Star Studded Saturday

With the Triple Crown firmly in the rear view mirror, the focus of racing has become more scattered until next month when the star-studded race meets of Saratoga and Del Mar get underway.

At least for one day, that changes when the two best fillies in the country put their hooves back on the track Saturday. (Ironically, their respective races will run within 15 minutes of each other.)

Leading off the action is Rachel Alexandra, who is making her long awaited journey to New York. The trip to Belmont is three weeks later than some were hoping as many fans were hoping to see the Preakness winner run in the final jewel of the Triple Crown.

She will face four others in Belmont's Mother Goose (5:17 pm EDT, Broadcast on MSG+) and will be one of the biggest favorites we will see all year. It is undoubtedly her race to lose and for the few fans that will show up at Belmont, it will be a chance to see a superstar.

On the West Coast, the unbeaten Zenyatta makes her second start of 2009 when she squares off against seven others in the Vanity Handicap (5:30 EDT) . The competition apparently isn't afraid of her lofty 10-for-10 record.

On a teleconference Wednesday, Rachel's owner, Jess Jackson, said his star will not run in this year's Breeders' Cup, which is slated to be run at Santa Anita. Jackson said he does not care for Santa Anita's "artificial dirt" surface and does not want to risk diminishing her star status.

He cited his two-time Horse of the Year Curlin's struggles in California last year as a prime example of why not to run at the Breeders' Cup.

It's another potential black eye for the sport as one of the best horses in the country is being kept on the sidelines during racing's championship weekend. It also likely deprives fans the only chance of seeing Rachel battle Zenyatta.

If you have a chance to go to Belmont or Hollywood on Saturday, go for it. Seeing horses of this caliber is rare and there are likely just a few races left in their respective careers.

Preakness...Where are We Now?

With all the crazy Preakness news over the past few days, it is easy to lose focus on the the big picture with less than five days until the race. Here's a quick recap on who is running and a note on each.

The two big stories:

Rachel Alexandra - The superstar filly and Kentucky Oaks winner appears to be "all systems go" to be become the first female to run in the Preakness in 10 years (last - Excellent Meeting). After all the back and forth two owners trying to keep her out of the Preakness, sanity and fairness prevailed. She is set to fly to Baltimore on Tuesday and her new owner, Jess Jackson, will make the final decision to enter Rachel once she is safe and sound at Pimlico. Calvin Borel will ride and she will be the post-time favorite.

Mine That Bird - After co-owner Mark Allen smartened up and gave up blocking Rachel from running in the Preakness, it was back to business for the Derby winner on Monday. The son of Birdstone (pictured left) had an semi-unplanned workout at Churchill Monday morning (1/2 mile - 49.20) under Borel. If Rachel goes, then Mike Smith will take the reigns from Borel. Mine That Bird could be the longest priced Derby winner of all time based on the field that's set to run on Saturday.

The rest of the field (no disrespect intended):

Big Drama - One of the unheralded horses in the field as he has a record of 5-1-1 in seven starts. Jockey John Velazquez will ride him for the first time and should be keeping Rachel Alexandra occupied on the front end of the race. He will be one to watch.

Flying Private - The last place finisher (19th) in the Derby will take another shot at a Triple Crown. Trainer D. Wayne blamed the sloppy track for his bad finish in the Derby and gets star rider Alan Garcia to take the mount. Not sure that will help much.

Friesan Fire - The Derby favorite, who beat only Flying Private in the "Run for the Roses," will work Tuesday morning and then a final decision will be made to run him. If recovered from his Derby injuries, he could be very tough and will be a decent price.

General Quarters - The great story of the Derby has bounced back from his 10th place Derby finish and is set to arrive in Baltimore Tuesday afternoon. Tough to know how he will run but hard not to root for again.

Hull - Trainer Dale Romans pulled the plug on running this unbeaten colt in the Preakness with the presence of Rachel Alexandra.

Luv Guv - The namesake of former NY Governor Elliot Spitzer, who has just one win to his credit, will be a longshot. Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas said this horse has a bright future and will be their Belmont horse. I think Lukas is giving you a hint...don't bet him here.

Musket Man - The third place Derby finisher, who has been training back at his home base at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, will wait until the morning of the race to ship to Pimlico. (A little bit of a concern for me. Why wait that long?) He will workout on Tuesday but his record is one of the best in the field - 5-0-2 in seven starts.

Papa Clem - The Arkansas Derby winner, who currently is only one of two Preakness runners at Pimlico, is looking to better his fourth place finish in the Derby. A dry track should help him and being just off the lead during the Preakness should be to his advantage.

Pioneerof the Nile - With trainer Bob Baffert on hand, the Derby runner-up (right) worked great at Churchill on Monday morning - 1/2 mile in :47.60. The colt will fly to Baltimore on Wednesday and will be one of the horses to beat.

Take The Points - Trainer Todd Pletcher, who is still in search of a win in the Derby and Preakness, will take his shot at the Preakness with this lightly raced colt. He skipped the Derby with this race in mind. His career highlight was second to The Pamplemousse at Santa Anita in February. Not quite sure what to think of him yet but getting Edgar Prado to ride is a huge help.

Terrain - The well bred son of Sky Mesa, who's been idle since a fourth in the Toyota Blue Grass, will head to Baltimore on Wednesday from Louisville. He hasn't won since being placed first via DQ in the Arlington Washington Futurity in September. Not a good sign that he's 0-for-2 this year.

Tone It Down - The true local horse of the field, finished third last time out in the Federico Tesio at Pimlico. He would appear to be overmatched but it always seems like a local horse always is a danger.

My, my how quickly things change....

Just a few days ago, superstar filly Rachel Alexandra was targeting a run in the Acorn at Belmont Park next week. Their owners and trainer said that running against the boys was not in the cards.

In a blink of a Wednesday night eye, that all may have changed.

Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Farm, best known for owning the majority of 2008 Horse of Year Curlin, purchased Rachel Alexendra for a reported $10 million. That's a lot of zero's and means trainer Hal Wiggins will likely lose the brilliant filly to Steve Asmussen. (Daily Racing Form is reporting the move will happen.)

That's not a bad tradeoff but Wiggins did a phenominal job but it's a pity he won't able to oversee the rest of her career.

Now, there are two huge questions:

1) Does Kentucky Oaks & Derby hero jock Calvin Borel get to keep the mount on Rachel Alexandra?

2) Will her new owner decide to pay the extra $100,000 and run her against the boys in the Preakness and/or Belmont?

My take:

1) Borel has been great for her and he has said on many occasions that she's the best horse around. There is no better face for racing right now than Borel (see Sports Illustrated cover this week) and it would be fitting for him to stay aboard. He's earned that right.

I am afraid that Asmussen will pull Borel in favor one of his regular riders (i.e. Robby Albarado). Borel rarely rides for Asmussen (only 10 rides in the past year and only 52 total throughout their respective careers). I wouldn't blame Asmussen for putting someone on a horse that he is more comfortable with, but it would make more sense to give the mount to the only person outside of Wiggins who knows her best.

2) The Preakness or Belmont. After Mine That Bird pulled the huge upset in the Derby, some people began to speculate that Rachel would have been able to win the Derby. That certainly is debatable based on the track conditions but there is no doubt she is a star. I think the temptation will be too great to pass up for Jackson. Putting up $100,000 extra is small potatoes for Jackson and if she does win, the gamble will pay off in spades.

The Preakness might be a little too close in time but my hunch is she will pop up in one of the final two Triple Crown races.

Either way, this could spice up the remaining legs of the Triple Crown and give a little shot in the arm to racing.

Derby Trainer in Trouble?

Ed DeRosa at Thoroughbred Times wrote a story on trainer Jeff Mullins (pictured on far right) Sunday afternoon which alleges that Mullins attempted to administer an over-the-counter cough suppressant called Air Power to Gato Go Win. The horse was slated to run in the Bay Shore Stakes, part of the Wood Memorial Day card on Saturday at Aqueduct.

Giving a horse cough medicine certainly seems fairly innocuous and the story might be a little overblown. But if proved true by the New York Racing Stewards, shame on Mullins for being stupid enough to walk into a barn under surveillance with a syringe.

The Thoroughbred Times story was clear to point out that I Want Revenge, the likely Kentucky Derby favorite after winning the Wood Memorial, was not administered any medication on race day so he would appear to be in the clear.

The simple fact is that the last thing Thoroughbred Racing needs is another black eye. Racing has had a knack over the last few years to "take one step forward and then two steps back."

Mullins may have simply tried to give Gato Go Win cough medicine if he came down with an ailment. Let's hope that's the case.

The Derby is less than a month away and it's the one time of year where non-racing fans pay attention to the sport and a chance to garner more fans which the sport desperately needs. The last thing you want in the days and weeks leading up to the "Run for the Roses" are more and more questions about illegal medication and the perception that most trainers in the game cheat to win.

Those questions hounded Richard Dutrow, Jr. through the Triple Crown run of Big Brown last year as he's had a checkered reputation over the years. Now it appears that Mullins maybe in the media bulls eye if the allegations prove true.

Mullins, who has been busted in the past for equine drug positives needs to come out and tackle the issue head on. Anything short of that will leave a potential black cloud hanging over one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

(photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)