Rachel does her job in Lady's Secret

There were plenty of smiles to go around at Monmouth Park on Saturday as

reigning Horse of the Year RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) did what was

expected of her against an overmatched field of fillies and mares in the

$412,000

Lady's Secret S. For the connections of the champion filly, it was another

easy victory prior to what will presumably be a much stiffer series of preps

leading up to the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs in November. For racing fans

on the Jersey Shore, it was a chance to see one of the sport's marquee

attractions at her physical best. And for bridgejumpers who bet more than $1.2

million to show on Rachel, well, there were few anxious moments.

The Lady's Secret, which was originally scheduled as part of the Haskell

Invitational (G1) undercard on August 1, had its date moved, its distance

increased to 1 1/8 miles and its purse enhanced from $150,000 to lure the Steve

Asmussen trainee. The recent alterations combined with the race's ungraded

status insured the competition would not be very imposing, and it wasn't for the

most part. Only the pacesetting Queen Martha (Rahy) provided any semblance of

serious opposition, but she was left in Rachel Alexandra's wake more than a

furlong out.

The heavy 1-10 favorite, Rachel Alexandra returned $2.20, $2.10 and $2.10.

Queen Martha, the 8-1 second choice, gave back $2.80 and $2.40. It was 7 3/4

lengths back to the 28-1 Ask the Moon (Malibu Moon), who paid $3.80. The

remainder of the field was similarly spread out at the finish, and consisted of

Stage Trick (Distorted Humor), Hark (Street Cry [Ire]), Yes She's a Lady (Yes

It's True) and Fabulous Babe (Touch Gold). The exacta returned $8.20, the

trifecta $37.20 and the 5-2-3-1 superfecta was worth $85.40.

While the connections of Rachel Alexandra tend to wait before announcing the

filly's next start, one of the reported attractions of running her in the Lady's

Secret was the timing of the race, 15 weeks out from the Breeders' Cup.

Presuming Rachel squeezes two more races in before her return to Churchill Downs

on either November 5 or 6, she could run at five-week intervals, give or take a

week. Among the more obvious possibilities are the Personal Ensign S. (G1) and

Molly Pitcher S. (G2), both on August 29, and the Beldame S. (G1) on October 2,

all against fillies and mares. Opportunities to face males may include races

like the September 4 Woodward S. (G1), October 2 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and

October 9 Monmouth Cup ([G2] formerly Meadowlands Cup).

The filly switched back to her own division and dominated yet another field

when going in the Mother Goose S. (G1), then tried the boys again, this time in

the Haskell Invitational (G1). She had eventual champion three-year-old male

Summer Bird six lengths behind in second in that test and rounded out her

Eclipse Award-winning season with a gutsy head score in Saratoga's Woodward S.

(G1) against older males in early September.

Rachel Alexandra garnered champion three-year-old filly honors as well as

Horse of the Year, but she wasn't able to continue her winning streak as a

four-year-old. Following a disrupted training regimen due to a wet winter at

Fair Grounds, the miss filled the second spot in the New Orleans Ladies S. on

March 13. Plans to take on undefeated dual champion Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire])

in the Apple Blossom (G1) at Oaklawn were scrapped following the New Orleans

Ladies, and Rachel Alexandra didn't resurface again until the La Troienne S.

(G2) on April 30 under her beloved Twin Spires. She just missed by a head in

that one, but put on a display in the June 12 Fleur de Lis H. (G2) at the same

venue when scoring by 10 1/2 lengths. Her record now stands at 18-13-4-0 while

bumping her earnings to $3,446,730.