Equine sexism and business collide at Pimlico [UPDATED 1:15]

Still trying to figure out who Borel will ride on Satuday. (Image by flickrized via Flickr)

The Gossip Girl entry would read like this:

Gossip Girl here. It seems M is willing to do anything to make sure he doesn’t lose C, even dance with Z. But if Z really just wants to see C on top of R.A….then the Big Bird could end up flying without wings.

Mark Allen, the owner of Kentucy Derby winner Mine that Bird, has been trying to collude with other horse owners to prevent the country’s best filly from entering in the Preakness on Saturday. But Allen is not just dealing with some serious equine sexism issues, he’s trying to keep his Derby winning jockey.

You see, on the day before the Kentucky Derby, when Mine that Bird was still a 50-1 nobody, a horse named Rachel Alexandra won the Kentucky Oaks. The Oaks is essentially the Derby for fillies, and Rachel Alexandra won it big time, by a record 20 1/4 lengths. Now Rachel’s owners are interested in testing her against the country’s top stallions at the Preakness. The only problem is that Rachel’s jockey, Calvin Borel, who is bound by contract to ride her in every race she enters this year, also happened to be Mine that Bird’s jockey at the Derby.

A quick interjection: This must be the kind of stuff jockey’s dream about when they’re kids. Borel rode the winning horse at the Oaks, as it won by a record length, and then one day later took a 50-1 long-shot to an improbable yet dominating Kentucky Derby victory.

Rachel is so well regarded that, according to the AP, “Pimlico oddsmaker Frank Carulli said he would make Rachel Alexandra the morning line favorite if she enters.”

While in some sports, collusion is frowned upon, apparently in horse racing it it talked about quite openly. From the NY Daily News:

According to Zayat, Allan suggested they should each enter an additional horse in the Preakness to bump the field to 15, making Rachel Alexandra ineligible to run since she’s a supplemental choice and original nominations get first preference. Only 14 can go to post in the Preakness.

Zayat said Allen told him: “Listen, I have a request for you. I think this race is between me (Mine That Bird) and you (Pioneerof the Nile). … Can you please help us? It’s good for the game.”

Owner of Mine that Bird tries to block Rachel Alexandra’s Preakness bid

Zayat has decided not to enter in another horse if it means excluding Rachel Alexandra, saying “I am happy not to block her for the good of the game.”

Hopefully Rachel Alexandra gets to race. The last filly to win the Preakness was in 1924 and I’d hate to see politics prevent a filly contender from going for it.

[Update 1:15] From the New York Times “The Rail” blog:

Collusion between the co-owner of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and the owner of runner-up Pioneerof the Nile to keep Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra out of the starting gate for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes would have, if successfully orchestrated, created one of the biggest embarrassments this sport has seen in my lifetime. Apparently, and thankfully, the plot to keep the filly out of the race was aborted on the same day it was hatched.

How the Plot Against ‘Rachel’ Unraveled