Edited Gulfstream Park Report
Whether Zenyatta or Rachel Alexandra is the better horse is a question Gulfstream Park president and general manager Ken Dunn believes best answered in the Feb. 6 Donn Handicap (gr. I). The race will be run the day before the Super Bowl in nearby Miami Gardens.
“The conditions of the Donn Handicap provide the perfect setting for what would be a dream matchup,” Dunn said.
“Can you imagine the coverage that this event, and this sport would receive, with the world’s sporting media in town for the next day’s Super Bowl only 10 miles down the road (Feb. 7 at LandShark Stadium)?”
“(Rachel Alexandra’s owner) Jess Jackson has said he doesn’t want to run on a synthetic track and he doesn’t want a match race. The Donn is run on a dirt track, and it would draw a number of other horses.
“The Moss family (owners of Zenyatta) has raced horses at Gulfstream before and accepting a challenge in the Donn would provide them with the chance to prove to the world that their mare can win east of Arkansas, something she hasn’t done yet.”
Earlier this summer, Gulfstream Park waived starter fees in the Donn to not only Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, but also to Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Mine That Bird, Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Summer Bird, and Florida Derby (gr. I) winner Quality Road .
Gulfstream Park’s 2010 opening is Jan. 3.
