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Unbeaten champion Zenyatta showed her class and brilliant turn of foot as she put away five challengers, including Grade 1-winning stablemate Life Is Sweet, to win the $150,000 Milady Handicap (G2) on Saturday at Hollywood Park.

The five-year-old Street Cry (Ire) mare swept into contention on the turn and powered clear with minimal urging from jockey Mike Smith to complete a last-to-first rally and prevail by 1¾ lengths in her first start in nearly seven months. Sent off as the 1-to-5 favorite, Zenyatta completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.30 on the synthetic Cushion Track surface to improve to ten wins in as many starts.

Zenyatta closed her four year-old campaign with a last-to-first win in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) on October 24 during the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita Park to cement the Eclipse Award as champion older female. She showed no rust in her return from the extended layoff.

“I’m numb. I’m looking for some emotion now but I’m just numb. She’s just amazing,” Smith said. “Physically, I think she’s better than she was last year.”

Trainer John Shirreffs plotted out a game plan that would keep Zenyatta and Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (G1) winner Life Is Sweet from facing off until late in the year. He shipped Zenyatta to Churchill Downs for a planned start in the Louisville Distaff Stakes (G2) on May 1, but Shirreffs scratched her on the morning of the race to avoid a possible off track.

With Life Is Sweet unbeaten in three previous starts this season entering the Milady and Zenyatta ready to compete, Shirreffs made the difficult choice to enter his two talented females in the same race.

“[Zenyatta] is just special. Nine for nine, that streak is always in the back of your mind. We knew she had to start somewhere and that first race back you want to make it as easy as possible, but that wasn’t possible,” Shirreffs said. “We had to deal with Life Is Sweet and believe me, she is a great running filly. It rained over there in Kentucky, so we did not do a lot with her. The last three days in Kentucky she was just walking. When she got home she was fresh.”

Gambler’s Justice set the pace in the Milady. Champagne Eyes, Allicansayis Wow, and Taste’s Sis tracked just behind the leader while Life Is Sweet and Zenyatta dropped well off the pace through an opening quarter in :23.79 and a half-mile in :47.14.

Smith moved Zenyatta up on the inside of Life Is Sweet on the backstretch, but he was forced to check in tight quarters. Smith angled Zenyatta to the outside of her stablemate and both horses closed willingly on the turn. Life Is Sweet split foes in early stretch and was angled to the inside by Garrett Gomez. Zenyatta accelerated willingly from the outside and put away Life Is Sweet and third-place finisher Allicansayis Wow to win easily.

“Garrett and I were playing some serious jockey games out there. It was all clean and fair,” Smith said. “She’s so handy that when I eased up on the pedal she backed up for me, came around and it was over.”

Zenyatta, a finalist for the 2008 Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year, boosted her earnings to $2,234,580. She is out of the winning Kris S. mare Vertigineux, the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Balance.

Runner-up Life Is Sweet edged Allicansayis Wow by three-quarters of a length.

Courtesy: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

 Irish classic streak continues for O’Brien with Mastercraftsman by Mike Curry Mastercraftsman improved dramatically in his second start of the year as he powered to a 4 1/2-length romp in the Boylesports Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) on Saturday at the Curragh to give trainer Aidan O’Brien his ninth consecutive classic victory in Ireland.

Mastercraftsman was O’Brien’s sixth Irish Two Thousand Guineas winner and his fifth since 1999. The Ballydoyle trainer has not tasted defeat in an Irish classic since Finsceal Beo won the 2007 Boylesports Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) for trainer Jim Bolger. Mastercraftsman rebounded from a fifth-place finish in the Stanjames.com Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) on May 2 at Newmarket with a dominant performance on heavy ground on Saturday at the Curragh. The chestnut Danehill Dancer colt tracked pacesetting stablemate Viceroy of India from third and moved up to second with about three furlongs remaining in the one-mile race. Mastercraftsman responded when given his cue by Johnny Murtagh, took charge with more than a quarter-mile left to run, and surged clear to a convincing victory as the 3-to-2 favorite.

Mastercraftsman completed the distance in 1:48.16 and appeared to relish the heavy ground. “He is an unusual horse as he has such a high cruising speed, so much class, and bags of courage,” O’Brien told England’s Press Association. “Johnny said he won very easily today so we would love to go to Ascot now for the St. James’s Palace [Stakes (Eng-G1)].” Murtagh, who rode stablemate Rip Van Winkle in the English Two Thousand Guineas, said 2008 European champion two-year-old male

Mastercraftsman confirmed his class in the Irish equivalent. “He’s a very good horse and is very brave and tenacious,” Murtagh told Racing Post. “He has the heart and will to win which all good horses have.” The Two Thousand Guineas was his season debut and Mastercraftsman’s first start in nearly seven months since closing his two-year-old campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Fr-G1) on October 5 at Longchamp. He is out of the winning Black Tie Affair (Ire) mare Starlight Dreams. Irish Group 3 winner Rayeni finished second, 1 3/4 lengths clear of French Group 3 winner Soul City. Runner-up on good to firm turf in the Two Thousand Guineas, Delegator did not take to the soft ground at the Curragh and finished eighth of nine. “He didn’t go in the ground and was never going at any stage,” Delegator’s jockey, Jamie Spencer, told Racing Post.

Courtesy: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

Jockey Calvin Borel knew exactly what he was doing when he jumped off Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Mine That Bird to ride gifted filly Rachel Alexandra in the $1.1-million BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (G1).

Rachel Alexandra set a pressured pace after breaking from the far outside post in the 13-horse field on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course and threw down the gauntlet entering the stretch. She spurted clear, dared her opponents to come get her, and turned back Mine That Bird and Illinois Derby (G2) winner Musket Man under confident handling by Borel to become the first filly to win the Preakness in 85 years.

Rachel Alexandra completed 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.08 on a track rated as fast to give Thoroughbred racing a new starlet. She was one length clear of fast-closing Mine That Bird, who edged Musket Man by a half-length for second.

“Like I said, I think she’s the greatest horse in the country right now,” said Borel, who became the first Derby-winning jockey to ride a different horse in the Preakness. “She’s just an amazing filly. God knows how good she is.”

Borel said although Rachel Alexandra did not really handle the Pimlico track very well and got a little tired in the final sixteenth, the Medaglia d’Oro filly accelerated when she saw Mine That Bird coming after her in the closing strides.

Rachel Alexandra was the 53rd filly overall and first since Excellent Meeting in 1999 to contest the Preakness. Derby winners Genuine Risk (1980) and Winning Colors (’88) both ran in the Preakness, finishing second and third, respectively. Prior to this year’s edition of race, no filly had won the Preakness since Nellie Morse in 1924, and the most recent classic-winning filly is 2007 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Rags to Riches.

Purchased privately by Jess Jackson and Harold T. McCormick following her 20 1/4-length romp in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and transferred to trainer Steve Asmussen, Rachel Alexandra won for the fifth time in as many starts this season. The first Oaks winner ever to contest the Preakness, Rachel Alexandra was sent off as the 9-to-5 favorite in the Preakness and lived up to expectations.

“I think she vindicated the fact that she was a champion horse,” Jackson said. “We are delighted to win the Preakness.”

After a brief delay when Big Drama acted up from the inside post, Rachel Alexandra broke alertly and quickly passed several opponents. Borel angled Rachel Alexandra toward the inside and she was joined by Grade 3 winner Big Drama, who was angled off the rail by John Velazquez.

Rachel Alexandra set a solid pace while racing four wide through an opening quarter in :23.13. After a half-mile in :46.71 and six furlongs in 1:11.01, she spurted away from Big Drama approaching the stretch and powered clear to cement her place in history.

“She was a little more forwardly placed than I had hoped. I was concerned with how fast the second quarter was, but Calvin is a great rider and he knew what he was doing,” Asmussen said. “I think it was an extremely strong performance for Rachel Alexandra. … She was under the microscope all week and this filly stood up to the challenge.”

Rachel Alexandra was transferred from previous trainer Hal Wiggins to Asmussen after Jackson and McCormick purchased her from breeder Dolphus Morrison and co-owner Mike Lauffer. “

I can’t say enough about the job Hal Wiggins and his crew have done with this filly, her physical condition, and her state of mind,” Asmussen said.

Mine That Bird proved his 6 3/4-length Derby victory at 50.60-to-1 odds was no fluke as he closed from last with a determined charge from the outside to finish second. The Birdstone gelding was sent off as the 6.60-to-1 third wagering choice in the Preakness.

“He is probably the bravest little thing I’ve ever been on,” said Racing Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who picked up the plum Preakness mount aboard the Derby winner when Borel chose Rachel Alexandra. “I just can’t believe how hard he tried. Looking back on it, maybe I should have rode him a little closer to the pace, but he settled in so nice for me. I was hoping a hole would open up for me on the inside, but they were stacked up along the rail and he maneuvered through them.”
 
Musket Man finished willingly after racing in eighth early under Eibar Coa but could not hold off Mine That Bird in the final strides. Flying Private finished another 2 1/2 lengths back in fourth, and Big Drama dug in gamely to finish fifth. Derby runner-up Pioneerof the Nile did not respond when called upon and finished 11th. Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Friesan Fire stalked the pace early before fading to tenth.

Racing Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, trainer 1988 Derby-winning filly Winning Colors, said Rachel Alexandra showed her class in the Preakness.

“This is an extraordinary filly, and I just felt her cruising speed was too much for these colts to handle,” said Lukas, who saddled Flying Private and eighth-place finisher Luv Gov.

Courtesy : www.thoroughbredtimes.com

When Rachel Alexandra runs in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes (G1), she’ll be bucking more than a drought of 85 years since a filly last won the middle leg of the Triple Crown.

She will be trying to duck a blow that has been more powerful than the right fist of a Mike Tyson in his prime.

You can call it a “knockout number” and what it entails is a huge Ragozin speed figure of lower than 1 posted by a three-year-old either in or prior to the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the surprisingly negative consequences that follow.

In theory, horses that run exceptionally fast in a Derby prep should be easy winners of the first jewel of the Triple Crown. Yet it rarely works out that way.

I Want Revenge was the latest example of the phenomenon. He posted a brilliant Ragozin figure of ¼ in the Gotham Stakes (G3) on March 7 for the first figure below 1 in a major prep since 2006. The Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) was his next start, and though he won that race, his Ragozin figure slid to a 3¼. After that, an injury was detected the morning of the Derby that kept him out of the race and placed his career in jeopardy.

Including I Want Revenge, six horses have posted a figure lower than 1 in a prep race since 2002. One of them, Smarty Jones (0, Rebel Stakes in 2004), won the Derby. Four horses—Sinister Minister and Sweetnorthernsaint (both minus-1, Blue Grass Stakes [G1], Illinois Derby [G2], respectively in 2006), Bellamy Road (minus-3/4, Wood Memorial in ‘05), and Bandini [0, Blue Grass in ‘05)—were unplaced and I Want Revenge did not start.

Going back to 1973, aside from Smarty Jones, only Spend a Buck in 1985 topped a 1 and then went on to win the Derby, showing the problem it causes when a three-year-old peaks in March or April.

As for Rachel Alexandra, she earned a 0 for her 20 ¼-length romp in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), a much quicker figure than the 3 that Mine That Bird earned in the Derby. With the calendar turned to May for that effort, her 0 was surpassed by only two Kentucky Derby winners since 1973: Monarchos (minus-1/2, 2001) and Big Brown (minus-3/4, 2008).

Big Brown won the Preakness, then failed to finish in the Belmont Stakes (G1) before winning the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) and an ungraded grass stakes at Monmouth Park. In each of those three races, though, he was unable to run faster than a 3 ¾.

As for Monarchos, he did not win another race after winning the Derby by nearly five lengths.

Now it is Rachel Alexandra’s turn to step into the ring and try to avoid that punch. It promises to be an interesting tussle.

Courtesy: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

A quartet of likely Preakness Stakes (G1) starters made the 600-mile drive from Churchill Downs in Louisville to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Tuesday, but their travels were not without incident.

Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Mine That Bird arrived at about 6:45 p.m. EDT at the Pimlico stakes barn after his trainer, Bennie “Chip” Woolley Jr., drove the truck and trailer himself with a brief stop for lunch. Woolley said that while he ate, he left Mine That Bird in the trailer with the top of the window open so that the Derby winner could “look out and take things in.” A police escort joined Woolley and Mine That Bird for the last leg of their journey.

“[Mine That Bird] was calm the whole way,” Woolley said. “He cleaned up his feed and is relaxed. We stopped somewhere to top off and grab a burger, but I’d be lying if I told you I remembered where.

“This was the first time a police escort wasn’t taking me to jail,” Woolley continued. “A friend told me I’m usually leading the police escort and not following it.”

Things may have gone better for General Quarters had his van had a police escort.

General Quarters’s van driver missed the turn into the Pimlico stable area and had to turn around near Interstate 83, east of the track. The van carrying General Quarters and one other horse bound for Monmouth Park in New Jersey was involved in a small fender bender, though there were no injuries to human or equine.

McCarthy rushed to the scene upon word of the accident and returned to Pimlico with the horse, doting on his Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner and Derby tenth-place finisher like a father sending a daughter on her first date. He fed General Quarters and walked him in the stakes barn. The Sky Mesa colt appeared to show no ill effects of the van ride or accident.

The other two arrivals were from the barn of Racing Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Flying Private, last in the Derby after a fifth-place finish to Papa Clem in the Arkansas Derby (G2), and maiden winner Luv Gov both arrived behind schedule because of traffic issues. 

Courtesy: www.thorughbredtimes.com

The Queen has found herself at the centre of an embarrassing ‘doping’ claim after it emerged that one of her racehorses failed a drugs test.

Moonlit Path, a six-year-old mare, was found to have been injected with tranexamic acid, a banned substance that prevents haemorrhaging, following her debut run at Huntingdon in February.

Her long-time friend and trainer, Old Etonian Nicky Henderson, was yesterday charged by the British Horseracing Authority for allowing the drug to be administered.

The Queen’s racing manager, Sir Michael Oswald, told the Mail last night that the monarch had been informed and described it as ‘very disappointing news’.

He insisted, however, that the incident was ‘cock-up rather than conspiracy’, adding: ‘We can do nothing more at the moment than await the outcome of the BHA investigation.’

Other senior racing sources agreed, pointing out that if Mr Henderson had wanted to affect the horse’s performance he would have been sorely disappointed with Moonlit Path. The ’strapping’ bay - which had odds of 16/1 - came 6th out of 11 and was unplaced.

‘If it had been an attempt to dope the Queen’s horse then you can conclude that it was uniformly unsuccessful,’ said one.

A source close to the monarch said: ‘This is a terrible, terrible embarrassment to the Queen who has been enjoying one of the most successful seasons of her 30-year career in racing’.

Tranexamic acid is a legitimate drug that is given to humans as well as animals to prevent heavy bleeding by increasing clot formation.

Due to the stress exerted on a horse’s body while racing - young animals in particular are prone to haemorrhaging - they can often be seen with a nose bleed at the end of a strenuous run and trainers are permitted to administer the drug in advance of a race.

However, it must have ‘cleared’ the horse’s body by the time it comes to compete because British regulations require all animalsto be totally drug-free on race day.

Following her debut on February 19, Moonlit Path was given a routine urine test which was found by the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory to reveal the presence of tranexamic acid. A second test upheld the findings.

As a result, Mr Henderson, 58, will be brought before a disciplinary hearing in June where he faces being disqualified from the sport for up to a year.

Industry sources suggest that as the offence is at the lesser end of the scale, he is more likely to be given a slap on the wrist and a £2,000 fine.

Mr Henderson, who also trained horses for the Queen Mother, admitted that Moonlit Path - who is due to run again in the 4.20 at Southwell on Sunday - had been given the drug but insisted there had been no attempt to enhance her performance.

‘The substance concerned was administered by my vet entirely in the interests of the horse’s welfare,’ he said.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

As horses began dropping out of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) throughout the week, many observers wondered if maybe this would be a Giacomo-type year in which a longshot surprised the field.

Those Churchill Downs stable-area whispers turned into a chorus of shouts from 153,563 fans as Mine That Bird came through along the rail under, who else, jockey Calvin Borel.

Two years ago Borel guided Street Sense to a rail-skimming come-from-behind win in the Derby, and on Saturday the veteran jockey delivered a stirring encore with 50.60-to-1 longshot Mine That Bird to stun the field by 6 3/4 lengths.

The winning margin is larger than that of Barbaro, whose 6 1/2-length victory in 2006 was the widest since Assault won by eight lengths in 1946.

Mine That Bird was last in the early going and showed a tremendous burst of speed in the lane passing horses and slipping through a slim crease on the inside for his final run. The Birdstone gelding surged past Pioneerof the Nile, who nipped Musket Man by a nose for second and completed 1 1/4 miles in 2:02.66 on a track rated as sloppy

“He’s a small horse, there was room for him,” Borel said of his rail move. “I hollered at him and he just went.”

Borel is the first jockey since Racing Hall of Fame rider Jerry Bailey in 1993 to win the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby in the same year. Borel won the Oaks on Friday aboard Rachel Alexandra.

Mine That Bird won the Sovereign Award as champion two-year-old male in Canada last year off the strength of three stakes wins, including a victory in the Grey Stakes (Can-G3) (click here for video of the Grey). He finished last of 12 in the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) (click here for video of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile) and raced just twice this year, finishing second in the Borderland Derby (click here for video of the Borderland Derby) and fourth in Sunland Derby (click here for video of the Sunland Derby), both at Sunland Park, for Mark Allen’s Double Eagle Ranch and Leonard Blach’s Buena Suerte Equine.

Indeed, Mine That Bird’s journey to the Kentucky Derby began at Sunland, ended in the winner’s circle, and included a 21-hour van ride across the country.

“It’s wonderful; I can’t say enough,” said trainer Bennie “Chip” Woolley Jr. “It’s a feeling like I’ve never had before.

“I was thinking, Calvin Borel’s the best. He ran a huge race. Everyone around me has done a great job, and we were just lucky to get here. Maybe now someone will talk about more than the drive here.”

Sunny’s Halo is the only previous Sovereign Award winner as champion two-year-old male to go on to win the Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird paid $103.20 to win—the second-highest price in Derby history—and improved to five wins in nine starts. The $1,417,200 winner’s share boosted his earnings to $1,791,581.

“That was certainly a dream alright,” Blach said. “Mark and I became partners on the horse a little over a year ago. I really thought this horse had a lot of talent; we just weren’t able to see it all yet. My heart sank when he came by the first time and he was last, but I felt a little better when he came around again the second time and was first.”

Join in the Dance set a swift pace though an opening quarter in :22.98 and a half-mile in :47.23. Garrett Gomez angled Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Pioneerof the Nile behind horses to stalk the pace, while Mine That Bird dropped back to trail the field under Borel.

On the far turn, Pioneerof the Nile moved ahead easily to challenge for the lead and took charge in the stretch.

Pioneerof the Nile was challenged by Illinois Derby (G2) winner Musket Man and Arkansas Derby (G2) winner Papa Clem, but Borel squeezed Mine That Bird through a narrow opening inside of fading pacesetter Join in the Dance and urged his mount to a convincing victory.

Musket Man edged Papa Clem by a head for third. Chocolate Candy rallied from 17th to finish fifth.

Sent off as the 3.80-to-1 favorite, Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Friesan Fire finished 18th in the 19-horse field. Florida Derby Presented by Blackberry (G1) runner-up Dunkirk stumbled at the start and did not fire when called upon in an 11th-place finish as the 5.20-to-1 second wagering choice.

Borel, who rode Mine That Bird in a race for the first time in the Kentucky Derby, said he had a great feeling nearing the lane.

“I just took him back; I must have been 15 or 20 lengths back. He’s so small, he was just skipping across the mud, and they went pretty fast in the early part,” Borel said. “I knew he was going to win at the three-eighths pole.”

Bred in Kentucky by Lamantia, Blackburn, and Needham/Betz Thoroughbreds, Mine That Bird is the first starter out of the unraced Smart Strike mare Mining My Own, who is a half sister to stakes winner Golden Sunray.

To view video of the Kentucky Derby, click here

Courtesy: www.thoroughbredtimes.com

Rachel Alexandra electrified a Kentucky Oaks (G1) crowd of 104,867 with an effortless 20 1/4-length win over seven overmatched rivals on Friday at Churchill Downs. More than 50 lengths separated the entire field.

Had this been a Broadway stage, the assembled masses would have begged for an encore, but for now they will have to make do with jockey Calvin Borel’s effusive celebration and speculation as to when Rachel Alexandra will race again. Borel said immediately after the race that he thinks Rachel Alexandra could have won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) on Saturday, but that he is glad the Medaglia d’Oro filly raced in the Oaks instead.

“We did the right thing,” Borel said. “This is the greatest horse I’ve ever been on, and there will be other things down the road.” Even after Rachel Alexandra’s romp, Dolphus Morrison did not second guess his decision to race his homebred in the Oaks, and he did not appear to leave the door open for a try in either the Preakness (G1) or Belmont (G1) Stakes. “I never said I wouldn’t run against the boys; she just won’t run in the Triple Crown,” Morrison said. “The Triple Crown races are for future stallions; fillies should run against fillies.”

Rachel Alexandra has won five consecutive races by a combined 43 1/2 lengths, and she is undefeated in five starts going two turns. The Oaks was her first race at 1 1/8 miles, and she completed the distance on a track rated as fast in 1:48.87.

Rachel Alexandra tracked the early pace of Gabby’s Golden Gal through fractions of :23.75, :47.46, and 1:11.81 before accelerating to the front with the greatest of ease. She was already ahead by ten lengths with a furlong remaining. “I thought the early fraction was a little quick, but when Calvin went by [Gabby’s Golden Gal], he was just sitting on [Rachel Alexandra],” trainer Hal Wiggins said. “His hands never moved. “If you watched the race you saw it; it was just unbelievable.”

Morrison bred Rachel Alexandra in Kentucky out of the Grade 2-placed stakes-winning Roar mare Lotta Kim, a half sister to stakes winners Lotta Rhythm and High Blues. He sold an interest in Rachel Alexandra to Michael Lauffer last fall. Stone Legacy finished second for D. Wayne Lukas, who trains that filly (along with last-place finisher Tweeter) for Marylou Whitney, who won the race in 2003 with Bird Town. In fact, Rachel Alexandra’s effort was just .23 seconds off Bird Town’s Oaks record of 1:48.64. “We are tickled,” Lukas said. “There is no disgrace to get beat by the winner. Second is what everyone was lining up for today.”

courtesy: www.thoroughbredtimes.com