May 18 - Unlike in the Kentucky Derby where all the favorites were trounced by longshot Mine That Bird, in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, race favorite Rachel Alexandra lived up to her fearsome reputation, when she crossed the line first in the prestigious 1 3/16 mile race, a length ahead of Mine That Bird in second.

In front of an 80,000 strong crowd at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland, race goers watched as Rachel Alexandra started off well from the outside post to squeeze into the lead by the first turn on the outside of Big Drama. Both horses continued to run side by side until the half-mile point, when Rachel pulled away.

However, famous for coming from the back of the field in the straight to win the Kentucky Derby, Mine That Bird - with jockey Mike Smith aboard - started flying up the outside. In the stretch Rachel Alexandra had carved herself a 4 length lead and, despite Mine That Bird drawing ever closer, she managed to hold on.

Musket Man finished in third, but most of the crowd still had their eyes firmly fixed on Rachel Alexandra who had simply crushed the field. Said her ecstatic jockey Calvin Borel after the race, 'This is the greatest horse I've ever been on in my life. Although she was struggling a bit at the end to get a hold of the surface.'

Going into this year's Preakness, Borel was widely criticized for giving up his ride on Mine That Bird, the gelding he won the Kentucky Derby on, for Rachel Alexandra, a filly he won the Kentucky Oaks on. By turning down Mine That Bird, he put paid to any chance of winning this year's U.S. Triple Crown.

That said, Rachel Alexandra was the first filly since Nellie Morse in 1924 to win the Preakness, and the first horse in horseracing history to win the Kentucky Oaks and Preakness Stakes in the same year. Her new connections, owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen, were also over the moon at the result.

Said Asmussen after the race, 'Mr. Jackson was rewarded for faith in the filly. He just stepped up and gave her a chance which took some guts to do.' Rachel Alexandra's previous owners did not nominate the filly for the Preakness, so Jackson had to pay the $100,000 supplemental fee to get her in the race.

Rachel Alexander paid $5.60 and earned the first place purse of $660,000. She will likely go up against Mine That Bird again in next month's $1 million Belmont Stakes at New York's Belmont Park. We predict that Mine That Bird will emulate his daddy and win the Belmont. You heard it here first.

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Mine That Bird Preps For Belmont Stakes Win - 05-20-09

Shocking Colt Aimed at Hydrogen Handicap - 05-19-09

Black Bear Island wins Dante Stakes - 05-17-09

Proudinsky and Kiss the Kid set for Dixie Stakes - 05-16-09

Pimlico Prepares for Preakness Stakes - 05-15-09

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2011/12/09 12:48:59 AM