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Rachel Beats the Boys....again! Probably horse of the year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrTMpHvew0U
'Rachel’ makes historic run in Woodward
By John Powers
Globe Staff / September 6, 2009
‘Rachel’ makes historic run in Woodward - The Boston Globe
Rachel Alexandra left seven older guys in her wake yesterday in her bid to become the greatest filly of all time, holding off surging Macho Again by a head over 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:48.29 to become the first female to win the Woodward Stakes in its 56 runnings and stake her claim to Horse of the Year.
“I think she’s something for the ages and she certainly proved her mettle today,’’ said owner Jess Jackson, after Rachel Alexandra became the first 3-year-old filly to beat older males in a Grade 1 dirt race in New York since Lady Primrose won the Manhattan in 1887.
It was the most intriguing horse tale since Smarty Jones made his ill-fated bid for the Triple Crown five years ago in the Belmont and the gender twist made it unique, with most of the 31,171 patrons sporting pink “RACHEL’’ badges.
“I’ve never been to a race where everybody was on one horse’s side the way they were here,’’ said her trainer, Steve Asmussen.
After beating the boys at the Preakness, which no filly had done in 85 years, Rachel Alexandra proved she had the stuff for a showdown with the big boys.
“It’s basically her race to lose,’’ acknowledged trainer Nick Zito, who ran both Da’ Tara, last year’s Belmont winner, and Cool Coal Man against her.
For an anxious moment, her fans fretted that she might have lost it even before she went to the post after Rachel Alexandra abruptly ducked away after entering the track and forced jockey Calvin Borel to jump off.
“She was pretty keyed up,’’ said Borel. “I don’t know if there was a flash or because people went to howlin’.’’
But once the gates opened, the filly was off smartly between Da’ Tara and Past the Point, dashing with them to the turn.
“I thought she’d let them go,’’ mused Asmussen, who was startled by the 22.85 fraction at the quarter-mile.
That never has been Rachel Alexandra’s style, though, and by the half-mile she was up by a length and cruising.
“I knew we were going pretty rapid,’’ said Borel, “but I never took nothing away from her as long as we were riding and I’m not going to change now.’’
When they got to the stretch, the filly was in the open and apparently headed for her eighth victory of the year. But Asmussen still was fretting.
“I was nervous about everything until they put her number up,’’ the trainer said, “even when they went past the wire.’’
Smarty Jones had been run down in the Belmont stretch by a 36-1 shot. And now, as they headed for the finish, here came Macho Again, who’d been last after three quarters of a mile but had thundered up and was closing fast. But Rachel Alexandra was not going to lose to any man born of woman yesterday.
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“She would never let him go by,’’ said Borel. “Every time he would come up, she would dig in again.’’
Her races against other fillies, in the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose, had been little more than breezes. She had beaten Mine That Bird, the Derby winner, by a length in the Preakness and had handled Summer Bird, the Belmont victor, by 6 lengths in the Haskell Invitational. This was the first time that Rachel Alexandra had to empty her tank.
“I never thought I had her,’’ said Robby Albarado, Macho Again’s jockey. “You never think you have champions. The only thing I was hoping was that at some point she would tire or do something. She’s great.’’
What was most important, her handlers said, was that Rachel Alexandra came out of the trip safely. When females race males, bad things can happen. Ruffian, arguably the greatest filly in history, snapped a foreleg in a match race against Foolish Pleasure and had to be euthanized. So did Eight Belles, who broke down in last year’s Derby.
This one went to the winner’s circle, after Borel jubilantly thrust his index finger skyward as his mount galloped past the wire. The question now is where Rachel Alexandra goes from here. One option is to race Zenyatta, the unbeaten West Coast mare, for a $1 million purse in next month’s Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park, but it’s unlikely that her camp will ship her across the country.
“It takes two to tango,’’ said Jackson, who has said he won’t run his horse in the Breeders’ Cup on an artificial surface.
What’s more likely is that Rachel Alexandra gets the rest of the year off, then comes back next season before a probable breeding date with Curlin, the two-time Horse of the Year whom Jackson also owns.
“What we need now are more stars,’’ said Jackson, “and I think she is one.’’
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http://www.dailypress.com/sports/nat...,7049629.story
Principal owner Jess Jackson last week raised the possibility that the Woodward would be Rachel Alexandra's last race of the year.
The other possibility is a meeting with the undefeated 5-year-old mare Zenyatta, who is based in California and is being pointed toward the Breeders' Cup, which will be run on Nov. 6-7 at Santa Anita. Rachel Alexandra will not compete at in the Breeders' Cup because of Jackson's dislike for the synthetic racing surfaces in place at Santa Anita and other California racetracks.
Both have been invited by the New York Racing Association to the Oct. 3 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park, the purse for which would be raised to $1 million with an additional $400,000 commitment from Television Games Network-Betfair if both start.
"She's run more races than Zenyatta's run, and Zenyatta's a 5-year-old," Jackson said. "You can't expect a youngster — she's only 3 and she just ran against older horses — to keep going all the time. You have to give them a break, and we'll talk that over very seriously."
If she's running at Belmont in October, I'm going!
'Rachel’ makes historic run in Woodward
By John Powers
Globe Staff / September 6, 2009
‘Rachel’ makes historic run in Woodward - The Boston Globe
Rachel Alexandra left seven older guys in her wake yesterday in her bid to become the greatest filly of all time, holding off surging Macho Again by a head over 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:48.29 to become the first female to win the Woodward Stakes in its 56 runnings and stake her claim to Horse of the Year.
“I think she’s something for the ages and she certainly proved her mettle today,’’ said owner Jess Jackson, after Rachel Alexandra became the first 3-year-old filly to beat older males in a Grade 1 dirt race in New York since Lady Primrose won the Manhattan in 1887.
It was the most intriguing horse tale since Smarty Jones made his ill-fated bid for the Triple Crown five years ago in the Belmont and the gender twist made it unique, with most of the 31,171 patrons sporting pink “RACHEL’’ badges.
“I’ve never been to a race where everybody was on one horse’s side the way they were here,’’ said her trainer, Steve Asmussen.
After beating the boys at the Preakness, which no filly had done in 85 years, Rachel Alexandra proved she had the stuff for a showdown with the big boys.
“It’s basically her race to lose,’’ acknowledged trainer Nick Zito, who ran both Da’ Tara, last year’s Belmont winner, and Cool Coal Man against her.
For an anxious moment, her fans fretted that she might have lost it even before she went to the post after Rachel Alexandra abruptly ducked away after entering the track and forced jockey Calvin Borel to jump off.
“She was pretty keyed up,’’ said Borel. “I don’t know if there was a flash or because people went to howlin’.’’
But once the gates opened, the filly was off smartly between Da’ Tara and Past the Point, dashing with them to the turn.
“I thought she’d let them go,’’ mused Asmussen, who was startled by the 22.85 fraction at the quarter-mile.
That never has been Rachel Alexandra’s style, though, and by the half-mile she was up by a length and cruising.
“I knew we were going pretty rapid,’’ said Borel, “but I never took nothing away from her as long as we were riding and I’m not going to change now.’’
When they got to the stretch, the filly was in the open and apparently headed for her eighth victory of the year. But Asmussen still was fretting.
“I was nervous about everything until they put her number up,’’ the trainer said, “even when they went past the wire.’’
Smarty Jones had been run down in the Belmont stretch by a 36-1 shot. And now, as they headed for the finish, here came Macho Again, who’d been last after three quarters of a mile but had thundered up and was closing fast. But Rachel Alexandra was not going to lose to any man born of woman yesterday.
Discuss
COMMENTS (3)
“She would never let him go by,’’ said Borel. “Every time he would come up, she would dig in again.’’
Her races against other fillies, in the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose, had been little more than breezes. She had beaten Mine That Bird, the Derby winner, by a length in the Preakness and had handled Summer Bird, the Belmont victor, by 6 lengths in the Haskell Invitational. This was the first time that Rachel Alexandra had to empty her tank.
“I never thought I had her,’’ said Robby Albarado, Macho Again’s jockey. “You never think you have champions. The only thing I was hoping was that at some point she would tire or do something. She’s great.’’
What was most important, her handlers said, was that Rachel Alexandra came out of the trip safely. When females race males, bad things can happen. Ruffian, arguably the greatest filly in history, snapped a foreleg in a match race against Foolish Pleasure and had to be euthanized. So did Eight Belles, who broke down in last year’s Derby.
This one went to the winner’s circle, after Borel jubilantly thrust his index finger skyward as his mount galloped past the wire. The question now is where Rachel Alexandra goes from here. One option is to race Zenyatta, the unbeaten West Coast mare, for a $1 million purse in next month’s Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park, but it’s unlikely that her camp will ship her across the country.
“It takes two to tango,’’ said Jackson, who has said he won’t run his horse in the Breeders’ Cup on an artificial surface.
What’s more likely is that Rachel Alexandra gets the rest of the year off, then comes back next season before a probable breeding date with Curlin, the two-time Horse of the Year whom Jackson also owns.
“What we need now are more stars,’’ said Jackson, “and I think she is one.’’
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.dailypress.com/sports/nat...,7049629.story
Principal owner Jess Jackson last week raised the possibility that the Woodward would be Rachel Alexandra's last race of the year.
The other possibility is a meeting with the undefeated 5-year-old mare Zenyatta, who is based in California and is being pointed toward the Breeders' Cup, which will be run on Nov. 6-7 at Santa Anita. Rachel Alexandra will not compete at in the Breeders' Cup because of Jackson's dislike for the synthetic racing surfaces in place at Santa Anita and other California racetracks.
Both have been invited by the New York Racing Association to the Oct. 3 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park, the purse for which would be raised to $1 million with an additional $400,000 commitment from Television Games Network-Betfair if both start.
"She's run more races than Zenyatta's run, and Zenyatta's a 5-year-old," Jackson said. "You can't expect a youngster — she's only 3 and she just ran against older horses — to keep going all the time. You have to give them a break, and we'll talk that over very seriously."
If she's running at Belmont in October, I'm going!