Stonestreet Stable’s Rachel Alexandra was on Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track Aug. 6 for a gallop and will return to the work tab next week, most likely Aug. 11, trainer Steve Asmussen said.
“It will probably be Tuesday with (her last) race being on (Aug. 2) and the shipping,” he said. “It will be real light, like we always do the first time back. Then we’ll probably accelerate her to the following Monday. That’s what I thought this morning.
“I loved how she went today,” Asmussen added. “The morning was cool. The energy level was high for her and (stablemate) Kensei. Everything felt good this morning.”
Asmussen has not made any commitment for Rachel Alexandra, who has won eight straight, but said she will be nominated to the following grade I races at Saratoga: the $600,000 Alabama on Aug. 22; the $1 million Shadwell Travers on Aug. 29; the $400,000 Personal Ensign on Aug. 30, and the $500,000 Woodward on Sept. 5.
Asmussen said she will also be nominated to the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) on Sept. 7.
“Right now, it is safe to say that she will be nominated to the Alabama, the Travers, the Personal Ensign, the Woodward, and the Pennsylvania Derby,” Asmussen said. “I think that you have obvious attractive scenarios for all of those races that are very separate.”