As a girl, I was especially happy to watch Rachel Alexandra kick the boys’ butts on Saturday! Also was happy to see another major race where all the horses came back in one piece.
This race should truly prove that Rachel Alexandra is a star horse, regardless of her gender. Any high-class filly that takes on the boys and comes out on top is a horse for the record books. To me, it looked like she was kept a bit wide at the beginning of the race, yet she still held the lead for nearly the whole race. Take into account that her jockey, Calvin Borel, said she didn’t handle the track well – Rachel is a real racehorse.
You have to give Mine That Bird plenty of credit as well. Coming in a close second, he proved that his Derby win wasn’t just a fluke. Had he been able to get in the rail, there’s a strong chance he would have been the victor – and we’d be looking at a likely Triple Crown in three weeks. I’m not a big Birdstone fan, largely because he ruined Smarty’s chances of the crown in ’04, but Mine that Bird has it in his pedigree that he should like the mile and a quarter distance. I’m a little sad that Musket Man will not be headed to be Belmont, because he’s a tough guy who’s never ran out of the money. He’s always gone off at a price in the Derby and the Preakness after strong races, and he hasn’t ran a dissapointing race.
As of now, its not looking likely that Rachel Alexandra will be back in the Belmont, but oh, it would be fabulous if there was a rematch with Mine That Bird. I hope that maybe, somewhere this year, she’ll run against the boys again and wins again. If that happens, I think Rachel would have a very strong chance of being Horse of the Year (3-year-old filly is pretty much hers already). Another question that will have to be answered in the next few weeks – if Rachel Alexandra doesn’t run, will Borel go back on Mine that Bird. I don’t doubt that he’d go back if he doesn’t have any prior commitments. There’s a possibility that a jockey, not a horse, could win the Triple Crown this year.
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