Rachel Alexandra took a half-mile spin on Saturday (Lou Hodges Jr. Photography)

Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old filly RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) breezed four furlongs Saturday morning in :50 3/5 and galloped out five-eighths in 1:04, according to Fair Grounds clockers. Regular exercise rider Dominic Terry was aboard the four-year-old filly, who was accompanied by assistant trainer Scott Blasi on his pony while trainer Steve Asmussen also kept a watchful eye from horseback.

Rachel Alexandra entered the track from the half-mile gap at 6:31 a.m (CST). Following the same routine as her first official work of the year on Sunday, she backtracked more than a half-mile "the wrong way," clockwise, into the Fair Grounds stretch. Turning back with the traffic, Rachel Alexandra galloped a few paths toward the center of the track into the backstretch before Terry eased her to the rail and picked up speed approaching the half-mile marker.

Rachel Alexandra worked to the finish line before galloping out the extra eighth of a mile in an easy :13 2/5. She continued to jog down the backstretch to the start of the far turn and playfully reared up twice after being rejoined by Blasi and his pony to lead her off the track.

"She's very special," Asmussen said back at his barn shortly afterward. "I thought she looked beautiful. She went :50 3/5 today off of her :52 the other day. I think that's pretty much the progression that we're expecting."