Horse Update: Zenyatta Wins, Rachel Loses, and Lookin’ At Lucky Confirms Kentucky Derby Favorite Status

“Even Secretariat lost to Onion,” my dad said after watching the brilliant Rachel Alexandra lose to Zardana at 1 to 9 this past Saturday. The reigning Horse of the Year just didn’t have enough in the tank to hold off the John Shirreff’s trained Zardana in the New Orleans Ladies’ Stakes. Rachel looked terrific tracking the pace-setter before taking off in the lane and trying desperately to hold off Zenyatta’s stable-mate.

The way Rachel responded once Zardana came up to her leads me to believe that Steve Asmussen and Jess Jackson, her trainer and owner, were both right in assuming that Rachel was only 80% to 85% fit. Asmussen and Jackson said after the race that Rachel wouldn’t make the April 9th Apple Blossom Invitational where, according to most reports, the 2009 Horse of the Year would have met the undefeated Zenyatta.

There will be grumblings that Rachel’s connections are scared of Zenyatta, but I don’t believe that’s the case. A lot of times trainers run horses in minor stakes races in order to get them ready for some bigger races down the road. That appears to be the case here. Rachel’s connections are set on winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic next fall and there are a ton of races in the up coming Belmont and Saratoga summer meets in New York. Rachel is a dirt first gal which means that she won’t be running at Keeneland or at any of the SoCal tracks.

They’re going to take their time with her, build her up, and take down a seriously important mixed gender race some time in the spring. Asmussen wanted to know where he was with the superstar filly. Now, he does. Expect the real Rachel Alexandra to be back in about 6 to 8 weeks.

Zenyatta Still Amazing

The real Zenyatta never left. She faced a ton of trouble in the lane in the Grade I Santa Margarita this past Saturday, jockey Mike Smith had to take her inside and then outside again, but it just didn’t matter. She still managed to beat up a group of female horses that had no business being on the same track as her.

To Bet on Horse Racing >> Join Now!

Zenyatta is now 15 and 0 and could break Citation and Cigar’s record of 16 straight graded victories without a defeat by mid-summer. I doubt she will face the boys until this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic where Rachel Alexandra is likely to be in the field. Even without Rachel showing up, however, the April 9th Apple Blossom could be a tough race for Zenyatta. First, it’s an invitational this year which means some of the best female horses in the world will be entered. Second, Zenyatta hasn’t run on dirt since winning the Apple Blossom in her 2008 campaign. She should have no issues with the surface, but this is horse racing and like Rachel Alexandra proved this past Saturday, anything is possible.

Lookin’ At Lucky isn’t Lucky, He’s Just Good

Bob Baffert’s top Kentucky Derby contender, the Smart Strike sired Lookin’ At Lucky, isn’t lucky at all. He’s just the best 3 year old in the world right now.

Not only was Lookin’ At Lucky running on dirt for the first time in his career, but he was also running with blinkers and had to check on the back stretch before making a patented move to run down rival Noble’s Promise. How good was the 2009 2 year old Eclipse Award winner? As good as any horse I have seen in a Kentucky Derby prep in years.