Horses Betting

The 2009 Horse of the Year in thoroughbred racing, Rachel Alexandra has been retired from racing, her owners announced Tuesday.

With a win in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks, Rachel started turning heads and went on to win all eight of her starts as a 3-year-old filly in 2009. But in 2010, Rachel Alexandra won only two of five starts.

In the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga on Aug. 29 was her last loss, when she was bested by a length. To run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Beldame Invitational at Belmont Park, she had been working out, but owner Jess Jackson decided to retire the filly on Tuesday.

Jackson said in a news release, “As you know, despite top training and a patient campaign, Rachel Alexandra did not return to her 2009 form. I believe it’s time to retire our champion and reward her with a less stressful life. We are delighted that she will retire healthy and happy to our beautiful farm in Kentucky.”

Jackson said, next year he would breed Rachel Alexandra to his two-time Horse of the Year Curlin.

Following her 20 1/4-length victory in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks, business partner Harold McCormick and Jackson had purchased Rachel Alexandra privately from owner/breeder Dolphus Morrison, his partner Mike Lauffer, and trainer Hal Wiggins.

Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness Stakes, Fifteen days later, holding off Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird by one length.

Rampant talks running about a possible matchup between filly Rachel Alexander and Zenyatta. From Rachel Alexander trucking up to Saratoga, the talk stems from and it could be possible start in the Personal Ensign, which would be August 29. Jess Jackson, Owner, said of racing August 29th, “I do think there is a chance she can run here.”

Owner Jerry Moss has never been a fan of the Del Mar poly track, although Zenyatta is working towards racing August 7th for Del Mar’s Clement Hirsch. Morning workouts were stopped, in the first day after the start of the Del Mar meet because of separation of the poly track surface.

The Woodward could be another possibility on September 4. For the Woodward, both owners could hold out and show up. With the Woodward, a race both horses training schedules coincide well too.

The filly Rachel Alexandra is the current Horse of the Year preparing for her fifth start of the year and Zenyatta, West coast phenom, is a perfect 17-0 in his career. For over a year, several tracks have been attempting to entice the two camps to enter their horses in the same race and for the two to meet, this may be the best opportunity.

The 2009 Preakness Stakes was the 134th running the historic race on May 16, 2009, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, Rachel Alexandra, a filly, took first place.

Favorite Rachel Alexandra, winner of the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier, had to hold off a late charge. To win the Preakness, she became the first filly, as the favorite.

Rachel Alexandra, from a $1.1 million purse, earned a first prize of $660,000.

As Asmussen’s, Curlin finished second to a filly the last time a filly won a Triple Crown Race (Rags to Riches, 2007 Belmont Stakes), for him winning with a filly was sweet.

Calvin Borel, who rode, two weeks earlier winner Mine That Bird, rode Rachel Alexandra this time. On two different horses, Borel became the first jockey to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown. At the Preakness, it was Borel’s first win.

At the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009, Borel rode 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird to victory, a day after winning the Kentucky Oaks abroad Rachel Alexandra. By winning the Derby-Oaks combo in the same year, he became the seventh jockey to do so. To participate in and win the Preakness, Rachel Alexandra became the first Kentucky Oaks winner.

In the race, Mine That Bird had a slow start. His second place finish put an end to any chance of a Triple Crown, extending the Triple Crown drought to 31 years.

12 colts and 1 filly participated in the race. Mine That Bird (6-1), Friesan Fire (6-1), Pioneer of the Nile (5-1) and Rachel Alexandra (8-5) were the favorites. The four favorites were given postpositions of 13, 9, 5, and 2 respectively. From the 13th post, Rachel Alexandra became the first horse to win the race.

The other two favorites didn’t finish in the same strong manner as finished by Mine That Bird and Rachel Alexandra. Friesan Fire, trained by J. Larry Jones and Pioneer of the Nile, trained by Bob Baffert finished 10th and 11th positions respectively. Musket Man was in the third place and finished a half-length behind Mine That Bird.

Nielsen rating since 1990 was the second best. Attendance of more than 35,000 at the event plummeted.