Now What?

There was a time when it wasn't a matter if Rachel Alexandra would win; it was simply an issue of how badly she would beat her opponents. Now we wonder if she can beat the elite horses in the nation.

On Sunday at Saratoga, Rachel looked like she might capture her first Grade 1 and major race of 2010 as the field came down the home stretch for the final time. But in the final sixteenth of a mile of the Personal Ensign, she began to get very leg weary and a very ordinary horse named Persistently went right by Rachel in the final strides.

"After we put away Life at Ten at the quarter pole, I didn't feel any acceleration and I got worried," jockey Calvin Borel said. "She wasn't really there. I knew if anyone was running behind us, we were in trouble."

If she was defeated by Life at Ten in Sunday's race, it would not have been as big of a disappointment as Life at Ten entered the Personal Ensign with a six race winning streak. But Persistently had only won three times in 13 races and had trouble beating horses that weren't in the same league as Rachel or Life at Ten.

Now, what does the future hold for the defending "Horse of the Year?"

"I'm very disappointed that she lost but I am very happy with Rachel," Rachel's trainer Steve Asmussen said. "It hurts to lose and you're disappointed for it but if that's the case, just think how happy she's made you and all the things has done for us...If she isn't exactly where she was last year, hopefully she can get back there."

As for her next race, Asmussen said  "We want to evaluate who we are and who she is and where she is at. We're just worried about her well being."

One thing about her future is certain, she will not be a two-time Horse of the Year. What is almost as certain is that she will not run in the Breeders' Cup Classic against the best horses in the country. She would have little chance to beat the likes of Blame, Quality Road and the undefeated Zenyatta. The most likely spot for her will be the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic where she will have a chance to salvage a good year.

But a good year is not what everyone expected. We were counting on another great year with the hope that she and Zenyatta would meet to prove who was the best female horse in the country. Now her last shot to be in the spotlight will come in the Breeders' Cup.

Before all the Rachel bashers come out of the "wood works" we need to remember one thing; her 2009 campaign was still one of the greatest ever for a 3-year-old filly. Rachel was 8-for-8 last year including wins over the boys in the Preakness, Haskell and Woodward and a near 20-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks. Truly amazing.

What she has done this year should not take anything away from her accomplishments last year.

Rachel just appears to be a filly who peaked in 2009. That is very common in racing. We all just had reasonable expectations that her greatness would continue into 2010.

Saturday's Speed Figures

On the biggest day of the Saratoga meet, here are some notable Beyer Speed Figures. (These are of course, courtesy of the Daily Racing Form.) I've also throw in a couple of Del Mar #'s as well.

The eye popping figure was the 2-year-old debut of Uncle Mo who earned a 102. He won his debut race by 14 1/4-lengths and was the fourth fastest figure of the day. Very impressive considering he is young and inexperienced..

Ballston Spa
Dynaslew         99

Victory Ride
Rapport            103

Ballerina
Rightly So        100

King's Bishop
Discreetly Mine  93

Travers
Afleet Express  105
Fly Down           105
First Dude           95
Afleet Again        93
A Little Warm     92

Del Mar

Pacific Classic
Richard's Kid        95
Crowded House    94
Dakota Phone       93

Pat O'Brien
El Brujo                 106
Crown of Thorns   105

One Hit Wonder?

When the Kentucky Derby rolls around on the first Saturday in May, there are high hopes that a star will emerge and become one of the sport's best athletes in a business that so desperately needs them. This year, Super Saver, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Calvin Borel, took center stage as he rolled to a 2 1/2-length victory over the fast closing Ice Box.

But, in a matter of 14 days, those hopes faded very quickly. In fact, since May 1, Super Saver has become one of racing's biggest disappointments. In the Preakness, he followed the Derby win with an eighth place finish after being in second place during the early part of the race. Pletcher decided to skip the Belmont and wait for the two big summer races for the three-year-olds, the Haskell and Travers.

In the Haskell, Super Saver looked like he might be coming around as he ran fourth to Preakness winner Lookin at Lucky. But on Saturday, Super Saver regressed again and beat only one horse in the Travers as he finished 10th in the 11-horse field.

After the race, Todd Pletcher had little explanation.

"We were tracking in a good, fast spot but just came up empty."

In fact, Super Saver never was closer than eighth at any time during the race which saw a stirring stretch run as Afleet Express nosed out Fly Down.

To add insult to injury, Ice Box, the Derby runner-up has finished ninth, sixth and eighth since the "Run for the Roses." In fact, he finished nearly 14 lengths ahead of Super Saver in Saturday's Travers despite running eighth.

What's next for Super Saver? Your guess is as good as mine. He has one more shot at redemption in November when the Breeders' Cup returns to Churchill Downs, assuming Pletcher decides to tackle the best horses in the world.

If Super Saver could find a way to knock off stars such as Blame, Quality Road (who is also trained by Pletcher) and the undefeated filly Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic, a lot of his luster would be restored but otherwise, the Derby winner will join a long list of "one hit wonders."

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.)

A New Icon

We already know that Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are the top two female horses in the country but after today's G1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga, there is another star joining the group.
Icon Project, making just her third start on dirt, rolled to the front on the turn for home and obliterated a talented group of fillies & mares by 13 1/2 lengths with jockey Julien Leparoux standing up celebrating before the finish line.

The daughter of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker came to the United States in early 2009 after going 1-for-5 in Europe, all on turf. She continued her grass career in America in the first half of the year but finally made her debut on dirt on June 20.

"I had been wanting to run her on the dirt," Wolfson said. "She trained greast on dirt ever since I got her from overseas."

The New York Handicap was taken off the turf because of rain and she relished the change of surface, romping by 13 1/4-lengths. Trainer Marty Wolfson kept the filly on dirt in her next start and was runner-up to Swift Temper in the Delaware Handicap on July 19

But on a beautiful Sunday at Saratoga, Icon Project turned the tables on Swift Temper and crushed the Grade 1 field that would have made the races' namesake very proud. (Personal Ensign was one of the greatest fillies of all time and finished her career a perfect 13-for-13).

"I was a little surprised by how far she won by," Wolfson said. "(As for her next race), we'll keep our options open."

After today's performance, Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra beware: there's a new Icon in town.

THE Big Bird

Going into the 140th running of the Travers, there was a big question of who is the best 3-year-old male in the country. It appears now that one colt moved to the head of the class.

Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird is getting better with each start and validated his classic victory with a 3 1/2-length victory over Hold Me Back in Saturday's Travers. You would have to expect this Beyer Speed Figure to be a lifetime high. (His best previously was the 106 in the Haskell).

Summer Bird also pulled off a pair of rare doubles - he is just the 30th horse to win both Belmont and Travers. And an even rarer feat - Summer Bird and his dad, Birdstone, were the one of the first father-son combo to win sweep both New York classic races.

There's no question the sloppy track effected the outcome and might have compromised the chances of a few horses but the clear cut win leaves little doubt that he's the best sophomore in the country (outside of Rachel Alexandra).

To support his case, he's the only 3-year-old colt to win two Grade 1's this year (Belmont and Travers). Trainer Tim Ice has taken the talented son of Birdstone from $35k maiden company at Oaklawn to racing's greatest heights in five short months.

Meanwhile, Mine That Bird has not won since the Kentucky Derby and the other colts that showed promise (i.e. Kensei, Quality Road and Charitable Man) all fizzled out in the Travers.

“I feel like I do [have the best three-year-old colt]," said Ice. "He beat Quality Road today. There was a lot of hype of him (Quality Road) going into the Kentucky Derby and nobody seemed to dismiss him coming off that 6 ½ furlong race today...So maybe my horse is champion 3-year-old colt right now.”

What's next for Summer Bird is a good question. If he's able to win one more race this year, it will probably cement his case as the best. There's not many big races left for him to run but you have to assume they will fly out to Santa Anita and run in the Breeders' Cup in early November.

Mine That Bird's next start is expected to be in the Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita while Quality Road, Kensei and Charitable Man will go back to the drawing board.

Forget the fact that this is probably an average group of 3-year-olds. The point simply remains that Summer Bird is now the best of his peers.

Photo Courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire

Best Race on Travers Day?

The Travers usually showcases the best 3-year-olds in the country but the preceding race on the card might actually be the best 3-year-old event of the day.

The King's Bishop, set to go off at 5:10 p.m. (ET), appears to be as deep and talented of a group of sophomores assembled since the Kentucky Derby. The caveat here is that these horses are only running seven-eighths of a mile (as opposed to the 1 1/4 mile of the Derby) but they should put on a great display.

The favorite is the Todd Pletcher trained Munnings. The $1.7 million auction purchase is coming off a third place finish to Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell but before that reeled off two impressive victories. He has loads of talent and is finally living up to it.

Next on the list is Big Drama. The fifth place finisher in the Preakness has won six of 10 starts and narrowly lost the West Virginia Derby (but did beat Mine That Bird in that race.) The only race he lost in three tries at 7/8 mile was the Swale for which he was disqualified for bumping a horse in the stretch.

Capt. Candyman Can has done a lot in his short career. He's won five of nine and finished a good second to Travers favorite Quality Road in the Amsterdam a few weeks ago. He's also never lost in three starts at seven furlongs.

Making his return to the races in the King's Bishop is one of the stars from last year. Vineyard Haven, who became an "overnight sensation" last Fall when he won the Hopeful and Champagne, was purchased by racing powerhouse Godolphin Stable. The colt was then sent over to Dubai with hopes of making the Kentucky Derby. But after a disappointing fourth in the UAE and a minor injury, he was given a little time off and sent back to the U.S. to prepare for Saratoga. This is a tough spot to make his return but we'll know pretty quickly if he has any future.

Other to watch in this race include: Everyday Heroes (2nd to Munnings in June), Flat Bold (4th to Kensei in the Jim Dandy) and Not for Silver (2nd to Everyday Heroes in May).

The race will be run very quickly and we will likely see a few of them go on to the Breeders' Cup. I'm not even sure who I will bet in the race but the bottom line is, it's a very deep field will loads of talent.

If you watch the race on TV, remember some of these names. You'll hear from them again soon.