NEWS
Rachel Alexandra to start year in New Orleans Ladies
Posted: Friday, February 12, 2010 9:40 AM
RACHEL ALEXANDRA
Adam Coglianese/NYRA photo
Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra is on schedule for the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies Stakes on March 13 at Fair Grounds as her prep for a first meeting with Zenyatta.
Fair Grounds added the 1 1/16-mile race to its stakes schedule with the hope that it would attract Rachel Alexandra, who has not raced since her victory in the Woodward Stakes (G1) on September 5 at Saratoga Race Course. She has been stabled at Fair Grounds since November 27.
“That is our intended goal,” Rachel Alexandra's owner Jess Jackson said Thursday night. “I’d really like to have more than just nominal competition in the race. Assuming it’s a fair race I don’t expect Rachel to have any trouble but at the same time, regardless of whether they’re superstars or not, it embellishes the track’s reputation and Rachel’s reputation to have the best possible competition.”
The New Orleans Ladies is 27 days before the Apple Blossom Invitational Stakes (G1) at Oaklawn Park, which is billing the $5-million showdown between Rachel Alexandra and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Zenyatta as a “Race for the Ages.”
Zenyatta also is scheduled to have her comeback race on March 13, in the Santa Margarita Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita Park. Zenyatta is farther along in her training regimen with seven published workouts since December 7.
Trainer Steve Asmussen had to adjust Rachel Alexandra’s schedule because of a very wet month of December in New Orleans. She breezed for the third time on Friday, going five furlongs in 1:03.80 on a track rated as sloppy.
“It’s not anyone’s fault, but with the rain and the track conditions it’s been a serious setback to Rachel’s routine,” Jackson said. “When you’re training a horse it’s an animal that needs to have a regular routine and Steve’s been hard-pressed to keep her going given the weather. When we do get her to the track it’s well maintained, but she’s behind schedule and that means we’re compressed to try to get everything done and keep her on schedule leading up to works and preparing her for a major competition at Oaklawn.”
Rachel Alexandra recorded splits of :13.40, :26.20, :38.60 and :51.60 in Friday’s move under exercise rider Dominic Terry, covering the final furlong in :12.20.
“We worked a couple of horses Thursday and the track was sealed very well, so we went ahead with her work this morning,” said Scott Blasi, Asmussen’s assistant. “She galloped out well. We wanted to keep her in her rhythm. We wanted to stay in our routine. I was very happy with how she was moving.”
The New Orleans Ladies will be run almost a year to the day since Rachel Alexandra won the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) last March 14, in between dominant victories at Oaklawn in the Martha Washington Stakes and Fantasy Stakes (G2).
“We’re obviously thrilled by the news that Rachel Alexandra, already a legend based on her accomplishments last year, intends to make her 2010 debut at Fair Grounds,” said Fair Grounds Vice President and General Manager Eric Halstrom. “We are already working to make sure March 13 will be a special day befitting of racing royalty.”
