McIngvale's dream race won't be in Houston

The dream horse race that Gallery Furniture owner Jim McIngvale has sought for months looks like it will take place – but it won’t be in Gallery Furniture’s hometown of Houston.

Unfortunately for McIngvale, Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., offered a $5 million purse for a race involving superfillys Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta on April 9. That’s $3 million more than McIngvale and Sam Houston Race Park offered for a race at the local track.

McIngvale, a thoroughbred owner himself, told the Houston Chronicle he was excited the race will take place because it will be good for horse racing. And he said he hasn’t completely given up on the idea of the pair racing at Sam Houston later in the year, because there are rumors in racing circles that Rachel and Zenyatta want to meet three times in 2010.

For non-horse racing fans who wonder why this is such a big deal, Zenyatta is undefeated in 14 lifetime races, including a resounding November victory over male horses in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, America’s richest horse race.

Rachel Alexandra, on the other hand, won all eight of her races last year, and beat male horses in three of those events — one of which was the Preakness.

Right now, I’m looking for an excuse to go to Hot Springs the week before the High Point market. With the plethora of trade shows in this industry, there has to be a furniture market there, right?