Sam Houston dangles $1.5 million race to lure Rachel, Zenyatta

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Sam Houston Race Park and Gallery Furniture are continuing to step up efforts to attract Horse of the Year RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d’Oro) and unbeaten two-time champion ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire])
to the Houston track for an epic clash on March 27.

Zenyatta

Boasting a purse of $1.5 million, the race would be contested over 1 1/8 miles on The Park’s dirt track.
The track hopes that the race would also entice other top performers.

“This would be the greatest horse race of the 21st century,” said Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale of Gallery
Furniture, “and it would be a privilege for Gallery Furniture to promote this as taking place in Houston. You go girls!”

“We are continuing to work on all fronts to get Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra, as well as other top horses
from around the world, to come to Sam Houston Race Park and participate in what would be one of the most exciting
races in horse racing history,” said Andrea Young, President and Chief Operating Officer, Sam Houston Race Park.

“Adding a race of this caliber to our MAXXAM Gold Cup event is a great way to showcase our nationally recognized
racing surface — it’s a great time of year weather-wise, and we think it’s an ideal way to close out our
Thoroughbred meet.”

The two superstar females have yet to meet on the track, but their connections have expressed an interest in such
a confrontation in 2010.

Both distaffers won Eclipse Awards in their respective divisions unanimously — Rachel Alexandra in the champion
three-year-old filly category, Zenyatta as champion older mare. In their highly charged contest for the Horse of
the Year title, Rachel Alexandra prevailed over Zenyatta by a vote of 130 to 99.

Although Zenyatta was originally retired after her stunning victory over males in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1),
owners Jerry and Ann Moss had a change of heart, and recently revealed that the six-year-old would return to racing
this year. The John Shirreffs trainee had continued to post half-mile moves at her Hollywood Park base, and this past
Sunday, she breezed five furlongs in 1:01 2/5.

Shirreffs has indicated that the March 13 Santa Margarita H. (G1) at Santa Anita could be a logical spot for her reappearance.

In contrast, Rachel Alexandra has not raced since capturing the September 5 Woodward S. (G1) at Saratoga, where she
became the first filly ever to defeat males in that historic prize. The Steve Asmussen pupil had a busier 2009 than
Zenyatta. Unlike her older rival, who began her season in May and raced a total of five times in Southern California,
Rachel Alexandra was on the go from February and compiled a perfect eight-for-eight mark at three.

In the aftermath of her triumphal march through seven tracks, landing such major races as the Kentucky Oaks (G1),
Preakness S. (G1), Mother Goose S. (G1) and Haskell Invitational (G1) prior to the Woodward, her connections decided
to rest her in advance of a 2010 campaign. Majority owner Jess Jackson also made no secret of his dislike for synthetic
racing surfaces, thereby ruling out a hoped-for showdown with Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup on Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride.

Rachel Alexandra is currently wintering at Fair Grounds. While she has been galloping, she is not expected to turn in
her first official breeze until later this month or possibly during the first week of February.

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