Jess Jackson (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

The following are quotes from Jess Jackson following RACHEL ALEXANDRA's (Medaglia d'Oro) runner-up effort in Friday's La Troienne S. (G2) at Churchill Downs:

"She went right to the shed. She's on her toes. She ate her oats. She's happy and sound. We're happy with her. We love her anyway. We're not trying to break track records yet. She needs another race or two under her belt, I think, before she's back. And that's what our hope is."

—Rachel Alexandra's condition following the race

"Of course, but she's not ready. Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) might be ready, I don't know, but after a six-month layoff you don't ask a horse to come back. Look at all the horses she beat in the Woodward (G1) or the Preakness (G1). They're in this race (the Alysheba [G3]), four or five of them, and they're not back yet."

—Possible Rachel Alexandra/Zenyatta match-up

"I gave him no directions. Now maybe (trainer) Steve (Asmussen) did. I just said, 'go out and let her run.' "

—On whether he gave any instructions to jockey Calvin Borel

Rachel Alexandra (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com)

"I don't want to get into controversy. The jocks, God bless them, read the race the way they want to read the race and not always do we interrupt. Instructions in a given race are more up to the trainer than to me. We didn't want her in New Orleans to go on the lead. She went wide and she didn't have enough at the end. That's a normal progression. I'm not disappointed with those two races. I don't know how to say it but we love her and she's going to improve, I hope. I expect she will. She could be 10 lengths better than she was today and when she shows me that I'll know she's back."

—When asked if he was happy with Borel's ride

"I was confident that we had a chance but I'm never confident in any race that we're going to win if you mean certain. There's no 'certain' in this sport."

—Confidence level going into the La Troienne

"We've got to talk and see how the horse comes back. So far it looks like she's come back nice but I predicted down in New Orleans that she was only 80 percent and this couldn't define her as 100 that's for sure. It's part of the foundation you have to build race by race and Steve and I are real satisfied, most importantly, that she came back fine, nothing wrong with her. She's still got a lot of pep in her and that's why I said that I don't know that we used all of her this race. It's not necessarily true that we should; we're building a foundation in these races."

—What's next for Rachel Alexandra