Stonestrreet trying to buy Rachel Alexandra - from DRF

[covelj70]

Mike,

They took the chip out.  IEAH decided to pass when they found the chip in the vetting.  The owners got very lucky as the chip hadn\'t done any damage to the surrounding area yet as it was very small and it was new and the filly wasn\'t exhibiting any signs of discomfort and there was no heat yet, etc.

If it wasn\'t for the IEAH vetting, the chip could have gotten worse and done some damage before they caught it.

Thank god for once!

[miff]

Cov,

Thanks, knowing that crew they must be ill that they passed on Rachel esp with IWR\'s future in doubt.


Mike

[Silver Charm]

P-Dub Steinbrenner was a bully. I do not get the impression Jackson is a bully though he certainly has had his share of opinions on Yearling Sales and the integrity of the Central Kentucky Breeders.

Some of these elderly guys have a ton of money, know they can\'t take it with them and are having fun. So why not?

Borel may not have to make a decision in two weeks and if they Derby winner doesn\'t win in Baltimore he may not have to make one at all becuase those same guys might skip the Belmont. But if you were wondering he is telling you who is best below.

Borel didn\'t hesitate Thursday when asked who he would pick if forced to make a choice between Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird.

\"Oh, the filly, I\'d have no choice,\" Borel told the Daily Racing Form. \"She\'s a once-in-a-lifetime horse.\"

[covelj70]

When Ivaronne was telling me about it, I tried to make him feel better by saying, \"it\'s 50/50 that they ever come back the same from the ankle chips and run the same\" and he quickly came back with, \"no, it\'s more like 95/5 that they never come back the same.\"  Hard for anyone not to be bitter about that.

my own experience is closer to the 95/5 with the ones I have owned so they definitiely got unlucky here.

That was a tough break.

I will say this though, the guy who picks out their horses really really knows what he is doing.  He\'s a good guy and I like him alot.  He really has an eye for horse mechanics.  I didn\'t listen to him last week when he told me he was most worried about POTN beating IWR (before IWR got hurt).  I could have keyed POTN instead of the dynamic duo from Dubai if I had half a brain.

[ColonelShillito]

This is purely racetrack gossip, but I heard one of the major trainers say that he believes Mr. Jackson has cancer.  Once again, purely racetrack gossip.

[miff]

Borel to ride Rachel Alexandra
 
 
Calvin Borel, aboard Rachel Alexandra, will become the first jockey to take off a Derby winner to ride a different horse in the Preakness.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The new connections of Rachel Alexandra issued a press release Friday to announce that the filly will face male rivals in the Preakness Stakes next Saturday \"if she continues to be in perfect condition\" and that jockey Calvin Borel has agreed to continue riding her in all of her races this year.

Jess Jackson, whose Stonestreet Stables purchased Rachel Alexandra this week in partnership with Harold T. McCormick and turned over the filly to trainer Steve Asmussen, said in the release that retaining Borel \"came down to the facts that he knows and loves this horse, that he knows how to get the most from her. We think this is a perfect match of rider and horse.

[P-Dub]

Charm,

Didn\'t mean to imply Jackson was a bully or bad guy. But like the Yankees, they acquire talent from other \"teams\" that have already established themselves, then makes an offer they can\'t refuse.  Thats all. He seems like a good guy to me.

[Silver Charm]

He ran Curlin as a four year old and did not duck anybody in the world. Others took the money or dished it out and ran to the breeding shed.

Owning and racing horses can become like a drug. Once you are hooked you can not get off it. This guy is hooked and has the cash to get his fix.

Rachel will not running on any undercards........and if you go back to the old Seabiscuit and Sam Riddle storys this is what racing used to be all about.

[Barry Irwin]

I would like to point out something that I don\'t think most American handicappers understand.

Fillies and mares can run successfully against males in Europe and Britain because they are racing on grass.

Fillies and mares cannot run as successfully against males in North American if the races are on dirt.

The difference is that when horses run on turf, they are racing on top of the ground. When they race on dirt, they have to slug their way through it.

Big difference.

Former requires speed.

Latter requires strength.

Just think of Curlin as an example of a dirt horse that couldn\'t as effective on the turf. He was a power runner, not a speed runner.

Most horses in America of either sex that act on grass and not dirt do so because they lack strength, especially in their hind ends.

[Michael D.]

Barry Irwin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would like to point out something that I don\'t
> think most American handicappers understand.
>
> Fillies and mares can run successfully against
> males in Europe and Britain because they are
> racing on grass.
>
> Fillies and mares cannot run as successfully
> against males in North American if the races are
> on dirt.


Rags To Riches and 8Belles were not underlays. If anything, the American bettor underestimated both. Not sure what they will do with RA though. If she were a colt, it would be even money. Let\'s see what happens.

So I assume RA hasn\'t scared Hull out of the race. Good news, and good luck.

[Funny Cide]

And this differs from the Sheikh and IEAH how?  At least Jackson doesn\'t seem to way overpay the way those do.

[jimbo66]

The sheikh buys, races once or twice, then retires them.  Ala Street Sense (no races), Any Given Saturday (0 races), Bernardini didn\'t come back, Vineyard Haven - who knows ditto on the BC Juvenile winner last year.

[Funny Cide]

lol.  Yeah, they get retired, but it\'s not intentional.

[tmon]

Barry you were probably at Oaktree in 1975 and watched the first  National Thoroughbred Championship.I hope you remember who won it. It was Dulcia an Argentinian mare. I was there and had my money on her. If I remember right she paid nice 8-1? Mares can beat the males if they are better then them on race day. Thinking anything else is foolish.

[Flighted Iron]

Silver,
 
 Great points.Love the old school,however what\'s your stance on the breed itself
with regard to durability?They may have purchased the next one,so what\'s the hurry?If what you say is correct regarding Jackson getting his horse race on,then
wouldn\'t it be prudent with the buzz to see how good this beeeaaatch is at four,
let alone five?

respectfully,
mjs