Rachel and the Bird work

Rachel worked a half mile today in :50 1/5 over a sloppy Chuchill downs. Connections are saying that she is doing very well with Jackson stating "She acts like she can run through a brick wall." There is no decision yet on whether of not she will start in the Belmont. This work was supposed to cap their decision but they are still playing the we'll see how she is doing card. Jackson, her owner, has said that the decision could come later this week or as late as next Monday when her next work is slated. If Rachel skips the Belmont she would likely be pointed toward the Mother Goose stakes at Belmont on the June 27th. Jackson also declined to answer if he would run her in the Breeder's Cup at Santa Anita. He indicated that if she did run, it would be in the Classic and not the Ladies Classic.

Meanwhile Mine that Bird worked four furlongs in :51. Jockey Calvin Borel was aboard for the work and afterwards was questioned of his riding status in the Belmont. Him and his agent have not come to a decision on whether they will ride Mine that Bird, who is going to the Belmont, or Rachel Alexandra, who is questionable for it. After the work he and his trainer had this to say. “He went good, like his old self,” Borel said before Hissam added there would be no comment on the mount situation. "He worked super; he got over the ground good,” said trainer Bennie “Chip” Woolley Jr. “I am tickled with where we are right now. He’s been a little on the hook, so we’re just trying to get him to settle.” Mine that Bird is scheduled to work next Monday.

I had to mention Zenyatta's win in the Milady on Saturday.(See picture) She just keeps getting better and better. Mike Smith said he was numb when he got off of her from the victory. I can't wait to see this older mare go up against Rachel if they do. The young hotshot filly against the older mare.

Brass hat also had a nice race this weekend at Churchill with none other than Borel aboard. His trainer said he might now go back to the dirt.

Also check out Afleet Alex's 2 year olds racing. He has a filly called She's a Fleet racing today at Churchill against a half sister of his called Stormin' Maggy. Interesting to see this outcome.

I'd like to send my condolences to Rene Douglas and his family. I hope he is able to walk again after that terrible accident at Arlington.

Have a great evening!

Kirsten

RACHEL ALEXANDRA rocks Preakness

Well as you all pretty much know by now, Rachel absolutely showed her guts on Saturday. She is a freak as I told you. A FREAK. I'd like to see Asmussen and Jackson give her some time to rest then point her towards the Travers and Breeder's Cup. But if they decide to run her in the Belmont I'll have no qualms about it. They'll know her condition far better than any of us. So in short, RACHEL is a freak and has shown her old owner fillies don't always have to run with fillies.

Meanwhile Mine that Bird solified himself as the best three year old male by coming in second to Rachel in a last charge. His win the Derby was no fluke. I applaud this little gelding and his efforts. Can't wait to see him in the Belmont and stretch out to a 1 1/2 miles.

Here is the full order of finish for the Preakness.

1.Rachel Alexandra

2.Mine That Bird

3.Musket Man

4.Flying Private

5.Big Drama

6.Papa Clem

7.Terrain

8.Luv Gov

9.General Quarters

10.Friesan Fire

11.Pioneerofthenile

12.Tone it down

13.Take the Points

Okay let's start off with horses that surprised me with their finishes. Musket Man has been nearly perfect so far. Never out of the money. He'll dominate if he returns to his home track and runs there. Flying Private and Big Drama also surprised me with their finishes. Especially since Big Drama reared in the gate and lost Johnny Velasquez. Now on the other hand, Friesan Fire was very disappointing. I had at least suspected him in the money but I guess not. Man, that Fairgrounds form is just not holding up lately in the Triple Crown is it? Pioneerofthenile's finish was what I suspected. He just is so big he doesn't really have the turn of foot that other horses do such as Mine That Bird. He's just another glorified synthetic specialist to me.

Well I probably won't be posting lately because of other things happening in my life. I'll try to post at least three more times before the Belmont. I'm excited. The Belmont is my favorite Triple Crown race.

Have a great evening!

Kirsten

Preakness posts and odds

Well the 13 horse field for the Preakness stakes were drawn today. Here is the lineup.

The Preakness Stakes presented by Blackberry at Pimlico

G1

$1,100,000 1 3/16 miles

126 lbs for colts and geldings, 121 for fillies

1.Big Drama 10/1

2.Mine That Bird 6/1

3.Musket Man 8/1

4.Luv Gov 50/1

5.Friesan Fire 6/1

6.Terrain 30/1

7.Papa Clem 12/1

8.General Quarters 20/1

9.Pioneerofthenile 5/1

10.Flying Private 50/1

11.Take the Points 30/1

12.Tone it Down 50/1

13. Rachel Alexandra 8/5

Would you look at that? Rachel is the favorite over Mine that Bird AND Pioneerofthenile. Wasn't expecting that but hey, her victory in the Oaks was very impressive. I'll make my picks now while I'm at it. I'll pick RACHEL ALEXANDRA to win in impressive fashion, Mine that Bird to place and Take the Points to show.

Meanwhile in other Preakness news, on Sunday Pioneerofthnile's owner and Mine That Bird's half owner dropped their plans to keep Rachel out. I'm glad that they didn't go through with it but still, just coming up with that is so slimy. Also Mine that Bird arrived yesterday at Pimlico and today he galloped 1 1/2 miles over the surface. No rest day for him. Calvin Borel will also be getting off Mine that Bird and onto Rachel instead. I can say I can't blame him. I would do the exact same thing. Did you see her win? Amazing.

Well I might have another post between now and the Preakness but, for now have a nice evening!

Kirsten

Owners plot to keep filly out of Preakness

See the article here. http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/racing-news/2009/May/10/Owners-plotting-to-keep-Rachel-Alexandra-out-of-Preakness.aspx





What a disgusting, low, dirty trick. I know that this does happen in racing but this is just BS. They are just scared of facing Rachel Alexandra because they know she is going to give them a run for their money. Oh, and Mine That Bird's owner wants Calvin back on their horse instead of on Rachel Alexandra. That choice that Calvin chose the Oaks winner over the Derby winner should tell you something. Calvin even has repeatedly said that she is the best three year old this year. I've lost all respect for Pioneerofthenile's connections and now lost respect for Mine that Bird's owner. I hope Rachel gets in but if she doesn't then I hope Jess Jackson(her new owner that just bought her. He used to own Curlin.) points her toward the Belmont instead. She deserves a chance to beat the boys.





Here is the contenders for the Preakness stakes so far.



Mine That Bird
Pioneerofthenile
Big Drama
Flying Private
General Quarters
Hull
Musket Man
Papa Clem
Take the Points
Terrain
Friesan Fire
Rachel Alexandra

Have a great day!

Kirsten

Mine that Bird soars to victory

Wow....that was an amazing race on Saturday!(Go to kentuckyderby.com to see it.) I swear I thought Pioneerofthenile had it in the bag when Calvin "Borail" Borel came through a tiny hole to win it. Congrats Calvin! He is one of my favorite jockeys to watch win. Not only does he own the rail but he is a hoot to see him after a huge win like that. All smiles and he is always just as estatic as ever. Puts a smile on your face. Anyways back to the horse. Mine that Bird just absolutely blew the other horses out of the water. What an extreme turn of foot that little gelding has. He is certaintly like this sire and grandsire.

His connections aren't the typical Kentucky Derby winning connections you would expect. They were dressed in cowboy boots and hats with jeans. I liked them. It's nice to see the little guys come up to win the big race. His trainer though is something else. Yes he had been rude to NBC's reporters but hey, he has a broken leg and who knows what kind of pain killers he's on. Also he seems to care a lot about his horse and thats how it should be. Kind of reminds me of Ruffian's trainer. Not sitting around talking to reporters when his horse needs him. They also scored points when on Sunday they brought the rose blanket to the Barbaro memorial statue outside Churchill Downs and placed it upon the statue for bystanders to take pictures. Then they handed out the roses to fans. How nice is that?

So all in all, yes I was a bit disappointed about the outcome but it was a great race and the best horse won. Now I'm not going to hand the Triple Crown to him but, he does have a shot. If he wins the Preakness in a couple weeks then he is definitely going to have the best shot so far. His father Birdstone upset Smarty Jones to win the Belmont Stakes in 2004. So you know he can get the distance of a mile and half. Now the Preakness is what I'm worried about. Pimlico tends to be speed favoring and that isn't going to suit his style of running. Well we'll see how he does. Only 12 days then it's time to the second leg of the Triple Crown!

Now for the full order of finish.

1.Mine That Bird

2.Pioneerofthenile

3.Musket Man

4.Papa Clem

5.Chocolate Candy

6.Summer Bird

7.Join in the Dance

8.Regal Ransom

9.West Side Bernie

10.General Quarters

11.Dunkirk

12.Hold Me Back

13.Advice

14.Desert Party

15.Mr. Hot Stuff

16.Atomic Rain

17.Nowhere to Hide

18.Friesan Fire

19.Flying Private

Now I was really impressed with Musket Man, Papa Clem, Chocolate Candy and Summer Bird's performance. A lot better than I thought they would do. Regal Ransom, Desert Party, Dunkirk, and Friesan Fire though really were disappointing. I do think Dunkirk and Friesan Fire did have excuses. Dunkirk did some kind of a freaky no one was near him but he stumbled, sort of thing then Prado completely rushed him into contention. Friesan Fire tore half of his foot off grabbing a quarter and Gabriel Saez just let him gallop out the race and didn't push him. (Gabriel was the same jockey who rode Eight Belles last year.) So I hope to see Dunkirk and Friesan Fire come back to win some more races. Saturday though, just wasn't their days. Desert Party and Regal Ransom just don't have any excuses. They just weren't good enough.

See you later to start handicapping the Preakness!

Have a great evening!

Kirsten

Breaking News: I Want Revenge scratched

I Want Revenge was scratched from the Kentuckky Derby this morning when a filling was found in his ankle. They jogged him on the blacktop and he jogged okay but the vet said the inflammation was still there.

Well this is a surprising development. The favorite scratched the day of the race. This Derby is just the Derby of scratches and dropouts isn't it? Oh well, at least they are being cautious with him and not running him when he isn't 100% fit. Well now my picks are Friesan Fire and Dunkirk.
Kirsten

RACHEL ALEXANDRA one of the best fillies EVER

I'm so speechless right now about RACHEL'S win.(go to ntra.com and click on videos to view.) Just.....wow. I have to say this is the best filly I have ever seen in my life. She is better than Zenyatta, Ruffian and any of the other fillies in history. She has never been asked to do her best yet but she won the Kentucky Oaks by a 20 1/4 lengths. Calvin sat chilly the entire time. Just WOW. When she came around that bend and I watched as the other filly's rider was really riding her and Calvin just sitting chilly as can be and when she pulled away....It reminded me of Secretariat in the Belmont. God I wish she would have been in the Derby. But hey, they may be considering the Belmont so maybe she can tromp the boys there. I have never been so impressed with a horse since like this since Afleet Alex. This filly is not just a freak, she is a champion. We are looking at the best horse running this year. Just give her Horse of the Year honors now. LOL.

Kinda short but my picks for the Derby are I Want Revenge, Dunkirk, and Friesan Fire. Now only less than one day left till the Run for the Roses!

Have a great evening!

Kirsten