Fueling speculation that it is setting the stage for a first-ever matchup between Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and champion older mare Zenyatta, Oaklawn Park has scheduled a Feb. 4 announcement of “A Race for the Ages."
The Hot Springs, Ark., track sent notices Feb. 2 for an invitation-only breakfast to be held at 10 a.m. (CST) at the track. Promotions for the event said it would include the announcement “regarding one of the greatest stakes in our 106-year history,” according to the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record.
While no other details of the announcement were made, it fueled speculation that the track would boost the $500,000 purse of the April 3 Apple Blossom Handicap (gr. I) as a lure to the connections of Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, the only two candidates for Horse of the Year honors in 2009.
Rachel Alexandra is owned by Jess Jackson and Harold McCormick and Zenyatta is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss.