NEWS

Rachel Alexandra to face four
opponents in New Orleans Ladies

Posted: Monday, March 08, 2010 4:07 PM

RACHEL ALEXANDRA

Fair Grounds photo by Lynn Roberts

For video of Rachel Alexandra schooling in the paddock, click here.

by Jeff Lowe

Four challengers are scheduled to line up against Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in her first start of the year on Saturday in the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies Stakes at Fair Grounds.

Rachel Alexandra drew post position two for her first start in six months and eight days since her victory over older males in the Woodward Stakes (G1) on September 5 at Saratoga Race Course (video).

Saturday’s race will come 364 days since her 1 ¾-length victory in the 2009 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), her lone previous start at the New Orleans track. She has been based there all winter with trainer Steve Asmussen, who acknowledged Sunday that he is concerned about her fitness level.

Rachel Alexandra breezed four furlongs in :49 on Monday in her seventh published workout since she returned to serious training on January 31. Asmussen was forced to play catch up because of an unusually wet winter in New Orleans. 

The 1 1/16-mile New Orleans Ladies is carded as race ten on an 11-race card, with a scheduled post time of 6:15 p.m. EST.

Zardana (Brz) and Unforgotten have the top credentials among Rachel Alexandra’s four opponents.

Zardana won the Bayakoa Handicap (G2) on December 5 at Hollywood Park for owner Arnold Zetcher (video). She shares the same trainer, John Shirreffs, as Zenyatta, who also will return on Saturday in the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita Park as a prep for a scheduled showdown with Rachel Alexandra in the $5-million Apple Blossom Invitational Stakes (G1) on April 9 at Oaklawn Park.

In her most recent start, Zardana finished fourth in the Santa Maria Handicap (G2) on February 13 at Santa Anita. She has not raced on a conventional dirt track since she departed Brazil after winning all three of her starts there by a combined 39 lengths.

Unforgotten is a multiple stakes winner, and she has earned $548,563 for owner Robert Adams. She finished seventh in the Sunshine Millions Distaff Stakes on January 30 at Gulfstream Park after finishing second to Rachel Alexandra’s stablemate, War Echo, in the Daily Racing Form Distaff Stakes on December 19 at Fair Grounds (video).

Clear Sailing and Fighter Wing, the top two finishers in the Pelleteri Stakes on February 13 at Fair Grounds (video), round out the field. Clear Sailing has pieced together three straight wins at Fair Grounds this winter after being sidelined for more than 1 1/2 years following her June 2008 debut.

Fighter Wing finished second by a neck in the Pelleteri and fourth in the Daily Racing Form Distaff.

Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer

New Orleans Ladies S.