Rachel Alexandra

I'm not sure about Hull - both he and Rachel are front-runners, that said she hardly had it easy in the Oaks. Fillies against colts - I'm getting a feeling of deja vu :(
 
Other trainers and owners are trying to keep her out of the Preakness by entering extra horses so that there will be a full field of 14.

Sets up for an interesting week ahead. There could be a lot of wheeling and dealing going on.
 
Horses originally nominated get preference. RA was not nominated. She has no chance if there is a full field.

Owner of Pioneerofthenile could fill the field by himself if he wanted just to keep her out. It will be bad for racing if this happens.
 
Whatever else about my doubts about the suitability of the sudden change of plan (as well as owner and trainer), it would be massively unsporting were Zayat to pull that trick.

Speaking of Pioneerof The Nile, I was very impressed with him in the Derby. Did best of those that raced prominently and travelled like the winner for much of the race only to be out-kicked (as the Americans say!) by the winner.
 
From the RP (Dan Farley)

USA: IN a remarkable twist to the Preakness Stakes, connections of leading contenders are threatening to gang up in an attempt to keep spectacular Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra out of the second leg of the Triple Crown.
After a solid half-mile workout on Sunday, Rachel Alexandra is poised to join the Preakness field on Saturday as a $100,000 supplementary entry.
However, the second leg of the Triple Crown has a maximum limit of 14 runners, and horses originally nominated to the Triple Crown take precedence.
On Sunday, Ahmed Zayat, owner of Kentucky Derby runner-up Pioneerof The Nile, told an HRTV (Horse Racing Television) audience that he has received a phone call from Kentucky Derby-winning owner Mark Allen.
Zayat suggested Allen hadsaid he will enter a second horse, a AP Indy maiden named Indy Express, in addition to Mine That Bird in an attempt to keep Rachel Alexandra out of the field.
Zayat added that he has agreed to enter a second horse alongside Pioneerof The Nile, and that veteran owner Marylou Whitney will also enter a horse in the Classic.
The D Wayne Lukas-trained Luv Gov, who broke his duck on the Kentucky Derby undercard, is the likely Whitney runner. He fired a bullet (fastets work of day at a certain distance) at Churchill on Sunday.
"The race looks like it will fill, or overfill," said Zayat, who claimed he had missed a number of calls from Allen because he did not recognise the number.
When he did dinally take the call, Allen explained to him that he felt the Preakness was a battle between Mine That Bird and Pioneerof The Nile and, essentially, the filly had no business being in the race.
Allen said: "I think them supplementing her is what caused the uproar.
Allen added that he was set to lose jockey Calvin Borel, who is committed to Rachel Alexandra, while he suggested his trainer Chip Woolley had fallen ill after contracting an infection in the leg he injured in a motorcycle accident.
"I want Calvin back on my horse too," said the owner. "If Pioneerof The Nile and all them think they have a shot to beat me on a good track, I'm happy to give them a shot at it.
"Calvin is in a bad spot - hopefully, he'll ride this horse. If he doesn't ride, then probably Mike Smith."

The prospect of a bunch of mega-wealthy owners banding together to keep potentially the best filly in recent years out of the race is pretty sickening really...
 
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Vey unsporting if they go ahead with that little scheme. However, IMO it only highlights one thing, they're worried that she's got a serious chance of beating their colts. Hope it doesn't happen and she gets to take her chance.
 
Zayat and Allen should hang their heads in shame - if they try this then whoever wins the Preakness IMHO will go down as the "runner-up", the real winner will be Rachel :)
 
I think Mine That Bird's owner has come across as a shockingly arrogant individual after this little episode. He had a chance to be one of the good guys, a small time owner, with a small time trainer chasing the dream with a colt who surprised the world in the Kentucky Derby, someone everyone could root for to complete an unlikely triple crown. Not any more... I hope Rachel jogs to success..
 
maythehorsebewithyou said:
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/ra...not-run-Rachel-Alexandra-in-Breeders-Cup.aspx

Rachel a no go to the Breeders Cup - rather disappointing i must say, it would seem unlikely that Zenyatta and Rachel will race against each other!!
Click to expand...

Curlin did not run that bad in the Breeders Cup, it was probably pretty much in line with his recent efforts on dirt. For whatever reason he was not the same horse after the Dubai World Cup (which was around the time they stopped giving him steriods?).

Disappointing the mare won't be there, and it is a risky plan they are following taking the idea that they could go for the Breeders Cup next year on dirt....thats a long way away for a then 4 year old mare.
 
disappointing 3 runner race tonight for RA. Darley's Flashing and Malibu Player are her two opponents. At least Zenyatta will have a little competition this evening..
 
It will just be ridiculous if they cant get Rachel and Zenyatta to face up to each other this year.. The sport is crying out for a race between the two, it would be a massive headline grabber and if they cant manage to find a race, it would be a sad state of affairs for racing in the States..
 
How does she win a race like that by over nineteen lengths, in a stakes record time, despite having only two opponents and being eased for most of the last furlong?
 
Just watched Zenyatta and until a furlong to go she looks really unimpressive but then finishes full of running with her ears pricked.
 
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