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THOROUGHBRED BEAT AUGUST 6, 2009 by James Scully Rachel the Remarkable: RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) is an absolute boon to Thoroughbred racing as she establishes herself as one of the greatest three-year-old fillies of modern times. Wherever she goes, the spotlight follows; she's the kind of horse that everybody talks about. With her distinctively marked head and imposing physical presence, the dark bay creates a pre-race stir as anticipation builds toward her performance, and she then runs her rivals into the ground. Sunday's Haskell Invitational (G1) was another performance for the ages, joining the ranks of her 20 1/4-length Kentucky Oaks (G1) triumph and one-length Preakness (G1) score. Rachel Alexandra relaxed comfortably while closely tracking the speed during the early stages and when jockey Calvin Borel asked for run approaching the top of the stretch, the 1 1/8-mile race was over. She quickly surged clear of her male rivals, leaving Belmont S. (G1) winner Summer Bird (Birdstone) spinning his wheels in a dogfight for second, and extended her advantage all the way to the wire. It was awesome. Big number: Rachel Alexandra bagged a career-best 116 BRIS Speed rating for the six-length decision, a monstrous number that was accomplished with ease. It's five points better than her previous best, a 111 earned in both the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose (G1), and served a very encouraging sign as she keeps moving forward. One can question the company she's beating, but her Speed ratings are very legitimate. Big races: Due to the tragic circumstances of Ruffian, Go for Wand and Eight Belles, Thoroughbred racing fans have reason to feel a certain apprehension with talented three-year-old fillies. As a result, I think there are a lot of Rachel Alexandra fans who love to see her win, but they'd be just as happy if her connections retired her today. The thought process is, "What does she have left to prove?" Co-owner Jess Jackson doesn't share those sentiments. He's giving her the opportunity to reach unparalleled heights. Rachel Alexandra is a rare filly indeed, a superstar who belongs in the biggest races against all comers, and she's probably headed to either the Travers S. (G1) or Woodward S. (G1) next. The Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on October 3 is a very viable option after that. The Breeders' Cup is the perfect spot to conclude her three-year-old season, but Jackson's dislike of synthetic tracks means she probably won't run at Santa Anita. Jackson has pledged to point her toward the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs, but that's irrelevant to this year's discussion. We want a match-up between Rachel Alexandra and unbeaten champion ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) on any track. Rachel-Zenyatta middle ground: Zenyatta's owners, Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss, don't want to come east for good reason -- she's based in Southern California and the Breeders' Cup is at Santa Anita -- and Jackson's reasons for skipping the Breeders' Cup are well-documented. But there's still time for both parties to get together and find a way to settle the matter on the track. Here's a suggestion: Zenyatta travels east to meet Rachel Alexandra in either the August 30 Personal Ensign S. (G1) at Saratoga or the September 12 Ruffian H. (G1) at Belmont, and Jackson returns the favor by shipping Rachel Alexandra west for the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic (G1). That gives Jackson a reasonable shot for at least a split, and his filly is eligible to sweep both races. Rachel Alexandra has raced on synthetics, winning a Keeneland allowance on Polytrack by three lengths, so it's a different situation from Curlin, who suffered the only unplaced finish of his career when making his synthetic debut in the 2008 Breeders' Cup Classic. She isn't a one-dimensional front runner who will be at a disadvantage over a track that favors closers either. Rachel Alexandra is so damn good that she'll be difficult to beat on any footing. Zenyatta has won 11 races in a row. Rachel Alexandra's streak is eight races and counting. It will be a tremendous letdown if these superb females never meet.
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