Sunday, March 14th, 2010...8:56 pm
It’s Time To Test Pacquiao
Rachel Alexandra was a shadow of herself yesterday at the Fairgrounds. Her work tab was indicative of a horse nowhere near her best and she ran to those works. One particularly worrisome aspect of her performance was her inability too battle back, when given every chance, against Zardanna. She pinned her ears back and did not relish the opportunity to engage in a slugfest, something that might indicate she will not be the runner she was in 2009…the decision to pull out of her April 9th appointment in the Apple Blossom is the correct call. She needs to get back on a comfortable training regimen and allow her brain trust to decide if it is advisable to campaign the legend in 2010…
I was friends with a local conditioner who had a nice allowance quality filly completely fall apart when brought back for her four year old season. I remember going to the barn with the gentleman and watching as he bemoaned the state of the thoroughbred. She has, he said, decided she doesn’t want to be a racehorse anymore. It was a simple as that. After a long layoff she could not muster the desire to engage on the track. They are temperamental and high-strung creatures and there is no guarantee they will maintain their edge…
Yeah, I know, Zenyatta was astonishing while accounting for the Santa Margarita at Santa Anita. Running on her beloved plastic, the mare was dead last with a quarter mile to run. She inhaled the field, despite encountering significant traffic problems. Watching her weave her way through the lane, running over one competitor while dodging others, it’s hard not to feel admiration for her skill. A race between Zenyatta and Rachel should be scheduled for Saratoga in July, when both horses are fit and, hopefully, ready to fire their best shot. It will be a race for the ages…
Manny Pacquiao averaged over 100 punches a round while overwhelming Joshua Clottey last night. The Rail broke out in spirited discussions on Pacman but, sorry, I’m at the point where I feel he must be tested regularly. The fighter I watched struggle as a featherweight, beaten by Erik Morales, now shrugs off the punches of welterweights and shows no signs of fatigue despite setting a hellacious pace.
The curse of our generation is performance enhancing drugs. Fighters like Roy Jones, Evander Holyfield, Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, Vladimir and Vitali Klitschko, James Toney and Fernando Vargas have all been implicated. Let me be clear; none of the aforementioned ever had accomplishments comparable to Pacquiao. Before Pacquiao fights Floyd Mayweather he must agree to random, sophisticated testing. And hard questions should also be asked of Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer…
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