This weekend’s Florida Derby looks a little easier with Eskenderya’s removal to the Wood Memorial; in his absence, Rule is the deserving favorite as the only horse in the field with a US graded stakes win.  Handicappers quite rightly don’t like betting horses at such short prices, but they may get [...]]]>

¡Bienvenida a Florida, Bambera!

This weekend’s Florida Derby looks a little easier with Eskenderya’s removal to the Wood Memorial; in his absence, Rule is the deserving favorite as the only horse in the field with a US graded stakes win.  Handicappers quite rightly don’t like betting horses at such short prices, but they may get a break – come post time, Barbaro’s brother, Lentenor, could well be the favorite (even though it’s his first start on dirt).  It’s true that Radiohead won the G2 Norfolk Stakes at Ascot as a 2-year-old, and he looked good in an allowance race on dirt, but does he really want to go much further than a mile?  I suspect not at present, but I Might Be Wrong.

Things are a little more exciting in the distaff ranks (again) with Christine Daae finally stepping up to stakes competition.  She’ll take on the talented Amen Hallelujah in the Bonnie Miss – perhaps they will kick off a rivalry.  Many eyes will be on much-touted Venezuelan import Bambera in the Rampart Stakes; a good effort here will send her to take on Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom – but she’ll have a jinx (plus more weight than she’s ever carried) to overcome.  Nevertheless, it’s a good opportunity to get a first look at her in this country – hopefully she will prove to be a star here as well.

Those disappointed by the NTRA’s epic fail last weekend can give them another shot (or enjoy yet more failure) for the Florida Derby, which they are also attempting to webcast.  I’d advise outsourcing the webcast, since there seems to be too little investment in real technology (and techies) to make it happen – why not just give Randy Moss his podcast back?  That should be easy enough to accomplish, and living up to limited expectations would at least be a start…

Sure, the Sham is this weekend, but the real race of interest as far as 3-year-olds are concerned is the Davona Dale – who needs colts? Christine Daae, she of the recent bullet-work and considerable buzz (I’m still waiting to [...]]]>

Bickersons: because sometimes you don't have time to find an image of Christine Daae

Sure, the Sham is this weekend, but the real race of interest as far as 3-year-olds are concerned is the Davona Dale – who needs colts? Christine Daae, she of the recent bullet-work and considerable buzz (I’m still waiting to see her ‘distinctive markings‘ in a still), will face off against some formidable foes at Gulfstream Park, including champion She Be Wild and speedy Bickersons. Amen Hallelujah and Sassy Image are also strong competitors – it has the makings of a great race, and we can decide whether it’s an Oaks or Derby prep at some point in the future.

Las year’s Davona Dale winner, Justwhistledixie, returns to the scene of her former triumph for a shot at the Sabin Stakes. A good effort here could snag her an invitation to the Apple Blossom – she’s one of ten runners nominated so far, eight of whom will get the call to take on Rachel Alexandra and Zenaytta (and a big check for third, if both come – or perhaps fourth, if Bambera stays true to her Latin American form).

And as for the older guys, Presious Passion is at work in the Mac Diarmida stakes, also at Gulfstream. His goal is a start in the Dubai Sheema Classic next month. There is some potential competition from Winchester and Imawildandcrazyguy (remember him from the ’07 Triple Crown trail? I believe he has yet to win a race), but I have a soft spot for the Jimmy Jerkins-trained Thou Swell – who doesn’t like a horse named after a Rogers and Hart song?

10) Einstein wins the Big [...]]]> It almost seems we racing fans have experienced a karmic reversal this year; after the lows of the previous few years, we were treated to nothing less than history – live. So, without further ado, here are the top ten moments in horse racing for 2009, as seen from Superfecta HQ:

10) Einstein wins the Big ‘Cap
It was wonderful to see Einstein, a blog favorite for years, pick up a big win; this may not have been his best season, but it certainly had high points – this being the top. Hopefully his versatility and record of sheer hard work will be rewarded with a successful stud career.

9) Bambera wins the Clasico del Caribe
Yes, the Venezualan filly is the real deal. Sid Fernando is your man for all things Bambera – and he notes that we should see her Stateside in 2010. She’s won 15 of 17 starts – 10 of those were G1s, including her nation’s filly Triple Crown and most of the mixed-gender variety as well. Look out, Gulfstream!

Goldikova repeats in the Breeders’ Cup Mile
Let’s recall that the French mare was beating the boys long before it came into fashion this year – she handled them with no difficulty in last year’s Prix du Moulin and, of course, the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Trainer Freddie Head, who rode the great Miesque to her back-to-back Mile victories thinks she’s even better; she’s on track to come back next year to aim for a threepeat. Fingers crossed!

7) Yeats wins his fourth Ascot Gold Cup
The Times was right – it’s hard to imagine a more perfect swansong for the 8-year-old; he’s demonstrated time and again why he’s an all-time great. Here’s hoping his stamina and quality is recognized at stud – it will be hard to live up to the reception he received from fans after his victory.

6) Rachel Alexandra wins the Kentucky Oaks
Can you remember seeing anything like it? Rachel Alexandra would go on to demonstrate in the Mother Goose that against her peers (including a perfectly nice filly like Gabby’s Golden Gal), that’s just how she rolls – deal with it. Super filly? You bet.

5) Sea the Stars wins the Arc
That’s a lot of Group 1 winners finishing behind him – and it’s not every day you see a colt equal his mother’s success in that particular race. His win made him the first horse to win the 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, and the Arc in the same year – and he did it all undefeated. While it’s easy to see the allure of getting the half-brother to über-stud Galileo into the shed, it’s a shame we’ll never really know what he might have been capable of.

4) Rachel Alexandra wins the Preakness
While I normally go to the Belmont, it takes something special to get me to Pimlico for the Preakness (largely because of the appalling state of the track) – but I was certainly not going to pass up a chance to see Rachel Alexandra take on the boys for the first time in person, and it was a beautiful thing. It’s only the second time I’ve seen the entire crowd cheering for one horse (the other being Smarty Jones coming into the Belmont with a Triple Crown on the line); it was to be the first time I would see that faith rewarded.

3) Rachel Alexandra wins the Haskell
What, you want me, the Preakness winner, to beat the Derby and Belmont winners? Hey, you asked for it. Even with the miserable weather, this is by far the best performance I’ve ever seen live (sorry, Sunday Silence and Easy Goer!); once again, the crowd was there for Rachel, and only Rachel – and she repaid them with another runaway victory. This race also receives special note for Sarah K. Andrew’s fantastic photo (right) – my favorite of the year.

2) Rachel Alexandra wins the Woodward
Finally, some real competition – and the chance to see what Rachel would do when eyeball to eyeball with another horse. Apparently, the answer is win – yet again. I’m looking forward to seeing her as the ‘older horse’ – after all, in a few short days, she’ll be all of 4.

1) Zenyatta wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic
I’m one of Those People who wanted Zenyatta to be Horse of the Year last year and I was not pleased by the rest of her campaign this year – but she proved she’s more than just a great mare with a distinctive running (and, let’s be honest, walking) style. She earned the number one spot with her sparkling, historic performance.

While I’ve already determined that the Horse of the Year debate will not matter much in the long run – indeed, who, beyond the industry, even knows or cares that such a thing exists? – my own vote would go to Rachel Alexandra. I cannot think of another year when I would have listed the same horse more than twice, at most, in a year-ending review – to see the same name four times is not something I expect to see again anytime soon. However, as she’ll be running next year, I may need to keep some slots vacant…but the truth remains that both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta firmly stamped themselves into this history books in emphatic style.

Here’s hoping that 2010 will be half as exciting as 2009!