(Edited Churchill Downs press release)
Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick’s Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year’ and champion 3-year-old filly, turned in one of her strongest works since her return to serious training and racing when she breezed six furlongs in 1:11 1/5 May 31 at Churchill Downs.
Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan was in the saddle as the 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro covered the distance over a fast track in fractional times of :12 1/5, :23 4/5, :35 2/5, :47 2/5 and :59 2/5. The Steve Asmussen-trained filly galloped out seven furlongs in 1:23 4/5 and a mile in :1:38.
The move was easily the fastest of the three six-furlong works at Churchill, and her internal fractions would have also produced “bullet” works at three furlongs, which tied with the 2-year-old Bonaroo as the day’s best three-furlong work, and five furlongs, where the work by the 3-year-old colt Trippo was officially the day’s best at :59 4/5. The fastest four-furlong work of the day was turned in by Wild Wit at :47 1/5, one tick faster than Rachel Alexandra’s internal half-mile fraction.
Rachel Alexandra had picked up the pace of her training May 24 with a five-furlong work in 1:00 2/5, her best move since she suffered an upset loss to Unrivaled Belle in the $400,000 La Troienne (gr. II) on the April 30 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) undercard. That was her third breeze since the La Troienne, with the previous being a four-furlong work in :52 over a fast track May 10, followed by a five-furlong move over a sloppy track May 17 in 1:04 1/5.