Rachel Alexandra Headed to Haskell

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The connections of Rachel Alexandra announced July 14 the next race for the filly will be the Haskell Invitational (gr. I) Aug. 2 at Monmouth Park.

“Rachel Alexandra is progressing well after her stakes record victory in the Mother Goose. She is in top condition. If this preparation continues, our target is to race in the Haskell Invitational in about three weeks,” said co-owner Jess Jackson in a statement. “We are all looking forward to seeing this great athlete perform again against both colts and fillies.”

The Haskell Invitational is a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds with a $1 million purse. Winner of seven consecutive races including the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and BlackBerry Preakness (gr. I), Rachel Alexandra turned in a 1:01.38 bullet five-furlong work at Saratoga July 13, her second work since taking the June 27 Mother Goose (gr. I) by nearly 20 lengths at Belmont Park.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/51676/rachel-alexandra-headed-to-haskell

[trumad]

1. 1 1/8

no problem...

[two gun sid]

2. She shouldn't have a problem...

and I hope she wins it. She's such a nice horse. I feel like we are living in a Golden Age of racing with all the good horses we have been seeing. It's a damn shame our fan base is so small.

[aaronbees]

4. This race sets up nicely for her

I'd love to see her win by 20. Good to see the Belmont winner in there - can they woo Mine That Bird? That would be sweet as well, but I bet Woolley stays with the West Virginia Derby and then the Travers plan. Maybe Rachel could go to the Travers as well?

With Zenyatta and Rachel, I agree on a nice little Golden Age, at least for fillies and mares.

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7. If I was Woolley...

I skip the Haskell and put MTB in a race like the WVa Derby. If I want to have another go at Rachel, I take a confident and dead fit MTB to Saratoga and catch her there if she goes in the Travers.

It is a Golden Era. LITF, Smarty, Funny Cide, Afleet Alex, Curlin, Rags...the list could go on and on. The old days ain't ever coming back and horses aren't gonna race as often as they did as recently as the '70's. But the horses we've seen in the last few years are uncommonly good. I love it.

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3. Asmussen suspended for six months

The Lone Star Park board of stewards on Thursday suspended trainer Steve Asmussen six months and fined him $1,500 after one of his horses, Timber Trick, tested positive for a lidocaine metabolite in 2008.

Maggi Moss, an attorney who represents Asmussen, said on Thursday an appeal has been filed with the Texas Racing Commission. Moss said she has also asked the commission for a stay of Asmussen's penalty. Moss said she was disheartened with the ruling Thursday.

"I think as both a lawyer and a horsewoman that I have always believed that the truth through fairness always comes out, she said. "It is clear that everyone who participated or sat through this hearing believes Steve is innocent of this and that therefore makes it very sad for him and for racing in general."

Texas has a zero-tolerance policy on the local anesthetic, which is a Class 2 medication violation. The suspension is scheduled to run from July 20, 2009, to Jan. 15, 2010.

http://drf.com/news/article/105544.html

This quote from Asmussen made me laugh: "I know that I didn't do this, and I strongly believe that you know how important it is to avoid having something like this happen because you do not want to be in this sort of trouble over a 3-year-old maiden when you have access to the Curlins and Rachel Alexandras of the world, which I have. And this sort of trouble jeopardizes that."

Bwahahaha. Steve is so full of shit.

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5. Asmussen to Fight Six-Month Texas Suspension

Steve Asmussen, currently the country’s leading trainer in money and races won, was slapped with a six-month suspension and a $1,500 fine by the Lone Star Park stewards on July 16 for a positive urine test that contained a lidocaine metabolite in a horse he trained in 2008.

Asmussen’s attorneys immediately filed an appeal with the Texas Racing Commission, and a stay was granted late in the afternoon of July 16.

The suspension, which was scheduled to begin July 20, was meted out by the stewards after they conducted a one-day hearing on July 7.

After the stay was granted, Maggi Moss, one of Asmussen’s attorneys, said that the 2008 Eclipse Award-winning trainer would “fight this as long as it takes to get to the truth.”

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/51710/asmussen-to-fight-six-month-texas-suspension

Business as usual. It pisses me off that fucksticks like Asmussen, Frankel, Dutrow, Pletcher, Baffert. etc., guys blessed with rich owners and good horses, continue to get away this shit year after.

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6. The good old days, which are not today

When it comes to the evergreen topic of “what’s wrong with racing,” everyone has an opinion. (And, as a local track worker likes to remind me, opinions are like butts — everyone has one).

Some folks say it’s the marketing.

Others believe it’s the high takeout on bets.

Others decry the lack of superstars racing past their third year.

http://www.thatsamorestable.net/blog/?p=275

Great blog post everyone interested in the sport should read.

[aaronbees]

9. Spot on ... and that's always a great blog .... eom.

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8. Evita Argentina Shines Brightly in A Gleam

Evita Argentina charged from last to post a two-length victory in the $150,000 A Gleam Handicap (gr. II) (VIDEO) at Hollywood Park July 18 to become the first 3-year-old to win the race since Honeymoon in 1946.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, Evita Argentina headed the other 3-year-old in the field, Lady Lumberjack, under urging at the sixteenth pole. She drew off to win smartly while completing the seven furlongs on Cushion Track in 1:21.80.

Only one other 3-year-old, Painted Veil in 1941, has won the A Gleam.

John Sadler trains Evita Argentina, who won the seven-furlong San Vicente Stakes (gr. II) over males in February for owner Halo Farms and Three Sisters Thoroughbreds. Halo Farms' Kentucky-bred daughter of Candy Ride --Jealous Wildcat, by Forest Wildcat, won for the third time in six starts at seven panels.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/51738/evita-argentina-shines-brightly-in-a-gleam