News Release - 50,000 Trading Cards of Rachel Alexandra/Zenyatta to be Printed

HOT SPRINGS NATIONAL PARK, Arkansas — Fifty thousand trading cards of champions Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta will be printed Wednesday, February 24, to provide free souvenirs of the $5 million Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn Racing and Gaming on April 9. The cards — 25,000 of each horse — are being printed by the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau to help maximize the impact for Oaklawn, the city and Arkansas of this once-in-a-lifetime event, said Steve Arrison, the CVB’s CEO. “We’ve done a series of trading cards in the past,” Arrison said. “Most of those have featured President Bill Clinton and his connection to his hometown of Hot Springs. We did a card featuring the racehorse Smarty Jones, which proved tremendously popular with the public. “The cards carry the message that Hot Springs has a link to the subject of the cards, and they’ve gone all over the globe publicizing Hot Springs.” The cards are being printed at a cost of $2,395, Arrison said, at Arkansas Graphics in Little Rock. The first public distribution of the cards will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 2, at the downtown Visitor Center in Hill Wheatley Plaza on Central Avenue at the southern end of Bathhouse Row. One copy of each card will be given free to all who attend, Arrison said. Oaklawn also will distribute free copies of the cards on Saturday, March 6. The cards will be given away as long as supplies last, Arrison said. “The Apple Blossom Invitational has already attracted unprecedented attention around the globe for Oaklawn, Hot Springs and the state of Arkansas,” Arrison said. “These Apple Blossom trading cards will give people a free souvenir of a great time at a great racetrack in a great city in a great state.” Calling it “one of the most important moments at Oaklawn and in Arkansas sports,” Oaklawn President Charles J. Cella announced earlier this month that Oaklawn is increasing the purse of the Grade I Apple Blossom to $5 million, the largest purse for a filly and mare race in the history of North American thoroughbred racing. Cella said the owners of both Rachel Alexandra (Jess Jackson) and Zenyatta (Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss) had agreed to bring their horses to Oaklawn for the April 9 race, which will also feature eight other invited fillies and mares. Rachel Alexandra (Three-Year-Old Filly) and Zenyatta (Older Filly or Mare) were unanimous Eclipse Award winners in their respective divisions in 2009 and were the only finalists for horse racing’s highest honor – The Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. In one of the closest ballots in recent memory, Rachel Alexandra was named Horse of Year. Oaklawn has long been perceived as the ideal neutral ground for the dream matchup, because both have used the Arkansas oval as a launching pad to future success. As a lightly-raced but promising 4-year-old in 2008, Zenyatta captured her first Grade 1 victory in that year’s Apple Blossom, beating then reigning champion Ginger Punch among others in her only start outside of California and only start on a conventional dirt surface. She has since gone on to post a perfect record, highlighted by her victory in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic and her victory against males in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic, in what was believed at the time to be the final race of her career. Rumblings about Zenyatta’s “un-retirement” began to be felt in December and Moss made it official Saturday, Jan. 16. Rachel Alexandra kicked off her three-year-old campaign at Oaklawn with a pair of eye-popping stakes wins in the Martha Washington and the Fantasy Stakes. Her record victory in the Kentucky Oaks the day before the Kentucky Derby clearly stamped her as the best three-year-old filly in the nation. She proved more than that in her next start when she became the first filly to win the Preakness Stakes in 85 years. Rachel Alexandra beat three-year-old colts again in the Haskell and became the first three-year-old filly to win the prestigious Woodward Stakes against older males in September. “We have always pursued a goal of bringing the world’s best racing to Arkansas,” Cella said. “That is what led us to create the Racing Festival of the South more than 30 years ago. We have been even more fortunate in recent years. That gives us the opportunity to fulfill the promises we continually make to our fans, our horsemen and all of our supporters — and it will most certainly fulfill every promise made.”

The Happening at Hot Springs

OK, we now know Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, or should I say their owners, have graciously agreed to run against each other for the paltry sum of $5 million. Sportsmen or businessmen? It makes no matter to me, I am much more interested in seeing these two magnificent and historically significant horses square off on the Oaklawn oval, than having any further discussions about their wealthy connections. The pair’s accomplishments to this date are nothing short of phenomenal and the prospect of them testing each other, to see once and for all who is the better lady, is absolutely mouth watering. The world should be watching. Set for Friday, late afternoon on April 9, many worry that this time will not do the race, nor the sport, the justice it deserves. I have a possible solution…why not put The Happening at Hot Springs under the lights, so it can be a Friday night national celebration? Let’s face it, if we want more people to view the race, a primetime race is far more desirable than a late afternoon post time. The Masters golf tournament will be finishing for the day and the sports fan will be compelled and ready to see racing’s great showdown. Women and girls around the nation will be tuned in to watch the battle of the babes. The excitement created last Summer at Churchill Downs was a clear indication that night racing can add excitement to the festivities of the day’s races, but in the case of The Happening at Hot Springs, the benefits could be far greater. By having the race closer to primetime throughout the nation, viewership could increase exponentially. Churchill Downs was trying to boost attendance, enthusiasm, and handle by offering night racing, and they accomplished all three in a big way with their Friday night cards. Oaklawn would be trying to do the same thing, only not on site, but rather for a national audience. To test the plan Churchill erected temporary lights through an Iowa company, Musco Lighting, who advertises rapid set-up and tear-down, and achieving desired results without breaking the budget. The plan worked so well, that Churchill has now gone to permanent lighting to continue to offer occasional night racing. It is not too late for Oaklawn to change the post times for the day and procure the temporary lighting. Oaklawn, you did it, the spotlight is shining brightly on your track. The first ever showdown between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta promises to be the biggest match up we have seen in Thoroughbred horse racing since most of us were born. Why not take it one step farther and shine that light just a little brighter…“Ladies and Gentleman, Friday Night at the Races starring two bona fide superstars, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta in The Happening at Hot Springs!”

Rachel and Zenyatta ... It is On!

Oaklawn Park is set to announce that the $5 Million Apple Blossom Invitational is back on.  It will be moved from April 3 to Friday, April 9 to accomodate the request of Rachel Alexandra's connections.  Both connections have agreed to run.

Rachel vs. Zenyatta for … One Trillion Dollars???

Not quite, but it could be closer than you may think. Oaklawn Park owner and president Charles Cella has proclaimed a major announcement is forthcoming. Apparently, he is primed to promote one of the biggest races ever seen at the historic racetrack. The details of what he will announce at 10 a.m. CST tomorrow have been kept quiet. The immediate reaction by everyone, was to assume he was speaking of the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap and the possible combatants. The match up that everyone craves to see, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta together on the racetrack, taking place on April the 3rd at Oaklawn Park. Could this actually be the big announcement? Yes. Here is what I expect Mr. Cella to announce: Oaklawn Park will offer $5 million if both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, run in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom. That would mean the normal Apple Blossom purse will be increased by ten times, making it the richest winner’s purse in American racing history, which in turn would mean that the chances of getting them together in the starting gate, in eight short weeks, is quite good. Five million dollars is big. It demonstrates a willingness by important people within the business to do whatever it takes to see our sport step up and promote the best thing that has happened in racing for a long time. I praise Mr. Cella and the Oaklawn Jockey Club for going for it in a big way. Alone Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are both stars. Together they will create a happening that many feared was lost forever in the world of Thoroughbred horse racing. The huge purse increase for the megastars creates a bit of a slippery slope, but frankly, I do not care. The bottom line is we see Rachel and Zenyatta together, once and for all. Why Oaklawn and the Apple Blossom? It provides a fair dirt track that both horses have run on, and won on previously. Zenyatta won the 2008 Apple Blossom impressively. In her only career start on dirt, she defeated the reigning Eclipse Award winning mare, Ginger Punch. Meanwhile, Rachel Alexandra won two of her first three starts in her 2009 Horse of the Year campaign, romping in both the Martha Washington and Fantasy Stakes. The timing of the Apple Blossom also opens the door for more meetings throughout the year, hopefully culminating with both stars racing in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. Leading up to the Apple Blossom, look for both horses to have one preparatory race. For Zenyatta, it will likely be the Santa Margarita Invitational at Santa Anita on March 13. Rachel Alexandra very well could use the newly created New Orleans Ladies at the Fair Grounds on March 13 as her prep. Will this happen? Only time will tell, but if it does, the world will stand still as the stars align. Rachel Alexandra vs. Zenyatta, make it happen!

Mark Your Calendars Rachel Maniacs

All of a sudden the city of New Orleans is the place to be for the sporting inclined. Those oft downtrodden Saints, are scoring points by the bushels and sport a spotless 12-0 record. Big news for a team who’s fans wore more paper bags over there heads than most. Across town, a quick glance down the Asmussen shedrow at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds Race Course reveals an even bigger star than Drew Brees, Who dat? None other than the Ragin Cajun, The Queen of Bourbon Street, the Grand Mistress of Mardi Gras…Rachel Alexandra. The magnificent filly who has stormed through the racing world, with all the subtlety of dear, departed Sam Kinison, in winning the Golden Rod, Martha Washington, Fair Grounds Oaks, Fantasy, Kentucky Oaks, Preakness, Mother Goose, Haskell, and Woodward in succession, is being courted by the good people of New Orleans. If everything goes to plan, their wooing should see Rachel make her triumphant return to the races in the New Orleans Ladies. Mark your calendars and secure your plane tickets now. The date is March 13 and the place is Fair Grounds Race Course. The $200,000 New Orleans Ladies is newly created and a Rachel inspired race. It will be 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. The New Orleans Ladies should fit very nicely into the superstar’s 2010 schedule. A schedule designed to culminate at Churchill Downs on November 6, in the 27th running of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Now we know the likely starting point for our heroine and the ultimate climax, but what shall be in between? I’d like to take a crack at that right now. After a score in the New Orleans Ladies on March 13, Rachel will make a return trip to one of her favorite tracks, Oaklawn Park for a start in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom on April 3, also at 1 1/16 miles. The three weeks is a bit of a quick turn-around, but should set her up with a nice foundation for the bigger races to come. Rachel then will head North and take up residence at Churchill Downs. A little freshening should have her razor sharp for her first attempt against the boys in the Stephen Foster. The Grade 1 in June will be 1 1/8 miles over the same strip as the Breeders’ Cup. In July, Rachel will become the greatest horse to run at Delaware Park since Spectacular Bid, when she competes in the million dollar Delaware Handicap. This will give our star her first chance to excel at 10 furlongs. With four major wins under her belt, it will be time for Rachel to get some more work in against the boys. She will thrill the fans on the Jersey Shore one more time as she cuts back in distance to 1 1/8 miles around two turns in the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park in August. From New Jersey, Rachel will make the short trip to New York, where she will use the prestigious Beldame Stakes in early October as her final prep for her date with destiny. Belmont is a track Rachel likes, and the Beldame will afford the nation’s largest market another glimpse at greatness. Rachel will then arrive at Churchill Downs as the greatest female horse in history and the most popular thoroughbred since the glorious Triple Crown runs of the 1970s. The world will be watching on November the 6th as Rachel Alexandra makes her final lifetime start. Here is what the proposed schedule would look like laid out: March - New Orleans Ladies April - Apple Blossom Handicap June - Stephen Foster Handicap July - Delaware Handicap August - Iselin Handicap October - Beldame Stakes November - Breeders’ Cup Classic There you have it, a schedule fit for a queen. Seven races and seven more wins. Will this be the path that Rachel the Great follows to immortality? Ultimately that is up to Jess Jackson, as my proposed schedule is only conjecture of course, but isn’t it fun to imagine? Photo Courtesy and Property of Eric Kalet