This winter has been a rough one for racing around the country, not just at the Great Race Place Santa Anita, but there have been cancellations in every section of the United States. My question is, is it due to Mother Nature or the racing surfaces?

When Oaklawn Park was forced to cancel I did not hear one comment that it was because Oaklawn has a poor surface. As the debate continues over synthetic tracks versus conventional dirt I may as well put in my two cents worth. There are good and bad in everything and tracks are not excluded. It is my feeling that with the amount of rainfall Santa Anita has been hit with in the first two months of 2010, that there is not a surface in the world that could have handled it as quickly as it hit. If the track was still conventional we would have had a sealed surface that would have had washouts and been uneven in places. Does no one remember the injuries that were sustained on sealed race tracks? I sure do. I got to the point where I refused to ride on them because of what the concussion through the horse, transferred to me, did to my knees.

These tracks, I believe, were directly responsible for cutting my career short. These quick fixes just so racing could continue, also in my opinion, contributed to shortening or ending many equine athletes over the years. We need to ask ourselves the question, is it the surface, or the drainage of the track, or Mother Nature, or a combination that has led to five cancellations in the first two months of the year.

To me this is Mother Nature’s way of saying “Be patient.” Every horse that didn’t race was able to walk out of their stall the next morning. Could we say that if Santa Anita was still a conventional dirt surface? I don’t think so. Before we decide to go back to conventional I think all should consider the repercussions that will follow. Many owners from around the country have brought horses to California to compete in top class racing on both turf and synthetic over the past two seasons. California’s horse population is down. It will go down again if we return to dirt. We should find a surface or system that will handle the rainfall but also be safe. I don’t feel that the paved roads created by sealing a racetrack are the answer.

The old line “never mess with Mother Nature” comes to mind. A lot of you will say that Mother Nature never created synthetic racetracks. True, but she gave us the ability to.

When the announcement came out Thursday about Oaklawn Park increasing the purse of the Apple Blossom to $5 million if Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta both show up, I could not have been more excited. This is just what our sport needs. And per his speech at the Eclipse Awards, apparently what Jess Jackson has been waiting for. Then I read the quotes from the owners.

The quote from Zenyatta’s camp read like this: “We’re all very excited about the opportunity. It would be fabulous for the fans and the racing industry. It’s a race we’ve won before, so she likes that track. We’ll do our best to make the race, but obviously, it all depends on Zenyatta and how’s she doing.”

That came form Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, racing manager for Jerry and Anne Moss and wife on Zenyatta trainer John Shirreffs.

The quote from Rachel’s camp read like this: ” As you have heard me say many times before, a number of factors must be considered when deciding where to race a horse- the number one being the condition of the horse. Rachel will tell us when she is ready to start her 2010 campaign and we humans must agree she is in top form. My family and I would love to see her run at Oaklawn Park. If she is in top form and it fits in our schedule, we will be there. Rachel, as you know, likes the track having won there last year.”

Hum…….. So now you see what I’m working with, here I go.

Does Jess Jackson mean “if it fits in his schedule (as he said) or if it fits in the horse’s schedule? Kind of contradictory if you ask me and that was only in the first two sentences. I think Jess Jackson and his prize mare have been called out by some classy owners who are willing to show up for the good of the industry. Jess has already started making excuses and the announcement came from Oaklawn less than 24 hours ago. Unreal.

If Rachel Alexandra can’t be ready in 2 months time, there is a problem somewhere. Don’t you think?

When Zenyatta goes from retirement to picking out her next 2 races which run into April, and the “Horse of the Year” Rachel Alexandra can’t even say when her next race might be, I think there is a problem.

By all reason the Apple Blossom is the best place to start Rachel Alexandra on her 2010 campaign, a track she likes, a good timed race, a distance she likes, and 5 million dollars. If her camp shies away from that I throw a flag on the play. Happy Super Bowl!