Rachel Alexandra (foaled January 29, 2006) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse and the 2009 Horse of the Year. When she won the 2009 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, she became the first filly to win the race in 85 years (the last filly to win was Nellie Morse, in 1924). She also won races in six states (Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey), on eight different tracks, against fillies and Grade 1 colts and older horses, achieving a long string of consecutive wins including numerous Grade 1 stakes. Rachel Alexandra neared or broke multiple stakes records, track records and winning margin records throughout her career.
Rachel Alexandra is a dark bay mare with a distinctive upside-down exclamation-point-shaped white blaze. She stands an estimated 16 hands at the withers. Her preferred style of running is generally that of a front runner (running on the lead) or a stalker (running close to and just behind the lead), though she occasionally competed from off of the pace (Mother Goose Stakes).
Rachel Alexandra was bred and originally owned by Dolphus Morrison, who named her after his granddaughter. Before she became successful as a racehorse, Morrison sold part interest in her to Michael Lauffer. Her initial trainer was Hal Wiggins, Morrison's regular trainer, who trained her until the Kentucky Oaks 2009. After her Kentucky Oaks victory, Rachel Alexandra was sold for an undisclosed amount (rumored to be in excess of $10 million) to Stonestreet Stables and Harold T. McCormick, with billionaire Jess Jackson of Kendall Jackson Winery holding controlling interest. Her training was taken over by Steve Asmussen, and her regular jockey was Calvin Borel.
Breeding
Sire Medaglia d'Oro (foaled 1999, Kentucky) was a successful multiple Grade 1 Stakes winner and earned $5,754,720 in his racing career. His notable performances included wins in the 2002 Travers Stakes, 2003 Whitney Handicap, and 2004 Donn Handicap, as well as second-place finishes in the 2002 Belmont Stakes, Breeders' Cup Classic (twice, in 2002 and 2003), and 2004 Dubai World Cup. Medaglia d'Oro was a frontrunner known for his consistency and tenacity. He was retired from racing in 2004 and entered stud. Rachel Alexandra is a member of Medaglia d'Oro's extremely successful first crop to race, which also includes major stakes winners Gabby's Golden Gal (Acorn Stakes) and Payton d'Oro (Black-Eyed Susan Stakes). In 2009, Medaglia d'Oro was the leading second-crop sire in North America, with over $7.7 million in 2009 progeny earnings.
Dam Morrison bred and raced Rachel Alexandra's dam, Lotta Kim (foaled 2001, Kentucky), a moderately successful racehorse whose biggest win came in the Tiffany Lass Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course. Soon after that race, she was injured in a training accident and retired. Rachel Alexandra was Lotta Kim's first and only surviving foal until 2011; Lotta Kim's 2007 colt by Empire Maker succumbed to a neurological disorder known as Wobbler disease, while her 2008 foal was born prematurely and died. Morrison did not breed Lotta Kim in 2009, but returned her to Medaglia d'Oro in 2010, having declined numerous offers to sell the mare in the wake of Rachel Alexandra's success. Lotta Kim produced a bay filly by Medaglia d'Oro on February 27, 2011, at Heaven Trees Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. The foal, named Samantha Nicole, sported a star and broken stripe very similar to that of her full sister, Rachel Alexandra. As a yearling, Samantha Nicole was purchased at the 2012 Keeneland November breeding stock sale for $700,000 by Stonestreet Stable, which had also purchased Rachel Alexandra after her win in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks. Lotta Kim produced a chestnut colt named Dolphus in 2013, sired by 2010 Preakness Stakes winner Lookin At Lucky.
Rachel Alexandra had a different personality than her dam. "Lotta Kim had a terrible disposition," Wiggins recalled. "She wasn't really mean, but plumb ornery. She made it a project every time you wanted to do something with her. Completely the opposite from Rachel Alexandra. I don't know what you could do to get Rachel Alexandra excited, except go into the starting gate."
Through Lotta Kim, Rachel Alexandra is a fourth-generation descendant of Mr. Prospector. Northern Dancer is in both sides of her pedigree.
Breeding and early training Morrison stated that he bred Lotta Kim to Medaglia d'Oro because he was impressed with the stallion's physical presence and compatibility with the mare:
Rachel Alexandra was foaled on January 29, 2006, at Dr. Dede McGehee's Heaven Trees Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. Lotta Kim rejected her after she was foaled, so she was raised by a nurse mare. According to Morrison, Rachel Alexandra looked "a little raw-boned and a little scruffy" as a foal. Morrison rarely sells the first couple of foals out of his mares, but he almost made an exception with Rachel Alexandra, entering her in the 2006 Keeneland November Sale as a weanling. When X-rays revealed a "minor development problem", he scratched her, convinced she wouldn't bring the $125,000 he thought she was worth.
In August 2007, Morrison sent Rachel Alexandra to Diamond D Ranch in Lone Oak, Texas, where Jimmy (Scooter) Dodwell broke her in. In November of that year, Morrison asked if Rachel was ready to be entered in a Florida sale. "She had a ton of speed, with a long stride, and [I thought] she might be able to run forever," recalls Dodwell. "I stuck my neck out and told Mr. Morrison, 'You might want to hang onto this one.'"
Racing career
Jockey Rachel Alexandra's original jockey was Brian Hernandez Jr., who rode her to two wins in five starts. However, Wiggins had used Calvin Borel to work Rachel and considered a change. Borel first rode Rachel Alexandra in the Grade II Golden Rod Stakes to a length victory, setting a stakes record for time. Rachel Alexandra began a 9-race winning streak with Calvin Borel aboard. Borel said he learned not to hold back Rachel Alexandra, even if she wanted to run the first quarter-mile in a fast 22 seconds or the half-mile in 44. "I don't fight her ever since I've been on her," he said. "The first day I learned that."
2009 racing campaign highlights
Following dominating wins in the Martha Washington Stakes and Fair Grounds Oaks, Rachel Alexandra stepped into the Oaklawn Park starting gate as the 1–10 favorite in the Fantasy Stakes and led wire-to-wire in the mile race. Winning by 8 lengths, she finished with a final time of 1:43.35. A minus win pool of $3,382 and minus place pool of $227,722 resulted, with no show wagering offered for the 5 horse field.
In the $500,000 Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, Rachel Alexandra was sent off as the 3–10 favorite, coming to Louisville off four straight wins, all in stakes company, including an 8 length romp in the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park in her most recent start. Gabby's Golden Gal broke the quickest and was sent to the lead immediately by jockey Victor Espinoza as she set a pace of 23.75, 47.46, and 1:11.81 over the fast main track. Rachel Alexandra sat lengths off the pace in second, just to her outside. Turning for home, Calvin Borel nudged Rachel Alexandra and she eased past the pacesetter to take the lead at the 1/4 pole. Once in front of the tiring Gabby's Golden Gal, Rachel Alexandra sprinted away from the field to win by more than 20 lengths in a time of 1:48.87, just 0.33 seconds off Bird Town's stakes record. Rachel Alexandra finished her last 1/8th of a mile in 12.00 seconds. Shortly after her 20 length win, by far the largest in the race's history, it was announced that Rachel Alexandra was sold to Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stables and Harold T. McCormick. ESPN reported that she would be transferred to trainer Steve Asmussen. Before this, she was not expected to run against colts, but with her change of ownership came a change of plans. Jess Jackson, owner of Curlin, paid the US$100,000 supplemental fee that allowed her to race in the Preakness Stakes."Rachel Alexandra outruns boys in Preakness", ESPN Rachel Alexandra was the first filly to win the Preakness Stakes in 85 years, since 1924. Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird made a late charge and placed 2nd. Rachel Alexandra also was the first horse to win from the 13th post position and was the first Kentucky Oaks winner to also win the Preakness.
On June 27, 2009, Rachel Alexandra ran in the $300,000 Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park, with Calvin Borel as jockey. She was sent off the 1–20 favorite and won by 19 lengths, breaking the stakes record with a time of 1:46:33 as well as the record margin of victory of 13 lengths set by Ruffian in 1975. Despite being eased in the stretch, she ran less than a second slower than Secretariat's 1973 track record of 1:45 in the inaugural Marlboro Cup Sept. 15, 1973. A minus win pool of $18,698 resulted, with no place or show wagering offered.News Daily Racing Form
On August 2, 2009, Rachel Alexandra ran in the $1.25 million Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park at miles before 37,090 people. Toting 117 lbs, she won by 6 lengths in a time of 1:47.21 on a listed sloppy track. This time was 0.21 seconds off the stakes record and 0.41 seconds off the track record. She was assigned a Beyer Speed Figure rating of 116. This was the highest Beyer Speed Figure of any horse in North America in 2009. In the 42 runnings of the Haskell, fillies have won just twice: Serena's Song in 1995 and Rachel Alexandra.
On September 5, 2009, Rachel Alexandra ran in the $750,000 Grade 1 Woodward Stakes against older male horses at Saratoga Race Course. Following a blistering 22.85 opening quarter, she held off the late-closing Macho Again and won in a time of 1:48.29. Only six other fillies have ever started in this race, and only three finished in the money: Summer Guest finished third in 1972, and Lady's Secret finished 2nd in 1986.Horse racing story Miami Herald Rachel Alexandra was the first filly or mare ever to win the Woodward Stakes. She also was the first 3-year-old filly to win a grade I route dirt race against older males in New York since Lady Primrose won the Manhattan in 1887. Havre de Grace would be the second filly to ever win the Woodward in 2011 Havre de Grace Makes Her Own Woodward History BloodHorse This increased Rachel Alexandra's 2009 winning streak to 9 consecutive victories.
2010 racing campaign highlights
On March 13, 2010, following a 6-month break from competition, Rachel Alexandra was entered in her first race as a 4-year-old: the inaugural running of the mile $200,000 New Orleans Ladies Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course. Sent off as 1–20 favorite for the second time in her career, she finished second by three-quarters of a length to the six-year-old mare Zardana, who achieved a career-best speed figure of 101 in the race. Rachel toted top weight of 123 pounds, with Zardana at 121 pounds and the rest of the field at 117 pounds. It was lengths back to third-place finisher Unforgotten, a 6-year-old daughter of Northern Afleet. In her place finish, Rachel was assigned a Beyer Speed Figure of 100. Following the second-place finish, owner Jess Jackson decided his filly would not compete in the Apple Blossom Invitational.
Making her second start of the season on April 30, 2010, Rachel Alexandra finished second by a head to the Rampart Stakes and 2010 Breeder's Cup Ladies Classic winner Unrivaled Belle in the Grade II La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs. Rachel carried the top weight of 124 pounds and gave 4 pounds or more to the rest of the field. The top two finishers both earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 103, which was a career high for Unrivaled Belle.