What happens might depend on HOY. If Zenyatta wins it, my guess is Moss calls it a day. If Rachel Alexandra wins it, perhaps Moss will be looking for a spot before April to race against her. Apple Blossom makes most sense for both horses, but my guess is RA's camp wants nothing to do with it.

As usual great insight Negative,Zoo. I dont agree with your placing of Big Z in the history ranks of female horses,but that argument is subjective to personal opinion i suppose. I forgot about Dubai,and that could answer my big question as to why,this would make her an international star. There was a very good article debating this yesterday on DRF between Big Z and RA for HOY.

Santa Anita - Race 9

#12 Hunch (10/1 ml)

Big, talented Lion Heart colt gets the acid test here for Sadler, but note that Bejarano is getting off both Supreme Summit and New Bay in order to stay with this guy. Just a 4-horse field last time out, but that actually may have worked against him as he was forced to reel in the loose frontrunner Conclave, who in fact had gone postward as the 4/5 favorite. Note also that Conclave had things pretty damn easy up front while setting splits of 23 and 46, but this guy rolled up alongside him anyway and them engaged in some light bumping before turning loose an eye-catching late stride to going away while geared down at the wire (with a final furlong in 11.4). Based on that powerful finish, it doesn't appear the additional furlong will be a problem for him, in fact quite the opposite, especially if he gets a contested pace to run at. And he figures to be sitting in the clear again, with the far-outside draw and the long run into the turn. Definitely a big step up for this guy, but i think he has the talent to do it, and i think conditions will flatter his running style. Honorable mention to #11 Smart Bid (6/1 ml), whom i was looking at pretty closely as well.

Opening Day Santa Anita 12/26/09

1.) 11-10-7
2.) 8-3-9
3.) 7-6-9
4.) 1-9-2
5.) 5-7-8
6.) 5-8-9
7.) 6-5-7
8.) 10-4-9
9.)11-12-2
10.) 2-5-6

Value Value Value all day long i think.

!!!!! God Bless Zoey !!!!!

WoW!!! Front page DRF "ZENYATTA TO RUN IN 2010".....WoW!!!

Super excited Zenyatta is coming back. Hopefully she kicks rachel's ass. bummed Einstein is retired.

Well safe to say im HUGE excited as well, im a Zenyatta fan
I kept getting her works in my virtual stable,and after the 2nd one got a little curious.Big props to Zoobird,and he knows why,spot on my man! Please send me that forum again sir in a private message.

Well we are 24 hours away from the most anticipated HOY vote ever i believe,and we have had the argument here who we think should be HOY,and why,now its time for just the answer...Who Wins?

RA 2009 HOY



Everyone here knows im a Big Z super fan,but i think i saw RA win it in my sleep the other night. Hope im wrong.


Who does everyone else think,not why,but think will win?

Someone at the same forum as last time (different poster though) claimed that someone in a position to know told his wife that your dream is correct - RA will win.

An article in today's Bloodhorse mentioned that Z's connections discussed a possible prep race for the Apple Blossom, which is great news, since that would be the most likely place for a meeting between Z and RA.

Personally though, I want to see them meet in the Louisville Distaff on Derby day, since that's the only time when there will be a large TV audience of casual fans who will hopefully follow both of them for the rest of the year.

i got ROBBED today at Gulfstream, race 7 i threw out the two favorites and played all the long shots with the 1-4 in the double. Hit a nice priced horse, the 6 won paid $32, then in the 2nd leg the 1 horse paid $14 and was the 4th choice in the field. The 7th race was a huge field, 13 horses and wide open betting wise, the double should of came back at least $300 if not more, it paid $140 i felt sick when i cashed the ticket--

Congrats to RA there wasnt a wrong answer to this question this year. I learned not to question what i see,just accept it,and i have no idea why it happens,and its always with horses.

Mr Jackson,it is obvious you are dealing with something more than just horses at the moment,i wish you well.

I was looking to get into betting on horse racing a little. Is there a good book or good links I can read to get started? I know very little at this point but would like to learn. I looked in FAQ's but didnt really see anyting.

Thanks guys.

johnnytt i would start at the Daily Racing Form,from there you certainly will be in the right direction of what your looking for,they offer a wide variety. Good Luck

I say start off with Brad Free's "Handicapping 101", it is a great starter text. It is up to date and teaches the basics.

Once you learn all about the races and reading the past perfermances, I suggest Steven Crist's "Exotic Betting", this text shows you how to take the knowledge gleaned from your handicapping and turn it into winning strategies at the windows.

Cheers

I know very little about Horse racing but BF are doing a promotion in which a multiple bet is partially refunded if Rapid Increase(Folk 15:40) doesn't win today. I presume they expect him to win. The price has drifted out from 2 to 2.4. Thoughts?

It won...

Thanks.

I found 2 Handicapping 101: books you recommend both or is one better?

Handicapping 101: A Horse Racing Primer and

Handicapping 101: Finding the Right Horses and Making the Right Bets

Or they the same book?

Thanks again.

It is the same book except the primer was published in 2007 and has a chapter on synthetic racing surfaces, which the original text printed in 2004 did not have.

The three main SoCal tracks that Brad specializes at all have synthetic surfaces.

Not for long...a couple of days ago, they announced that Santa Anita is going back to dirt.

I've been away from the races for a few weeks but, if this is true.. this is great news, imo!

I'm not a huge fan of the synthetics.

Need 2010 Kentucky Derby picks!!!

Every year I make a few Derby future bets over at the hilton for my Dad's bday next week. Anybody have any suggestions or good picks? I prefer picking California horses because he'll be more familiar with them.

thanks!!

Lookin At Lucky
Owner Mike Pegram
Trainer Bob Baffert
Bred in KY by Gulf Coast Farms LLC
Sire Smart Strike
Jockey Garrett Gomez

California based horse......

Also yes Santa Anita Pro Ride out,and 90% sure going back to Dirt,Cal Horsemen not standing in the way. Good heads up Zoo,forgot to mention it myself...

I'm taking a slightly different approach on Zenyatta coming back and racing this year...

I love Zenyatta, and I want to see her race just like the rest of the avid race fans. But there was something so perfect about the way she closed out her 2009 bid. It was unreal with the serious closing job at the Breeders Cup. Just thrilling to watch.

I kind of like the way she went out on top. I mean what else can she do? If she loses at all it's going to cheapen her legacy (to me) just a little bit, no?

There's something to be said for athletes that retire on top, I'm just hoping that Zenyatta doesn't get upset in any of her races this year. And if she gets a chance to race RA, then so be it. But, if she just runs a few races and then calls it quits, god forbid she gets upset... I think I would be kind of sad.

By the way, I don't think horses are athletes, but I am trying to draw the comparison here.

Anybody, kind of nervous/upset/worried that her legacy will be cheapened by giving it a go in 2010?

Absolutely not cheapened at all by coming back, especially since it doesn't sound at all like they'll be looking for soft spots for her. I mentioned earlier in the thread that if you compare her accomplishments to the all time greats, she currently looks like she'd fit in somewhere in the low 20s (that's including males). She's unbeaten, but hasn't faced other truly great horses, has only run on dirt once, and has fewer races than any of the horses above her. Either a win over Rachel Alexandra or a 2nd Breeders Cup Classic would move her up substantially on the list. So would another 5 or 6 unbeaten races. Breaking the all-time earnings record (which either a BC win or a Dubai World Cup win would do) wouldn't count for as much, but it would help her legacy too. And if you want to talk about really crazy scenarios, her running style is awfully well suited to turf racing. If she goes to Europe and wins any big races later in the year, that would be a huge boost to her legacy.

Even losses in some scenarios wouldn't hurt her reputation. A close to loss to Rachel (provided Rachel continues to dominate) wouldn't hurt. A close BCC loss wouldn't hurt. And if were to take the turf route, even a strong loss (say 2nd or 3rd place) in the Arc would actually enhance her legacy.

Obviously if she goes out and loses to some no name in the Santa Margarita in March, that's a different story, and would be very disappointing...but taking on some challenges and succeeding is what separates the all-time greats (say, the top 20) from the rest.

Also, some corrections to an earlier post I made: The Lousville Distaff is no longer called the Lousville Distaff (it's the La Troienne) and it's not on Derby Day..it's the day before. Confusing as heck, because the race that used to be called the La Troienne was renamed the Eight Bells last year.

BTW, very strong field for Saturday's Holy Bull Stakes:

1 Thank U Philippe (FL) E Castro 116 M D Wolfson
2 Homeboykris (MD) E S Prado 122 R E Dutrow, Jr.
3 Litigation Risk (FL) A Garcia 116 R A Violette, Jr.
4 Piscitelli (KY) K J Desormeaux 116 R W Sacco
5 William's Kitten (KY) J R Leparoux 120 M J Maker
6 Winslow Homer (KY) R A Dominguez 116 A W Dutrow
7 Wild Lime (KY) J Lezcano 116 M J Trombetta
8 Aikenite (FL) J R Velazquez 116 T A Pletcher
9 Jackson Bend (FL) 3/C L J Rose 120 N P Zito

If someone wins impressively, they would arguably become the early season Kentucky Derby favorite.