Notes: Rach/Zen, New Orleans Ladies, Apple Blo$$om

February 14, 2010 by Greg Brandow
Filed under: Horse Racing

The race is on! Once Oaklawn President Charles Cella agreed to move the Apple Blossom back six days, to Friday April 9th, the connections for both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta agreed to point their horses to the race. All that remains is to get through eight weeks, a dozen workouts and two prep races without either horse sneezing or stubbing its toe. Keep your fingers crossed.
As expected, Rachel Alexandra’s next race will be the newly-minted New Orleans Ladies (Handicap or Stakes?) on March 13th at Fair Grounds Race Course. Zenyatta will make her 2010 debut the same day in the Santa Margarita Handicap (or Stakes?) at Santa Anita. This gives both horses 27 days to rest and reload before meeting in Hot Springs.
The $5 million Apple Blossom purse will be distributed in a unique manner that is sure to attract a full field of 10 runners. While most of the money will go to the winner ($2,500,000) and runner-up ($1,000,000), the horses that finish sixth to tenth (aka last) will each receive $100,000. That’s not bad considering the owners will only have to put up $20,200 to enter the starting gate.

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