The lady is a champ.
Rachel Alexandra outlasted Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in the final yards to take Saturday’s 134th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. The first filly to win the middle leg of the Triple Crown in 85 years looked every bit the 9-5 favorite in an easy one-length victory.
“She’s the greatest horse I’ve ever been on in my life,” said jockey Calvin Borel, who rode Mine That Bird in the Derby before switching to Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness.
Rachel Alexandra is considered the nation’s best 3-year-old after a 20 1/4-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks. With the best handful of males sidelined by injuries, it was the perfect chance for a filly to steal the victory.
Rachel Alexandra narrowly missed finishing among the top 10 fastest Preakness victories with 1:55 over 1 3/16 miles. The filly benefited from an honest early pace as 12 competitors weren’t eager to push her. Instead, contenders Friesan Fire and Pioneerof the Nile stalked Rachel Alexandra to the final turn before lacking a late bid. Mine That Bird replicated his late Derby move by rushing past much of the field entering the stretch, but could only trim the leader’s five-length lead to one.
Too bad a good race came before a half-empty track. The infield was nearly deserted. The grandstand and clubhouse echoed with ghosts of racing wondering what happened to the biggest day annually in Maryland racing.
Maybe half of last year’s 120,000 that was the mid-Atlantic’s largest sporting event saw what might be the final Triple Crown race at Old Hilltop unless a white knight buys the bankrupt track in August. The infield that annually swelled with 70,000 revelers didn’t have 7,000.
Frankly, the Maryland Jockey Club got what it deserved. Increasing infield ticket prices to $60 while barring incoming alcohol by patrons was pure idiocy by outgoing owners who tried one last robbery before abandoning the track. The move likely cost the track millions of dollars in lost revenue that will ripple through the racing industry over the next year in lost dates.
This was the final unforgivable blunder that sends hundreds of horsemen to neighboring states where racing is thriving thanks to smart track managements. Maryland has been run by clowns and the circus tents are folding.
The Preakness was overshadowed once more by off-track failures. The real question isn’t whether the race returns next year, but if anyone cares?
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or
e-mail [email protected].
