A Belmont without Rachel

Rachel Alexandra is NOT going to run in the Belmont and I'm totally in agreement with the decision... fooled you, right? She looked terrific after the Preakness, didn't appear overly hot BUT her jockey said she had a rough trip and she was on the verge of overheating. I know with people, when you get so hot you stop sweating, you're in trouble and since the filly wasn't even lightly lathered, her jock was probably right. And the fact that her owners have made this decision earlier than what they thought they would leads me to believe she really needs the time off. So her jockey, Calvin Borel, is back up on Mine That Bird, the KY Derby winner... setting him up with a huge opportunity to be the first ever jockey to win all 3 Triple Crown races in the same year on different horses. What would be REALLY cool is if he were up on a THIRD horse... say Pioneerof the Nile or Mr Hot Stuff... and won. Also pretty cool is how much Chip Woolley, Bird's trainer, has "grown up" since the Derby. He and the owners waited for Rachel's people to make up their minds so Calvin could ride Bird if she didn't run... they obviously had a number of fine riders ready and willing to hop on board... so a big gold star for them. I'm looking forward to next Saturday... hope to see Bird make that "gotta fly now" run passed everyone else and cross the finish line first one more time.

Oh, and Cotton and the kids are fine.

The Filly Does It, Cotton Still Working On It!

Rachel Alexandra led all the way and finished first against the colts, with Mine That Bird coming from the back of the pack to finish second. IF they are both in the Belmont in 3 weeks and both have an equally problem free trip around the track, I think he'll catch her. But maybe not... her jockey said she didn't like the track in Baltimore and maybe the one in NY will please her more. But it is for sure Bird's Derby win was not a fluke.

Cotton - Maybe Tonight
Cotton has been panting off and on all day and she's eaten (FINALLY!) about half a bowl of food, so tonight might be the time she's chosen for whelping. She certainly isn't arguing about wanting to stay out of the puppy pen when I tell her to get in... a sign that she feels safe and comfortable there. I don't have anything planned for tomorrow (except the Survivor finale, so I won't mind getting up and down all night long!