from the Houston Chronicle:

Jim McIngvale has answered the dangling question of whether horse racing's two finest females can meet in a match race. It's a powerful yes.

McIngvale, the Gallery Furniture owner and philanthropist, on Monday told the Chronicle he will put up a $2 million purse if Zenyatta and 2009 Preakness Stakes winner Rachel Alexandra come to Sam Houston Race Park for a duel tentatively set for Oct. 3.

His date isn't firm. His commitment is.

“Gallery Furniture would sponsor the race,” said McIngvale, better known as Mattress Mack.
“The winner would receive $1.2 million. The other would get $800,00.”

Zenyatta, a 5-year-old mare, has run 11 of her 12 races on California's synthetic courses and never lost. Rachel Alexandra's interests choose not to race her on synthetic tracks, which are comprised of rubber, plastic, sand and dirt. Sam Houston's dirt surface would seem to satisfy Rachel Alexandra's people.

“Sam Houston has the best dirt course in the country,” McIngvale said. “This is the best time for them to hook up.”

The Oct. 3 date is five weeks prior to the Breeders' Cup, a certainty on Zenyatta's calendar.

The location is central, too. Zenyatta would come here from California. She won Sunday at Del Mar, just north of San Diego.

Rachel Alexandra, a 3-year-old filly, has been campaigning to the east, in Kentucky, Maryland and New Jersey. In May, she became the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness.

Andrea Young, SHRP's president, was thrilled by McIngvale's offer.

“We're definitely interested,” Young said. “We'd love to have them race here.”

Excitement seemed less obvious in the Zenyatta camp.

Owner Jerry Moss was unavailable for comment. But his racing manager, Dottie Ingordo, said Moss has indicated that if Zenyatta is to race Rachel Alexandra, he would want it to it to be in a regular race, not a match race.

“I would expect him to be consistent on that,” Ingordo said. “But I'll check with him to confirm it.”
Neither Rachel Alexandra's primary owner, Jess Jackson, nor her trainer, Steve Asmussen, could be reached for comment.

Zenyatta has piled up $2.6 million in earnings. Winning a match race here would vault her lifetime bankroll by almost 50 percent. She has raced only against females. Rachel Alexandra has pulled in $2.5 million while winning 10 of 13 starts.

Rachel Alexandra eagerly runs on the lead or stalks, striding closely behind the leader. Part of the intrigue in McIngvale's offer is a sharp style contrast between the two. Zenyatta races far back, then makes a strong charge.

Match races are rare and almost never pair animals of this fame. History's most famous match events brought together Seabiscuit and War Admiral (1938), Nashua and Swaps (1955), and Foolish Pleasure and Ruffian (1978).

Great idea but I honestly wouldn't blame the Moss family for not accepting.
Zenyatta surely gets the short end of the stick from a pace standpoint,.

Will never happen!!!!!!

Lady Zen will only make two more starts one before the BC Races and probably won't run in the BC Classic the way things look now. She is beating a average bunch of fillies and mares and not by a big margin. She couldn't handle the big boys in the Classic.


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2millions wont make it happen, maybe 5MILLIONS AN @CHURCHILLDOWNS ,
i wish it does happen