Frankie Leal, stable foreman for California-based trainer John Shirreffs and
the man who accompanied New Orleans Ladies S. heroine ZARDANA (Brz) (Crimson
Tide) to Fair Grounds, was unsurprisingly all smiles Sunday morning outside his
mare’s home-away-from-home in trainer Wally Dollase’s barn.
“That race yesterday was amazing,” Leal said as he accepted congratulations
on Zardana’s accomplishment in defeating Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia
d’Oro). “You know, I had a big feeling she might win because she had been acting
so happy ever since she got here.
“I always thought she’d run real well on dirt. Her races in South America
were on dirt and she won them all by big margins, but she hadn’t run on dirt in
almost two years, so I couldn’t be sure.
“I don’t think she likes that surface (Pro-Ride) at Santa Anita very much,”
Leal continued. “She doesn’t mind the track at Hollywood (Cushion Track) so
much, but she just doesn’t look very comfortable when she gets on the track at
Santa Anita.
“But she sure looks happy this morning. She ate up today and she seems to be
enjoying your weather (in New Orleans).
“I think she’s very proud of herself, but I’m wondering if she’s thinking,
‘What have I gotten myself into? I just beat the Horse of the Year, maybe now
they’ll want me to go back and run against the big horse (Zenyatta [Street Cry
[Ire]) in our barn.’
“There’s not another flight back to California until the 18th, so at least
she’ll have a few days to relax and enjoy herself here, because she sure likes
it here.”
Cincy Dollase was just getting back to the barn from the track just after
Leal returned to his duties looking after Zardana, and was eager to relive the
Dollase family’s moments with owner Arnold Zetcher in the paddock before the New
Orleans Ladies and in the winner’s circle afterwards.
“Yesterday was so much fun,” she said. “Mr. Zetcher is such a nice, gracious
man. He went up to Jess Jackson (Rachel Alexandra’s principal owner) in the
paddock and complimented him on his filly before the race and told him how much
he admired her and the way they have conducted her campaign. I thought that was
a wonderful gesture.
“I really didn’t think Zardana could beat her,” Dollase confided. “I thought
the best Zardana could do was get second. I told Mr. Zetcher and Frankie that we
might be the only people in the stands cheering for Zardana, but we’d give it
our best.
“But you know who really had fun yesterday was our daughter Aimee,” she
concluded. “She got to put the saddle on Zardana and that was a big moment for
her. Afterwards, she said, ‘Now, I’ll always be able to say I saddled a horse
that beat the Horse of the Year.'”
UNFORGOTTEN (Northern Afleet), who finished third in the New Orleans Ladies
behind Zardana and Rachel Alexandra, left her trainer Dallas Stewart feeling
“very good” Sunday morning at his barn.
“I was very proud of her and the way she ran,” Stewart said.
Marcelino Jacuinde, Stewart’s assistant trainer, reported that Unforgotten
“ate up everything as usual” on Sunday morning.
“She’s doing fine,” Jacuinde said. “She always comes out of her races well.
She’s always been a very sound mare.”
FIGHTER WING (Empire Maker), who set the pace in the New Orleans Ladies
before fading to fourth, also came out of the race in good order, according to
trainer Greg Geier during training hours Sunday morning.
“She’s happy as a lark this morning,” Geier said. “That race yesterday didn’t
take that much out of her. She’s doing just fine today.”
CLEAR SAILING (Empire Maker), who never entered the fray in the New Orleans
Ladies, was diagnosed with a low-grade lung infection, trainer Glenn
Delahoussaye reported late Sunday morning.
“Right now, we’ve got her on a broad-based antibiotic,” said Delahoussaye,
who hauled his filly back to the Evangeline Training Center Saturday night and
was driving back to New Orleans Sunday morning. “Now, we’ll try to come back
with a more specific antibiotic when we figure out the best way to treat it.
We’re going to have to go over her with a fine-tooth comb.
“I thought she was going to run really well yesterday and when she didn’t I
knew something must be wrong,” Delahoussaye said. “Shane Sellers (Clear
Sailing’s jockey) said she never even picked up the bridle. She just didn’t show
up, so he didn’t abuse her and I’m really grateful to him for that.
“I knew Rachel wasn’t quite at her peak in her training yesterday, and I
figured if there was ever a time to beat her, yesterday was it. I was right
about that, but I was thinking it was going to be my filly that beat her. That’s
the way this game is — chicken one day, feathers the next. Yesterday, I was
hoping I was going to get chicken but it didn’t work out. We’ll back off on her
for at least 30 days and then start back with her very slowly.
“Nevertheless, we were very proud to be there at the dance yesterday,”
Delahoussaye added. “We really enjoyed being a part of the whole experience, and
you’ve got to be able to take the good with the bad in this business.”