NEW ORLEANS - Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra will make her first start of the year in the March 13 New Orleans Ladies in preparation for her scheduled race against Zenyatta in the April 9 Apple Blossom.
Owner Jess Jackson told Fair Grounds officials Thursday night that Rachel Alexandra would be pointed to the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies, created by the Fair Grounds this season in the hope that Rachel Alexandra would use the race to begin her 2010 campaign.
Federal investigators have issued a subpoena to the New York State Lottery Division seeking materials related to a nonprofit charity group with indirect ties to the company recently chosen to run a casino at Aqueduct, New York officials said on Thursday.
The Great Race between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta is back on, Charles Cella, the owner of Oaklawn Park, said Thursday. According to Cella, the race will now be pushed back six days from its original date, and the connections of both horses have agreed to meet.
"The Apple Blossom Invitational has been renegotiated. Both principals are on line and have pledged to me they will enter their horses and race," Cella said. "The date will be Friday, the 9th of April. All other conditions remain the same."
Will he rate?
It's a question horseplayers regularly debate, but one that is magnified this time of year. 'Tis the season of Kentucky Derby preps, when many 3-year-olds are asked to stretch out in distance while stepping up in class. Those who respond to their riders often have the best chance for success, and identifying those horses before they establish such form can make for a lucrative spring for handicappers.
SYNTHETIC PREDICAMENTS
Seven weeks into the meet, track surface continues to dominate the news at Santa Anita. In heavy rain, the Pro-Ride synthetic surface does not drain, and racing is canceled. It has happened four times this winter, including another washout Feb. 6 caused by 3 1/2 inches of rain.
The latest cancellation postponed three key stakes - the Grade 1 Las Virgenes with Blind Luck, the Grade 2 Strub with Misremembered, and the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis with American Lion and Tiz Chrome. All three will be run Saturday, Feb. 13.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Woodbine's moving of the Queen's Plate to July 4 has helped give a new look to the track's 2010 stakes schedule, which comprises 103 stakes worth a total of $22.725 million.
The stakes calendar for the 167-day meeting which begins Friday, April 2, was released Thursday by the Woodbine Entertainment Group.
"The later date for the Queen's Plate allowed me more time for the preps, the feeder races," said Steve Lym, racing secretary and a director of racing for Woodbine. "In years past the Plate was in late June, and it was always a rush."
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The enthusiastic visitors, racing insiders, and fans who gain their way into trainer John Shirreffs's stable at Hollywood Park arrive with a singular purpose - to see undefeated two-time champion Zenyatta.
They will snap numerous photos and offer copious compliments before Shirreffs sometimes hits them with a surprise.
"And in this stall over here is Life Is Sweet," he'll say.
WHO'S HOT
Spared the brunt of a huge winter storm, the track managed to get the entire week in. David Cohen took advantage of a day when leading rider Ramon Dominguez came up empty, posting a triple Wednesday. Carlos Lopez also posted a triple, including a $36.60 upset on Huge Party for Linda Rice in the day's sixth race. Anna Napravnik had two winners.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jonathan Thomas has worn out a path to the Aqueduct winner's circle this winter. As the New York-based assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher, Thomas has been the guiding hand behind a stable that has won a meet-leading 25 races, with a .416 winning percentage, through the first half of Aqueduct's inner-track season.
Not bad for a man who, while riding steeplechase races competitively 10 years ago, suffered a severe spinal injury in a fall that left him paralyzed. Doctors told Thomas he would never walk again.
