On Monday morning, May 31, 2010, at about 6:30am, Rachel Alexandra worked six furlongs in 1:11.20 over a fast track at Churchill Downs in Louisville Kentucky. With jockey Shaun Bridgmohan aboard she set fractional times of 12.20 for the first furlong, :23.80 for the quarter mile, then :35.40 for 3 furlongs, :47.40 for the half mile, 0:59.20 for 5 furlongs, then galloped out seven furlongs in 1:23.80 and went a mile in 1:38, according to the Churchill Downs clocker. She came in first of 3 horses on that track running at that distance.
What is interesting is that in all the workouts this morning at Churchill, Rachel Alexandra's fractions she set were tied with "Bonaroo" the first place finisher for 3 furlongs (of 23 running at that distance), was only a fraction of a second behind the fastest "Wild Wit" at 4 furlongs (of 54 running at that distance), was faster than "Trippo" the fastest at 5 furlongs (of 15 running at that distance), and was a full second faster than the other 2 horses at 6 furlongs (even though the other 2 horses also fired bullet works)! What is also encouraging is that up to and including the six furlongs, she frequently clocked under and never over 12 seconds per furlong! THAT'S FAST!
Of course we shouldn't get too excited because these are just workout statistics and many of these horses have not extended themselves fully. Still this is encouraging news because it may show to some degree the state of Rachel's fitness and stamina. After all, before her Oaks victory she posted a phenomenal 0:46.40 for 4 furlongs, one of the fastest half miles in pre-derby week history.
Her next race is most likely June 12th, but which one could it be? Rachel Alexandra has been nominated to:
1- the Grade 1, $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap, run at 1-1/8 miles, open to both genders, at Churchill Downs,
2 - the Grade 2, $200,000 Fleur de Lis Handicap, run at 1-1/8 miles, restricted to fillies and mares, at Churchill Downs, and
3 - the Grade 1, $250,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap, run at 1-1/16 miles, restricted to fillies and mares, at Belmont Park, and
4 - the Grade 3, $150,000 Obeah Stakes, run at 1-1/8 miles, restricted to fillies and mares, at Deleware Park
"We were impressed with Rachel's Memorial Day work ," noted majority owner Jess Jackson, "Our ultimate goal has not changed in scheduling Rachel Alexandra's campaign this year," Jackson added. "We are getting her back to her fitness level of last year with the long term hope to race her in the Breeders' Cup this fall."
She has one more workout this coming Monday before her next race.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
WORKOUT 5-24-2010
On Monday morning, May 24, 2010, at about 6:30am, Rachel Alexandra worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 over a fast track at Churchill Downs in Louisville Kentucky. With jockey Shaun Bridgmohan aboard she set fractional times of 12.20 for the first furlong, :24.20 for the quarter mile, then :36.20 for 3 furlongs, :48.40 for the half mile, then galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.80 and went seven furlongs in 1:26.60, according to the Churchill Downs clocker.
“She looked great and galloped out super,” her trainer Asmussen said. “She’s doing well. It was just very nice. It was nice and smooth, covered ground well and was out very strong.”
This workout was considerably faster than last week's workout where she tied for last place among 13 horses working the same distance (Ranking 12/13 along with the other last place finisher). She was a different horse today, however, and ran her last furlong in 12 seconds flat, and not only that, but "galloping out" the 6th furlong, she still clocked a hair over 12 seconds too! Today, she ranked 2nd of 14 horses who ran at that distance and she seemed very eager to run. Now this is the Rachel we know!
Two June 12 races at 1 1/8 miles conveniently located at Churchill are among the most logical options for her next race. Those are the Grade 1, $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap, open to both genders, and the Grade 2, $200,000 Fleur de Lis Handicap, restricted to fillies and mares. There is also a very small possibility she may be shipped to Belmont, New York for the Grade 1, $300,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap, restricted to fillies and mares. However, I seriously doubt her connections would want to ship her when there are two perfectly good races right where she is at Churchill. These races are only 3 weeks away and nominations are beginning to pile up, so we will have keep our eyes and ears open!
“She looked great and galloped out super,” her trainer Asmussen said. “She’s doing well. It was just very nice. It was nice and smooth, covered ground well and was out very strong.”
This workout was considerably faster than last week's workout where she tied for last place among 13 horses working the same distance (Ranking 12/13 along with the other last place finisher). She was a different horse today, however, and ran her last furlong in 12 seconds flat, and not only that, but "galloping out" the 6th furlong, she still clocked a hair over 12 seconds too! Today, she ranked 2nd of 14 horses who ran at that distance and she seemed very eager to run. Now this is the Rachel we know!
Two June 12 races at 1 1/8 miles conveniently located at Churchill are among the most logical options for her next race. Those are the Grade 1, $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap, open to both genders, and the Grade 2, $200,000 Fleur de Lis Handicap, restricted to fillies and mares. There is also a very small possibility she may be shipped to Belmont, New York for the Grade 1, $300,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap, restricted to fillies and mares. However, I seriously doubt her connections would want to ship her when there are two perfectly good races right where she is at Churchill. These races are only 3 weeks away and nominations are beginning to pile up, so we will have keep our eyes and ears open!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
What's up with Rachel?
Lately, there seems to be a lot of questions surrounding our dear Rachel.
Up until La Troienne, the internet was covered with articles about Rachel Alexandra: her schooling, her workouts, her preparations for the next race, down to details as to whether or not she is eating all her meals. Now? -- Hardly anything. Why is it that suddenly there is markedly less published about last year's horse of the year? Now this is the Horse of the Year, folks -- the one who broke all sorts of records last year, the one many have compared with Ruffian. Sure she lost a few races, but I find it odd that lately she is almost totally ignored.
Now newer puzzling developments are unfolding...
In the first workout after La Troienne, the usual exercise rider Dominic Terry was surprisingly absent. Instead, jockey Shaun Bridgmohan rode Rachel during her Monday morning workout. Later it was revealed that Dominic Terry was let go, and has since been hired by Dallas Stewart. Some speculate that this change was because he, as the exercise rider, was responsible for making sure Rachel is accustomed to changing leads immediately after the final turn, which she noticeably failed to to do in La Troienne, an error that some have blamed for her loss. Nobody knows for sure why Dominic Terry is no longer riding Rachel because there has been nothing publicly stated. That's fine, but ...
Who is this Shaun Bridgmohan? Yes, he is a jockey, and was the the winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 1998. He is a moderately successful jockey, twice winning 6 races on a single card, and winning several well known races including the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2002, the Pimlico Special in 2008, and the Cigar Mile Handicap in 2009. But why is he on Rachel now? Is he just the new exercise rider for Rachel or is he more than that? There may be speculation that he will be the new jockey for Rachel. This speculation is most likely untrue. On one hand, Asmussen and Bridgmohan have had a long history together, and Asmussen has used Bridgmohan on more and more of his horses. But on the other hand, I would imagine that Asmussen would prefer a higher profile jockey such as Robby Albarado (over Bridgmohan) for such a high profile horse as Rachel. Also, it's unlikely Jess Jackson, with the money and flash that he has, would allow anyone other than a high profile - high caliber jockey (such as Calvin) to ride Rachel.
Also, curiouser and curiouser are the times posted for Rachel Alexandra's workouts. In her first workout after La Troienne, she clocked a tepid 0:52 (DRF) or 0:50 (Churchill). Now which one is it: 0:50 or 0:52? Why is there such a big discrepancy between the DRF clockers and the Churchill Downs clockers? Are these people even awake? Two seconds is a huge difference, especially clocking racehorses when accuracy is so important that time is traditionally calculated down to a fifth of a second. In her second workout this past week, she clocked five furlongs in a lukewarm 1:04.20 over a sloppy track. Remember that Rachel loves the slop so it came as a surprise she was that slow. In fact she ranked 12th out of 13 horses at that distance. I looked at the statistics for the other horses, and she was actually tied for last with another horse. Did Asmussen change his training technique? Or the unthinkable -- is there something physically (or emotionally) wrong with our dear Rachel? Let's hope not. Hopefully she's happy and healthy.
So far Rachel's going-ons is shrouded in mystery. If you follow Rachel closely like I do, you might be just as frustrated as I am! We hope we can get some answers soon.
Up until La Troienne, the internet was covered with articles about Rachel Alexandra: her schooling, her workouts, her preparations for the next race, down to details as to whether or not she is eating all her meals. Now? -- Hardly anything. Why is it that suddenly there is markedly less published about last year's horse of the year? Now this is the Horse of the Year, folks -- the one who broke all sorts of records last year, the one many have compared with Ruffian. Sure she lost a few races, but I find it odd that lately she is almost totally ignored.
Now newer puzzling developments are unfolding...
In the first workout after La Troienne, the usual exercise rider Dominic Terry was surprisingly absent. Instead, jockey Shaun Bridgmohan rode Rachel during her Monday morning workout. Later it was revealed that Dominic Terry was let go, and has since been hired by Dallas Stewart. Some speculate that this change was because he, as the exercise rider, was responsible for making sure Rachel is accustomed to changing leads immediately after the final turn, which she noticeably failed to to do in La Troienne, an error that some have blamed for her loss. Nobody knows for sure why Dominic Terry is no longer riding Rachel because there has been nothing publicly stated. That's fine, but ...
Shaun Bridgmohan is from Jamaica
Who is this Shaun Bridgmohan? Yes, he is a jockey, and was the the winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 1998. He is a moderately successful jockey, twice winning 6 races on a single card, and winning several well known races including the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 2002, the Pimlico Special in 2008, and the Cigar Mile Handicap in 2009. But why is he on Rachel now? Is he just the new exercise rider for Rachel or is he more than that? There may be speculation that he will be the new jockey for Rachel. This speculation is most likely untrue. On one hand, Asmussen and Bridgmohan have had a long history together, and Asmussen has used Bridgmohan on more and more of his horses. But on the other hand, I would imagine that Asmussen would prefer a higher profile jockey such as Robby Albarado (over Bridgmohan) for such a high profile horse as Rachel. Also, it's unlikely Jess Jackson, with the money and flash that he has, would allow anyone other than a high profile - high caliber jockey (such as Calvin) to ride Rachel.
Also, curiouser and curiouser are the times posted for Rachel Alexandra's workouts. In her first workout after La Troienne, she clocked a tepid 0:52 (DRF) or 0:50 (Churchill). Now which one is it: 0:50 or 0:52? Why is there such a big discrepancy between the DRF clockers and the Churchill Downs clockers? Are these people even awake? Two seconds is a huge difference, especially clocking racehorses when accuracy is so important that time is traditionally calculated down to a fifth of a second. In her second workout this past week, she clocked five furlongs in a lukewarm 1:04.20 over a sloppy track. Remember that Rachel loves the slop so it came as a surprise she was that slow. In fact she ranked 12th out of 13 horses at that distance. I looked at the statistics for the other horses, and she was actually tied for last with another horse. Did Asmussen change his training technique? Or the unthinkable -- is there something physically (or emotionally) wrong with our dear Rachel? Let's hope not. Hopefully she's happy and healthy.
So far Rachel's going-ons is shrouded in mystery. If you follow Rachel closely like I do, you might be just as frustrated as I am! We hope we can get some answers soon.
Monday, May 10, 2010
WORKOUT 5-10-2010
On Monday morning May 10, 2010 at about 6:25am, with jockey Shaun Bridgmohan aboard, Rachel Alexandra worked an easy our furlongs in 0:50 (reported by Churchill Downs) in Louisville Kentucky. She covered the distance in fractional times of :13, :25 3/5 and :38 3/5 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:05 3/5.
Daily Racing Form reported the time at 0:52.
Interestingly, Asmussen used a jockey instead of an exercise rider to work Rachel. Is there a deeper meaning to this, other than simply using whoever was available at the time? We'll see. Regardless, Dominic Terry is reportedly no longer the regular exercise rider for Rachel Alexandra, and is now working for Dallas Stewart. However, we all appreciate his fine record of love for her and his consistent hard work in her behalf.
Daily Racing Form reported the time at 0:52.
Reed Palmer photo of Shaun Bridgmohan on Rachel Alexandra
The first workout after a race, such as La Troienne, a trainer will usually allow the horse to breeze a short distance, such as half a mile, without pressing her too much, so as not to put too much stress on the horse since the horse may have expended quite a bit of energy in the race the week earlier. Interestingly, Asmussen used a jockey instead of an exercise rider to work Rachel. Is there a deeper meaning to this, other than simply using whoever was available at the time? We'll see. Regardless, Dominic Terry is reportedly no longer the regular exercise rider for Rachel Alexandra, and is now working for Dallas Stewart. However, we all appreciate his fine record of love for her and his consistent hard work in her behalf.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Why Rachel is Still Currently One of the Best
After La Troienne, all of us Rachel fans were in disbelief she did not win again. But, upon closer analysis of the facts, I've come to a conclusion that Rachel Alexandra is still one of the best fillies this year. Let's examine her finishing times and her Beyer Speed Figures in her last 2 races. (And just for kicks, throw Zenyatta's speed figures in there)
BEYER SPEED FIGURES
Rachel Alexandra Zenyatta
2010 2010
La Troienne 103 Apple Blossom 95
New Orleans Ladies 100 Santa Margarita 102
2009
Woodward 109
Haskell 116
Mother Goose 111
Preakness 108
Kentucky Oaks 108
Fantasy 101
Fair Grounds Oaks 103
Martha Washington 100
Although she lost the La Troienne last Friday (by between a nose and a head), her finishing time was a little over a second away from the Churchill Downs track record for that distance! That put her (and Unrivaled Belle's) Beyer Speed Figure at 103! This was the career best speed figure for Unrivaled Belle. In the New Orleans Ladies, Rachel came in second, losing by a head. Zardana, who won, had her career best speed figure of 101 in that race as well! The two horses that beat Rachel, by such a small margin, both had career best races when they competed against Rachel. It took a career best race for both horses to narrowly beat Rachel, who by all reports was only racing at only 85% and 90%. Yet in those same races where she came a close second, she achieved respectable speed figures over 100.
Just for fun, let's compare Rachel's speed figures with Zenyatta's speed figures. Zenyatta achieved a speed figure of 95 in the Apple Blossom early April of this year. That was the slowest speed figure Zenyatta has run in the last 2 years, and the lowest Apple Blossom speed figure in 21 years! In her prior race, the "Santa Margarita" in March of this year, her beyer speed figure was 102. Of course, with deep closers like Zenyatta, we can't judge by speed figures alone, but nevertheless, speed figures do show the level of the field she was competing against was not even close to Rachel's class. Winning against such a weak field may not really prove all that much. I like Zenyatta, but I would rather her owners put her in more challenging races with stronger fields.
Rachel has not lost her touch at all! On the contrary, she is still a very fast horse! She is just near the beginning of her season so we can even expect some more improvements as the year progresses!
For further information, see:
http://rachelalexandrafan.blogspot.com/2010/03/rachel-still-one-of-consistently.html
BEYER SPEED FIGURES
Rachel Alexandra Zenyatta
2010 2010
La Troienne 103 Apple Blossom 95
New Orleans Ladies 100 Santa Margarita 102
2009
Woodward 109
Haskell 116
Mother Goose 111
Preakness 108
Kentucky Oaks 108
Fantasy 101
Fair Grounds Oaks 103
Martha Washington 100
Although she lost the La Troienne last Friday (by between a nose and a head), her finishing time was a little over a second away from the Churchill Downs track record for that distance! That put her (and Unrivaled Belle's) Beyer Speed Figure at 103! This was the career best speed figure for Unrivaled Belle. In the New Orleans Ladies, Rachel came in second, losing by a head. Zardana, who won, had her career best speed figure of 101 in that race as well! The two horses that beat Rachel, by such a small margin, both had career best races when they competed against Rachel. It took a career best race for both horses to narrowly beat Rachel, who by all reports was only racing at only 85% and 90%. Yet in those same races where she came a close second, she achieved respectable speed figures over 100.
Just for fun, let's compare Rachel's speed figures with Zenyatta's speed figures. Zenyatta achieved a speed figure of 95 in the Apple Blossom early April of this year. That was the slowest speed figure Zenyatta has run in the last 2 years, and the lowest Apple Blossom speed figure in 21 years! In her prior race, the "Santa Margarita" in March of this year, her beyer speed figure was 102. Of course, with deep closers like Zenyatta, we can't judge by speed figures alone, but nevertheless, speed figures do show the level of the field she was competing against was not even close to Rachel's class. Winning against such a weak field may not really prove all that much. I like Zenyatta, but I would rather her owners put her in more challenging races with stronger fields.
Rachel has not lost her touch at all! On the contrary, she is still a very fast horse! She is just near the beginning of her season so we can even expect some more improvements as the year progresses!
For further information, see:
http://rachelalexandrafan.blogspot.com/2010/03/rachel-still-one-of-consistently.html
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