Mike Smith, Zenyatta's regular rider who's one of the best big-race jockeys in the nation, has landed the mount on Mine That Bird for the West Virginia Derby on Aug. 1 and the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 29.

Smith rode Mine That Bird in the Preakness when Calvin Borel opted to stay aboard Rachel Alexandra, who went gate-to-wire and became the first filly to win the second leg of the Triple Crown in 85 years.

Borel could not give a commitment for the West Virginia Derby, so trainer Chip Woolley secured the services of Smith for the two races. Interestingly, Smith could not commit to the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7. Hmmmmm. Perhaps the Zenyatta camp is thinking of taking on the boys in the big one?

"Hopefully we won't be in a switch in the Breeders' Cup," Woolley said.

Smith was at Churchill Downs on Saturday to ride Thorn Song in the Firecracker Handicap and expressed his delight at securing the mount on this year's Kentucky Derby winner.

"I'm very happy to have the opportunity to get back on him," the Hall of Famer said. "Hopefully I can make amends for what happened the last time and get him home this time."

Smith and Mine That Bird were a fast-closing second in the Preakness.

Some say Rachel Alexandra co-owner Jess Jackson has no intention of running his spectacular 3-year-old filly against Zenyatta. Still others criticize Zenyatta's owner, Jerry Moss, for apparently choosing to keep his fabulous mare in California and take zero risks. What do you think? Will these two spectacular distaffers meet this year?

Defending champion Mast Track? Californian winner Informed, along with runners-up Rail Trip, Dakota Phone and Song of Navarone? This isn't exactly a Hollywood Gold Cup for the ages.

Twenty horses were nominated Thursday for the $700,000 Gold Cup, which will be run July 11 at 1 1/4 miles on Cushion Track. The most intriguing nominee is Life Is Sweet, who will attempt to become the fourth female to win the Gold Cup -- Hollypark's signature race -- and the first since Princessnesian in 1968. Two Lea (1952) and Happy Issue (1944) also turned the trick.

With Tiago not ready to run yet and Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed aiming for a return to the races in the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 2, the Gold Cup is seriously lacking some star power. Mast Track, trained by Bobby Frankel, won the race last year in gate-to-wire fashion, but he's winless in five races since.

A pair of Eastern invaders who have shown a fondness for synthetic tracks -- Parading from New York and Bullsbay from Maryland -- figure to be major players in the race. Others nominated include 2008 Swaps Stakes winner Tres Borrachos, Autism Awareness, Awesome Gem, Big Booster, Champs Elysees, Global Hunter, Magnum, Mr. Big, Plan, Richard's Kid, Rising Moon and Wishful Tomcat.

Champs Elysees, runner-up to the brilliant Einstein in the Santa Anita Handicap in March, is an interesting horse. But he's better on the turf, and Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface appears to be more conducive to grass specialists than Hollywood's Cushion Track, which plays more like a traditional dirt surface.

There was no change in the top seven positions in this week's NTRA rankings after top-rated Rachel Alexandra put on a tremendous show in the Mother Goose at Belmont Park, winning by a stakes-record 19 1/4 lengths in a stakes-record time of 1:46.33 for the 1 1/8 miles. Meanwhile, Zenyatta staged her usual steady late charge to mow down the leaders and win the Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park by 2 1/2 lengths.

The rankings, including first-place votes in parenthesis, age, 2009 record, points total and last week's ranking:

1. Rachel Alexandra (10) 3-F 6-6-0-0 193 1
2. Zenyatta (8) 5-M 2-2-0-0 187 2
3. Well Armed (2) 6-G 3-1-1-0 144 3
4. Einstein (1) 7-H 4-2-0-2 140 4
5. Mine That Bird 3-G 5-1-2-1 121 5
6. Macho Again 4-C 4-2-0-1 58 6
7. Gio Ponti 4-C 3-2-0-0 54 7
8. Fabulous Strike 6-G 3-1-2-0 37 10
9. Bribon 6-G 5-3-0-0 36 8
10. Summer Bird 3-C 5-2-0-1 34 9

OK, there's one theory floating around out there that says Rachel Alexandra's co-owner, Jess Jackson, wants no part of the unbeaten Zenyatta, that he's using the synthetic track angle as a way to avoid meeting her on the track.

It's an interesting thought, whether it has any validity or not. I mean, Rachel's handlers could keep entering 3-year-old races the rest of the way and there's no way Zenyatta's camp could oppose her, even if they wanted. Rachel could go in races like the Haskell, Travers, Alabama ... any number of them ... and avoid having to meet the monster that is Zenyatta.

There's no doubt these two distaffers are the two leading contenders for Horse of the Year and they are also the two most popular race horses in America today. This is something that is great for horse racing. It's got people talking about the sport, with topics ranging from Jackson's refusal to race over Santa Anita's Pro-Ride synthetic in the Breeders' Cup to who would win if the two super stars ever meet.

There are many who wonder why Jackson would announce to the world five months in advance that he's not going to the Breeders' Cup. What if something happened to Zenyatta before then, or if Zenyatta's owner and trainer decided they were going to run in the Classic against the boys -- a real possibility folks -- and not the Ladies' Classic? Wouldn't that make the Ladies' Classic a much easier proposition for Rachel Alexandra?

Last year, Jackson kept saying "been there, done that" in regards to whether Curlin was going to run in the Breeders' Cup. Of course, he relented and his talented colt finished fourth with no excuses. Of course, his camp used the excuse that he didn't like the synthetic, but truth is he just wasn't good enough that day.

It's getting more and more interesting, folks, and the Super Bowl of horse racing -- i.e. the Breeders' Cup -- is still five months away.

If you didn't see Zenyatta win Saturday's Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park by 2 1/2 lengths, jockey Mike Smith eased up in the saddle, or Rachel Alexandra absolutely destroy her two rivals in the Mother Goose at Belmont Park, here's your chance. One thing's for certain -- no matter which distaffer you prefer, they're both marvelous race horses and a pleasure to watch:

When the California Horse Racing board adopted the rule at its May 2006 meeting that California race tracks had to install synthetic surfaces in order to be granted racing dates, Jerry Moss was the only commissioner present who raised any objection at all. He wanted further study done. Racing executives the likes of El Halpern (CTT), Howard Zucker (trainer/CTT board member), Drew Couto (TOC), Craig Fravel (executive vice president of Del Mar), Ron Charles (Santa Anita president) and Darrell Haire (jockeys guild) all got up and spoke and supported the mandate.

Now, more than three years later, Moss is not only expressing mild concerns, but it appears he's moved further away from the notion that artificial surfaces are good for the sport. This is pretty astounding too when you consider that Moss' brilliant, unbeaten mare Zenyatta has won 10 of her 11 races over synthetic surfaces. It seems if anything he'd love the fake stuff and be extolling its virtues all over town. Not so.

Saturday at Hollywood Park, after Zenyatta raised her career mark to 11-0 with another superior come-from-behind performance in the $300,000 Vanity Handicap, Moss was asked if it bothered him that Rachel Alexandra's co-owner Jess Jackson had alluded that Zenyatta was a synthetics track specialist, i.e. could only win on artificial surfaces. Of course, Jackson has never said anything of the sort, but Moss answered the question nonetheless.

"Is he implying that? I don't know, I didn't get that," he said. "She won at Oaklawn (2008 Apple Blossom Handicap, she beat (Ginger Punch) pretty good, so I think that exonerates her from that premise."

But Moss made it clear he wasn't bothered by Jackson's refusal to send Rachel Alexandra to the Breeders' Cup in November at Santa Anita because Jackson doesn't like "plastic tracks."

"Quite honestly, he can say whatever he likes," Moss said. "He owns a great filly and she's doing well. She won very easily today (Mother Goose). I mean, I'm not too crazy about the synthetic tracks either so I don't mind him talking up about that. Maybe it will serve a purpose, and hopefully we'll meet somewhere. If it's not the Breeders' Cup, maybe it will be somewhere else."

One Breeders' Cup official believes Jackson's assertion that Rachel Alexander will not run in the Breeders' Cup is not cast in stone, that as the date (Nov. 6-7) draws nearer, he could change his mind. Remember, last year at this time Jackson was throwing out catch phrases like "been there, done that" in regards to whether Curlin would run in the Breeders' Cup. He showed up and finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Classic.