WoodWard Weekend Thoughts - Part I
What will this weekend be like I thought to myself as I boarded the plane, heading from Little Rock to O'hare in Chicago, looking at all of the travelers who were making their way from terminal to terminal boarding flights to destinations. All of these people were probably heading to holiday destinations and have had their trips planned out for months. The flight from Chicago to Albany didn't take that long, but a nice interesting conversation began with a woman who was from Saratoga Springs and had seen a number of the running’s of the Travers and the WoodWard Stakes. "Why are you heading to New York", I was asked over and over again by a number of passengers, "To see history made in the Woodward Stakes at historic Saratoga Race Course", wow was the response from about 5 or 6 patrons on the plane, they all looked as if they knew I wasn’t just coming to see a horse race or two. “Isn’t that girl horse running against the boys?” “Yes”, I replied, as one of the ladies told me that she was from the Saratoga area and that I needed to take in all of the sights and sounds of Saratoga Springs. She stated that her father had taken her to see the running of the Travers and Woodward ever since she was 12. She knew exactly where I was going and why, I knew that this was going to be a special weekend.
The Morning Of. – The morning of the Woodward came very quickly, into the shower and then dressing for the day, there was this excitement that was pulsing through my veins. It has been a very long time since I felt like that. Walking out the door and down the corridor to the elevator people were talking about “Rachel”. “Rachel Who” I asked jokingly, they looked at me and said: “The filly running today, it’s going to be special,” riding through the country side in New York and seeing the sign that said Saratoga Springs led me to think back to the very first time I stepped into a race track. My hometown Oaklawn Park, known for developing Champion 3 year olds that go on to become darlings of the horse racing world.
At Old Saratoga – The sign said Saratoga Springs, and I could feel how close I was to such a historic venue, I thought back to my great grandfather who introduced me to the sport, I thought about all of the people who had a hand in giving us the opportunity to watch these majestic creatures strut their stuff. I thought about the legendary race track known as the “Graveyard of Champions”. Could that possibly have an effect on Rachel’s career, would she leave today known as a Champion Race Horse, or as another horse that couldn’t quite get it done due to a number of different factors. What I thought about most was one thing “Rachel being able to walk back to her barn after the race, and enjoy the accolades of a wonderful historic win, or a very well respected effort on the track.” Either way the only thing that stood out to me at that time was the fact that we were pulling into the parking area of Saratoga Race Course.
Union Avenue- As we exited the vehicle, we could see down a path, a path of barns, and it felt so surreal to be so close to the living quarters of these champion race horses. We walked the path down a dirt road and came to a security guard, and asked how close we were to Steve Asmussen’s barn. The guard advised that we were not far from Asmussen’s barn but that we would need credentials to be able to visit the area. Then it hit me that I was on Union Avenue as we came to a clearing, at that point I looked to my left and there was the most handsome horse heading to training at the main track. He walked slowly past us and all traffic stopped as they allowed for the horses to have the right of way. He pranced slowly across the street and was led into the track area, we stopped for a moment to take in the sounds of the horses that were already mid flight and in full gallop around the main track. What a sound that was to hear the power of these animals as they went about their business doing something they love so very much.
The Saratoga Entrance & Rachel Pins – Looking up at the entrance to the track, I realized and it set in that I was here, a place that I had watched plenty of times in the past on television, I recalled in my memory the sound of Tom Durkin’s race calls and thought to myself, in not but a few hours I will hear this legendary announcer call a live race. I walked up to the gate and paid my general admission fee and I received my pin. My friend walked through and paid and received his also, I turned around and thought about all of my message board friends and thought some of them might want to partake or have a little piece of something, a day that is going to go down in history as a legendary day for the world of horse racing. Politely I walked back to the admissions window and stooped down low and asked the man, “How much for me to get, let’s say 15 of the Rachel pins”, he looked at me and said “what, what do you have going on”, I said “message board friends”, he said “how many do you want”, I said “15”, he pulled a hand full out of the bag and gave them to me. I felt so good that I would be able to share this special day with my friends. Both from http://www.rockportharbor.com/ and also http://www.horseracingmania.com/in-loving-memory-of-eight-belles-t172.html. I walked into the gate and it was time to get focused.
Training Ends – The last horses that were out during training hours were wrapping up their workouts and gallops. The jockeys brought the horses close to the rail and the gate to allow onlookers to be able to see the horses up close and be able to see what it’s like to deal with these large individuals. Families are there early, its only 11 a.m. and children are running around enjoying the vast expanse of the standing room only area. People were walking in with their breakfast food and finding their seats. The sun was out in full glory and it was a beautiful day, we found our seats and watched the videos of some of the greats that have run at Saratoga.
Famous fillies on display in the video were: Davona Dale, Lady’s Secret, Shuvee, Personal Ensign, Go For Wand, Azeri, and at the end of the video every race of Rachel’s current Win Streak was shown on the big screen. It was great to see all of the all-time great fillies and mares that had run at Saratoga that they were featuring. To see the mystique of such incredible champions all of the female version, and to realize that the filly “Rachel Alexandra The Great” was the reason we were all there.
Showing posts with label Personal Ensign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal Ensign. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Rachel Alexandra - Do people really still doubt her?
Horse Racing Pundits – Are there any out there that still doubt the extreme talents of the Super Filly, Rachel Alexandra. After going 7 for 7 in 2009 and winning those races by over 60 combined lengths, beating the colts twice quite convincingly, and setting track records, I have to be of the opinion of the trainer of Summer Bird, Tim Ice gave his opinion about those few detractors that she still has when he said: "I ask you, what do you want her to beat?" Ice said. "What does she have to prove? She's beaten everybody that they've put in the race with her, so to say that she hasn't beaten anything would be a knock against thoroughbred racing because she's beaten the Kentucky Derby winner (and) she's beaten the Belmont winner.
"People don't understand. If they're going to say she hasn't beaten anything, these are all horses that are Grade 1 winners. And to say she hasn't beaten anything, to me, it makes no sense.
"Rachel Alexandra is what she is - she does it so easy, that maybe it just seems like she hasn't beaten anything, but the horses that she's beaten are top-notch horses. I think it's a shame that people have that idea that she hasn't beaten anything."
In some ways you can look at many of the detractors that are left and realize that they have a bad taste in their mouths about how Jess Jackson handles his horses. When I hear the criticism that Mr. Jackson gets, like how he should announce where Rachel will run sooner, or she should run in certain races, I think that he might have opened that can of worms upon himself due to his www.gocurlin.com website, as you remember when he was trying to choose Curlin’s next race after his loss in the Man O’ War he asked the public where they thought Curlin should go. Sadly in this world of ignorance, you can’t leave decisions of this nature to a public who collectively struggles to understand the fundamentals of horse racing.
Then you have those that are or seem very jealous of her accomplishments due to the comparisons she draws to Ruffian and Personal Ensign, and the other greats, some people seem to get their feelings hurt due to comparisons to such historic fillies and mares. It’s sad though that she gets run down by these ones, they say she hasn’t beaten the same company that Ruffian and others beat, but really who did they beat, races were run differently back then and there is no way to compare the competition.
On the other hand though when dealing with the comparisons that are drawn between Rachel and Zenyatta there is ample evidence that one horses’ connections is looking for the most difficult spots that will allow for greatness to be defined and the others is looking for the easiest spot to make sure that the horse stays undefeated. But what does undefeated really mean when there is lower quality or competition in the gates. I wonder out loud sometimes what Zenyatta’s record would be if she ran prominently in the East Coast. It seems very feasible to think that if she ran in Grade 1 races predominantly she would most likely have a record of 12 start 9 wins 2 place and 1 show finish. That would be more respectable in consistent Grade 1 competition in comparison with an undefeated record in a few grade 1 and a number of grade 2 races that is not considered running at the top level of horse racing. I feel remorseful for those that feel that due to one person being a fan of Rachel they have to tear her down. Here is one of the most immature quotes I believe I have ever come across. This was posted on a message board: “some get so frakkin know-it-all arrogant, that I actually hope RA loses just so they will shut up. I don't like rooting against horses (esp. when they are obviously talented) but NO horse is perfect. ALL of them have limits, and they need to realize that. Pundits of all type will say what is on their minds. For ever article they post saying that RA is unbeatable, I could find one that said she's vulnerable facing older males. Just wake up and realize that she is a living creature in the hands of humans and that she has limitations, whether they want to admit it or not. “
Seems like a bitter very sad person who has no ability to love horse racing for what it is.
Here are some comments from other bloggers regarding the schedule that Zenyatta has run in: “And not to pick on Zenyatta, who I dearly love and greatly admire, but she has made three starts this year and all of them have been in California. C'mon!! Is she that fragile? Talk about picking spots carefully to keep a perfect record intact...yet that is not up for public debate because it's good management.”
“Anyone would question Zenyatta's greatness just because she never raced "outside of the box."
You must not follow this particular blog, because to date about 7,146,887 posters have done just that, and repeatedly! They say they regret that we will never know just how great Zenyatta might have been, because she just kept beating up on the same bunch of overmatched females again and again. Personally, I agree with them (though I love Zenyatta).
Judging from the postings of the knowledgeable racing fans on this blog, I'm concluding that many others also will question Zenyatta's greatness because of how her campaigns were handled, especially in 2009. In fact, I think it is likely to come up whenever her name is mentioned in the future.”
“Zenyatta is great, I won't deny her that. But she isn't better than Rachel is. NYRA has eliminated the detention barn for the Beldame. They are increasing the purse if Rachel & Zenyatta both show up. The Mosses have stated that the reason they won't go to Belmont is because of the detention barn. What reason will they come up with now that the detention barn is gone for why they won't come to the Beldame? Because really & truly, they are doing nothing more with Zenyatta than ducking Rachel. She has her 12 win streak because they have so carefully mapped her races into ones where there is NO competition for her and she is all but guaranteed a win. She barely pulled it off in her last race. Her jockey is so over confident that he will cause her to be beaten. Her final kick is good, but she is aging fast (she's 5 now) and that kick isn't going to be enough to come from 12 lengths from the leader in the Breeders’ Cup races. Her race performances are declining, while Rachel's are improving each time out. Rachel is better at 3 than Zenyatta was at 4 (which is why Zenyatta never faced the boys). At this point, in my opinion, there is no comparison between the two horses.”
This upcoming weekend is going to be very exciting as we’ll get to see the highly touted Quality Road go up against a number of quality colts. He has a lot that needs to be proven, others want to prove they belong, I believe that Warrior’s Reward and Summer Bird may take a step forward, the question is what type of race will Summer Bird run, I believe his run was compromised due to being so close to the lead last time out. I guess the race will unfold however it does.
"People don't understand. If they're going to say she hasn't beaten anything, these are all horses that are Grade 1 winners. And to say she hasn't beaten anything, to me, it makes no sense.
"Rachel Alexandra is what she is - she does it so easy, that maybe it just seems like she hasn't beaten anything, but the horses that she's beaten are top-notch horses. I think it's a shame that people have that idea that she hasn't beaten anything."
In some ways you can look at many of the detractors that are left and realize that they have a bad taste in their mouths about how Jess Jackson handles his horses. When I hear the criticism that Mr. Jackson gets, like how he should announce where Rachel will run sooner, or she should run in certain races, I think that he might have opened that can of worms upon himself due to his www.gocurlin.com website, as you remember when he was trying to choose Curlin’s next race after his loss in the Man O’ War he asked the public where they thought Curlin should go. Sadly in this world of ignorance, you can’t leave decisions of this nature to a public who collectively struggles to understand the fundamentals of horse racing.
Then you have those that are or seem very jealous of her accomplishments due to the comparisons she draws to Ruffian and Personal Ensign, and the other greats, some people seem to get their feelings hurt due to comparisons to such historic fillies and mares. It’s sad though that she gets run down by these ones, they say she hasn’t beaten the same company that Ruffian and others beat, but really who did they beat, races were run differently back then and there is no way to compare the competition.
On the other hand though when dealing with the comparisons that are drawn between Rachel and Zenyatta there is ample evidence that one horses’ connections is looking for the most difficult spots that will allow for greatness to be defined and the others is looking for the easiest spot to make sure that the horse stays undefeated. But what does undefeated really mean when there is lower quality or competition in the gates. I wonder out loud sometimes what Zenyatta’s record would be if she ran prominently in the East Coast. It seems very feasible to think that if she ran in Grade 1 races predominantly she would most likely have a record of 12 start 9 wins 2 place and 1 show finish. That would be more respectable in consistent Grade 1 competition in comparison with an undefeated record in a few grade 1 and a number of grade 2 races that is not considered running at the top level of horse racing. I feel remorseful for those that feel that due to one person being a fan of Rachel they have to tear her down. Here is one of the most immature quotes I believe I have ever come across. This was posted on a message board: “some get so frakkin know-it-all arrogant, that I actually hope RA loses just so they will shut up. I don't like rooting against horses (esp. when they are obviously talented) but NO horse is perfect. ALL of them have limits, and they need to realize that. Pundits of all type will say what is on their minds. For ever article they post saying that RA is unbeatable, I could find one that said she's vulnerable facing older males. Just wake up and realize that she is a living creature in the hands of humans and that she has limitations, whether they want to admit it or not. “
Seems like a bitter very sad person who has no ability to love horse racing for what it is.
Here are some comments from other bloggers regarding the schedule that Zenyatta has run in: “And not to pick on Zenyatta, who I dearly love and greatly admire, but she has made three starts this year and all of them have been in California. C'mon!! Is she that fragile? Talk about picking spots carefully to keep a perfect record intact...yet that is not up for public debate because it's good management.”
“Anyone would question Zenyatta's greatness just because she never raced "outside of the box."
You must not follow this particular blog, because to date about 7,146,887 posters have done just that, and repeatedly! They say they regret that we will never know just how great Zenyatta might have been, because she just kept beating up on the same bunch of overmatched females again and again. Personally, I agree with them (though I love Zenyatta).
Judging from the postings of the knowledgeable racing fans on this blog, I'm concluding that many others also will question Zenyatta's greatness because of how her campaigns were handled, especially in 2009. In fact, I think it is likely to come up whenever her name is mentioned in the future.”
“Zenyatta is great, I won't deny her that. But she isn't better than Rachel is. NYRA has eliminated the detention barn for the Beldame. They are increasing the purse if Rachel & Zenyatta both show up. The Mosses have stated that the reason they won't go to Belmont is because of the detention barn. What reason will they come up with now that the detention barn is gone for why they won't come to the Beldame? Because really & truly, they are doing nothing more with Zenyatta than ducking Rachel. She has her 12 win streak because they have so carefully mapped her races into ones where there is NO competition for her and she is all but guaranteed a win. She barely pulled it off in her last race. Her jockey is so over confident that he will cause her to be beaten. Her final kick is good, but she is aging fast (she's 5 now) and that kick isn't going to be enough to come from 12 lengths from the leader in the Breeders’ Cup races. Her race performances are declining, while Rachel's are improving each time out. Rachel is better at 3 than Zenyatta was at 4 (which is why Zenyatta never faced the boys). At this point, in my opinion, there is no comparison between the two horses.”
This upcoming weekend is going to be very exciting as we’ll get to see the highly touted Quality Road go up against a number of quality colts. He has a lot that needs to be proven, others want to prove they belong, I believe that Warrior’s Reward and Summer Bird may take a step forward, the question is what type of race will Summer Bird run, I believe his run was compromised due to being so close to the lead last time out. I guess the race will unfold however it does.
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