Rivalry Week - Get All The Other Horses Out Of The Way And Give Us 'The Beast vs The Best' Match Race In Arkansas On Saturday
I promised you more horse racing content, so you're getting more horse racing content. I'm nothing but a man of my word. Speaking of horse racing, Apple Blossom is this Saturday down at Oaklawn. More importantly it's giving us Swiss Skydiver vs Monomoy Girl. Shit as of this moment only one other horse - Letruska - is in the field. (h/t HRN)
At last check with the Oaklawn racing office, Letruska was the only one who had stepped up to challenge Swiss Skydiver and Monomoy Girl. She won the Rampart Stakes (G3) and the Houston Ladies Classic (G3) before finishing second to Shedaresthedevil in the Azeri (G2). Horse Racing Nation had included Brad Cox's Getridofwhatailesu and Chris Hartman's Chance to Shine as possible entries, but they weren't offered up by the racing office on Sunday.
She's a good horse, don't get me wrong. But this is about Swiss Skydiver and Monomoy Girl. Yeah, I'm calling it rivalry week. We need more character in the sport and I love that we're getting some of that out of Ken McPeek, the trainer for Swiss Skydiver. Calling her a beast and ready for the fight. Love it. I want to start getting some shit talking in the sport. He's ready to bring Swiss Skydiver against the best older female dirt horse in the world in Monomoy Girl. (h/t PR)
Shortly after weights were released early Saturday afternoon, trainer Kenny McPeek said champion Swiss Skydiver “absolutely” would return to Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark., for a showdown with champion Monomoy Girl in the $1 million Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles April 17.
“We're coming with a beast,” McPeek said.
The two races at the Breeders Cup in November in the Distaff. Not surprisingly Monomoy Girl won, because that's all Monomoy Girl does. She's won 14 of the 16 races. Her only two losses came in 2017 to Road to Victory and 2018 to Midnight Bisou - a horse she beat in her previous race. But back to the Breeders Cup race. Swiss Skydiver got a BAD break out of the gate and never recovered, so it's hard to take a lot from that in terms of horse vs horse:
Honestly, I wish every other horse drops out. Give us an old school match race. Like golf, we need more of that in horse racing. I want to see just two horses go at it, especially when they are big names like this. Sure, it's weird in a stakes race, but I want to see it.
Then there's what to do in horizontals here. For me, it's just single Monomoy Girl, deal with the price and move on to the next race. I don't see her losing. She's a monster. I've called her a cheat code before:
She is just that. She's already won the Oaks. She's won the Breeders Cup Distaff twice. But this is about rivalries, something we need more of in horse racing. I don't care if it's trainer vs trainer, jock vs jock or horse vs horse. I hope we see them come to the stretch close. There are very few things more exciting in sports than a big race coming down the stretch. Give us The Beast vs The Best. But don't overthink it, single Monomoy Girl, she simply doesn't lose.
PS: Remember to download HollywoodRaces as I'll start giving out some pick 4s and 5s for the weekend.