Article on the Rachel Alexandra controversy
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from Bloodhorse:
After being besieged with unfavorable comments regarding his earlier decision to enter enough horses to prevent Rachel Alexandra from running in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), Ahmed Zayat, owner of Pioneerof the Nile, said on TVG that he has decided to reconsider and will not enter any other horses.
Zayat said he had been contacted by Mine That Birds co-owner Mark Allen informing him he will be entering another horse in the second leg of the Triple Crown in order to keep Rachel Alexandra out of the race, and asked Zayat to join him, which he initially agreed to do.
Zayat had earlier told HRTV: "I got a phone call earlier today that I wasn't familiar with the phone number of that particular person, and that person kept calling and, lo and behold, it was the owner of the Derby winner, Mine That Bird, and he said, 'Mr. Zayat, you don't know me, I'm Mark Allen. Listen I have a request for you. I think this race is between me and you. You'd have been the favorite if Rachel Alexandra is not in the field and I'm looking for vindication that my colt was not a fluke and I'm sure you are looking to beat us also. I think this match is between us, it's a rivalry. I'm going to be entering a colt, an A.P. Indy colt, to fill the field. I understand you are the number one owner in number of nominations 22 colts can you please help us. It's good for the game.'
"His trainer actually got sick. I don't know if you know this, he was on crutches; he actually went back because he has an infection in his leg. (Allen) said, 'Listen, my trainer is gone and I also have my jockey being taken away from me and I don't know if I'm going, even can run in the Preakness like that. I feel like I want to compete in the Triple Crown, I want to have my colt prove himself, you want to prove yourself, can you help me?'"
Zayat also said that he heard from Marylou Whitney that she will enter a horse as well to help promote her stallion Birdstone , the sire of Mine That Bird.
She is one of the bluebloods of the game, and has done so much for the sport, and because she wanted to showcase their stallion Birdstone, she has instructed trainer D. Wayne Lukas to enter a colt (Luv Gov) in the Preakness," Zayat said on TVG.
That is the background of what Ive been through. Ive reflected on my decision. At first I said I would use my legitimate right to try with owners to fill the field. The two factors were the following. I think the filly is really special. Shes the most beautiful thing. I watched her race in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and it was spectacular. I felt so privileged to see that. Then I see the filly is running in two weeks. I have a colt who competed in the Derby who finished second. I feel I have to come back in two weeks and compete in the second leg and the third leg if I will. She didnt go through that. She didnt run in the Derby and lo and behold she changes owners and they decide they want to take a shot in the Preakness.
Her former owners original plan was not to run in the Preakness. He said he had respect for the industry, and that the Triple Crown was to showcase the 3-year-old colts and future stallions. I have never heard of a jockey moving from a Kentucky Derby winner to ride another horse. I find it disrespectful for Americas most coveted race. Considering all these factors, along with what I heard from other owners and breeders, I decided I would do what was in the best interest for all of us. To be honest with you, Im not playing saint and am not above everything else. I have a vested interest; it was a business decision.
One other criteria for me, I like playing by the rules. All these colts from the very beginning have had to compete and go through the regimen and tough scheduling and go from one race to another to get graded earnings, and that puts a lot of stress on them. And in all fairness, she did not have to go through all that, and her previous owners did not even bother to nominate her to the Triple Crown, and then someone else comes in and tries to change the name of the game and the rules in the middle of the game and I think that is unfair. Im not against the filly running against the boys. Who am I to say that? But I am questioning the two-week interval. Why not give her a freshening and run her in the Belmont? Two weeks for a filly. Does our sport need another Eight Belles? We all know what happened to Rags to Riches after her race in the Belmont. We all know what happened to Ruffian. I did not want to have that part of it on my watch.
Nevertheless, after getting off the phone from the president of The Jockey Club who told me what he had been hearing, I have decided I dont want to be viewed as not being a sportsman, so I am happy not to block her for the good of the game. Please understand this is not about me; this is about the industry, and although what is right is not very clear to me I am happy to reconsider my decision for the fans.
Even with Zayats change of heart, Rachel Alexandra still will be excluded if Whitney and Allen go ahead and enter horses, which would put her at No. 15 on the earnings list for the Preakness. She would then need another horse to be withdrawn.
After being besieged with unfavorable comments regarding his earlier decision to enter enough horses to prevent Rachel Alexandra from running in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), Ahmed Zayat, owner of Pioneerof the Nile, said on TVG that he has decided to reconsider and will not enter any other horses.
Zayat said he had been contacted by Mine That Birds co-owner Mark Allen informing him he will be entering another horse in the second leg of the Triple Crown in order to keep Rachel Alexandra out of the race, and asked Zayat to join him, which he initially agreed to do.
Zayat had earlier told HRTV: "I got a phone call earlier today that I wasn't familiar with the phone number of that particular person, and that person kept calling and, lo and behold, it was the owner of the Derby winner, Mine That Bird, and he said, 'Mr. Zayat, you don't know me, I'm Mark Allen. Listen I have a request for you. I think this race is between me and you. You'd have been the favorite if Rachel Alexandra is not in the field and I'm looking for vindication that my colt was not a fluke and I'm sure you are looking to beat us also. I think this match is between us, it's a rivalry. I'm going to be entering a colt, an A.P. Indy colt, to fill the field. I understand you are the number one owner in number of nominations 22 colts can you please help us. It's good for the game.'
"His trainer actually got sick. I don't know if you know this, he was on crutches; he actually went back because he has an infection in his leg. (Allen) said, 'Listen, my trainer is gone and I also have my jockey being taken away from me and I don't know if I'm going, even can run in the Preakness like that. I feel like I want to compete in the Triple Crown, I want to have my colt prove himself, you want to prove yourself, can you help me?'"
Zayat also said that he heard from Marylou Whitney that she will enter a horse as well to help promote her stallion Birdstone , the sire of Mine That Bird.
She is one of the bluebloods of the game, and has done so much for the sport, and because she wanted to showcase their stallion Birdstone, she has instructed trainer D. Wayne Lukas to enter a colt (Luv Gov) in the Preakness," Zayat said on TVG.
That is the background of what Ive been through. Ive reflected on my decision. At first I said I would use my legitimate right to try with owners to fill the field. The two factors were the following. I think the filly is really special. Shes the most beautiful thing. I watched her race in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and it was spectacular. I felt so privileged to see that. Then I see the filly is running in two weeks. I have a colt who competed in the Derby who finished second. I feel I have to come back in two weeks and compete in the second leg and the third leg if I will. She didnt go through that. She didnt run in the Derby and lo and behold she changes owners and they decide they want to take a shot in the Preakness.
Her former owners original plan was not to run in the Preakness. He said he had respect for the industry, and that the Triple Crown was to showcase the 3-year-old colts and future stallions. I have never heard of a jockey moving from a Kentucky Derby winner to ride another horse. I find it disrespectful for Americas most coveted race. Considering all these factors, along with what I heard from other owners and breeders, I decided I would do what was in the best interest for all of us. To be honest with you, Im not playing saint and am not above everything else. I have a vested interest; it was a business decision.
One other criteria for me, I like playing by the rules. All these colts from the very beginning have had to compete and go through the regimen and tough scheduling and go from one race to another to get graded earnings, and that puts a lot of stress on them. And in all fairness, she did not have to go through all that, and her previous owners did not even bother to nominate her to the Triple Crown, and then someone else comes in and tries to change the name of the game and the rules in the middle of the game and I think that is unfair. Im not against the filly running against the boys. Who am I to say that? But I am questioning the two-week interval. Why not give her a freshening and run her in the Belmont? Two weeks for a filly. Does our sport need another Eight Belles? We all know what happened to Rags to Riches after her race in the Belmont. We all know what happened to Ruffian. I did not want to have that part of it on my watch.
Nevertheless, after getting off the phone from the president of The Jockey Club who told me what he had been hearing, I have decided I dont want to be viewed as not being a sportsman, so I am happy not to block her for the good of the game. Please understand this is not about me; this is about the industry, and although what is right is not very clear to me I am happy to reconsider my decision for the fans.
Even with Zayats change of heart, Rachel Alexandra still will be excluded if Whitney and Allen go ahead and enter horses, which would put her at No. 15 on the earnings list for the Preakness. She would then need another horse to be withdrawn.
Comments
John Hendrickson, husband and racing and breeding manager for Marylou Whitney said neither he nor Marylou have ever spoken to Ahmed Zayat, and although they plan on running Luv Gov in the Preakness (gr. I) at the request of trainer D. Wayne Lukas, they would withdraw him if it meant excluding Rachel Alexandra.
Also, Mark Allen, co-owner of Mine That Bird, told Sports Illustrated that he, like Ahmed Zayat, has changed his mind and will not enter a horse to keep Rachel Alexandra out.
Whitney owned and bred Mine That Bird’s sire Birdstone , who stands at Gainesway Farm, outside Lexington, Ky.
“I don’t know where this came from about promoting Birdstone, but we have never spoken to (Zayat) or anyone who works for him and have never met him, and Marylou would never do anything to hurt the sport; we don’t play those games,” Hendrickson said.
“Luv Gov has been Wayne’s favorite horse from the very beginning. When he finished second, he said this is our Preakness and Belmont horse. I told him let’s break our maiden first (which he did impressively on Derby Day). This morning, Wayne called and said, ‘How about the Preakness? The race would suit him just fine and we’ll have to run him again because he needs the race.’ I told Wayne, ‘You did great with Stone Legacy (second in the Kentucky Oaks-I), so do whatever you want to do, but don’t exclude Rachel Alexandra.’
“Wayne said he called Pimlico and they said we’re 13 and she’d be 14. I called Wayne again and clarified our situation. It’s important for people to know that if we are the deciding factor that would exclude Rachel Alexandra, we will withdraw, period. We’re not going to hurt the sport; we love the sport. Marylou has been in it for 50 years; she’s not going to do this to the sport she loves. When I asked her this morning if she’d like to go to the Preakness with Luv Gov she got excited. We legitimately thought we had a shot. But for the sake of the sport we definitely will withdraw if people want to play these games in order to have Rachel run.
“She is a star and I want to see her run. We’ve only seen the back end of her. We’re craving for stars and she’s amazing to watch. I feel like we all own her. We don’t enter to exclude anyone; we enter because we think we can win. We think Mine That Bird is a legitimate horse. He won by almost seven lengths, and looks like an impressive horse.
“This whole episode is embarrassing. I don’t how this all got started, but this is so far from what Marylou is.”