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Rachel Alexandra Upset in Personal Ensign, What Now?

By Michael Dempsey

In Sunday’s $300,000 Personal Ensign (G1) at Saratoga, we were supposed to finally see the 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra recapture the magic, but instead we saw the filly come up short again.

After her perfect season in 2009 in which she won all eight of her starts including three against males, she has now lost three of her five starts this year, and as Persistently wore the champion down inside the final furlong of the Saratoga stretch, it was quite obvious.

Her best days are behind her.

Any thoughts of taking on the boys and her archrival Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 ¼ miles at Churchill Downs this November have to be thrown out the window.

Perhaps she could still salvage the year with a win in the Beldame (G1) at Belmont Park on Oct. 2 and then win the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5.

Both of those races are at 1 1/8 miles, which seems to be her best distance.

After her loss on Saturday, the path that seems most likely is a date with Curlin in the breeding shed.

Owner Jess Jackson put the loss as best as he could in a written statement: “We are disappointed in the result, as we are sure her countless fans are, but we are certainly not disappointed in her,” Jackson said. “She is still a superstar in our hearts and minds. The old sports adage applies …. on any given Sunday, anything can happen.”

Some may blame the distance, or perhaps the pace being too fast in the early going, or the pace pressure put on by a nice mare in Life At Ten, who faded to finish a well beaten third.

However, last year’s Rachel would have drawn off and dusted Persistently.

She is no longer in the league of Zenyatta, Blame, Quality Road, Rail Trip, or even Battle Plan.

In the Personal Ensign, she failed to run a triple digit Beyer Speed Figure for the first time since earning a 99 Beyer winning the Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29, 2008.

That was a dozen straight races earning a Beyer of 100 or better.

Have we seen the last of Rachel?

Perhaps Asmussen and Jackson will give her one more shot in the Beldame, but with winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic such a longshot, and competing in the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic while rival Zenyatta grabs the headlines trying to repeat in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, that is a scenario I just do not see happening.

It was a good run Rachel, thanks for the memories.