Rachel Alexandra
 

For once, she didn't run faster than all the males on the same card.

She got her 8.5 furlongs today in 1:43.55 with Borel up in the irons and showboating through the stretch.

Freisan Fire got his 8.5 furlongs in 1:43.46 while romping to a 7+ length win in the LA Derby.

They both ran a point or two faster than Macho Again - last years Derby Trial, Jim Dandy, and Preakness 2nd - who needed 1:50.21 to take the 500K NO Handicap.

Hal Wiggins was 0-for-32 with runners 2nd off the layoff dating back to Jan 1st 2008 - that streak now snapped.

How'd Patena do?

He ran too bad to be true.

Something likely went amiss. Total non-effort.

He's a slow plodder. Was before the juice, is with the juice.

The horses these trainers seem to move up, at least in my eyes, are ones that are already naturally fast, or at least have a good turn of foot.

A slow plodder who ran a final quarter in 24 and change in the Lecomte? Or went wire to wire breaking his maiden?

He may be a miler or may not have liked the slop, but something was obviously wrong today.

NT

A fast horse that closed in 24 and change off a blazing fast 1:14 maybe?

That's pretty incredible I guess.

I'm not to sure I'd use his 2yo form either to make a case for his speed. He was life and death to beat a pretty mediocre filly that has since lost in the Sunshine Millions and the Santa Anita Oaks.

I suppose we have different opinions of what a "slow plodder" is because Patena may have limitations but I just don't see him as a slow plodder. Giant Oak maybe, or Terrain, but Patena has some speed when he's right. I just don't think that was him today.

NT

Actually, I really just meant slow plodder in comparing him to the types these juice trainers typically move way up.

What does she close at tomorrow in the Oaks pool and given how Old Fashioned ran today, do they seriously consider the Oaks now?

Wiggins has to think about the Arkansas Derby now. The Fantasy purse is a quarter of the purse of the Ark Derby.

i would seriously consider it. she obviously likes the surface, and i don't think old fashioned is quite as invincible as everyone once thought. of course if hot springs was as nasty as it's been here, two hours southeast, he may not have liked the surface and could be given benefit of the doubt. i wasn't home all day, so i wasn't able to catch any of the action-so i don't know what the situation was at oaklawn.

I hope there is some information tomorrow about her, I am considering putting $500 on her to win the Oaks if I can get 5/1 but I am hesitant now that the Derby seems like a logical spot

it would be nice if they would transfer a bet on her from the one race to the other. hehe, like that would happen.

Hal Wiggins sounded pretty firm that the Oaks was still the target today on HRTV. She's 7/2 now and only figures to go down from there. Save the $500 for Oaks day at that price.

she was 150-1 at the Wynn for the Derby this week, so I think you could probably cover that bet if needed...

I don't think the Derby is the right spot given that the best horses in this 3yo male crop all have similar styles to RA.

I expect to see her go the sane route - the Fantasy and KY Oaks.

I think she might go up tomorrow for late money on hilarious Stardom Bound.

I am going to Byk's friend's hat store tomorrow to buy a fedora and will probably go to the OTB at 4:45 and keep an eye on the pool, 6/1 and I will push it through.

I consider her even money to win the Oaks right now which is why I am considering this.

Phil, you going to the Derby?

Since when is saneness around this time happen, someone will get into Wiggin's ear and **** me....

I hope you're drunk......as this is a " can you top this " series of dumb comments.

Fedoras are cool!

If they read your prior post first, or even see you in that impending fedora, nobody is going to **** you.

I guess I was wrong.

Nope

Maybe wishful thinking on her going up tomorrow

My thought process is this, if she goes to the Oaks, and Stardom Bound is in the race, she is 2/1, if Stardom Bound isn't in the race, she is even money or 4/5. Either way and 6/1 looks good to me

:rolleyes:

Well I just got back from the track and while the racing was good, the freaking weather ......sucked!!!!! :mad: Got totally soaked getting some shots of Rachel but it was worth it, not the the day was great of getting good pics. She was a beast! She did not turn a hair in the paddock or in the post parade.....wait she didnt turn a hair in the race either. :D Man, she was never asked at all, sitting there just chillin, and when they turned for home she just skipped over the slop and couldnt have blown out a match after the race!! That is one bad b**ch!!!!:{>: Off to bed, but will try to give a better report tomm. But I will say this, JohnnyV just killed me on the ride on My Pal Charlie, and I gave him a standing O as he walked back to the jocks room too! :zz:

I'm moving to Kentucky in a couple weeks. Depends on the cashflow when that rolls around. Will certainly be at the Oaks, however. We may just have a Derby bash instead this year.

Rachel is from the prominent 1-o family .

He absolutely has to consider the Arkansas Derby with her. If you have a horse that has to be considered in the top two choices for a $1 million purse, you'd be a fool to not go for it. Even a second place finish versus males would look better on her resume than winning the fantasy. And it's more money. He'd be a fool not to go there and a bigger one not to even consider it.

"Maybe" wishful thinking?!

There is one way you could maybe get 6/1. Wait until the last minute (6:29pm) and bet $50,000 on "All others". Then jump on the 6/1 you'll see on Rachel A. and hope nobody else is paying attention.

Dang, while I was composing, the odds on Rachel A. dropped from 7/2 to 5/2. You may have to bet more than $50K on #24! ;>)

--Dunbar

She seems like quite a filly, very impressive.

But I'll find her hard to cheer for with Calvin acting like such a showboat before the race is over. Get a clue dude, act like you've been there before.

Well, there's celebration and there's showing someone up. It seems Karma is usually watching when you get a bit big for your britches ... then it likes to bite you on the ass.

The way he was acting, my first response was to keep watching the replay and head-on to see if someone had bumped him or tried to block him or anything confrontational...
Actually she was so tactical and Borel had such a perfect grasp of the timing, that she accelerated out of every opposing bid before they developed.
Then Borel and P.Val gave high fives following the race, so he didn't appear angry.

Borel is one of my favorites, I do think he overplayed his actions in this one though.

Calvin doesnt have a mean in his body, what he was doing was just for the joy of being on a great filly! It was nothing agianst the other horses or to put them down, just celebrating what he was on. When talking about karma....after the crap he has been through in his life he will get Street Sense ten fold. Please dont think he was trying to be disrespectful because that would never be his intention. Kent D...yeah, but Calvin...no way!

Exactly.

Didn't Mike Smith start losing his hair right after he did that throat slash celebration after Sky Beauty won a race?

Didn't Randy Moss get traded to the Raiders right after he pretended to pull his pants down?

What he did would have got flagged with a 15 yard personal foul had he been playing NCAA Football.

The only thing I can think of less appropriate and less cool then celebrating so excessively like that ... would be to post a link of Scav interviewing a porn star.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CSoSsCU2Wg

Dude, that is a LOW BLOW. I appreciate you considering me chillin with hot chicks but that dude is huge compared to me, I have a central location mass but I DO NOT HAVE A FRONT BUTT

I hear ya man. That post was like Andrew Golata in both fights with Bowe.