Who Am I ???

*Primarily an East Coast horse, only one of my wins occurred west of the Mississippi. *My victories had a five eighths of a mile spread between the shortest and the longest. *I was a champion who was bred and owned by a classic Kentucky farm. *I went out with a bang, as my final career race was a victory on July the 4th. *Despite coming within a nose of becoming a graded stakes winner in New York, I ended my juvenile season as a maiden. *I defeated one Eclipse Award winner in all five our meetings, but in my only race against a multiple Horse of the Year, I was well beaten. *Each of my grade 1 victories came at a distance of a mile and a quarter or more. *I may not have been the runner that my brother was, but I did accomplish something important that he never did. *My first five victories, four of them stakes, occurred at five different racetracks. *I was undefeated in my final season of racing, but all my biggest victories came the year before. *I owe a large debt of gratitude to Jeanne, as do many others. You should know by now … Who Am I ???

Kantharos Has Been Retired

The leading juvenile in the nation, Kantharos, has been retired, it was announced today. The son of Lion Heart, owned by Stonestreet Stables, and trained by Steve Asmussen, suffered a career finishing leg fracture while galloping out following a five furlong workout yesterday at Saratoga. Already a two-time graded stakes winner, Kantharos retires with a perfect record in three starts. Here is a video of each of his devastating wins.

ZATT is Silenced

I was so looking forward to this past weekend. On Saturday, it would be the 141st running of the Travers Stakes. One of the most prestigious and historic races in America, this year’s edition featured a full field of eleven sophomore colts who appeared extremely evenly matched on paper. Then on Sunday, it was to be the next chapter of the Rachel Alexandra story. I have made no secret of my affection for the filly, and the Personal Ensign offered her numerous new challenges. It would be her first grade 1 of the year, her first race with one of the most respected horses in the country in Life at Ten, and her first attempt at the classic distance of a mile and a quarter. My anticipation for the weekend at Saratoga was intense, and heightening the anticipation was my personal confidence in the feeling that I knew who were going to win these two races. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here

Time to Open Your Eyes … This is Rachel

It’s time boys and girls. It’s time to open your eyes and see what is in front of you. Rachel Alexandra is ready, are you? To those who said she could not get the distance. Today is the day. In today’s Personal Ensign, she will get that classic ten furlongs that so many have doubted she could handle. What do we know about her chances to handle a mile and a quarter? Rachel is sired by the excellent runner Medaglia d’Oro, who won the ten furlong Travers, and was second in the 12 furlong Belmont, not to mention consecutive seconds in the 1 ¼ mile Breeders’ Cup Classic. It was no surprise that he could get the distance, being out of the superior sire line of Sadler’s Wells. Will his daughter be able to navigate the classic distance? In races at nine furlongs or longer, Rachel has a perfect record of seven wins in seven tries. The day she won the 1 3/16 Preakness by one length, she was hounded for most of the first mile by a world class sprinter named Big Drama. Handle the distance? Rachel can and will. To those who said she could beat top competition. Today is the day. Life at Ten is the now horse. She has won six in a row, including a grade 1 and a grade 2 in her last two starts. She is coming off a win at this distance, and I have seen many pick her to win the Personal Ensign. Good. I am glad that Rachel will run against a really good horse. Is she as good as Rachel? Whether you look at Beyer speed figures, or the Ragozin numbers, Life at Ten is simply not in the same stratosphere as the future Hall of Famer. She wasn’t last year, and she is not this year, and once they go around the track today that will become clear. I hope Life at Ten brings her best today, I honestly do, she will need it to test Rachel today. Personally I think Life at Ten’s race for second with the rapidly improving Miss Singhsix might be the interesting contest. Bring it on Life at Ten. To those who said she could not run like she did last year, and no longer handle grade 1 competition. Today will be further evidence that the ultimate plan is working. Last year she was pushed early for the big races of the Spring and Summer. She passed with flying colors and in historic fashion. In winning all five grade 1 races she entered, Rachel did things never before done by a sophomore filly. Her average margin of victory in those grade 1 wins was by an astounding figure of more than nine lengths. This year she has been asked much more judiciously to have her at her best in November. She is getting better month by month, and is already running big. Don’t forget in her win in the Fleur de Lis, she carried more weight and ran faster than did the much respected Blame in winning the Foster a few races later. Races in which he was all out, and she was not. Despite her easy wins in her last two, people are not satisfied. Fine. This year is designed for her to have plenty more left in the tank as the races become more important. The Breeders’ Cup is the goal this year. Rachel has already defeated a dozen horses who have won grade 1 races. That list will grow today. Is she the same horse as last year? I think in the end, she will prove to be even better. Rachel Alexandra runs today in the Personal Ensign … I say enjoy the show!

Fourth Time's a Charm

Durability in thoroughbred horse racing is not what it used to be. Gone are the warriors of the past that danced every dance, year after year. You seldom see horses any more who can run well against the highest levels of competition over periods of four, five, even six seasons of racing. Where have horses like Kelso, Forego, and John Henry gone? There may be no timeless, gelding greats of that ilk in today’s Pacific Classic, but we do have a horse who has been unafraid to knock heads with the big boys in each of his five seasons of racing. A horse who will go anywhere, run on anything, and without fail, give 100%. His name is Awesome Gem. ***The remainder of today's column can be found on Youbet.com*** Click Here

Here’s Why Fly Down Wins

There is no doubt that the Mid-Summer Derby is one of my favorite races of the season. Year and year out, it acts as a great bridge between the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup. This year’s edition of the Travers is no different. What it lacks in superstars, it makes up for with competitiveness. There is literally not one horse, among the eleven, that would be a major surprise to me if they crossed the wire first. Having said that, I have a couple of reasons why I believe Fly Down may be the one to prove victorious. Reason number one is stamina. In watching years of Travers, it occurs to me that this is a race in which the need for stamina is somewhat underrated. Saratoga’s dirt course combined with the classic distance seem to weed out the horses that do not appreciate the extra furlong. This year there is a clear division, in my mind at least, between horses who will get the distance, and those who will deploy the parachute at some point in the stretch. You can make a case that the only four likely to not need an oxygen tank at the eighth pole are the four horses who ran (and did well) in the triple crown races, namely Super Saver, Ice Box, First Dude, and Fly Down. The other seven have never been the distance for a variety of reasons, but the bottom line is the Travers will prove a tough race to attempt the distance for the first time. I would be more likely to forgive this drawback if any of the other seven had breeding that screamed distance … none do. Reason number two is pace. A full field of eleven gunning for a million dollar win should ensure solid early fractions. Also, in looking over the field’s past performances, there are several horses in here who need to be on or near the lead. The combination of those two things have bells and whistles going off in my handicapping brain. A fast and contested pace, with many of the field’s contestants not wanting the distance anyway, should lead to some serious staggering down the lane. It also should set the race up nicely for the closers. For that reason, I prefer Nick Zito’s pair of Fly Down and Ice Box over my other two contenders based on stamina, Super Saver and First Dude, who both want to be part of the early pace. Of Fly Down and Ice Box, I believe the former is just a better horse, and will beat his barn mate. A repeat of his Dwyer or Belmont performance should be plenty good enough to see Fly Down victorious in tomorrow’s Travers, and don’t be too surprised if you see New York Nick Zito all smiles after the race with a 1-2 finish. It ought to be a fun, and counting the hours down in anticipation of the big race, has me recalling some of my favorite Travers. There may be none more memorable than my very first. The year was 1978 … for my memories on that epic showdown, please visit today’s piece on ZATT History.