UNBEATEN ZENYATTA SCORES 15TH CAREER VICTORY

Click above to watch
(left) Zenyatta in the Santa Margarita Handicap (Photo : Examiner)
(right) Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes (Photo : TB Times)
(Footage : YouTube)

ZENYATTA VS RACHEL ALEXANDRA

The unbeaten Zenyatta (Street Cry) strode to her 15th career victory in the Santa Margarita Handicap (Gr1) at Santa Anita on Saturday and in doing so added more hype to her intended match race with Rachel Alexandra in the US$5 million Apple Blossom Invitational on 9 April - a race in which Zenyatta is a finalised starter. The headline story was the defeat of Rachel Alexandra in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes.

It was a bit more eventful than perhaps it had been scripted: Zenyatta was still last as they headed into the stretch, and jockey Mike Smith opted to take the shorter route to the wire. He had to steady briefly and, for a moment, it seemed that the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner was in a spot of trouble. But she angled inside to pass one rival, eased up on the outside of pacesetter Dance to My Tune (Stravinsky), and was on her way to yet another earspricked victory.

“I cut some corners and gambled a bit, but I was confident at all times that if she needed to make room, she could,” jockey Mike Smith said. “She’s a bit of a bully.”

“Everybody really loves her,” owner Jerry Moss said. “Everybody’s so pleased to have her back and to root for her, and when she wins, she makes everybody happy. She’s perfect. She’s the idol of perfection we all strive for. That’s about as profound as I get.”

Meanwhile, the defeat in New Orleans for the Horse of the Year put in some doubt Rachel Alexandra’s participation in the April 9 Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn Park. Trainer Steve Asmussen said shortly after the Ladies. “If I thought she’d get beat I wouldn’t have run her today”. “We’ll have to be cautious. We want to do what’s right for the mare.”

“She needed the race, that’s all,” said Jockey Calvin Borel. “She needed the race more than anything.” That assessment was echoed by Steve Asmussen, who blamed himself for Rachel Alexandra’s defeat.

“The filly’s lacking fitness,” he said. “It was my job to have her there, and I didn’t do it.”

Extract from ANZ Bloodstock News

Galileo has both 2009 Guineas favourites after Tyros Stakes

Johnny Murtagh with Rip Van Winkle
(Daily Mail)

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Rip Van Winkle (2c Galileo-Looking Back, by Stravinsky) jumped to the front of the betting for next year’s G1 2000 Guineas after an impressive success in the G3 Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown last Thursday evening.

The juvenile is as short as 8/1 for classic glory next year after winning the seven-furlong event from the gutsy Galileo filly Cuis Ghaire (2f Galileo-Scribonia, by Danehill), who was carrying a penalty for a previous G3 success. She remains favourite for next year’s G1 1000 Guineas.

“We only went a slow pace and the ground was fast, but my horse quickened up well when I asked him and he felt like a Guineas horse,” said Rip Van Winkle’s rider Johnny Murtagh.

Aidan O’Brien told the Racing Post: “Rip Van Winkle is a lovely colt. We thought a lot of him going to the Curragh and he’s had a lovely education from Johnny tonight. We’re looking at sending him for the Futurity Stakes at the Curragh next month.”

Rip Van Winkle was bred by Roberto Brogi and bought as a yearling by John O’Byrne for 170,000 euros in Milan last September.

He is the third consecutive Galileo colt to win the Tyros Stakes following Teofilo in 2006 and New Approach last year. That pair both went on to be champion two-year-olds with New Approach winning this season’s G1 Derby at Epsom.

Amongst the Summerhill draft at this year’s Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run sale, on the first Sunday in November, will be three spectacularly bred Galileos. If only for it’s featuring the three Galileos, make a date now, because that’s a pretty unique feature.