Rachel is gonna RUN!

Finally! After the sale! After the jockey decision! After all the drama! All the ridiculous "collusion" and "plots" to keep her out of the race! It looks like she really is gonna make it to the Preakness on Saturday! Which means the BOYS had better WATCH OUT!

I honestly cannot imagine a horse on this EARTH - male, female or "other" LOL - beating this filly! Seriously. I have NEVER seen a horse like her in my lifetime! That's saying a lot! Granted I was not around when the ill-fated Ruffian ran, or Secretariat, or Seattle Slew or even Affirmed. But I think Rachel Alexandra might be right up there with that crowd - for sure!

Now I may be over hyping her just a bit because she didn't have a lot of competition in the Oaks on May 1st. Had Stardom Bound or Justwhistledixie made it maybe it wouldn't have been such a HUGE victory (I mean, 20 1/4 lengths is INSANE for ANY race ... let alone a race like the Kentucky Oaks!). We don't know if she could beat a proven mare like Zenyatta even ... boy would I pay good money to see that race! I'd fly across the WORLD to see it in person if I could!

But just as we saw Rags to Riches spin in the almighty Curlin's face on Belmont day two years ago ... I think we are going to see Rachel absolutely RUN AWAY from these boys in a few days. If not, I will gladly eat my words! I think the whole industry will. She is a freak. A tank. She is bigger than most of these colts (and geldings - counting the Derby winner, Mine that Bird). No reason at all to think she can't run with them ... and past them!

I cannot wait for Saturday afternoon! The sport needs this, desperately! A breath of fresh air! It's going to be great!! GO RACHEL!!! I just wish she had run on May 2nd instead of May 1st, because I swear ... not only would we be potentially looking at a superstar filly, we would be looking at our first Triple Crown winner in 29 years and our first Triple Crown winning FILLY in the history of the sport!

Just wait and see! :)

Calvin will be looking over his shoulder again on Saturday ... but it will be his Derby winning mount Mine that Bird, and the rest of the boys, who will be BEHIND him this time!

Speaking of Calvin, he's on Jay Leno tonight! Can't wait to see him ... love it when he gets this kind of recognition. The man is a legend, truly. Too underrated in our sport and I'm thrilled that he's getting the limelight again, just like he did in 2007 with Street Sense. Couldn't happen to a better guy!

Who do *I* like today?

This is unusual.

I honestly cannot make my Derby pick. So many of the best horses are out. All of my favorites. All of the horses I WOULD have had at the very top of my list. Okay, maybe not ALL ... but most of them - for certain.

Old Fashioned, retired. The Pamplemousse, out for 6 months to a year. Stardom Bound, out. Square Eddie, was back in - now he's out again. Even Quality Road's quarter crack issues forced him to pull out. So WHO is going to win the Derby in just a few days? I have no freaking clue!

Dunkirk (left)is my "gut feeling" horse at this very moment in time. He's my Barbaro. My Street Sense. My Big Brown. Unless something changes before Saturday morning, I think my gut wants me to stick with him. I want Pletcher to win his first Derby, too. It's time for him to get his roses.

BUT ...

I Want Revenge (below) is just too damn impressive. Don't get me wrong, so are all the other horses. But Revenge just has that ability to get it done no matter WHAT. He's already shown he can overcome adversity, and that is a HUGE plus in the Kentucky Derby. Something most three-year-olds never even have a chance to prove before they enter that starting gate on the first Saturday in May. Well, he already has shown us that talent and more. Plus, Joe Talamo might be young but that kid is ON FIRE. His pledge to donate $25,000 to a Children's Hospital in New Orleans if he wins is just the icing on the cake.

Fresian Fire, Chocolate Candy, Hold Me Back, Pioneerof the Nile ... they all have my attention as well. So in the end, I just don't know. We'll see.

What I do know is that I am probably more excited for Zenyatta's return on FRIDAY right now than anything else! So that is good. That's almost a sure bet right there! ;)

I'll be glad when Saturday night comes along and I can start rooting for my Triple Crown horse ... instead of the Derby horse. That's always a little easier!

More girl power?

The more I watch Stardom Bound, the more I wonder whether or not they will point her toward the Derby or the Oaks.

Just look at this flawless workout she had yesterday:



She is maturing beautifully. She has a fantastic closing style, just like Zenyatta. She was brilliant in the BC Juvenile Fillies and just as spectacular in the Oak Leaf. Never out of the money (never worse than 2nd)!

Granted. She'd have to get the perfect trip in order to take the Derby ...

Then again, considering so many of the top three-year-olds seem to be front runners, she might be able to just sit at the back of the pack all by herself and wait for the huge wall to just break down in front of her!

It's been 21 years since a filly has taken the Derby (RIP my beloved Winning Colors). We almost saw it last year, but witnessed tragedy instead with Eight Belles collapsing after her impressive second place finish. Of course we had Rags to Riches winning the Belmont in 2007, not sure anything can ever top that brilliant moment - especially considering she beat the "almighty" Curlin in that thrilling stretch duel! Zenyatta was, and is, a pleasure to watch - but sadly she missed out on the fame of the Triple Crown races.

Who knows. Maybe Stardom Bound can get the job done. What would be really something is if a filly could go ALL the way. Whether she heads to the Oaks or hits the Triple Crown trail, one thing is for sure. The greys are looking mighty strong this year!!

Looking forward to her three-year-old debut this Saturday! Let's see what this girl can do!

Curlin, again? Really?

I'll probably get into a bigger rant about it at a later date because I need to head off to bed ... but ... why? Oh why? Curlin? Seriously? Two years in a row? Sure, he's a great horse. Definitely the cream of the crop for his generation (though my favorite horse of '07 is still Street Sense by a long shot!). But he is NOT worthy of being honored in history with the likes of Cigar. Not even close. I was sad when he passed Cigar's North American earnings record. Now that he's won 2 HOTY titles in a row, I'm just downright depressed.

If he had won the BC Classic, maybe ... just maybe ... I would understand. But he failed. Miserably. Can't run on synthetics. Can't run on turf. Can't beat the fillies. I hate to quote Rick Dutrow Jr. because, well, like most people I can't stand the guy - as much as I love the horses he trains - but honestly ... "I don't know what's so great about Curlin!"

Sure he won the World Cup and the Gold Cup, yes he was always impressive. But he didn't run against anyone SUPER talented this year. Ultimately he ran against a bunch of "nobodys!" How does that qualify him to be the overwhelming choice for Horse of the Year? Other than his trip to Dubai, he didn't do anything that impressive IMHO!

Then you have Zenyatta who is PERFECT. Nine for nine. NEVER lost a race in her LIFE! Winning the Ladies' Classic in '08 in unbelievable fashion. Dessimating the field, wiping her hooves on any filly or mare she comes across. Never faltering. Poetry in motion. Nothing can keep that girl down. At the very least, I would have liked to have seen her get more votes than she did. Sigh.

Ah well. It was ineveitable, but I just don't understand the injustice of it all. Then to see Asmussen take the Eclipse Award for trainer as well just put an even more bitter taste in my mouth. Guh. Just ... guh. Hope I never get stuck working for THAT guy. Sure, he's better than Dutrow - who isn't - but I'm just not a fan.

At least Zenyatta took home Older Female, Big Brown took Three-Year-Old Male (like there was any doubt) and others like Proud Spell, Indian Blessing and Garrett Gomez got the recognition they all deserved. I just really wish Curlin didn't get so much hype. He is so overrated it's laughable. Too bad Big Brown had to retire two weeks before the Classic because it is so obvious he would have made Curlin eat his DUST. Then there would have been no competition to speak of. Sadly it was not meant to be.

For me, Big Brown will always be Horse of the Year and Zenyatta ... well ... she's in a class all her own! Can't wait to see her return this year, I just hope they made the right choice and that she runs safely. How awesome would it be to see her run against the boys? I think she would be spectacular and I cannot wait to see what she does next. Haven't been this excited about a mare or filly since Rags to Riches took the Belmont ... and oh yeah, who did she beat in that race? The invincible Curlin!?!? Hmmmmm. LOL! Since Rags had to retire early it would be a real treat to see Zenyatta go on to make an even BIGGER name for herself! Wouldn't want to see another George Washington tragedy unfold. :(

Congrats to all the winners, I just would have preferred it that Curlin only take home one trophy tonight instead of two. Oh well. He's done, retired, off to the breeding shed ... so guess they figured they'd let him go out with a bang. Even though they seem to forget his final race was a pretty pitiful loss. Like I said, "what's so great about Curlin?"

Get me Zenyatta back on the track and I'll be happy!

Someone get me up to Three Chimneys quick because I think I need to go visit Brownie to lift my spirits!! Still haven't gotten the chance to see him since he's been there and I'm DYING to. Have to remind myself what a fabulous year it was for racing in '08, and how close we truly came to a Triple Crown!

I say this every year and every year I have a little more hope in my heart ... but ... maybe this year will be THE year ...

Eclipse Awards

Waiting for the Eclipse Award winners to be announced.

So far Midshipman and Stardom Bound have taken home the 2YO honors.

Really holding my breath for Zenyatta to clench HOTY from Curlin, but I know she's a long shot for that title. She certainly deserves it more than he does though!