SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) -- Rachel Alexandra can handle older men, too.The sensational 3-year-old filly became the first female to win the prestigious Woodward Stakes on Saturday, holding off Macho Again by a head and leaving six others in her wake.
She beat 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds in an electrifying race before a cheering crowd of 31,171 at Saratoga Race Course for her ninth consecutive victory, all but clinching Horse of the Year honors.
Rachel Alexandra dueled early with 2008 Belmont Stakes winner Da'Tara before taking the lead along the backstretch. She set a blistering early pace while being pushed throughout -- 22.85 at the first quarter; 45.41 at the half mile -- and covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.29.
On the turn for home, it looked for a brief moment as if the filly would be caught, but regular rider Calvin Borel wasn't bashful about using the whip, first left-handed, then right-handed, to keep her in the lead.
As they crossed the finish line, Borel raised his hand in a No. 1 salute and pointed to racing's biggest star.
"The last 40 yards I was a little worried, but she just kept digging in," he said. "She stepped up and proved to be the best."
Robby Albarado, who rode the 4-year-old runner-up, knew his horse wasn't going to win.
"I never thought I had her," he said. "The only thing I was hoping for was that she'd tire. Champions show different dimensions. She's in a league of her own. Older horses, her own age, it doesn't matter. No matter what they throw at her, she'll beat them."
Horse Racing Photos
Rachel Alexandra with jockey Calvin Borel up, right, pulls ahead of Macho Again with jockey Robby Albarado aboard, left, and Bullsbay with Jeremy Rose aboard to win the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Jockey Calvin Borel rides Rachel Alexandra to win the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Jockey Calvin Borel holds up a trophy after riding Rachel Alexandra to win the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Jockey Calvin Borel (3) aboard Rachel Alexandra (3), Bullsbay with jockey Jeremy Rose (2) aboard and Da'Tara with jockey Jose Lezcano (1) at the start of the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. Rachel Alexandra won the race. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Jockey Calvin Borel celebrates aboard Rachel Alexandra as they are led to the winner's circle by owners Barbara Banke, left, and Jess Jackson after winning the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Fans watch from the clubhouse as Rachel Alexandra with jockey Calvin Borel wins the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Jockey Calvin Borel aboard Rachel Alexandra is congratulated by owner Jess Jackson, right, after winning the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Jockey Calvin Borel poses atop Rachel Alexandra in the winner's circle after winning the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. The horse's owner Jess Jackson and his wife Barbara Banke stand to the left. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Rachel Alexandra, right, and jockey Calvin Borel hold off Macho Again with jockey Robby Albarado (4) aboard to win the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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Jockey Calvin Borel (3) celebrates atop Rachel Alexandra after finishing ahead of Macho Again with jockey Robby Albarado (4) aboard to win the Woodward Stakes horse race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
AP
Rachel Alexandra beat 3-year-olds boys in the Preakness and the Haskell Invitational, and overwhelmed 3-year-old fillies in the Kentucky Oaks (20 1/4 lengths) and the Mother Goose Stakes (19 1/4 lengths) at Belmont.
Only one other 3-year-old filly has run in the Woodward -- Summer Guest in 1972. She finished second to Key to the Mint before being disqualified and placed third.
The 3-10 favorite, Rachel Alexandra paid $2.60, $2.40 and $2.10. Macho Again paid $3.80 and $2.80. Bullsbay, winner of the Whitney Handicap last month, paid $4 to show.
Asiatic Boy was fourth, followed by It's a Bird, Past the Point, Cool Coal Man and Da' Tara, who did not finish.
She earned $450,000 for Jackson's Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick, her owners, increasing her career total to more than $2.9 million. Jackson and longtime friend McCormick bought the horse after she won the Oaks and decided to enter her in the Preakness two weeks later.
"She's been tremendously consistent," said Rachel's trainer, Steve Asmussen. "She gives us a tremendous amount of confidence every day. I can't say enough about the race she put in today under the circumstances. It means so much to me and everyone involved with her. She came through today like a true champion. She's always raising her game. What a tremendous victory. She' a spectacular athlete."
Earlier, Pyro outfinished favorite Kodiak Kowboy to win the $300,000 Forego Stakes by a half length.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-05-2009 @ 6:57PM
HELLO SAM said...
Really a wonderful horse, and a really pretty girl. Wish her a very long happy life! Lets hear it for the girls!!!!!
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9-05-2009 @ 7:10PM
wildecheri said...
Yeah Rachel, fantastic filly, horse of the year no doubt.
A horse is a horse of course of course and no one can beat this horse of course, the famous Rachel A
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9-05-2009 @ 7:31PM
kenneth said...
Sounds like a fantastic filly! What does this make--9 in a row? Go, girl.
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9-05-2009 @ 8:20PM
salhawks1 said...
I love watching this lady run. Just when she is about to be overtaken, she digs in and finds a little more for the win. She has a great jockey too who knows how to ask her for that extra bit.
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9-05-2009 @ 10:33PM
pawsrehab said...
Glad she won, but I'd I'm worried that Da'Tara got hurt
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9-06-2009 @ 2:24AM
eliset6 said...
Yeah his feelings got hurt when he saw that filly look him eye to eye and kept on going!! lol Geauxxx Rachel
9-06-2009 @ 4:48AM
mstrunn400 said...
What a great race, Rachel deserves much kudos, would love to have seen her race Ruffian, both champions.
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9-06-2009 @ 8:28AM
Linda said...
Does it not matter that she had to be whipped to death to get there? Why is that not considered crulity to animals? I say let them run without the whips! She'd still have won.
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9-06-2009 @ 9:42AM
David S. said...
Since when is horse racing a sport?
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9-06-2009 @ 10:46AM
krspas2 said...
She did win-Getting 8 lbs from the others. She won by a dwindling head-which means she can't go the classic 1 1/4 distance
which is why she didn't run in the Traver's against the other top
three year olds. This Woodward was actually a bunch of second
and third tier older horses, the rest of them are out west running.
She will not win the Breeder's Cup Classic because she won't
even be entered in it. If you saw the time of the Woodward, with
the fast early fractions and the final time (2 seconds slower
than the track record) you can see she was practically walking the
last 1/16th mile. Macho again was closing fast (just like Mine That
Bird in the Preakness) and if the distance were 1 1/4 miles she
would have been beaten by more than one other horse.
So 1) she can't get a 1 1/4 2) She has been given weight (5 to 8 lbs)
in the three races she beat males (Forego, Dr, Fager, Cigar etc
carried 132 to 137 lbs in their races spotting huge weights to their
rivals, she carried 118 in the Woodward and 121 in the Preakness
and Haskell) 3) she hasn't run on Turf (and Calif tracks have synthetic
surfaces and they won't run her on that)-so she is not quite a super
horse like everyone is trying to make her. Secretariat, Man o' War,
Citation, Forego, Manila, Cigar and Curlin would leave this filly
eating dust. Secretariat set records at 1 mile, 1 1/8 mile, 1 3/16th
mile, 1 1/4 mile and 1 1/2 mile (on dirt AND turf) their was your true
super horse.
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9-06-2009 @ 11:58AM
Al Nelson said...
you must be kidding or are totally uninformed about horse racing. She is a filly an immature horse and she was racing against G-1 winners who are mature males. Bigger and stronger. The female handicap is minor considering the size and muscular difference.
Secretariat was a beast but even he lost to a second rate horse named onion at Saratoga.
Rachel is truly the best of the horses this year and has more races than all of the compeditors that she faced yesterday. That is wear and tear on a young immature horse.
When the 3 and 4 year olds race against each other in most cases the older horse would win even up. Remember when Affirmed raced against Seattle Slew the 3 year old had better times in the same 3 year old races but when they raced head to head the 4 year old won.
For Any 3 year old to race against older horses is a feat unto itself when it is a filly makes even more special
9-06-2009 @ 11:22AM
michellllp said...
She didn't race in the Travers because she already beat those boys in the Haskell a couple of weeks earlier. I give Jesse Jackson a lot of credit for not sending her to the Breeders Cup, too many injuries on synthetic and she's never raced on it, whereas Zenyatta has.
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9-06-2009 @ 12:18PM
krspas2 said...
So ducking Zenyatta and the Breeder's Cup altogether should still make her Horse of the year. I'm sorry, but as I have stated, she has not gone past a mile and an eighth. And to Joe,
Secretariat was beaten by Onion in the Woodward
but Secretariat had been pointed toward the
UN the next week (His grass debut)and was not
in even 90% condition to be raced a week earlier
than planned (His stablemate, Rive Ridge was
scratched because of a sloppy track and Riva
Ridge was notoriously bad on a muddy/sloppy
track and since Secretariat was co-entered with
Riva Ridge, Secretariat was raced and not scratched). Secretariat then went on to make
his grass debut in the Man O' War carrying
high weight (as a three year old against top
grass horses, not second-tier older horses,
but the cream of the Grass crop)and set a record
of 2:24 in the mile and a half race (5/16th of
a mile further than RA has ever gone). RA victory,
while sort of unique, can not even be compared
to Genuine Risk's Derby win (again the 1 1/4 mile)
and second place finish in a crazy Preakess or
the fact that she ran all three triple crown
races. Or even Winning Colors winning the Derby.
RA has run races 1 1/8th and shorter she slows
drastically in the last parts of races. By the
way Joe I have owned and raced horses since 1966
so I know where of I speak. Horse of the Year
goes to the horse that can get the Classic distances, giving weight and over all kinds of surfaces. Secretariat did get beat a couple of times, but each time he bounced back with a super
race. His last in Canada at 1 5/8th miles was a
record setter at Woodbine and he easily (not a
dwindling head getting 8 pounds) won that outdistancing the best older Grass racers in the world.
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9-06-2009 @ 12:43PM
mstrunn400 said...
You're right on with your comments about Secretariat Krspas, no one like him, plus don't forget he would have had the Preakness record but they screwed him, the electronic timing malfunctioned. In regards to you comment about Rachel, I'm wondering the same thing, I really like her, however, your point about the 1 1/4 mile distance is very interesting, and what would happen at the distance of champions, 1 1/2 miles?????
9-06-2009 @ 12:20PM
jmaranch said...
It's obvious to those that know Assmusen and watched the race that like Lance Armstrong they have found a method to mask EPO from testing.
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9-06-2009 @ 1:43PM
stanleybix said...
Never been past a mile and one-eighth? The Preakness is a mile and three sixteenths, three sixteenths is more than one-eighth. I still believe the greatest performance by a filly was Genuine Risk (1980). She was the only horse to run in all three Triple Crown races, against mostly fresh colts and fished first in The Derby and second in The Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Now that was a REAL Triple Crown effort.
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9-06-2009 @ 2:46PM
jwalsh3032 said...
I believe there is room for more than one great horse in history and like it or not Rachel Alexandra is now one of the greats. You can spend all day comparing apples to oranges with differing results but she is here now and should be celebrated.
Rachel Alexandra has won 5 Grade I races in a row and has stepped outside her own classification on three of those occasions. She has proven on the track she is a great one and deserves all the accolades she is now receiving and will receive in the future, to include Horse of the Year. Is there someone else who deserves horse of the year honors more in 2009? I don’t think so.
I give Jess Jackson a lot of credit on two fronts. First, he had the courage to keep challenging the filly against greater competition. Did he pick his spots well; you bet he did with full knowledge of her strengths and weaknesses. I also applaud him on standing up to the establishment and NOT running her in the Breeders Cup on a synthetic track. The Breeders Cup is not the only avenue to take to the Horse of the Year and he just proved it.
Rachel Alexandra and Jess Jackson are good for horse racing. The both have improved the image at a time when racing needed it. Celebrate the champion; Rachel Alexandra!
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