Churchill Downs will honor 2009 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) winner and Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra as the 2010 First Lady of Oaks.
The First Lady of Oaks designation was introduced in 2009 with Susan G. Komen for the Cure founder Nancy G. Brinker. The official Oaks Day ambassador selection is to honor a special female who has used her professional and personal experiences to celebrate women and the causes they support.
“We won’t soon forget Rachel Alexandra’s thrilling performance in 2009 and the excitement she continues to generate all around the world,” said Brinker, the ambassador and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Kentucky Oaks’ 2009 First Lady of Oaks, in a release. “Rachel Alexandra exemplifies the spirit and strength of all women fighting this disease.”
“It is an honor to learn that Rachel Alexandra has been selected as this year’s First Lady of Oaks, especially given her performance at Churchill Downs in Kentucky Oaks 135 last year,” said Jess Jackson, who owns Rachel Alexander with Harold McCormick. “Our filly is a determined athlete who never quits. I think those qualities represent what the Kentucky Oaks has come to represent and will help promote the special causes that the Oaks event supports.”