Now What?

There was a time when it wasn't a matter if Rachel Alexandra would win; it was simply an issue of how badly she would beat her opponents. Now we wonder if she can beat the elite horses in the nation.

On Sunday at Saratoga, Rachel looked like she might capture her first Grade 1 and major race of 2010 as the field came down the home stretch for the final time. But in the final sixteenth of a mile of the Personal Ensign, she began to get very leg weary and a very ordinary horse named Persistently went right by Rachel in the final strides.

"After we put away Life at Ten at the quarter pole, I didn't feel any acceleration and I got worried," jockey Calvin Borel said. "She wasn't really there. I knew if anyone was running behind us, we were in trouble."

If she was defeated by Life at Ten in Sunday's race, it would not have been as big of a disappointment as Life at Ten entered the Personal Ensign with a six race winning streak. But Persistently had only won three times in 13 races and had trouble beating horses that weren't in the same league as Rachel or Life at Ten.

Now, what does the future hold for the defending "Horse of the Year?"

"I'm very disappointed that she lost but I am very happy with Rachel," Rachel's trainer Steve Asmussen said. "It hurts to lose and you're disappointed for it but if that's the case, just think how happy she's made you and all the things has done for us...If she isn't exactly where she was last year, hopefully she can get back there."

As for her next race, Asmussen said  "We want to evaluate who we are and who she is and where she is at. We're just worried about her well being."

One thing about her future is certain, she will not be a two-time Horse of the Year. What is almost as certain is that she will not run in the Breeders' Cup Classic against the best horses in the country. She would have little chance to beat the likes of Blame, Quality Road and the undefeated Zenyatta. The most likely spot for her will be the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic where she will have a chance to salvage a good year.

But a good year is not what everyone expected. We were counting on another great year with the hope that she and Zenyatta would meet to prove who was the best female horse in the country. Now her last shot to be in the spotlight will come in the Breeders' Cup.

Before all the Rachel bashers come out of the "wood works" we need to remember one thing; her 2009 campaign was still one of the greatest ever for a 3-year-old filly. Rachel was 8-for-8 last year including wins over the boys in the Preakness, Haskell and Woodward and a near 20-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks. Truly amazing.

What she has done this year should not take anything away from her accomplishments last year.

Rachel just appears to be a filly who peaked in 2009. That is very common in racing. We all just had reasonable expectations that her greatness would continue into 2010.

Saturday's Speed Figures

On the biggest day of the Saratoga meet, here are some notable Beyer Speed Figures. (These are of course, courtesy of the Daily Racing Form.) I've also throw in a couple of Del Mar #'s as well.

The eye popping figure was the 2-year-old debut of Uncle Mo who earned a 102. He won his debut race by 14 1/4-lengths and was the fourth fastest figure of the day. Very impressive considering he is young and inexperienced..

Ballston Spa
Dynaslew         99

Victory Ride
Rapport            103

Ballerina
Rightly So        100

King's Bishop
Discreetly Mine  93

Travers
Afleet Express  105
Fly Down           105
First Dude           95
Afleet Again        93
A Little Warm     92

Del Mar

Pacific Classic
Richard's Kid        95
Crowded House    94
Dakota Phone       93

Pat O'Brien
El Brujo                 106
Crown of Thorns   105

One Hit Wonder?

When the Kentucky Derby rolls around on the first Saturday in May, there are high hopes that a star will emerge and become one of the sport's best athletes in a business that so desperately needs them. This year, Super Saver, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Calvin Borel, took center stage as he rolled to a 2 1/2-length victory over the fast closing Ice Box.

But, in a matter of 14 days, those hopes faded very quickly. In fact, since May 1, Super Saver has become one of racing's biggest disappointments. In the Preakness, he followed the Derby win with an eighth place finish after being in second place during the early part of the race. Pletcher decided to skip the Belmont and wait for the two big summer races for the three-year-olds, the Haskell and Travers.

In the Haskell, Super Saver looked like he might be coming around as he ran fourth to Preakness winner Lookin at Lucky. But on Saturday, Super Saver regressed again and beat only one horse in the Travers as he finished 10th in the 11-horse field.

After the race, Todd Pletcher had little explanation.

"We were tracking in a good, fast spot but just came up empty."

In fact, Super Saver never was closer than eighth at any time during the race which saw a stirring stretch run as Afleet Express nosed out Fly Down.

To add insult to injury, Ice Box, the Derby runner-up has finished ninth, sixth and eighth since the "Run for the Roses." In fact, he finished nearly 14 lengths ahead of Super Saver in Saturday's Travers despite running eighth.

What's next for Super Saver? Your guess is as good as mine. He has one more shot at redemption in November when the Breeders' Cup returns to Churchill Downs, assuming Pletcher decides to tackle the best horses in the world.

If Super Saver could find a way to knock off stars such as Blame, Quality Road (who is also trained by Pletcher) and the undefeated filly Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic, a lot of his luster would be restored but otherwise, the Derby winner will join a long list of "one hit wonders."

Weekend Beyer Speed Figures

It was a great weekend of racing in which we saw many of the best take to the track.

Headlining that was Horse of Year Rachel Alexandra returning to form with a huge win in the Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs on Saturday and Zenyatta's gutsy win Hollywood's Vanity Handicap on Sunday.

Thanks to my friends at the Daily Racing Form, here are the key Beyer Speed Figures from those races.

Fleur de Lis
Rachel Alexandra       108 (winning margin  - 10 1/2-lengths)

Vanity Handicap

Zenyatta                     103 (winning margin - 1/2 length)

St. Trinians                102

Stephen Foster
Blame                           102 (winning margin - 3/4 length)
Battle Plan                    101
General Quarters            96

Californian

Rail Trip                       108 (winning margin - 2 3/4 lengths)

Sangaree                       103

Who Saw Zenyatta Run?

Everytime you see Zenyatta run, it is hard not to remain in awe of one of the greatest thoroughbreds in history, regardless of gender.

The six-year-old mare ran her record to a perfect 17-for-17 with a gusty performance as she wore down St. Trinians in the final furlong to capture her third straight Vanity Handicap. Her win was even more impressive for a litany of reasons which included the fact she was giving a lot of weight to the rest of the seven horse field and her jockey, Mike Smith, kept her wide on both turns.

The one part that is a little disturbing to me is that only around 12,000 fans saw her awesome performance. That attendance figure is becoming more accepted as a good day but for a horse like Zenyatta in a market like Los Angeles, it is actually pretty sad.

What makes that attendance figure even worse is the fact that Hollywood Park offered a Zenyatta Bobblehead Giveaway. Those gimmicks used to help bring in a handful of extra people but even the allure of a "freebie" wasn't enough to catapult the crowd figures.

This sort of racing ambivalence in big city racing markets is becoming very commonplace. Huge markets like New York, LA, Chicago and Miami are drawing a fraction of the racing crowds they used to. Even in Louisville, home of the greatest race, getting people to the track has been an ongoing struggle. (Big exceptions, of course, are Derby Week, Friday night racing and the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.)

Big city sports fans only seem to come out to the track when it's a big day (i.e. Belmont Stakes, Big Cap, etc.) but today should have qualified as one of those days. And those people who didn't make it out to Hollywood, missed out on a great race and an even greater horse.

For years, racing has been crying out for stars and we have two genuine ones in Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta yet why don't people come out to see them run on a consistent basis? Promoting the stars has been a challenge and the fact that Daily Newspapers have cut back their racing coverage significantly is a hindrance. But it's also incumbent upon the individual racetracks and the sport to promote when it's top notch stars run.

I don't know how much Hollywood Park promoted Zenyatta's appearance outside of the Bobblehead giveaway but you have to think it wasn't enough.

We are simply running out of time before both Rachel and Zenyatta are retired and racing loses another golden opportunity to win over new fans. We are very lucky that Zenyatta is still racing but the window is about to close as you have to assume that she only has three more races left before she is done.

And for those that didn't see her run, you have missed out. We may not see anyone like her for sometime.

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire - www.eclipsesportswire.com

Will Zenyatta be Perfect Again?

Zenyatta, who remains on top of her game at age 6, will put her perfect record on the line today at Hollywood Park in the Vanity Handicap.

(Post Time - 7:37 ET and you can watch the race at NTRA.com)

She is not only looking to move her record to an unprecedented 17-for-17 but she is attempting to win her third straight Vanity. It will certainly not be a "walk in the park" but a typical Zenyatta effort should give her another win.

Here's a quick look at her opponents.

1) Miss Silver Brook - It would take a monumental effort to win this race. She's never beaten these type of horses before and is 0-for-3 at Hollywood Park.

2) St. Trinians - The five-year-old is dangerous here as she won four straight races since coming to the United States early in 2009. She beat 2009 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic winner Life Is Sweet in February but her trainer got a little too ambitious when she took on the boys in the Santa Anita Handicap in March when she finished sixth. St. Trinians hasn't run since so she is well rested and gets jockey Martin Garcia for the first time. (Garcia is best known for winning the Preakness aboard Lookin at Lucky).

3) Zardana - The stablemate to Zenyatta is best known for beating Rachel Alexandra in March down in New Orleans but she followed that up with a bad fifth place effort at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks Day. She's also an all or nothing performer as she has a record of 8-0-1 in 20 starts. She'll need her an effort better than her win in March to beat the champion.

4) Will O Way - Another horse that appears overmatched against Zenyatta, She's never beaten these type of horses in her career and also hasn't win since January 2009.

5) Zenyatta - No introduction needed

6) Cherryblossommiss - Even though she's trained by one of the better conditioners in Southern California, she also will need a monumental effort to knock off Zenyatta. She does have a win at Hollywood Park but that wasn't against these type of horses.

Foster Day Beyer Speed Figures

Thanks to my friends at Daily Racing Form, here's a look at some of the key Beyer Speed Figures from today's Stephen Foster Day card at Churchill Downs.

Super filly Rachel Alexandra had the best Beyer of the day after her smashing win in the Fleur de Lis. Meanwhile, Blame continued his great run with a hard fought win over Battle Plan in the Stephen Foster.

Fleur de Lis
Rachel Alexandra       108 (winning margin  - 10 1/2-lengths)

Jefferson Cup
Gleam of Hope            86 (winning margin - 1/2 length)

Northern Dancer
Colizeo                         95 (winning margin - neck)
Worldly                        95

Regret
Caminadora                  84 (winning margin - 3/4 length)

Stephen Foster
Blame                           102 (winning margin - 3/4 length)
Battle Plan                   101
General Quarters         96