Woodward J

AMERICAN

GRADED STAKES PREVIEWS

Will history be made in Saturday's $750,000 Woodward S. (G1) at Saratoga? A

lot of racing fans, including this one, will be fervently rooting for RACHEL

ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d'Oro) to become the first three-year-old filly ever to win

this prestigious nine-furlong race, which dates to 1954. If she does, she'll be

an overwhelming favorite to be named Horse of the Year, the first of her age and

sex to be so honored in 64 years. Is this a stellar crop of older horses she

faces? Comparatively speaking, not by a longshot. Is it the best group that can

be assembled in the Eastern half of the United States? Yes, and that's really

all that matters to make this a demanding test.

Our heart indeed is pulling for Rachel, but our head also says she's the best

option. Her BRIS Speed ratings have been consistently higher than those of her

rivals over the past several months, the distance is a perfect fit (she's

three-for-three), and her tactical foot should enable her to get the jump on some of

the more serious contenders. She's continued to sparkle in her morning

trials since her Haskell Invitational (G1) score, so the stars seem to be

aligning again for a typical Rachel Alexandra performance.

Though he endured a couple hiccups in the Sunshine Millions Classic and

Alysheba S. (G3), MACHO AGAIN (Macho Uno) has otherwise had a consistent

campaign this season, winning the New Orleans H. (G2) and Stephen Foster H. (G1)

and finishing second in the Whitney H. (G1) last time. Aside from a troubled

trip in last year's Travers S. (G1), the gray has typically brought his best

every time he's entered the Saratoga starting gate. We would be surprised not to

see him gain one of the major prizes here.

ASIATIC BOY (Arg) (Not for Sale) finished second in both the Stephen Foster

and Suburban H. (G2) in his two U.S. appearances, and he should continue to show

that positive form in this spot. The form of the latter race did not hold up

well when Dry Martini (Slew Gin Fizz) finished a distant fifth in the Whitney,

but considering this one was only a length behind Macho Again in the Stephen

Foster while giving five pounds to that rival, we think the equal weight carried

by both can narrow the gap between the two this time.

BULLSBAY (Tiznow) looked great when upsetting the Whitney at 18-1, but some

kind of regression off that peak effort cannot be ruled out. On the plus side,

he's edged Macho Again in two of their three meetings this season, and any

noticeable price difference between the two in either direction should be taken

into account when devising a wagering plan.

Another Saratoga fiend, PAST THE POINT (Indian Charlie), gave two-time Horse

of the Year Curlin a brief scare in this race last year when finishing second.

He's 4-2-2-0 on this surface, and can be forgiven his relatively moderate form

on synthetics earlier in the year. We're not quite convinced, however, that a

single seven-furlong prep is sufficient to prepare him for a field this tough.

IT'S A BIRD (Birdonthewire) was fairly sharp early in the year, though his most

convincing win in the Oaklawn H. (G2) was later stripped after a medication

positive. He had no real excuse when seventh in the Suburban, and a complete

rebound from that seems unlikely.

The Nick Zito-trained entry of COOL COAL MAN (Mineshaft) and DA' TARA

(Tiznow) don't seem good enough. Cool Coal Man has been more productive in

overnight stakes of late, while Belmont S. (G1) winner Da' Tara's reputation

continues to take a major hit. Not only has he not won since shocking Big Brown

in the final leg of the 2008 Triple Crown, he's lost four times at the

allowance/optional claiming level in the interim.