Everyone I know was greatly disappointed this past July when Rachel Alexandra did not race in Saratoga.

Instead, she would take part in the Lady’s Secret Stakes.

Rachel Alexandra won easily and offered little excitement or thrill as it was a completely one-sided affair.

But maybe one can still have the showdown that everyone is waiting for.

Experts are predicting Zenyatta Rachel Alexandra could happen at the Personal Ensign Stakes late August.

If so, I’ll be glued to my TV…and betting a bundle.

The Zenyatta vs. Rachel Alexandra at the Personal Ensign Stakes in late August is expected to pull in large crowds.

Neither parties have made official announcements as yet but Personal Ensign seems to be the likely destination for both the star horses.

Rachel Alexandra’s  latest start was at the Lady’s Secret Stakes which was run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles. In contrast, Zenyatta is perfectly at ease over the 10 furlong distance.

Zenyatta would have had the obvious advantage on a longer track but Rachel Alexandra’s trainers have been trying to level the playing field.

Zenyatta may have an advantage of running longer distances but Rachel Alexandra has more experience on dirt than Zenyatta. Personal Ensign is a 1 ¼ miles dirt track and would give no clear advantage to either filly if they do face off over there.

Zenyatta’s next start is expected to be at Del Mar before the 29^th August Personal Ensign Stakes. Zenyatta is in complete form as she has won the Clement L Hirsch Stakes for the last two years now and this year’s event is scheduled for August 7. Zenyatta’s trainers and owners expressed reservations about the track surface at Del Mar. Despite the efforts, no final decision has been made as yet.

Rachel’s trainers might want to have her at Personal Ensign but it’s not clear if they would let her race against Zenyatta.

Many believe that even if the reigning horse of the year, Rachel Alexandra, was scheduled for Personal Ensign, she might be pulled out of the race if the undefeated Zenyatta shows up.

So what do YOU think?

Zenyatta?

Or Rachel A.?

You’ll forgive me this week if I concentrate on Saratoga Raceway.

I am partial to Saratoga.

I worked for a number of years near Woodstock and travelled up to Saratoga in the summer for my horse racing fixes.

Yeah. That’s right. I have a horse racing fix. Don’t you?

Anyway….

This summer, the troubled raceway will give away (courtesy of the NY Racing Association)two shirts, an umbrella and a baseball cap during its summer meeting in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

NYRA, which operates horse racing at Saratoga Race Course, released the giveaway schedule recently. The number of giveaways is the same as last year.

The four free items are:

• an Irish-themed Saratoga T-shirt, on July 29

• a hat celebrating the race horse Rachel Alexandra, on Aug. 8

• a black Saratoga umbrella, on Aug. 22

• a gray long-sleeve shirt, on Sept. 5

All giveaways are free with each paid admission to the race course.

The 142nd Saratoga meet opens July 23.

Patrons will receive free general admission that day, with racing beginning at 1 p.m.

The meet will run through Labor Day weekend—a total of 40 racing days, the longest Saratoga meet in more than a century.

NYRA was approved for a $25 million state loan in June, which kept the association from having to shut down and lay off all 1,450 employees.

Without the loan, NYRA expected to run out of cash this month, which would have forced it to cancel the storied Saratoga meet.

If you have never been to Saratoga, GO. It’s an awesome place.

If you have been, then you know what I mean.

Next posting, back to talk about horses and racing.

It’s been called the “Greatest Horse Race in the World” and the “Longest Horse Race in the world.” Either way, the Mongol Derby is not a challenge just any horse rider is willing to take on.

Indeed, the 1,000 kilometer (more than 630 miles) endurance race over the Mongolian steppe — a diverse, often unforgiving terrain that includes forest, mountains and desert — is so challenging that organizers of the race provide three days of training for the small group of international competitors who qualified to be in the race.

A true adventurist, 33-year-old Justin Nelzen, a-Pinehurst-farrier- turned-endurance athlete, is one of 16 representing five counties who qualified for the second annual derby to start Aug. 7.

Nelzen is one of the first three Americans ever selected for the 10-day equestrian event. And, while several might be happy just to finish the race, Nelzen’s standard is set a bit higher.

“My goal is to win it,” he said.

With only three years of endurance horse racing under his belt, some might think Nelzen is a risky bet, but his record says otherwise.

“Justin is very accomplished,” Rhita McNair of McNair Internationale, who has trained horses for more than 40 years, said. “I am very impressed with his skills as a rider and as a trainer. He took a mare he bought from me all the way to a world champion.”

Last year, Nelzen also swept first, second and third places in the Hog Scramble, a 30-mile endurance race in Huntsville, on horses he owns and trained. His 7-year-old daughter, Trinity, placed first.

So, who knows? He could win. Wouldn’t that be very very cool.

“I didn’t know anything other than to train my horses like I trained myself,” he said. “Someone asked me before my first race what I expected. I told them I expected to win, and I did. I didn’t know any better at the time.”

Excited at just the thought of Nelzen winning the derby, McNair said Justin is very good at reading horses, a skill that is sure to pay off when he selects his Mongolian mounts for the derby.

If the countryside and route don’t offer enough challenge and history then the horses supplied for the derby certainly do. Decedents of the horses that gave Khan and his warriors superior advantage over their enemies and helped establish the Mongol Empire, make up the pool of more than 200 horses the derby supplies.

“This is a land where horses outnumber people seven to one,” Nelzen said. “They are practically worshiped by the people there.”

Riders will get a fresh mount at each station choosing from a collection of the Mongolian horses on a first-come, first-served basis.

“I hope I’ll get there first, have a good selection and be able to choose a good horse,” Nelzen said.

We hope so too. I’ll let you know how he does.

I love watching Goldikova race.

Luckily, I was able to watch her race in the Queen Anne Stakes the other day and she performed wonderfully.  Put her in a race at a mile on good ground and she’ll get it done time and again.

I had my doubts at the beginning of the race though, because Paco Boy looked good.

But the champion mare had just enough left in the tank to hold onto the top spot by a head.

From a friend who frequents UK racetracks: “I didn’t give Noble’s Promise” much of a chance going into the St James’s Palace Stakes  but I’ve got to give him a lot of credit for his effort.

He didn’t win (he finished 5^th) but he ran hard and fit in decently enough with a very good field.  No word on where Noble’s Promise will be pointed to next, but I’d be shocked if he’s not pointed toward a race on the lawn at a mile back in the U.S.

All in all an exciting few days at the track.

I received a press release the other day from Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City and I thought that as someone who loves to gamble…and who loves horse racing… it was kinda interesting.

The Casino was announcing the debut of Triple Towers Virtual Horse Racing.

Now available exclusively in New Jersey at Resorts, this horse racing themed game provides slot players a simple way to enjoy the horse race betting experience in a group-play atmosphere.

Created for IGT’s M-P Series® hardware, players place bets on 23-inch monitors at individual player stations and a 57-inch large-format LCD central display. Dynamic camera angles, 3-D technology, realistic sounds effects and race commentary bring the experience of the racetrack to life.

The individual player stations feature touch-sensitive screens that allow players to make wagers and access onscreen help before, during and after each race. The central display shows horse history and handicap information before each race.

Much like wagering at a live racetrack, players place traditional bets – Win, Place or Show – as well as Exacta and Quinella. Players can also make quick pick bets, random bets based on the player’s selected wager value and bet type. Bets are made in $1 denominations with a minimum of $3 and a maximum of $50 in total bets.

A jackpot bonus feature randomly selects a race result and awards players the displayed amount if the race finishes in that exact order. The jackpot amount varies based on the number of horses that finish in order and the player’s total wager amount.

OK… it’s not real. And I don’t get (no matter what they say) the real thrill of being at a track.

But it sounds like fun.

I’ll be in Atlantic City in a few weeks and hope to check it out for you.

Meanwhile, if anyone reading this has been to Resorts lately and wants to report on it, just email me.

I love the Derby, but I grew up 15 minutes away from Belmont Raceway so the Stakes holds a place dear in my heart.

Wherever I live, I watch the Belmont Stakes and it takes me back to when I was a kid.

Meanwhile, I loved the race. And I’m glad First Dude lost. Nice horse…but I hate the name.

Drosselmeyer had a final time of 2:31.57. Paid out $28 on a $2 bet. Fly Down ($6.80) was second and First Dude ($4.90) third.

First Dude set the pace around the first turn with Uptowncharlybrown on his tail with Ice Box 11 lengths from the lead early.

Everyone was waiting for Ice Box to make his move but the horse never did.

Over the halfway mark First Dude was being pushed by Interactif and the pace was reasonably quick with Game On Dude in 3^rd.

Ice Box was 8 lengths back at the ¾ mark.  Coming around the final turn and First Dude and Game On Dude battled.

Drosselmeyer flew by them both right at the end.

This, from our correspondent in Whittier, California.

It’s a cool story about Corey Nakatani, who left Southern California earlier this year for a fresh start.

Well, he enjoyed a happy homecoming June 1 when he rode 21-1 long shot Victor’s Cry to a victory in the $250,000 Grade I Shoemaker Mile at Hollywood Park.

Nakatani, a 39-year-old Covina native who’s won numerous Southland riding titles, finished a strong second (59-49) to Terry Thompson at the Oaklawn Park meet that concluded in late April while riding 113 fewer races.

He’s currently based in Kentucky, but that doesn’t mean he’s entrenched there.

“If the horses bring us back to California, we’ll be here,” Nakatani said after guiding Victor’s Cry to a head victory over Karelian, who shipped in from Kentucky and was the 9-5 favorite.

“I’d love to come back. California is home.”

Nakatani, who’s ridden such equine standouts as Lava Man, Lit de Justice, Serena’s Song, Rock Hard Ten and Sweet Catomine during a career that began in fall 1988 at Caliente Race Track in Mexico, knows the recipe for success in Southern California.

“If I got the opportunity to ride for the outfits you need to ride for, the Doug O’Neills and the John Sadlers, the Bob Bafferts,” he said. “If you rode for those outfits, you can come back and ride for them all.”

We wish him all the luck in the world.

Because I like to cover horse racing around the world, I thought it would be nice to tip the hat to six horses and four individuals who will be inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Mister Big is one horse. Remember him? The second biggest pacer of all time in Canada. His trainer, Robert McIntosh, will also enter the hall.

Mister Big  earned more than $4 million. He finished in the money 65 times in 85 career starts — 34 wins, 20 second-place finishes and third another 11 times. And 18 times the multiple Dan Patch and Nova Award winner posted a time of 1:49 or lower.

McIntosh, from Windsor, Ont., is a four-time O’Brien winner as Canada’s top trainer and is also the leading trainer in the Breeders Crown with 15 wins.

He has recorded over 3,562 wins and his horses have earned more than $78 million in earnings. WOW.

Other inductees include Belmont Stakes winner Victory Gallop, along with Lady Angela. They join builder Mel Lawson of Hamilton and trainer-jockey Frank Barroby.

Joining Mister Big in the standardbred class of 2010 is broodmare Classic Wish along with builder R. Peter Heffering and A Worthy Lad in the veterans category.

The 10 new inductees will be enshrined Aug. 19 at the Mississauga Convention Centre.

Lawson, 87, and Jim Dandy Stables were involved in the breeding and racing of quality horses for almost 50 years.

Barroby, 66, dominated racing as a jockey, winning titles in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.

Heffering, of Port Perry, Ont., has campaigned many notable horses including Precious Bunny, a winner of over $2 million and a member of the Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to all.

1. Aikenite under jockey Javier Castellano with morning line odds of 20-1
2. Schoolyard Dreams under jockey Eibar Coa, 15-1
3. Pleasant Prince under jockey Julien Leparoux, 20-1
4. Northern Giant under jockey T. J. Thompson, 30-1
5. Yawanna Twist under jockey Edgar Prado, 30-1
6. Jackson Bend under jockey Mike Smith, 12-1
7. Lookin At Lucky under jockey Martin Garcia, 3-1
8. Super Saver under jockey Calvin Borel, 5-2
9. Caracortado under jockey P. Atkinson, 10-1
10. Paddy O’Prado under jockey Kent Desormeaux, 9-2
11. First Dude under jockey Ramon Dominguez, 20-1
12. Dublin under jockey Garrett Gomez, 10-1

The Preakness Stakes is the 12th race in Pimlico’s May 15 race card.

Race time is 6:12 pm., eastern time.

Don’t  ignore Schoolyard Dreams.  He lost the Tampa Bay Derby to Odysseus but just barely. That loss cost the horse a chance at the Kentucky Derby as he didn’t have enough earnings to make the field. 

The owners entered the horse in the Wood Memorial but no horse was going to beat Eskendereya in that race.

After the fourth place finish in the Wood the horse was pointed toward the Preakness.

“The horse is ready to go,” said part owner Eric Fein, “Anybody who doesn’t think so is crazy.”

The sire of Schoolyard Dreams is Stephen Got Even who finished fourth in the 1999 Preakness.  Schoolyard Dreams is the grandson of 1992 Belmont Stakes winner A.P. Indy.