(Edited NYRA release)
BlackBerry Preakness (gr. I) winner Rachel Alexandra breezed July 6 over the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course in her first workout since her record-setting victory in the Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I) eight days ago.
Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, and his lead pony Dakota guided Rachel Alexandra, with exercise rider Dominic Terry aboard, onto the training track at 5:50 a.m. The 3-year-old filly breezed four furlongs in 50.67 seconds over a track labeled “fast.” She was timed in:25 for the first quarter-mile and galloped out five furlongs in 1:05.
“She went in an easy half mile to get her accustomed to her surroundings and the track,” Blasi said. “It was a maintenance breeze. We weren’t out there to impress anyone today.”
Rachel Alexandra was shipped to Saratoga after winning the Mother Goose by a stakes-record margin of 19¼ lengths. The previous record for the Mother Goose (13½ lengths) was set by Ruffian in 1975. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro also ran a stakes-record time of 1:46.33 for 1 1/8 miles, surpassing Lakeway’s 1994 record of 1:46.58.
“That why we brought her up here after that race so she could have her full week galloping over it,” Blasi said. “It’s pretty normal for her. I get nervous every time she walks out of the barn. We want everything to go right. We don’t want loose horses around her. We want to take care of her.
“It’s a blessing to have her; it’s great for everybody,” Blasi continued in acknowledgment of a small crowd that was on hand when the filly came out. “Nothing surprises me with horses like her. It's the anticipation and excitement she brings. When you see a kid up at 5:30 in the morning to come out and watch Rachel breeze, that sums it up.”
Blasi suggested that Rachel Alexandra will have another workout July 13 around the same time.
