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Rachel Alexandra exits debut in good condition, will miss Apple Blossom
"We tried and we really wanted to go (to the Apple Blossom)," Jackson said. "It's unfortunate but the timing just wasn't right. For the health of the horse. It's obvious she's not in top shape. The race (Saturday) was to define how far along she was. I repeatedly told people she was only 80 or 85 percent of what I thought was up to her top condition last year. That race proved it." Jackson was noncommittal on the four-year-old filly's major goals for the year. "It's up to her," he stated. "She has to show us that she's back up to her '09 form. We had progressively accelerated her conditioning and it didn't work, so we're going to gear back, let her develop at her own pace. I can't give you a prediction as to when but it might take a couple of months." "We're disappointed that we're not going to be able to face each other in the Apple Blossom," said Zenyatta's owner, Jerry Moss. "Hopefully we can meet down the line. We respect both Steve and Mr. Jackson as horsemen and they're going to do what's right for their horse. That's all anybody could ask for. "We'll go on to the Apple Blossom as planned," he added. Rachel Alexandra was making her four-year-old debut in the New Orleans Ladies off a six-month break, having last raced on September 5 when taking the Woodward S. (G1). Her training schedule suffered many setbacks during the winter due to weather. "She came back well," Asmussen said. "She ate last night, very sound this morning, walked the shed row well. I'm very pleased with that." Reflecting on Saturday's race, in which Rachel Alexandra stalked the early pacesetter and assumed the lead around the far turn before yielding to the eventual winner, Asmussen was still "disappointed" but remains steadfast in his belief that she simply was not fit enough to win and has much improvement ahead of her. "We had talked about her being 75 or 80-percent fit," he said. "The filly got tired but she cooled out fine and came back well from it; it's just a case if we can move forward in a positive direction fitness-wise, as well as with everything else. Yesterday's race is over. We can analyze it all we want, but her physical condition and her state of mind are what we need to concern ourselves with and we'll address that moving forward." Asked to expand on her state of mind this morning, Asmussen said, "I was pleased with it today. She was relaxed in her stall. She went to her tub when we fed her last night and cleaned up everything. Walked well this morning and seemed very comfortable in her stall this morning."
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