Filly Rachel Alexandra Should Make the Travers

By GREG MELIKOV

Filly Rachel Alexandra‘s command center should call the shot that would be heard around the horse racing world — send the filly to the Travers Stakes.

That’s probably the only time winners of each Triple Crown race could meet. Alexandra the Great won’t be at Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup since her camp is against running on synthetic surfaces.

All three are working at Saratoga so it makes sense to race in the Mid-Summer Derby. The Bird brothers, Mine That Bird and Summer Bird, are scheduled to run.

But there’s only a one-in-five chance that the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro will make the Travers even though she fired a bullet 1:00 1/5 for five furlongs over the Oklahoma training track on a foggy Monday morning.

“She looked beautiful coming down the lane,” trainer Steve Asmussen told Brisnet.com: “I saw her approaching the eighth-pole and past the wire down to the turn. And the words (that) came out of (exercise rider) Dominic’s (Terry) mouth: ‘Never better’.”

Watching at the rail with Asmussen and dozens of fans and the media was regular rider Calvin Borel.

However, Asmussen has kept everyone guessing and would only say discussions would begin “in earnest” on where the Preakness and Haskell winner would make her next start.

“There are no races eliminated,” he told BloodHorse.com. “I will text (message) Jess (Jackson, a co-owner) as to how the work went, he’ll call me, and we’ll discuss what we’re going to do. We’ll digest where we’re at and try to do the best thing for Rachel.”

The stakes races being considered, in addition to the $1 million Travers Stakes 2009 for 3-year-olds at 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 29, are:

Saratoga’s $600,000 Alabama for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles on Saturday, its $400,000 Personal Ensign for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 30, the track’s $500,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on Sept. 5 and Philadelphia Park’s $1 million Pennsylvania Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on Sept. 7.

Meanwhile, the Kentucky Derby champ Mine That Bird breezed five furlongs in 1:03 4/5 on Saratoga’s main track early Monday. Three hours later during a routine endoscopic examination it was discovered the gelded son of Birdstone had an entrapped epiglottis.

The condition results when the thin membrane lying below the epiglottis (fleshy tissue covering the horse’s windpipe) moves up and covers the epiglottis. It causes noisy breathing and coughing while affecting swallowing.

“The doctors think — there’s no guarantees — but the doctors think he’ll be good for the Travers,” trainer Chip Woolley told Brisnet.com before the brief surgical procedure was performed Tuesday morning.

“He’ll be here and ready to run in the Travers,” he added. “But it will be somewhat day-to-day. We will not run him if he’s not 100 percent, so we’re gonna see how things go.”

Following surgery, Woolley said all went well. The procedure is similar to Alysheba’s 30 days before he won the 1987 Kentucky Derby. Holy Bull, favored in the ’94 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, finished last and it was later learned he had the same condition. After surgery, he won the Florida Derby.

The Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird worked for the first time over the main track Saturday, covering five furlongs in 1:01 4/5. Trainer Tim Ice was fairly pleased, but said the son of Birdstone works better the second time before a race.

Another likely starter is Quality Road, the Florida Derby victor that was the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby before being sidelined with foot problems.

The son of Elusive Quality worked for the first time Sunday since his smashing victory in the Amsterdam on Aug. 3 when he established the track record of 1:13 3/5 for 6 1/2 furlongs.

Quality Road went in tandem with stablemate Unbridled Belle, covering six furlongs in 1:13 on the main track.

Trainer Todd Pletcher called the effort super and said he finished with something left after the “nice stamina-building breeze.”

About The Author

Greg Melikov: Horse Racing Handicapper/Turf Writer Greg Melikov has been handicapping and writing about horses for decades. His articles and columns appear in print and on the Internet around the world. Greg is a retired newspaperman who became a horse racing fan at 13 when he saw 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation, his favorite horse, whip 20 older horses at old Arlington Park.