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Superfilly Rachel Alexandra will look to run her 2009 record to a perfect six for six when she heads a field of five and kick starts the second half of her campaign in Saturday’s $300,000 G1 Mother Goose going 1 1/8 miles at beautiful Belmont Park.
After starting the season with wins in the Martha Washington, G2 Fair Grounds Oaks and G2 Fantasy, Rachel Alexandra strolled to an astonishing, record-setting 20 ¼ length score in the G1 Kentucky oaks the day before the Kentucky Derby, leaving many to ponder what would have happened had she run in the Derby.
Purchased by Jess Jackson and turned over to trainer Steve Asmussen after the Oaks, Rachel Alexandra was promptly supplemented to the G1 Preakness, the second jewel in racings’ Triple Crown and caused a commotion when jockey Calvin Borel took off the Derby winner Mine That Bird to ride the filly in the Preakness.
Breaking from post 13 at Pimlico, Borel quickly sent Rachel Alexandra to the front and after battling with Big Drama through a solid :46 3/5 half mile, edged away on the far turn before holding off late rallies by second and third place finishers Mine That Bird and Musket Man to become the first filly to win the Preakness in 85 years.
Debates raged as to whether or not the filly should or would contest the grueling 1 ½ miles of the Belmont Stakes, racings’ “Test of the Champion” and it was eventually decided that it was not in her best interest and that she’d be pointed for a different race, which turned out to be the Mother Goose.
Since her Preakness win, Rachel Alexandra has trained well at her Churchill Downs headquarters, including a half mile breeze in :49 4/5 this past Monday, a move in which Borel categorized as “unbelievable” earlier this week. She’ll break from post 3 under Borel in the Mother Goose.
Perhaps the most intriguing of her rivals, and one with the best chance of upsetting Rachel Alexandra, if there is a chance, is Flashing. After an off the board finish in the Busanda at Aqueduct following her debut maiden victory, Flashing has won three straight, including the G3 Nassau County in the mud at Belmont on Derby Day.
She’s been so impressive, in fact, that she received a promotion and will race for trainer Saeed bin Suroor for the first time in the Mother Goose while wearing the royal blue and white silks of the Godolphin Stable having worn the maroon Darley colors in her first five starts when she was trained by Tom Albertrani. Javier Castellano, who was aboard for the first time in the Nassau County has the return call and they’ll break from post 5.
Don’t Forget Gil won her debut as a two year old over the Belmont strip last year. This season, she won the G3 Florida Oaks three starts back and was second in the G2 Comley before finishing last of eight in the G2 Black Eyed Susan the day before the Preakness at Pimlico. Alan Garcia rides from post 2 for trainer Mark Hennig.
Hopeful Image won an off the turf allowance contest in her last start at Belmont for trainer Gerald Procino and jockey Edgar Prado. Earlier this season she was third behind the highly regarded Justwhitsledixie in the G2 Bonnie Miss at Gulfstream Park. She’ll break from the rail.
Finally, the Todd Pletcher trained Malibu Player won her last two starts at Aqueduct and Philadelphia Park after finishing third in her first two starts down at Gulfstream. She’ll break from post 4 under John Velazquez and will be making her stakes debut.