run her race early but they wanted me to wait. I wanted to go on past the speed horse early [Fighter Wing]. I’d have got by her anytime and my filly could have gone on, but they wanted me to wait and not get into her until the sixteenth pole.”
Zardana improved to eight wins from 19 starts and recorded her fifth career stakes victory. Out of the winning Southern Halo mare Dear Filly, she has earned $428,421. Zetcher purchased Zardana, by Crimson Tide, privately after she won her first three career starts in her native Brazil.
“We had a picture-perfect trip,” winning jockey David Flores said. “The strategy was simply to get her to relax and John [Shirreffs] said she would get the job done. I got after her pretty hard coming home but she is a real warrior.”
Rachel Alexandra beat males last year in the Woodward, BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (G1), and Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) while winning eight times in as many starts en route to Eclipse Awards as Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old filly. She has amassed 11 wins and three seconds from 15 starts and earnings of $2,988,354. Asmussen said he would need at least a few days to determine if Rachel Alexandra came out of the race in good enough shape to move forward to the Apple Blossom.
“How tired she is off of that will be established in the coming days.” Asmussen said. “She’s not where I thought she was, and if I had thought she’d get beat she wouldn’t run. You take her back, you evaluate her, you see how her mood is, her diet, how she goes back to the racetrack, how she breezes. No crystal ball could see that far ahead.”
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
