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Rachel gallops; New Orleans Ladies field starts to take shape

Rachel Alexandra is scheduled to work Tuesday as she nears her comeback in the New Orleans Ladies (EquiSport Photos) Horse of the Year RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) turned in a spirited gallop at Fair Grounds Monday morning, one day prior to her scheduled Tuesday work in preparation for her reappearance in the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies S. on March 13. The Steve Asmussen filly received her usual glowing report from Fair Grounds clocker Billy Pettingill. "She came out on the track about 6:20 (CDT) this morning," Pettingill said, "and she really took over the bit. She was really rolling when she came by us. She was very happy doing her thing out there. It's a good thing she's working tomorrow. "I've noticed over the last several mornings they've had a figure-eight (bridle) on her as part of her equipment," Pettingill added. "They say it helps to relax her. They say she seems to be more settled when she has it on." In a late-breaking development on Monday evening, due to the heavy rains that forced Fair Grounds to cancel its last two races on Monday's program, Rachel Alexandra's scheduled work for Tuesday morning has been pushed back to 3 p.m. in order to provide the best possible surface for her.

As of Monday evening, plans still called for the main track to be open for regular training hours (6-10 a.m) on Tuesday.

According to weather.com, heavy rain is expected to subside at about 11 p.m Monday, although additional light rain could continue overnight. The forecast for Tuesday at 3 p.m. calls for 53 degrees under partly cloudy skies.

Rachel Alexandra, who has amassed $2,948,354 in career earnings, has not raced since her plucky victory over older males in the September 5 Woodward S. (G1) at Saratoga. The inaugural running of the 1 1/16-mile New Orleans Ladies will serve as a prep for the April 9 Apple Blossom (G1) at Oaklawn Park, where she will clash with unbeaten champion mare Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) in a battle of the heavyweights.

Nominations for the New Orleans Ladies closed Saturday, with 16 fillies and mares on the list. Of those, seven are considered probable with a few others still mulling it over.

The streaking CLEAR SAILING (Empire Maker), three-for-three this season at Fair Grounds, is among the probables. Third in her career debut at Churchill Downs in June 2008, the Glenn Delahoussaye trainee did not resurface until late December 2009, when she broke her maiden by 4 1/4 lengths. Clear Sailing has gone on to win her next two, romping to an 8 3/4-length allowance score and getting up by a neck in the February 13 Pelleteri S. in her stakes debut.

"She's doing great," Delahoussaye said Monday morning from his headquarters at the Evangeline Training Center. "She's going to work Wednesday, and we'll see how she works and how she comes out of it and take things from there. We're working her Wednesday with the intention of running her in the New Orleans Ladies.

"The way I see it, right now we've got two options," Delahoussaye added. "She's already nominated to the Azeri (G3) at Oaklawn (on Saturday) and also the New Orleans Ladies, but the New Orleans Ladies fits our schedule a little better. Right now we're trying to keep our filly's races at least a month apart, because my owners have this dream of winning a stakes races at Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week. The New Orleans Ladies would keep us on a schedule for Churchill's La Troienne S. (G2) on Kentucky Oaks Day (April 30). That's our long term goal.

"Now, I don't think there's any trainer in the world who's insane enough to say he's looking forward to running his horse against Rachel Alexandra, but for me this race is not about whether it's 'Rachel' or 'not Rachel' in there against our horse. The New Orleans Ladies fits the progression about where I wanted to be at this point in time, when I set up the whole progression plan for our filly a long time ago when I was keeping that Kentucky Derby week goal in mind."

Interestingly, Zenyatta's stablemate, Bayakoa H. (G2) heroine ZARDANA (Brz) (Crimson Tide), is expected to ship in from her Hollywood Park base for the New Orleans Ladies. The John Shirreffs mare is coming off a fourth in the February 13 Santa Maria H. (G2) at Santa Anita. The top two finishers from the Santa Maria are bound to take on males next. Santa Maria winner St Trinians (GB) (Piccolo) is headed to Saturday's Santa Anita H. (G1), while runner-up Life is Sweet (Storm Cat) is aiming for the March 27 Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1).

Rachel Alexandra could be joined in the New Orleans Ladies by a stablemate of her own, stakes winner PLEASANTLY BLESSED (Pleasant Tap), who is exiting a fourth-place finish in a February 12 Oaklawn allowance for owner/trainer Asmussen.

The other probables, according to stakes coordinator Scott Jones among other sources, include FIGHTER WING (Empire Maker), who was just beaten by Clear Sailing in the Pelleteri; DOUBLE ESPRESSO (Medaglia d'Oro), winner of the six-furlong Pan Zareta S. at Fair Grounds on February 20; and multiple stakes queen UNFORGOTTEN (Northern Afleet), runner-up in the Daily Racing Form Distaff S. two back and most recently seventh in the January 30 Sunshine Millions Distaff S. at Gulfstream Park.

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