Rachel Wow-lexandra

I currently possess the enviable status of being the world's only perfect handicapper. During the short history of this blog, I have made exactly one pick, and it turned out to be correct. Over 19 lengths correct and in stakes record time to be exact. Was she by far the best horse on paper? Yes. Was she only facing two others? Yes. Did she only pay ten cents on a two-dollar win bet? Yes. However, Rachel Alexandra still managed to put on a show of very impressive proportions. Normal horses do not set records when they are not even asked by their jockeys for any extra effort through most of the stretch. Her jockey, Calvin Borel, summed it up best after the race by saying: "She set a track record, believe me, she's not normal. I'm telling you, she's unbelievable." He has said in the past that she is the best horse he has ever ridden. I cannot think of a reason to disagree with him. 

Meanwhile, the other superlady of the horse racing world, Zenyatta, turned in yet another last-to-first performance to increase her record to a perfect 11 for 11 lifetime. After the race, her owner gave some hints toward a possible matchup between Zenyatta and Rachel sometime before the Breeder's Cup. This is very exciting news, since most everyone thought this had a zero-percent chance of happening following last week's announcement that Rachel would be bypassing the 2009 Breeder's Cup altogether. The SuperFilly vs. The SuperMare would be an excellent showcase for the sport and hopefully draw much-needed media attention on a national level.

If Zenyatta does indeed head East for a showdown with Rachel, one has to wonder who in the world would enter their horse into a race that featured those two. With so many options for stakes races in the late summer and fall, why would anyone enter a race where finishing third would be the expected outcome, regardless of how talented you think your horse may be? Perhaps somewhere such as Saratoga or Monmouth can put together some sort of massive purse which would make third or fourth place prize money enough to warrant running at all if you aren't one of the aforementioned ladies. The sport could use some national attention during the non-triple-crown time of year, so I sincerely hope that the owners figure out a way to get these two on the same track.

I will be keeping track of my "Lock of the Week" standings on the left-hand side of this page. Listed will be my success rate and profit off of $2 win wagers.