We all knew beforehand that the American handicap division was looking pretty weak. But when a lower-level horse from Europe can just just show up @ Santa Anita and win the Goodwood, Zenyatta's connections must feel that the Classic is ripe for the taking. Especially after her impressive win yesterday. I think her participation might hinge on whether Sea The Stars shows up for the race (and i doubt that he will). Little doubt that Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman are far better than the Goodwood winner Gitano Hernando, but neither of them carry the kind of reputation that Sea The Stars does, so i tend to doubt that Moss/Shirreffs would sidestep the Classic in order to avoid a confrontation with either one of them. And it does seem obvious that the they've been a bit jealous of all the attention Rachel Alexandra has received this year. And a win in the Classic by Zenyatta (a race that Rachel "ducked") would go a long way towards changing the media's perception of who the better horse is.

Purely speculation, but i believe the chances of Zenyatta contesting the Classic are probably better than 50/50 right now.

Originally Posted by DiscreetCat

We all knew beforehand that the American handicap division was looking pretty weak. But when a lower-level horse from Europe can just just show up @ Santa Anita and win the Goodwood, Zenyatta's connections must feel that the Classic is ripe for the taking. Especially after her impressive win yesterday. I think her participation might hinge on whether Sea The Stars shows up for the race (and i doubt that he will). Little doubt that Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman are far better than the Goodwood winner Gitano Hernando, but neither of them carry the kind of reputation that Sea The Stars does, so i tend to doubt that Moss/Shirreffs would sidestep the Classic in order to avoid a confrontation with either one of them. And it does seem obvious that the they've been a bit jealous of all the attention Rachel Alexandra has received this year. And a win in the Classic by Zenyatta (a race that Rachel "ducked") would go a long way towards changing the media's perception of who the better horse is.

Purely speculation, but i believe the chances of Zenyatta contesting the Classic are probably better than 50/50 right now.

I really hope she does. That Goodwood really bothered me (and not just because I had CJ to win) but because it shows how weak our current crop actually is. I have a future on Einstein in Classic but he's had a pretty tough campaign all year.

I'd like to see Z show the boys and euros up

Personally, I hope that neither Sea The Stars or Zenyatta run. For purely selfish reasons, of course.

I'm going to go ahead and guess you have a favorably sized future on a major contender. Maybe Rip Van Winkle?

Only future I have is more of a from the heart bet on Einstein cuz he's one of my favorite horses.
I'd really like to see the queen of cali make an appearance in the classic.

Funny part is, if Z goes against the boys I may wager on her.
If she goes against the girls, I'll be on Music Note