With The Loss By Rachel Alexandra, Can Horse Racing Catch A Break?

It was all set. The showdown between Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra on April 9th in the $5 Million Apple Blossom Stakes where the two super females were to meet.

The race would have caught the attention of many sports fans, even those not always interested in the "Sport of Kings."

But unfortunately, something happened along the way on Saturday that the sport of horse racing did not need... Rachel Alexandra lost.

After having a six-month layoff, Rachel Alexandra returned in the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies Stakes at the Fair Grounds Race Track. Rachael looked home free but 9-1 choice Zardana cruised on by Rachael Alexandra in deep stretch and threw a monkey wrench into the proposed super race.

Zenyatta (shown in the photo above), opened up her 2010 campaign with a last to first victory in the $250,000 Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita.

Horse racing is slowly losing customers with internet poker, lotteries, casinos, slot machines. Racing could have been brought back into the spotlight for another day that wasn't the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont or Breeder's Cup.

It just figures that someone had to lose in a tune-up race and that was Rachael Alexandra.

I still hope the race goes off as planned. While the race may have lost some of it's luster, it's still a race many horse players want to see and hopefully some non-pony players as well.

Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra have been touted as the best female horses around.

A loss by Rachel Alexandra was painful to watch but a come