- So, doesn't the weak 9th place effort by Macho Again in the Clark serve to illustrate the mediocrity of the Woodward field that Rachel Alexandra beat, thus giving a boost to those who think that Zenyatta should be Horse of the Year?
- 4th in the Champagne, Super Saver dominated the Kentucky Jockey Club in his first try around two turns, earning a Beyer of 93 for the Toddster. He's a son of the late Maria's Mon, and what do you know? Despite having expired in 2007, he still has a Stallion Register page! Getting stats on dead stallions has been one of my pet peeves here throughout the years, so what do you know? An isolated case (as in, his stud farm is still paying the advertising bills)? Or a new trend? Super Saver is out of Supercharger, an AP Indy mare who's a half-sister to graded stakes winners Accelerator, Daydreaming, Girolamo, and to the dam of Pletcher's one-time Derby hopeful Bluegrass Cat, whose 2010 stud fee was cut from $40,000 to $25,000. His yearlings averaged a bit over $90,000 this year, not enough to sustain a fee which seemed oversized to me even in better times.
Super Saver combined with Sassy Image and Sheer Beauty, who won the Golden Rod and Caressing Handicap respectively, to complete an alliterative all-stakes Pick Three which returned $280. And you think you have to read Plonk for stuff you don't get anywhere else?
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Sunday, November 29, 2009
Odds and Ends
Posted by Alan Mann at 10:42 AM
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21 Comments:
Macho again and Bullsbay up the track in the Clark. It sure doesn't help Rachel's HOTY case.
Zenyatta beat runnerup Brownie Points in The Apple Blossom (on dirt).
Sure doesn't enhance Zenyatta's case as a two-surface star either. ;-)
Dubai World's effect on the Aqueduct VLT decision:
Has anyone been reading the articles on the potential outcome from the Dubai World debacle?
Apart from the obvious potential downside for racing worldwide, including us here in the US, the other signal it sends is that companies exposed to commercial real-estate could very well be in serious trouble next year.
This is especially the case here in New York, one of the largest commercial real-estate markets in the World.
So does this make our State Leaders take another look at SL Green which is one of the largest REIT's in the New York commercial real-estate market and could be in serious financial trouble this time next year, if not before.
On top of this it would appear that MGM was not in the final 3 bidders, but its partnership with Dubai World in Vegas will now surely kill them off completely.
Maybe the Gods are smiling on this Aqueduct VLT decision because an early pick of SL Green or MGM could have been another disaster.
Surely Governor Paterson (not to mention Speaker Silver and Senator Malcolm Smith or Senator Sampson) cannot risk picking another failure for the VLT franchise at Aqueduct.
I am just another frustrated NY horseman eagerly awaiting for a competent Aqueduct VLT operator who will finally get it built and operating.
Flashing's win helps RA's case, Rachel Alexandra beat her by 4 football fields.
I wish to the heavens that the haters would just admit that Zenyatta beating colts one time does not measure up to Rachel beating them three times this year, and just let it go. You can't make a dollar out of 95 cents, and it's downright painful watching some people try to make the case for a tie or, worse, an outright Zenyatta win. Zenyatta only managed to race and win inside California, while Rachel won in Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York and New Jersey. Daring to take on all comers wherever they are trumps one good race and a whole lotta nothin' in the Golden State. The debate is a non-starter except for those who value hype over actual risk and achievement.
Alan
Have you seen the latest Reuters article
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dubai's debt woes could further unhinge an already fragile U.S. commercial real estate, as it illustrates the importance of that tiny country to global investors in an increasingly interconnected world.
Full article at
http://www.reuters.com/article/wtUSInvestingNews/idUSTRE5AQ4G620091127
Wow how impressive Flashing is in Romping in the Gazelle a very High quality race, as Jeff Siegel said Rachel Alexandra trounced Flashing by 31 lengths, the form is SOOOOOOOOO flattered by this filly winning the Gazelle, makes Rachel look all the more impressive. What can you say, except WOW?
Try again hater, Rachel looks better and better. haha
And Life Is Sweet certainly flattered Zenyatta did she not?
Its an interesting debate with valid points on both sides of the argument.
This conundrum only exists because the BC inexplicably held their "championship" events on AWT for two consecutive years.
This "hater" firmly believe both sides were jabbing and ducking, Rachel by skipping the Travers and BC and Z by not heading east at some point, so I side with the horse that won the Championship event.
Putting surface aside, a win in the BC Classic in any year trumps wins in the Oaks, Preakness and Woodward.
That written, the CA powers that be are way over the top renaming the Lady's Secret the Zenyatta.
Is NYRA going to follow suit and rename the Ruffian for Rachel? I certainly hope not.
The Gazelle was a crap field, I don't think it proved anything.
"BC Classic in any year trumps wins in the Oaks, Preakness and Woodward"
Don't be silly.
It is interesting that you begin your blog with the easily debunkable theory that Macho Again's performance in the Clark strengthen's Zenyatta's case while failing, shockingly, to mention Flashing's second Grade 1 since being crushed by Rachel Alexandra by more lengths than Secretariat won the Belmont.
Did Macho Again's wins in the New Orleans Handicap and Stephen Foster mysteriously fall by the wayside? Did the possibility, not fact but at least possibility, that after Macho Again couldn't get by Rachel in the Woodward he simply did a Roberto Duran and said " No Mas " even cross your mind? Considering the way Rachel ran away from him in the gallop out this certainly doesn't appear to be the most ludicrous hyposthesis of all time.
The truth is the Zenyatta camp sticks to dirty tactics while all Rachel's adherents have to do is stick to the hardened facts. Rachel had a stronger campaign, and even Zenyatta's defenders know this, thus they revert to Karl Rove like tactics to defend their flimsy argument.
Why not say a win in BC Classic in any year trumps wins in the Travers, Haskell and Woodward and then you can make your case that Concern should have been HOTY over Holy Bull...
I must say I'm surprised at the polling on DRF.com that has Zenyatta getting 65% of the votes.
horse of the year..8 races over several different tracks,stakes and mixed company.5 races ..129 lbs. win ..them the b.c. win against mixed company..this is for horse of the year not for best at breeders cup.zenyatta had a great year and she made me cry with her win against the boys.rachel had me crying all season long..if Z had left cally even one time i would say give it to her ..rachel is the one that had the tougher season..zen should have come east and raced in at least one race being the older mare and so lightly raced. how can anyone forget the chills rachel gave us this year?
macho is a tough horse not always consistent but when he is on he is like a freight train closing..and he was on when he lost to rachel
For God's sake, I thought we were past this. To any fair-minded, knowledgable person, Zenyatta is not even a serious contender for HOY.
She had her day, she's a great horse, but if you compare her 2009 to Rachel, that's that. If HOY has any meaning, then it's Rachel by a wide margin.
And as an aside to the person who said the Gazelle was a crap field? You couldn't be more wrong. For this time of year, it was a very good field.
On the topic of the Gazelle, I saw a good comment on the Cristblog; Why are they running races restricted to 3yo so late in the year? The thought was to move the Gazelle to the Wood Memorial weekend as a prep for the KY Oaks. Made sense to me.
Alan compared to Karl Rove... I've heard it all now.
>>Alan compared to Karl Rove... I've heard it all now.
That's the worst insult I've had since Green Mtn Punter compared this blog to Fox News (and he likes me).
I figured Alan would like the Karl Rove comparison.
And I like him too.....Alan that is....not Karl.
LJK: that was my comment. Thanks!
i want to see a brownie points vs that other nag that zenyatta beat by a nose!
To all those that think RA so overwhelmingly deserves HOY, how do you explain Zenyatta beating RA at the public polls in the three most prominent national racing publications, DRF, BH, and TT?
And just because you like one doesn't mean you have to bash the other. Any one who says these aren't two deserving HOYs in any given year is letting bias cloud their judgement.
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