One of the marks of a generous horse is that when asked to do something she can’t, she’ll try to do it anyway.
This is what a lot of people were probably thinking Sunday while watching Rachel Alexandra in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga. After running a mile with Life At Ten at her flank virtually every step, and then leaving her rival sputtering in upper stretch, the reigning horse of the year attempted to hold it together for one more furlong.
As the racing world now knows, she was unable to do so — even with Calvin Borel going to the whip at least a dozen times. Yes, Rachel Alexandra won at 9½ furlongs in the Preakness last year. But that was 15 months ago, and a lot has happened (and not happened) since.
On Sunday, the extra distance proved beyond Rachel’s reach, setting up the winning rally of Persistently, a 21-1 longshot whose biggest previous victory had come in a second-level allowance/optional claimer.
The crowd let out a long, anguished moan when it realized what was about to take place, that Rachel Alexandra was indeed going to be caught in the final strides. Fortunately, it recovered in time to cheer both horses mightily when they returned to be unsaddled.
The biggest cheers were reserved for Rachel Alexandra. She’d given everything she had, and if that wasn’t good enough to win, it took nothing away from all she had accomplished prior to Sunday. Anyone who watched her agonizingly slow walk back to the barn, though, can vouch for one thing: this was one tired racehorse.
So, what happens next? Preliminary remarks from her connections indicate that, as far as they’re concerned, the Personal Ensign was just another bump in the road.
“She isn’t exactly where she was last year and hopefully she can get back there,” said trainer Steve Asmussen.
In a statement issued through the NTRA, co-owner Jess Jackson said of the race, “The old sports adage applies — on any given Sunday, anything can happen.”
But we’re not talking about an NFL football team that can make up for a tough loss the following weekend. We’re talking about a 21st-century thoroughbred racehorse for whom time and opportunities are limited, and who may need months to recover from a grueling race. We’re also talking about a horse whose career is in its final stages.
A more appropriate cliché regarding Rachel Alexandra would be the most overused one in racing: “She has nothing left to prove.” Sure, there are races she could be pointed to, but she’s not going to run against Zenyatta, and she’s not going to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
It was a great ride, but it may be time to move on, to a broodmare career and the Hall of Fame.
Persistently
With all the attention paid to Rachel Alexandra, Persistently — who after all was the winner of the race — was somewhat overlooked.
The Phipps Stable homebred (as was Personal Ensign herself) ran in a pair of Grade I’s as a 2-year-old in 2008 — finishing second in the Frizette — and then was away from the races for six months.
Persistently had been brought along slowly by trainer Shug McGaughey (who also conditioned Personal Ensign) since her return in April of last year. She needed three tries to win an entry-level allowance and five to succeed at the second level. The latter victory came at nine furlongs four weeks ago at Saratoga.
This is what a lot of people were probably thinking Sunday while watching Rachel Alexandra in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga. After running a mile with Life At Ten at her flank virtually every step, and then leaving her rival sputtering in upper stretch, the reigning horse of the year attempted to hold it together for one more furlong.
As the racing world now knows, she was unable to do so — even with Calvin Borel going to the whip at least a dozen times. Yes, Rachel Alexandra won at 9½ furlongs in the Preakness last year. But that was 15 months ago, and a lot has happened (and not happened) since.
On Sunday, the extra distance proved beyond Rachel’s reach, setting up the winning rally of Persistently, a 21-1 longshot whose biggest previous victory had come in a second-level allowance/optional claimer.
The crowd let out a long, anguished moan when it realized what was about to take place, that Rachel Alexandra was indeed going to be caught in the final strides. Fortunately, it recovered in time to cheer both horses mightily when they returned to be unsaddled.
The biggest cheers were reserved for Rachel Alexandra. She’d given everything she had, and if that wasn’t good enough to win, it took nothing away from all she had accomplished prior to Sunday. Anyone who watched her agonizingly slow walk back to the barn, though, can vouch for one thing: this was one tired racehorse.
So, what happens next? Preliminary remarks from her connections indicate that, as far as they’re concerned, the Personal Ensign was just another bump in the road.
“She isn’t exactly where she was last year and hopefully she can get back there,” said trainer Steve Asmussen.
In a statement issued through the NTRA, co-owner Jess Jackson said of the race, “The old sports adage applies — on any given Sunday, anything can happen.”
But we’re not talking about an NFL football team that can make up for a tough loss the following weekend. We’re talking about a 21st-century thoroughbred racehorse for whom time and opportunities are limited, and who may need months to recover from a grueling race. We’re also talking about a horse whose career is in its final stages.
A more appropriate cliché regarding Rachel Alexandra would be the most overused one in racing: “She has nothing left to prove.” Sure, there are races she could be pointed to, but she’s not going to run against Zenyatta, and she’s not going to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
It was a great ride, but it may be time to move on, to a broodmare career and the Hall of Fame.
Persistently
With all the attention paid to Rachel Alexandra, Persistently — who after all was the winner of the race — was somewhat overlooked.
The Phipps Stable homebred (as was Personal Ensign herself) ran in a pair of Grade I’s as a 2-year-old in 2008 — finishing second in the Frizette — and then was away from the races for six months.
Persistently had been brought along slowly by trainer Shug McGaughey (who also conditioned Personal Ensign) since her return in April of last year. She needed three tries to win an entry-level allowance and five to succeed at the second level. The latter victory came at nine furlongs four weeks ago at Saratoga.
