Rachel Alexandra made her 1-20 odds look like an overlay, winning the G1 Mother Goose by a record 19 ¼ lengths in front of 13,352 adoring fans on Saturday at beautiful Belmont Park.
“She’s is a special filly, she is a champion, she is a lady,” said owner Jess Jackson about his star filly who he paid $10 million for after her Kentucky Oaks win earlier this year.
After the defections of longshots Hopeful Image (colic) and Don’t Forget Gil (fever) on the morning of the race, the Mother Goose turned into a three horse affair, with Malibu Prayer and Flashing the only two brave souls sent out to take on the imposing Preakness winner.
As if she needed any help, both Malibu and Flashing vied for the early lead through hot fractions of :22 2/5 and :44 3/5 as jockey Calvin Borel bided his time aboard the superfilly behind her overmatched rivals, while Flashing’s rider Javier Castellano tried to force Borel as far out into the center of the course as possible. But Borel kept his cool.
“I can’t say enough about Calvin’s ride,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains Rachel Alexandra. “He just let them go about their business.”
After six furlongs in 1:08 4/5, Rachel Alexandra was given her cue by Borel and began to make her move towards an ever shrinking hole between horses on the far turn. Once through, Borel gave his filly a little love tap on the right shoulder and sent her on her way.
Borel began celebrating and gearing Rachel Alexandra down inside the eight pole, yet she still stopped the clock in a stakes record 1:46 1/5, just 4/5ths of a second off the track record set by the immortal Secretariat. The former margin of victory record of 13 ½ lengths was held by the legendary Ruffian.
“She’s not normal,” Borel said in admiration of the filly he chose to ride over Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in the Preakness. “She’s like a Secretariat or a Seattle Slew. I’ve never been on one like that in my life.”
Malibu Prayer, who showed she wanted no part of the winner even before the race began by balking at the starting gate, finished second in her stakes debut, 12 ¼ lengths in front of Flashing who trailed.
While her next start is unknown, Rachel Alexandra's destination is historic Saratoga, where she’ll join the rest of the string that Asmussen sends up every year for the summer meet. Perhaps she’ll try the boys again in the Travers or get the undefeated Zenyatta out of California for a match-up that everyone would love to see.
“We’ll get to Saratoga and see if we can find a race for her,” Jackson said. “I think she’s the best three-year-old right now. She just broke a track record and she wasn’t even asked.”
