A personal visit with superstar filly Rachel Alexandra goes on the auction block tomorrow as the grand final item in Kendall-Jackson's "Rachel Alexandra Running Auction," benefiting The V Foundation for Cancer Research. The auction will end after seven days at noon, Nov. 4.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Star filly Rachel Alexandra is finished racing for the year, co-owner Jess Jackson announced Oct. 9.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Leading Horse of the Year candidate Rachel Alexandra returned to her home base at Churchill Downs Oct. 7 and settled into familiar surroundings in trainer Steve Asmussen's Barn 38 following a long van ride from Saratoga, where she spent much of the summer and the early days of fall.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Michael O'Toole, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, submitted the winning bid for the three pairs of racing goggles worn by jockey Calvin Borel as he rode super filly Rachel Alexandra to victory in the Haskell Stakes-her second of three wins over the colts in her historic 2009 campaign.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
The Breeders' Cup board of directors Sept. 11 said the organization will increase the purse of the $5-million Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) by $1 million if Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta start in the 1 1/4-mile event Nov. 7 at Santa Anita Park.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Rachel Alexandra provided one of the great moments in the history of Saratoga when she scored a courageous head victory over older male rivals in the $750,000 Woodward Stakes Sept. 5.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Standing outside his barn at Saratoga the morning of Sept. 6, trainer Steve Asmussen was still basking in the glow of Rachel Alexandra's historic victory in the $750,000 Woodward Stakes (gr. I) as he reported the filly came out of the race in good shape.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Odds-on favorite Hot Dixie Chick served notice that she is among the elite 2-year-old fillies in the land, as she put away a pair of rivals in upper stretch and glided home for a 1 3/4-length score in the $300,000 Spinaway (gr. I) Sept. 6 at Saratoga.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Rachel Alexandra cemented herself as one of the best fillies of all-time in a race for the ages, as she set a suicidal pace and then was all out under Calvin Borel to hold off a bold charge from Macho Again to win the $750,000 Woodward Stakes (gr. I) by a head in electrifying fashion Sept. 5 at Saratoga.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
On Sept. 5 at Saratoga, Rachel Alexandra will seek history when trying to become the first female to win the Woodward Stakes (gr. I) -- a feat that would almost certainly lock up Horse of the Year honors and stamp the 3-year-old as one of the best fillies of all time.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Majority owner Jess Jackson said on a national teleconference Sept. 1 that plans for Rachel Alexandra following Saturday's $750,000 Woodward Stakes (gr. I) are up in the air, and he did not dismiss the idea of putting her away for the year.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Topics include Rachel Alexandra and Jess Jackson, the continued breakdowns at Del Mar, plus a look at the second season of Animal Planet's hit reality program, JOCKEYS.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Online wagering companies TVG and Betfair have pledged an additional $400,000 to the New York Racing Association to invite Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta to participate in the Beldame Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park Oct. 3.
Friday, August 21, 2009
After training horses for more three decades and having his career peak this year with the success of the sensational filly Rachel Alexandra, Hal Wiggins will ride off into the sunset of retirement at the end of Churchill Downs' fall meet in November.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Preakness-winning filly Rachel Alexandra put in her first work at Saratoga Race Course the morning of Aug. 11 in preparation for her as-yet-to-be-determined next start, covering a half-mile in :50.72 under exercise rider Dominic Terry.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Superstar Rachel Alexandra will be honored with her own line of limited wines, which will be available during the holiday season.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Rachel Alexandra turned in yet another dominating performance in a campaign for the ages when she captured the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (gr. I) on a sloppy track at Monmouth Park Aug. 2.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Kensei notched his second straight grade II score Aug. 1 in the $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, as he pulled away from Warrior's Reward in the stretch for a convincing victory under Edgar Prado.
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Favored Hot Dixie Chick showed she was more than a speed freak in the $111,000 Schuylerville Stakes (gr. III), rating patiently just off the pace before grabbing the lead and then pulling away to a 6 1/4 length victory July 29, the opening day of the Saratoga meeting in upstate New York.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The training halter worn by Rachel Alexandra prior to her historic victory in the BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (gr. I) was purchased by an Ohio man for $2,859.99 in an online auction that will benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Jess Jackson might as well have said "read my lips," when he stated emphatically on a national teleconference July 28 that Rachel Alexandra will not run in the Breeders' Cup, regardless of how much pressure is put on him.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The winner of the BlackBerry Preakness (gr. I) is in top condition and ready for the $1 million, grade I stakes Aug. 2 at Monmouth Park, which could include Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winner Summer Bird.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
BlackBerry Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra worked five furlongs in 1:01.38 over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Racecourse July 13.
Monday, July 13, 2009
California vintner Jess Jackson has privately acquired the Medaglia d'Oro filly Dashing Debby, who won her career debut, the July 11 J J'sdream Stakes at Calder Race Course, in commanding fashion by 10 1/4 lengths.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Kensei, ridden by Edgar Prado and trained by Steve Asmussen, made a powerful move on the far turn en route to an impressive 3 1/4-length victory in the 92nd running of the grade II, $200,000 Dwyer at Belmont Park on the July 4 holiday card.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Rachel Alexandra faced only two opponents in the $300,000 Mother Goose (gr. I) June 27 at Belmont Park but the sensational filly put on a dazzling display anyway, setting a stakes record while romping by nearly 20 lengths under Calvin Borel.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Rachel Alexandra, who when last seen was making history by winning the May 16 BlackBerry Preakness (gr. I), will make her return to the racetrack in the $300,000 Mother Goose (gr. I) June 27 at Belmont Park. The Horse of the Year candidate will face only four rivals in the nine-furlong test for 3-year-old fillies.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Stonestreet Stables' Jess Jackson, majority owner of Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and BlackBerry Preakness (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra, said in a wide-ranging media teleconference June 24 that the superb filly would not race in this year's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita but that there is a good possibility that she would return in 2010 for a 4-year-old campaign.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
When Rachel Alexandra makes her Belmont Park debut in the 53rd renewal of the $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I) June 27, the New York Racing Association will give away pink bracelets embossed with the filly's name and admission for ladies will be free.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Rachel Alexandra, who last month became the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness (gr. I), will "race for a cure" for the remainder of her 2009 campaign. A $20,000 donation to a breast cancer nonprofit, the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure, from the Jackson Family Fund at the Blue Grass Community Foundation, will be the inaugural contribution.
Friday, June 19, 2009
BlackBerry Preakness Stakes and Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra turned in solid six-furlong workout June 8 at Churchill Downs as the team behind the 3-year-daughter of Medaglia d'Oro considers her next start.
Monday, June 08, 2009
An exuberant Calvin Borel expressed confidence that Mine That Bird will win the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) after working the diminutive gelding a half-mile in :50 on a warm, sunny June 1 morning at Churchill Downs.
Monday, June 01, 2009
With firm knowledge that the Preakness (gr. I)-winning filly Rachel Alexandra would pass on a possible run in the third jewel of the Triple Crown, trainer Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr. and jockey Calvin Borel are both enthusiastically looking forward to the June 6 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) and a bid to take two-thirds of the crown with Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner and Preakness runner-up Mine That Bird.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Rachel Alexandra will not be running in the June 6 Belmont Stakes (gr. I), Jess Jackson, the co-owner of the filly announced May 29.
Friday, May 29, 2009
A review of the Preakness and the Triple Crown so far, including the jockey situation, and the return of Zenyatta. Plus, special guest Jack Wolf of Starlight Stable, who has raced many stakes winners including Monba and Take the Points.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
And so the racing world waits anxiously for Jess Jackson to announce his decision regarding Rachel Alexandra's Belmont Stakes status. Notice it says announce his decision, not waits for him to decide.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Rachel Carson, author of "Silent Spring," wrote: "One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, 'What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again'?"
Monday, May 18, 2009
With slightly more than two hours until post for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the filly Rachel Alexandra is the 2-1 favorite. Four other horses are single-digit odds.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
A field of 13 is set to line the gates at Pimlico Race Course May 16 for the 1 3/16-mile classic. It is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing Preakness Stakes in recent memory.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Rachel Alexandra, the impressive Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner and 8-5 morning-line favorite for the May 16 Preakness Stakes (gr. I), walked the shedrow at Pimlico Race Course the morning of May 14 and was expected to school in the paddock later in the day, according to assistant trainer Scott Blasi.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Horse owner and breeder Jess Jackson said May 13 that entering super filly Rachel Alexandra against males in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) is not a battle of the sexes but rather a sporting gesture designed to have the best horses racing against each other.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Stonestreet Stables and partner Harold T. McCormick announced May 8 that Calvin Borel has agreed to ride Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra for the current racing season.
Friday, May 08, 2009
A decision as to whether Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra will be supplemented into the field for the $1 million Preakness (gr. I) could be made May 10 or 11 after the filly works for her new trainer, Steve Asmussen.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stables and Harold T. McCormick have purchased spectacular Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra from Dolphus Morrison and Mike Lauffer.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
The morning after it was announced that powerhouse filly Rachel Alexandra had been sold to Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stables and Harold T. McCormick, trainer Hal Wiggins went about his business as usual, in spite of the empty stall where the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner used to reside.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
A strapping A.P. Indy colt became one of the most expensive horses ever sold at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s spring sale of 2-year-olds in training when he brought $675,000 April 20. Jimmy Bell, the president of Sheikh Mohammed's Darley America operation, signed the sale ticket in the name of John Ferguson Bloodstock as the auction began its four-day run in Central Florida with increases in the number of horses sold, gross revenue, and average price.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Two-time Eclipse Horse of the Year Curlin and his connections have swept the top awards for 2008, as voted by the members of the New York Turf Writers Association. All of the 2008 award winners will be honored at the 86th annual NYTWA Awards Dinner at the Saratoga National Golf Club Aug. 24.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Still reeling from the effects of the worldwide financial crisis, buyers approached the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. March select sale of 2-year-olds in training cautiously, and their reluctance to spend the really big bucks was a major factor in the opening session's setbacks. Compared to a year ago, when the auction enjoyed a record-setting run, the gross revenue dropped 29.6% while the average price fell 32.6%,and the median price declined 22.2% March 17 in Central Florida.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
A smooth-striding Grand Slam colt brought $400,000 early in the afternoon during the first session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. March select sale of 2-year-olds in training.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Curlin, the 2007-08 Horse of the Year, made a good showing when he covered the first of the mares booked to him for his first season at stud at William S. Farish's Lane's End Farm near Versailles, Ky.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
