Thoroughbred racing in 2010 consists of three universes, all moving in parallel lines. One is the Triple Crown trail, which possesses an aura all to itself and is oblivious to any other existing worlds. The two other realms have been meandering through space, occasionally veering off their axis. On one...

March 10 – Zenyatta will face eight opponents in Saturday’s Santa Margarita, conceding from 12 to 19 pounds. Her main threats appear to be the La Canada winner Striking Dancer (115 lbs), trained by the always dangerous Kenny McPeek; La Canada runner-up Gripsholm Castle (112), who ran a big race in her...

March 1 – The first NTRA poll of the year is out and Zenyatta tops the list with eight first-place votes and 150 points, while Rachel Alexandra managed five first-place votes and 145 points. You don’t often see the returning Horse of the Year fail to earn the No. 1 slot in the first poll, especially...

This is the first of a three-part diary on the $5-million Apple Blossom Invitational (gr. I) April 9, pitting Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta in a long-awaited battle for the ages. Part two will cover the month of March and part three will cover the days leading up to the race, the race itself, and the...

Oaklawn Park made all the right moves with their big Apple Blossom announcement. They put up the money, they changed the distance, and in short they dangled one heckuva carrot in front of Jess Jackson and Jerry and Ann Moss. It all makes for great theater and great anticipation. But there are logistics...