Borel off Bird for Rachel in Preakness

[moses]

Originally Posted by HaloWishingwell

well we know that MINE THAT BIRD can run up the rail with Borel. Let's see if he can run Baltimore Harbor wide with Mike Smith.

Is it confirmed Mike Smith will be riding MTB?

[Left Bank]

Originally Posted by Gander

This is awesome stuff! So many storylines for the Preakness, a race that was looking to come up a dud.

I hope Chantal gets the mount on Bird so they can do an epsiode of "Jockeys" at Pimlico.

If she is gonna ride,they may as well stay home.She sucks!!!

[letswastemoney]

Originally Posted by Left Bank

If she is gonna ride,they may as well stay home.She sucks!!!

......

[King Glorious]

I just don't get all the people saying it's too soon to run her back but it's not too soon for the boys that ran a harder race and have one less day. Plus the fact that she's better than them. I don't see why it has to be either/or in regards to the fall races. Why can't she run in the Preakness and run in the Haskell/Whitney then the Travers? Nobody would suggest that was an insane schedule for a colt and it shouldn't be for her. Serena's Song and Winning Colors are two examples of females that took on the males multiple times during the year and didn't suffer because of it.

[asudevil]

I predict she wins the Preakness and maybe runs once more. They will ruin her.

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by asudevil

I predict she wins the Preakness and maybe runs once more. They will ruin her.

Yeah....just like they ruined Curlin.

[CSC]

I never thought this thread would be nearing 300 posts, typical of my handicapping lately!

[asudevil]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

Yeah....just like they ruined Curlin.

I don't recall them running Curlin 15 days after posting a huge number.

[CSC]

Originally Posted by Sightseek

Yeah....just like they ruined Curlin.

It's not like the Oaks was hard on her, it was more a paid workout and really this Preakness field is not the deepest.

[ALostTexan]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

In my opinion, if an owner is so scared about RA beating their horse, that they decide to enter more horses to exclude her there is a much more respectable and less chickensheet way to go about it..

Just dont enter your own horse if you think the only way you can win is if she is not in there.

I wouldnt be surprised if it happens either, I just be embarrassed.

As I was saying...

Zayat acknowledged that he could throw a curveball into the mix by entering enough horses to exclude Rachel Alexandra from the Preakness. She was not nominated to the Triple Crown and would have to be supplemented to the Preakness for $100,000, and she would have no preference over nominated horses if the race draws more entries than the maximum of 14 starters.


Zayat led all owners with 22 nominees to the Triple Crown.


“Can I theoretically fill the field out? Yes,” Zayat said. “I have enough colts that are nominated that have a legitimate shot to run. Can I get her out? Yeah, I can, but I’m not really sure that’s what I want.”

Thoroughbred Times article

Will be interesting to see what transpires over the next few days...

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by asudevil

I don't recall them running Curlin 15 days after posting a huge number.

You're right, instead they got him to run one of the best races of his life 14 days after the Derby in which everyone said was proof that they were pushing him too hard and followed that up 5 weeks later with one of the most memorable Belmont Stakes in history.

just in case people want to view the Oaks
display again while reading these posts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRGvbUmqv-s

[Sightseek]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Yeah....but she's a girl. And horses can't run anymore without 7-8 weeks in between starts remember?

And if you recall in Curlin's year, the 2 horses that ran in all 3 triple crown races.....ran 1-2 in the Breeders Cup Classic. (I kind of took that from Dunbar)

Don't get me wrong because I think McLaughlin is a very nice person and I admire that he works so hard, but could you imagine the excuses he would have had for not trying new things with Curlin or not running in all three Triple Crown races?

I understand people have their issues with Assmussen and/or Jackson, but they set out an ambitious schedule for Curlin last year (the Arc for example) and they never moved forward with their plans without Curlin indicating he was up to them. I think that's good horse management.

[Pedigree Ann]

Originally Posted by Scav

for the Travers? I have no idea on this but how many times has a filly even tried the Travers, let alone won it, it can't be very many...

Three of the first 5 Travers winners were fillies - Maiden (1865), Ruthless (1867), and The Banshee (1868). Nellie Gray was second in 1871, Sultana won in 1876, Brademante was second in 1877, then Liza was a winner in 1895.

In the 20th Century, we had 1903 winner Ada Nay and 1915 winner Lady Rotha, the most recent female winner, although other have tried. Prudery in 1921 and Nimba in 1927 each tried to add the Travers to her Alabama win, only to run second . And champion filly Bed o' Roses was second in 1950. How many others started and failed to place, I cannot tell without more work than I care to do.

[Pedigree Ann]

Originally Posted by sdjcom

Well they sell the horse out from under him, he has a shot to win triple crown(yes i said a shot not sure thing). MTB people trusted in him and he got another Derby under his belt, A triple Crown Bid and he sells out the Bird people, i'm disappointed he didn't stick by his guns and stay on Bird. The filly is great but it's a matter of principle. Has any jockey in history come off a horse by choice who was alive for TC? Borel will live to regret this no matter how many he wins with RA. Cheap shot by him, but i know it's a business, but TC try means more to me than riding a Super Filly. He may never get another shot @ TC and besides, those two derby rides he won i think he's no better than many other jockeys. Calvin Borel no class and a sell-out imo.

Borel's been riding Rachel since last November - 5 races, her entire stakes-winning streak - while the Derby ride on Mine that Bird was essentially a pick-up mount; he'd never ridden the horse before. I doubt he had a multi-race contract with the MTB people, who didn't even expect to win the Derby. Emotionally, he is clearly more involved with the filly; he believes she is something very special and wants to stay with her on her ride to immortality. He is not double-crossing anybody; he is making a decision which he is entitled to make as he sees fit.

[CSC]

I have a feeling the new Jockey for MTB will be either Mike Smith(if you haven't been living under a rock) or Jeremy Rose.

[Left Bank]

Originally Posted by CSC

I have a feeling the new Jockey for MTB will be either Mike Smith(if you haven't been living under a rock) or Jeremy Rose.

I think they would have a shot with Rose.Smith would blow it,and so would Chantal{Nudge nudge}

[Suffolk Shippers]

If Rachel Alexandra goes to post, it will be with Borel. Does anyone have some insight on who might ride Mine That Bird?

[Kasept]

Mike Smith continues to be a rumored replacement on Mine That Bird.

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by Suffolk Shippers

If Rachel Alexandra goes to post, it will be with Borel. Does anyone have some insight on who might ride Mine That Bird?