Girl Power | 05/17/2009 7:05 am
Rachel Alexandra: A Filly Wins the Preakness!
A lady in Baltimore adds to racing history.
You go, girl © Getty Images
Rachel Alexandra, the beautiful three-year-old bay filly and the heavy favorite going into the race, became only the fifth female horse to win The Preakness, the second jewel in horse racing's vaunted Triple Crown. She not only won, but won far ahead of the field, striding home at the last furlong.
According to Blood Horse.com, her jockey, the famed Calvin Borel, who rode the Kentucky Derby-winning horse, Mine That Bird, just two weeks ago, claims of Rachel Alexandra, "She's the greatest racehorse I've been on in my life."
She is only the 11th filly to win a Triple Crown Race, and the first female Preakness winner since 1924, when Nellie Morse rode to home.
Filly Kentucky Derby Winners:
1988 - Winning Colors
1980 - Genuine Risk
1915 - Regret
Filly Preakness Winners:
2009 - Rachel Alexandra
1924 - Nellie Morse
1915 - Rhine Maiden
1906 - Whimsical
1903 - Flocarline
Filly Belmont Stakes Winners:
2007 - Rags to Riches
1905 - Tanya
1867 - Ruthless
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39 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
Rachel Alexandra, another beautiful and talented lady here at wowOwow!
What a great race, filled with excitement right down to the wire! It was great to see Mine That Bird show himself to be a serious contender by placing second. As the Today Show pointed out this morning, Calvin Borel is in a position to earn a jockey’s Triple Crown this year.
I almost missed the race. I checked the clock and had to race to the TV myself! The horses came out of the gates about 5 seconds after I sat down. I actually was cheering them on - something I never thought I would do.
Diana T, thought of you watching the Preakness - did you have a gathering yesterday?
Oh Green, I cannot tell a lie—to quote George Washington—. It all started with one weed. I had to go to a baby shower yesterday afternoon, and when I got home, the first thing I did was to get out of the good clothes and into the gardening ones. And, while I was waiting for the Preakness, I saw a very tall weed and said to myself, "While I have time to kill, I’ll just pick some of these ol’ weeds out of the Peonies, and well, before I knew it, it was getting dark and I realized that Time had Killed my chances for seeing the Preakness. Missed the whole damn thing.
But, thank you, Green for your thoughts. I’ll be sure to watch the Belmont.
Diane,
I am sure you have see this but just in case. It was a beautiful race. I love the picture of Rachel Alexndra that Wow has posted, you can really see her "eye" and her intelligence and breeding. Horses are such pure creatures. They are beautiful
YouTube - Preakness 2009 134th running Rachel Alexandra
I am so happy that Mine That Bird came in second because it proves the Derby wasn’t just a lucky day for him.
Hooray for Rachel Alexandra - the first filly in 85 years. She is amazing, she held them all off the whole race, what a horse.
I believe the jockeys are free agents so they negotiate those deals. It may be who pays what. While watching the race I couldn’t remember if Bo-Rail (when being interviewed after the Derby) said that he thought Rachel Alexandra was the greatest racehorse today. I know he said there a was a horse that he thought was the greatest, and it wasn’t Mine That Bird. I can’t remember which one he said, but yesterday he said the RA was. He said MTB was great but there was another horse he thought greater, maybe that was a plug to ride her. I don’t know.
I am really happy about Mine That Bird as well. I just wish they hadn’t held him back so long. If he had been given his head sooner he may have won it. I wonder - but that’s a horse race. Rachel A sure is beautiful.
Frannie, I’ve watched the race you posted for me several times now. And, I’m thinking if it had gone only one furlong more, then Mine that Bird may have won it. It will be interesting to see what happens in the Belmont.
http://www.officialusa.com/stateguides/horseracing/triplecrown.html
Lots of stallions don’t get their mind right…(same ol’ problem…) So, gelding them gives them a better life and a better chance at performing well. Had he not been gelded, Mine That Bird may have just been another loser…
The innate desire to protect and breed, many times makes all that testosterone a problem. Stallions are gelded more often than not…you know the old saying…
" You can’t miss what you never had" ;]
She is a great filly with strength and heart…what a girl….
However, Mine That Bird ran the race that he could, the field knew his plans to go to the rail and closed him out early on. He had to weave and pull up to get through to challenge the filly at the end. He would have beat her with about 4 more stides…he had to run so much harder to get in position.
Still…although it was not her best day….it WAS the best of the day! :]
I kind of hope that they do not run her at the Belmont. She needs a fast track….Mine That Bird may prove to be a great one by the end of the Belmont…
Too cool….a filly and a gelding…..
This is the Year of the Bo-Rail! Good for him…..Congratulations, Calvin.