Rachel 4/5 favourite for Haskell

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Rachel Alexandra, the filly sensation of 2009 who beat the boys in the Preakness, drew Post 6 and was installed the odds-on favorite as she takes on six male rivals in Sunday’s $1.25 million Haskell Invitational, Grade 1 centerpiece of Monmouth Park’s summer meeting.

Her rivals in the mile and an eighth Haskell will include some accomplished colts, including Summer Bird, winner of the Belmont Stakes in just his fifth career start, and Munnings, who has won two stakes in a row, including the Grade 2 Tom Fool against older rivals last out.

Monmouth oddsmaker Brad Thomas installed the filly as the 4-5 favorite on the morning line, with Munnings second choice at 3-1 and Summer Bird third favorite at 7-2.

The complete field for the 42nd running of the Haskell, as drawn Thursday, consists of Duke of Mischief, Post 1, Eibar Coa, 15-1; Summer Bird, Post 2, Kent Desormeaux, 7-2; Papa Clem, Post 3, Elvis Trujillo, 12-1; Munnings, Post 4, John Velazquez, 3-1; Atomic Rain, Post 5, Joe Bravo, 10-1; Rachel Alexandra, Post 6, Calvin Borel, 4-5, and Bunker Hill, Post 7, Kendrick Carmouche, 30-1.Full Story

Good morning, I think scotia will be having a wee bit 8/10.

Rachel getting used to Monmouth Parade ring tonight

Great picture, I see 5/4 now on offer.

Mine That Bird returns in West Virginia Derby

Preview: USA, Saturday

Mountaineer Park: West Virginia Derby (Grade 2) 1m1f

KENTUCKY DERBY winner Mine That Bird (Chip Woolley/Mike Smith) will return to action in the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park on Saturday.

Mine That Bird finished third in the Belmont Stakes on June 6 in his most recent start, and how he performs from this point through the remainder of the season will determine his status as potential champion.

He was a 50-1 shock winner at Churchill Downs but then fell victim to Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness Stakes before his Belmont third.


Rachel Alexandra and Belmont winner Summer Bird face off in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Sunday, and all three could well contest the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on August 29.

Trainer Chip Woolley said of Mine That Bird: "I think he's really on his game and is doing as well as you could ask a horse to do. With a horse like this, you want to win them all and don't want to leave anything out there to get away from you. You never go into a race with a horse like him if you're not aiming to lay it all on the line."

And Mine That Bird will have to "lay it all onthe line" here as Big Drama (David Fawkes/Eibar Coa), fifth in the Preakness after chasing Rachel Alexandra to the furlong marker off a long layoff, looks to be the vastly superior speed in the race.

"It's not like we need to lead," said trainer David Fawkes. "If someone insists on going out, let them. The best-case scenario for us is, even though my horse always kind of lays close, he always has a lot of kick."

Big Drama won the million-dollar Delta Jackpot over 1m½f on his final start as a juvenile, but lost his only start over a longer distance of ground, in the Preakness.

Soul Warrior (Steve Asmussen/Miguel Mena), most recently second in the Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows, is the best of the remaining four starters in the West Virginia Derby.



Haskell Invitational betting

Coral: 5-4 Rachel Alexandra, 13-8 Munnings, 15-2 Summer Bird, 9 Atomic Rain, 16 Duke Of Mischief, Papa Clem, 100 Bunker Hill

Rachel will get tested tomorrow by Munnings, a big, strong colt that has come into his own. Depending on how he is ridden, he could prove troublesome for the filly. Around one turn, he could probably go toe to toe with her, however, around 2 turns over a piece of ground, he may be reserved a bit. He is a very, very sharp colt right now, having just beaten his elders at Belmont Park, which is unusual, because we Yanks don't test our 3yo against older until the fall when we are forced to.

KENTUCKY Derby winner Mine That Bird could finish only third behind shock 23-1 winner Soul Warrior (Steve Asmussen/Dale Beckner) in Saturday’s West Virginia Derby.


Mine That Bird’s jockey Mike Smith, taking over from Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel, blamed himself for the defeat in the Grade 2 event, suggesting he had made a premature move.

If Smith was aggravated with himself, winning rider Dale Beckner was understandably delighted.

RACE REPLAY

Rachel Alexandra was a very impressive winner..

RACE REPLAY

Thanks again Hibby, great stuff!

Stunning Haskell success for Rachel Alexandra

Report: USA, Sunday

Monmouth Park: Haskell Invitational (Grade 1) 1m1f, dirt, 3yo

THE brilliant Rachel Alexandra produced another astonishing performance for a runaway victory over the colts in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Sunday.

Sent off 1-2 favourite for the $1.25million event, the superstar filly stalked three wide just off a strong pace set Coolmore's Munnings on a track made sloppy by heavy rain.

Calvin Borel eased Rachel Alexandra to the front on leaving the far turn, after which the the stretch run in front of the packed Monmouth stands was little more than a celebratory parade.

To the cheers of a crowd in excess of 37,000, the Steve Asmussen-trained Preakness winner drew away from a top-class field for a totally commanding success. She stopped the clock at 1m47.21s.

Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird stayed on for second, six lengths adrift of the winner after passing a tiring Munnings in the last 100 yards.

Munnings kept third, another length behind, but this race was all about one horse.

Borel, who was celebrating well before crossing the line, made no attempt to contain his enthusiasm for Rachel Alexandra, who must surely be well on the way to joining the greats after recording her second victory over males.

"She's unbelievable," said the jockey. "I always knew she was the best horse I've ever been on."


Rachel Alexandra was always travelling easily, despite Munnings setting a quick pace up front in the wet conditions.

"They went a little fast but I was comfortable three off the fence," addedBorel.

"I was very confident at all times and when I asked her for her run around the turn, she opened up as I thought she would. Sir, I don't know how good she is."

The daughter of Medaglia d'Oro was taking her unbeaten record to seven this season, the last four of them in Grade 1 company including a pair of 20-length victories over her own sex.

Add both the Preakness, where she beat Kentucky Derby winnerMine That Bird, and the Haskell and Rachel Alexandra begins to look a filly for the ages.

"She's just a tremendous filly," said Asmussen, who took over training duties from Hal Wiggins when Curlin's owner Jess Jackson boughtRachel Alexandra after her Kentucky Derby romp.

"What an honour it is to be associated with her," added Asmussen.

"She's extremely fast; she's just very special - she's been able to separate herself from everybody else."

With Jackson having already ruled out the Breeders' Cup owing to his aversion to all-weather surfaces, Rachel Alexandra's connections are now considering a third race against the males in the Travers Stakes, Saratoga's 'midsummer derby' on August 29.

"The Preakness and the Haskell were the major goals for the year," said Asmussen. "With her success in the slop I felt very confident that she would be able to handle the surface today.

"She can handle the crowd, the weather, nothing surprises her," he added. "We'll go back to Saratoga and breeze her before we decide anything about the Travers."

Jackson compared Rachel Alexandra to the great Ruffian, considered by many the best dirt filly in the modern era.

"I don't think there's been a two- or three-year-old filly as good since Ruffian," said the owner.

"And some people think she's better than Ruffian."

Summer Bird's trainer Tim Ice was well pleased with his colt - and keen to avoid Rachel Alexandra in the future.

"He was real comfortable throughout, but that's Rachel Alexandra," he said.

"I'm very proud of how my horse dug in. It looked like the other horses were going to go right by him but he fought back and pulled away for second.

"I'm as proud of him now asI was a month ago and we'll take a look at the Travers. If she's in there, she's in there - I'm not going to invite her."

Jockey Kent Desormeaux settled Summer Bird much closer to the pace as usual.

"I might have taken my horse out of his game today," he said.

"I rode the racetrack thinking it was important to have enough speed to be close. He showed me a very good turn of foot and put me in the catbird seat. Take Rachel Alexandra out of there and we're the winner."

hibernia Wrote:

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> i27.tinypic.com/14e0zcy.jpg
> Rachel getting used to Monmouth Parade ring
> tonight


At a quick glance the guy on the left looks like Jermaine Jackson