Rachel Alexandra Less Than Spectacular
Rachel Alexandra, one of the most popular horses in American racing, didn’t surprise anyone when she won the Lady’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park. 12,859 were in the seats of the track on the Jersey Shore, and the fans had more trouble with the 103 degree heat than the horse did.
“We’re very pleased with her, how she ran today,” said her trainer Steve Asmussen. “It was an awfully warm day, and she kept her composure. She was very relaxed off the other mare. The first thing Calvin said when he came off her was he loved how she came home today, and I think that will be the key to her future success.”
She did what she was trained to do. She won the race, but she surprised her fans in her failing to provide the spectacular performance that many spectators have come to expect. Rachel Alexandra finished the Lady’s Secret three lengths past Queen Martha, but only after some significant urging from jockey Calvin Borel. Despite finishing the mile-and-an-eighth race in 1 minute 49.78 seconds, only three seconds above the track record, this was a remarkable change from her impressive six length victory over the males in the Haskell Invitation, on the same track.
Queen Martha took the lead from the beginning, but Rachel Alexandra paced her throughout. Borel pushed her on the midway turn, and the two horses were side-by-side until the final furlong when the Jess Jackson-owned winner took the lead.
“She’s back to herself,” said Borel. “We just have to get her ready, and where Mr. Jackson runs her, I’ll be there to ride. I think she’s the greatest filly around and the greatest I’ve ever been on in my life.”
The jockey referred to her losses in the first two races this year, before a striking 10.5 length victory in the Louisville Kentucky race, the Fleur de Lis Stakes at Churchill Down. The race renewed the public’s faith in Rachel Alexandra, but the performance in the Lady’s Secret on Saturday was not up to her 2009 standards.
It is now anybody’s guess how her next start will go. Jackson was not at Monmouth Park on Saturday and has not definitely announced the horse’s schedule, but Rachel Alexandra seems a likely candidate for the August 29th Personal Ensign at Saratoga race course, which is Rachel Alexandra’s stable in New York. Her trainer explained that the schedule would be finalized by he and Jackson at Saratoga.
“I love where her mind is at right now,” said Asmussen. “She’s more mature and she’s carrying a little more weight. She’s very focused and nothing surprises her.”
Asmussen, the trainer, is optimistic, and Borel thinks the leisurely win on Saturday will prove to be a good setup for the coming races.
“She won very easily again today,” said Borel. “I let her run a little bit in the stretch to make sure she got something out of the race, but I think we saved a little bit in the tank for next time.”
Show bettors were awarded $2.10 on a $2 bet, while individual bettors received a $2.20 return. The show pool reached a total of $1,234,515 on Rachel Alexandra, for a total return of $1,300,465.
Rachel Alexandra’s inclusion in the Lady’s Secret was enough for the organizers to move the race forward by eight days from the original schedule of August 1st, and the management increased the purse from $150,000 to $400,000 to accommodate Jackson’s horse.
Saturday’s programs were cancelled at Philadelphia Park and Delaware Park due to the heat, but the management of Monmouth Park had already made enough changes to get Rachel Alexandra in the race. After conferring with the jockeys, who did not object to the heat, the race was run and Rachel Alexandra proved to be a winner, once again.
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