Saturday featured cakewalks for two of the best fillies of our time, but it was a mere blip on the radar screen. It seems pointless that these two greats keep beating up on some poor lesser fillies and mares. Rachel faced just two horses and they were brave indeed. Apparently the Preakness did not take anything out of the superstar as she just crushed her rivals.

Zenyatta bested her rivals without even trying very hard, but set no stake record and did not appear as dazzling. It isn’t every day we are treated to seeing a horse romp home 19 lengths the winner.

After the Preakness a fellow coworker was talking about Rachel Alexandra. He likes the horses, and bets when he is at area casinos. He was praising the Preakness winner, and I said “well there is one that may be even better.” I then mentioned Zenyatta’s name and he said…”never heard of her.”. Now that is sad! But it is also a testament to her schedule and the poor promoting thoroughbred racing does of its stars.

Instead of watching Hank Goldberg run through his money and squander the contents of his piggy bank on race day as he goes about not choosing one winner, why not highlight the horses that are currently at the top of their game? Introduce the public that just turns out during the Triple Crown races to a horse like Zenyatta. Wet their appetites of the upcoming states races, and the horses that the Triple Crown stars will be taking on later in the year. Watching Goldberg, an ‘expert horse handicapper’ lose money all the time, does not make gamblers want to run to the track with their hard earned cash. He makes them think they would be better off sticking a twenty in a slot machine.

As far as the two females meeting, a match race would be the dumbest thing that could happen. That is not Zenyatta’s running style and altering it for one race would not be a worthy indicator of her talent. Jess Jackson also cannot be blamed for not rushing back to the scene of Curlin’s defeat last year. If he doesn’t like synthetics, he doesn’t like synthetics. No big deal. Santa Anita should have known many East Coast stars would not be flocking to their doors simply because they put the Breeders Cup there. For many owners and trainers it is an unproven track that sometimes runs a little quirky. They aren’t used to it, and why make Rachel Alexandra try and topple Zenyatta (two years her senior so she has the advantage there anyway) at a track she has never run on? The fact that it is not proven to reduce breakdowns is another issue entirely.

It is understandable that Zenyatta runs in the state she is based, but why must she face mares all the time, the best being her very own stablemate? She isn’t facing the best fillies and mares, so at least make it a little more interesting and have her face some second tier boys.

It does appear that by staying on the East Coast Rachel will have the tougher schedule and therefore become the front runner for Horse of the Year especially if she topples males again in either the Haskell or Travers. If she does that and adds a few more Grade I races against females to her resume, she won’t need the Breeders Cup, especially if Zenyatta’s clan opts for the Ladies Classic again. Beating another bunch of fillies and mares that does not include Rachel Alexandra will not amount to the trophy they seek most this year. Staying perfect may not be enough especially when the darling of the racing world makes winning look so impossibly easy.