How Good is Rachel? The Jocks Weigh In.

The win by Rachel Alexandra in Saturday's Woodward at Saratoga was simply breathtaking. For any horse to go wire-to-wire in a fast time in a race like the Woodward isn't easy. But the fact that a 3-year-old filly accomplished that feat against older males is simply remarkable.

Don't just take my word for it. The jockeys who were beaten by the "Superfreak" put it best.

“Champions show different dimension.," said jockey Robby Albarado, who was aboard runner-up Macho Again and rode two-time of Horse of the Year Curlin. "She is in a league of her own. She has beaten every top division we have in racing. Older horses, her age, it doesn’t matter. No matter what they throw at her, she’ll beat them.”

“My horse left everything on the track," Bullsbay jockey Jeremy Rose said. "He did everything he could to get by her. She just isn’t giving up. She’s awesome; there’s no two ways about it."

"I've never seen a filly like her," Edgar Prado said, who rode Past the Point. "She is spectacular."

(Note: Prado also stood in the winner's circle after the race to watch Rachel walk back.)

Star Studded Saturday

With the Triple Crown firmly in the rear view mirror, the focus of racing has become more scattered until next month when the star-studded race meets of Saratoga and Del Mar get underway.

At least for one day, that changes when the two best fillies in the country put their hooves back on the track Saturday. (Ironically, their respective races will run within 15 minutes of each other.)

Leading off the action is Rachel Alexandra, who is making her long awaited journey to New York. The trip to Belmont is three weeks later than some were hoping as many fans were hoping to see the Preakness winner run in the final jewel of the Triple Crown.

She will face four others in Belmont's Mother Goose (5:17 pm EDT, Broadcast on MSG+) and will be one of the biggest favorites we will see all year. It is undoubtedly her race to lose and for the few fans that will show up at Belmont, it will be a chance to see a superstar.

On the West Coast, the unbeaten Zenyatta makes her second start of 2009 when she squares off against seven others in the Vanity Handicap (5:30 EDT) . The competition apparently isn't afraid of her lofty 10-for-10 record.

On a teleconference Wednesday, Rachel's owner, Jess Jackson, said his star will not run in this year's Breeders' Cup, which is slated to be run at Santa Anita. Jackson said he does not care for Santa Anita's "artificial dirt" surface and does not want to risk diminishing her star status.

He cited his two-time Horse of the Year Curlin's struggles in California last year as a prime example of why not to run at the Breeders' Cup.

It's another potential black eye for the sport as one of the best horses in the country is being kept on the sidelines during racing's championship weekend. It also likely deprives fans the only chance of seeing Rachel battle Zenyatta.

If you have a chance to go to Belmont or Hollywood on Saturday, go for it. Seeing horses of this caliber is rare and there are likely just a few races left in their respective careers.

What Next for Rachel & Bird?

Fans of horse racing could not have asked for a lot more from the Preakness Stakes. Super filly Rachel Alexandra wins the Middle Jewel of Triple Crown and holds off a late charge from Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird.

Will this be a new budding rivalry?

What makes this potential new great rivalry it is not just two great horses. It is two stars of different genders which rarely cross paths.

There have been races where males and females have met but not often during the Triple Crown. The last time the rivarly lasted more than one race was in 1988 when Winning Colors, a filly, and Forty Niner went head-to-head twice. The two ran first and second in the Derby. But the rivarly spilled over in the Preakness when the two dueled each other into defeat as the filly finished third and Forty Niner was seventh.

Chances are Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird won't face each other much more in their careers, but the Belmont Stakes does remain a possibility for both. Mine That Bird's trainer, Chip Woolley, has already committed to run in the 1 1/2 miles "Test of Champions" but what of the filly?

Neither trainer Steve Asmussen nor majority owner Jess Jackson committed to the Belmont but how much fun would it be to see the Derby winner and Preakness winner slug it out in New York?

The temptation for the "Rachel crew" will be great. Jackson, who scored points among racing fans when he kept two-time Horse of the Year Curlin in training after his 3-year-old season. The chestnut colt ammased wins in the Preakness and the Breeders' Cup Classic and earned Horse of the Year honors; then came back and won the Dubai World Cup among others and notched his second Horse of the Year honor.

For those that might be worried about Rachel getting "burned up" early in the Belmont by some other speed horses, there aren't many left in the potential field who could push her early. Quality Road and Chartiable Man could be those obstacles but neither trainer has committed to the 1 1/2 mile race yet.

Racing, as always, needs some good news and attention. What happened today at the Preakness was a huge help but it will be very short lived if it's the last time we see the Derby and Preakness square off.

But Jackson has to do what is right by the horse and if she comes back feeling good, then he oughto to run Rachel in the Belmont. Rags to Riches proved a filly can win the "Test of Champions" and it would certainly cement Rachel's place as the one of the best horses of all-time with a Belmont victory.

Stay tuned over the next few days but we might just have a new rivaly we haven't seen in racing for some time.

These Are The Days of Our Lives....

This week on the Triple Crown Trail has turned into one of the biggest soap operas in quite a while. In essence, the episode began after Rachel Alexandra won the Oaks in dominating fashion.

The next day, after pulled a huge 50-1 upset in the Derby aboard Mine That Bird, jockey Calvin Borel said if he were confronted with the choice of which horse to ride, he would choose the filly.

Meanwhile, little did almost all of us know that there were secret negotiations ongoing to sell Rachel Alexandra to a consortium headed up by Jess Jackson, best known for owning superstar Curlin and the Kendall-Jackson Vinieries.

On Wednesday, Jackson completed the deal for the superstar filly (the final sales price will probably news be known but it's been reported at $10 million and that sounds about right.) Once the deal was announced, the speculation hit warp speed (that's for you Star Trek fans) about Rachel running in the Preakness. Jackson apparently already gave the idea serious thought but he wasn't tipping his hand quite yet. Entering his filly in the Preakness would cost him $100,000 as she wasn't nominated to the Triple Crown.

On Thursday morning, around 5:15. Rachel Alexandra walked out of trainer Hal Wiggins' barn for the final time and walked into the barn of Steve Asmussen.

“She’s a tremendously fast filly,” Asmussen said. “Hal (Wiggins) and his team did a tremendous job with her. We just got her today and we have no timetable or any plans to announce at this time.” Asmussen kept his mouth shut about the future for his new star pupil but that didn't the rest of us from talking about it. Through all of this, no one quite knew where this put Borel. The jockey who had been aboard for so many of Rachel Alexandra's victories could suddenly be left out in the cold. Borel and Asmussen have not teamed up much over their lengthy careers - just 52 times.

A lot of people assumed that Asmussen and Jackson would choose the jockey that delivered so many times aboard Curlin - Robby Albarado. But, there was no news all day on Thursday. That all changed on Friday when Jackson announced he would all but enter Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness and her regular pilot would remain in the saddle.

“It came down the fact that he knows and loves this horse, that he knows how to get the most from her and he knows how to win,” Jackson said “We think this is a perfect match of rider and horse.” Borel, who has called Rachel Alexandra the best horse he's ever ridden, could not have been happier with the news.

“We’re very happy to have the opportunity to continue to ride Rachel Alexandra,” said Borel. “I’ve had the chance to ride some great horses, but she is one of the most special horses I’ve ever been around. I appreciate the faith that Mr. Jackson and Mr. McCormick have shown in me, and we can’t wait to be there wherever she runs next.”

So, what about the little ol' Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird? Trainer Chip Woolley had been preparing for the worst all week and had been in touch with other jockeys. Rumors swirled that Mike Smith would take over for Borel but he too was tight lipped about it. Once the news come out on Friday about Rachel Alexandra, Woolley was not giving up on Borel. He said that he will still name Borel on Mine That Bird on Wednesday when he enters the Derby winner into the Preakness. The only thing that could stop him: Jackson ponying up the $100,000 fee.

Preakness Week could turn into racing’s version of sweeps week if Rachel runs: she’s a great story and, though she’d spoil another Triple Crown, a win for her in the Preakness, would bring untold amounts of publicity.

This soap opera will undoubtedly continue over the next few days but all of this attention is a great shot in the arm for racing.

Eating my "Derby Hat"

It dawned on me tonight that I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the two "Bird" horses that started in the Kentucky Derby - Mine That Bird and Summer Bird. The title of the piece was "Send in the Clowns or Birds" which was my way of saying that neither horse could win the Kentucky Derby.

Now, of course, I was one of many, many people who echoed that sentiment but I wanted to acknowledge that I could not have been more wrong about Mine That Bird. I tip my hat (and eating my Derby handicapping hat at the same time) to trainer Chip Woolley and jockey Calvin Borel for an outstanding job. They deserve all the credit.

Looking ahead to the Preakness, Mine That Bird will again be questioned by many (including yours truly) to see if he can repeat his Derby performance.

There appears to be a host of challengers either seeking a rematch or waiting for their first chance.

I will not make any prediction yet as to who will win the Preakness but you can be sure it will be as wide open a race as the Derby.

But, there will be a small part of me rooting for Mine That Bird and all of his connections. They would make a very interesting and somewhat compelling story if there was a Triple Crown on the line.

And you just have to know that Borel would love another shot at winning the Preakness after his narrow and crushing loss to Curlin just two years ago while riding Street Sense in 2007.

I will give everyone a look at the Preakness contenders in my next entry and let me know who you think will win because I was very wrong on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire