If Rachel and Stars Had Their Choice

[Lurker]

What logical tracks would have been good alternatives instead of Santa Anita this year that Jess Jackson would've seen fit to keep Rachel in training and participating in the Breeders Cup as well as the connections of SeeTheStars.

Is there one track out there that pretty much woulda guaranteed they both show up IF the BC Commitee had picked it?

thanks.

[Bob B]

I think there is absolute zero chance that Oxx would put Sea The Stars on a dirt track. I don't think there's much of a chance that he's coming over to race on the synthetic, but no chance he would race him on dirt. Take that with Jackson saying he will only race on dirt, you have no track that could get the two together unless Rachel wanted to venture onto the weeds.

[Joel]

What logical tracks would have been good alternatives instead of Santa Anita this year that Jess Jackson would've seen fit to keep Rachel in training and participating in the Breeders Cup as well as the connections of SeeTheStars.

Is there one track out there that pretty much woulda guaranteed they both show up IF the BC Commitee had picked it?

thanks.

Any track that Zenyatta wasn't at..

[Bob B]

Good to see JB still has that great sense of humor even out of the moderator role.

Here's the quote from Oxx from earlier this summer...

"I would never ask a three year-old to run on the traditional American dirt but obviously the new surface is a bit more tempting."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/racing-be ... 21423812/#

[Political Web]

[/quote]

Any track that Zenyatta wasn't at..[/quote]

Agreed Joel ... Good point!!

There is ZERO logical reason save fear of defeat that Jackson shouldn't be running Rachel in the Breeder's Cup!!

She's run on synthetic before and WON on synthetic before at Keeneland!!

If he thought she was better than Zenyatta ... He'd be running her against Zenyatta in the HIGHEST paying race of Rachel's career.

He doesn't want to put the horse "at risk"!! At risk of loss is what he means, not at risk of injury. Synthetic sure as heck isn't a riskier surface than dirt. He means risk of loss. Plain and simple!

Simply put ... Jackson fears that Rachel would lose to Zenyatta or he'd be facing her!!

Whether Jackson is right or not ... I don't know. And evidently we'll never know and that's a darn shame!!

[Syncopate]

I think there is absolute zero chance that Oxx would put Sea The Stars on a dirt track. I don't think there's much of a chance that he's coming over to race on the synthetic, but no chance he would race him on dirt. Take that with Jackson saying he will only race on dirt, you have no track that could get the two together unless Rachel wanted to venture onto the weeds.

Mentioned this to someone else today. Even though he raced on the turf in the BC, I was thinking about what happened to another Arc winner named Dancing Brave who ventured to Santa Anita for the 1986 BC. A Juddmonte runner, he too dominated Europe that year. Sea Of Stars connections may not have thought of this, but why push a horse like that for another race after a long campaign when he's already a super horse ?

[Dgstan]

Mentioned this to someone else today. Even though he raced on the turf in the BC, I was thinking about what happened to another Arc winner named Dancing Brave who ventured to Santa Anita for the 1986 BC. A Juddmonte runner, he too dominated Europe that year. Sea Of Stars connections may not have thought of this, but why push a horse like that for another race after a long campaign when (s)he's already a super horse ?

The same could be said for Rachel. Believe me - there is no fear of Zenyatta whatsoever.

[Mauicowgirl]

Ok, don't bite my head off, but I was wondering..........as RA has already won on synthetic, couldn't Jackson have considered going into either the Mare Classic or the BC Classic, just like they are considering for Zenyatta?

Then, another question? IF Zenyatta were to go ahead and run in the Classic, do you think she has a shot? Like I said, just wondering....

[Risen Star]

Ok, don't bite my head off, but I was wondering..........as RA has already won on synthetic, couldn't Jackson have considered going into either the Mare Classic or the BC Classic, just like they are considering for Zenyatta?

Then, another question? IF Zenyatta were to go ahead and run in the Classic, do you think she has a shot? Like I said, just wondering....

It's the Ladies' Classic, not the Mare Classic. Rachel has had a long campaign and is done for the year. She's proved her greatness.

As for Zenyatta, yes, she has a very good chance in the Classic, should she run. Don't underestimate her. In my opinion, she's been underraced this year, something I wouldn't typically say, but with all that talent, I'm sorry we didn't see her more. That was the connections' choice, and I respect it, although I don't understand it completely.

In the Breeders' Cup Classic, Zenyatta would be on her home court, which she knows very well. She's a big beast and can inhale the opposition from way back and usually makes it look easy. People are skeptical of her because of how close she won her last race, but the way she did it was incredible. She is an amazing racemare, and even though she hasn't run that much this year, nor has she ventured outside Southern California, she's a horse not to be sluffed off. She'll beat you.

I think those Europeans coming over here, as good as they are, will have all they can handle if Zenyatta runs. And that includes Sea The Stars.

JMO for what it's worth.

[Lurker]

It's the Ladies' Classic, not the Mare Classic. Rachel has had a long campaign and is done for the year. She's proved her greatness.

Do you think "putting her away after a long hard campaign" means that Rachel wouldn't have run in the BC even if it run were somewhere like Belmont or Churchill?