Rachel Alexandra has some competition for top 3yo filly
DiscreetCat
Moderator
from Bettingzone:
Stacelita is as short as 6/1 (from 16s) for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after her stunning French Oaks win at Chantilly on Sunday afternoon.
Settled in second behind the pace-setting Onega Lake, jockey Christophe Lemaire had an armchair ride all the way and his mount's acceleration was stunning when he pressed the button just inside the two pole.
Evoking memories of the great Zarkava, who won this race on the way to victory in the Arc, bookmakers were quick to cut Jean-Claude Rouget's filly for the Longchamp showpiece.
Sky Bet and Paddy Power are as short as 6/1 about the Monsun filly, with Ladbrokes and bet365 amongst a host of bookies offering 8/1.
Matt Doyle of Sky Bet said: "We were very impressed with Stacelita and while she has some way to go match Zarkava, she is a filly out of the very top drawer and is very much in the same mould."
Both Stan James and Coral go 7s, and the former firm's spokesman Charlie McCann said: "Before the race comparisons with the great Zarkava, who won the corresponding race last year, appeared fanciful, but after this afternoon's quite breathtaking victory is it possible that the French have another superstar filly?"
Coral's David Stevens echoed those sentiments, saying: "Zarkava proved to be too good for the colts in last year's Arc, and having won the French Oaks in similar style, Stacelita has to be considered a credible contender to emulate that great filly at Longchamp in October."
Investec Derby winner Sea The Stars remains the general 4-1 favourite for the prestigious Group One contest.
Stacelita is as short as 6/1 (from 16s) for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after her stunning French Oaks win at Chantilly on Sunday afternoon.
Settled in second behind the pace-setting Onega Lake, jockey Christophe Lemaire had an armchair ride all the way and his mount's acceleration was stunning when he pressed the button just inside the two pole.
Evoking memories of the great Zarkava, who won this race on the way to victory in the Arc, bookmakers were quick to cut Jean-Claude Rouget's filly for the Longchamp showpiece.
Sky Bet and Paddy Power are as short as 6/1 about the Monsun filly, with Ladbrokes and bet365 amongst a host of bookies offering 8/1.
Matt Doyle of Sky Bet said: "We were very impressed with Stacelita and while she has some way to go match Zarkava, she is a filly out of the very top drawer and is very much in the same mould."
Both Stan James and Coral go 7s, and the former firm's spokesman Charlie McCann said: "Before the race comparisons with the great Zarkava, who won the corresponding race last year, appeared fanciful, but after this afternoon's quite breathtaking victory is it possible that the French have another superstar filly?"
Coral's David Stevens echoed those sentiments, saying: "Zarkava proved to be too good for the colts in last year's Arc, and having won the French Oaks in similar style, Stacelita has to be considered a credible contender to emulate that great filly at Longchamp in October."
Investec Derby winner Sea The Stars remains the general 4-1 favourite for the prestigious Group One contest.
Comments
If she get's HOY that's a joke. How do you win HOY and not run in any of the Breeder's Cup races?
Regarding Rachel having "no competition for HOY", what does that have to do with this European filly?
YouTube - "Prix De Diane" 2009 à Chantilly,vainqueur // winner // "Stacelita"
Jackson came out today stating early that he will not run her due to the surface.
I believe him after last year's BC with Curlin. He is obviously hostile toward the surface.
I'm excited to see her possibly challenge the boys in the Haskell/Travers.
No Breeders' Cup For Rachel Alexandra | BloodHorse.com
Incidentally, i don't think the surface had anything to do with Curlin getting beat last year. He ran a good race, and was beaten on the square by a couple of top-caliber Europeans. Real easy for Asmussen and Jackson to blame the surface afterwards. Besides, if they hate synthetic surfaces so much, why did they constantly train Curlin over the Keeneland polytrack? I think it's just an excuse.
So you're telling me that if she wins the Jockey Gold Cup at Belmont, which gives her an automatic entry into the Breeder's Cup Classic, and the connections choose to not run in ANY of the Breeder's Cup races she will still win horse of the year?
You better root for some 50-1 shots all day long on Breeder's Cup Day for her to win with that avoiding path. As I said in my first post, that would be a joke.
List for me all the fillies in history that have beaten the Kentucky Derby winner. Maybe you need to look at what she has accomplished already and compare it to any other filly in history and see that she is already in very rare air.
Goldikova beat older males in the Breeders Cup Mile.
That was just last year. So let's not pretend that Rachel Alexandra is the most accomplished filly in recent years. She's not.
Give the horse her due she is doing things no other filly has ever done. EVER. I am still waiting for that list of Fillies that have beaten the Kentucky Derby winner.
I never suggested that Rachel wasn't one of the most accomplished 3yo fillies ever; certainly she is. But you suggested her current resume is superior to anything that any filly has ever accomplished in their entire career. That's not even close to being true.
Should she show up and win the Travers at the track of champions her Oaks win, Preakness win, along with the Travers and undefeated 3 year old season would be more then enough to place her ahead of any horse this year and would cement her place as one of the greatest ever.
Granted.... first things first... but she is 3 wins away from immortality.
So which is it? First you say she has no competion for HOY and now you say she is 3 wins away? Do you always talk out both sides of your mouth?
Besides, i never heard anything about how Dunkirk had "never won outside of Florida" when you were touting him for the Derby.
Lastly, Zenyatta defeated Life is Sweet last time out, so don't pretend that it was a weak field. Life is Sweet is very possibly better than Rachel Alexandra.
Btw, i'm wondering how you feel about Ventura. She's a top-class filly who has performed very well against males on more than one occasion. You act like RA is the only filly who has ever faced males with any success. What about Ventura?