Woodward Stakes 2009

Casting Away Nervous Doubts
There could have been many doubts about Rachel Alexandra being able to pull off a win at the Woodward, from before the race and all the way throughout the race. First of all, she had been laying down in her stall for unusually large periods of time for the weeks preceding the race. Jess Jackson reports that his filly "seemed like a very tired horse" after an exhausting 11 races in the preceding 12 months. Then, on the day of the race, whether she was not feeling well or was spooked by the crowd, shocked everyone by bucking off jockey Calvin Borel just 6 minutes before post time. At the beginning of the race, she ran a blistering 22.85 seconds in the opening quarter, worrying her trainer that she would burn out and tire too quickly. In the final 16th, the situation was tense as the late charging Macho Again seemed to have the momentum necessary to overtake her. And of course there is always the Saratoga Race Course jinx of being the "Graveyard of Favorites" (Man O' War suffered his only defeat in 21 starts, Secretariat lost to Onion, Gallant Fox was beaten by a 100-1 longshot)

The Race
On September 5, 2009, as the 3-10 favorite, Rachel Alexandra won the (Gr 1) $750,000 (bumped up from $500,000) 1-1/8 mile Woodward Stakes, under sunny skies and temperatures in the 70's, at Saratoga Race Course, in Saratoga, New York  in front of a crowd of 31,171. Carrying 118 pounds compared to the 126 for the seven males, Rachel set a blistering pace in the first quarter, clocking in at 22.85 seconds. The competition took turns chasing her: first it was Da'Tara (the 2008 Belmont winner), then it was Past the Point, then it was Bullsbay (winner Whitney H and Alysheba H), and finally Macho Again (winner of Stephen Foster H, New Orleans H, Jim Dandy S). The late charging Macho again threatened Rachel in the final furlong, and jockey Calvin Borel had to crack her with the whip more than 20 times at the stretch. Her finishing time was 1:48.29, winning by a head over Macho Again, beating accomplished 4-, 5-, and 6-year old males, and making her the only filly that ever won that 56 year old race.

In the end, the finish behind her was almost an exact inverse of the way the horses were at the half-mile.... showing how hot the pace was and how destructive it was to the other horses that raced near the lead. Here are their placings at the half mile:
1st Rachel Alexandra
8th Macho Again
6th Bullsbay
7th Asiatic Boy
5th It's a Bird
3rd Past the Point
4th Cool Coal Man
2nd Da' Tara

"It might have taken a couple of years off my life," said trainer Steve Asmussen, "but it was worth it."

Immediately after Rachel Alexandra's win, veteran race caller Tom Durkin proclaimed, "She is INDEED Rachel Alexandra THE GREAT!!!  ...  Rachel Alexandra RAISES THE RAFTERS here at the Spa!". Then, Durkin was obligated to recite the scratches and changes for the routine events that followed.
Sensing the emotionally exhausted spirit of the crowd he then said, "If your heart can take it," he informed the crowd, "we've got two more races."

Video Rachel unseats jockey before post time
Video 2009 Woodward
Video Pedal to the Mettle
Video Rachel Wins the Woodward - (music)


Better than Ruffian?

Hall of fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas proclaimed,“I have to give the nod to Rachel Alexandra over Ruffian. Of the two, she’s the one who stepped up and won the type of races that matter most in this sport, classic races and races against the best males around. Ruffian was a brilliant, brilliant filly, but that’s something she never did.”

Dave Johnson, the veteran announcer who called 10 of Ruffian’s 11 races, concurs saying, “Ruffian and Rachel Alexandra are the two best fillies I have ever seen in person or on film or video,” Johnson said. “They are clearly the two best and whoever is No. 3 doesn’t even come close. The Haskell is what tipped me in favor of Rachel Alexandra over Ruffian. I know how great Ruffian was, but Rachel Alexandra’s win in the Haskell was that impressive.”

Or Not

Andrew Beyer the famous handicapper has been making speed ratings since the 1970s. His "Beyer Speed Figures" take into account different factors: final time, distance, and track condition. Beyer’s speed ratings are considered one of the best methods for evaluating horses from different eras, and he believes Ruffian was faster than Rachel Alexandra.

“The numbers I did then used a different scale from the numbers I do now, but Ruffian ran a race as a 2-year-old that put her in a separate class from anybody else,” Beyer said. “I believe you could say that as a 2-year-old she ran a number that is equal to a 120 or greater on our current scale. As a 3-year-old, she was winning so easily and cruising around the racetrack, so some of those numbers aren’t as impressive. In terms of just raw ability, I still regard Ruffian as in a class by herself, in a class we will never see again.”