Rachel Alexandra Colt Will Fight History of Mediocrity Among Peers With Horse of the Year Parents

While not making quite the buzz that Beyonce and Jay Z did with the announcement of their new daughter Blue Ivy Carter, Rachel Alexanda and Curlin have produced the newest celebrity colt in the Thoroughbred world.

According to reports, the colt was born at 2:40 pm Sunday at Stonestreet Farm near Lexington, Kentucky. The 125-pound colt has a white blaze on his face similar to his mother but will have much to live up to with his decorated parents.

Rachel Alexandra (photo right) was named Horse of the Year in 2009 after completing what many consider to be the greatest racing campaign by a 3-year-old filly in North American racing history.

A daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, Rachel Alexandra became the first filly since Nellie Morse in 1924 to win the Preakness Stakes (gr. 1) and only the fifth filly in history to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. She also became the first female to win the grade 1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga, a feat duplicated only by 2011 Horse of the Year Havre de Grace.

Curlin was a two-time Horse of the Year in 2007-’08 with his most important victories coming in the Preakness and $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. 1) at age three, and the group 1 Dubai World Cup, the world’s richest race at $6 million, in 2008 at age four.

Both Curlin and Rachel Alexandra raced for the late Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stable with partners. Currently, Rachel Alexandra and the colt are owned by Jackson’s wife, Barbara Banke and partner Hal McCormack. While the colt would surely be of great value at public auction, Banke said in a released statement, “For me and my children, this colt represents Jess’ dream – to raise and race the best. Co-owner Hal McCormick and I look forward to watching him develop and are excited to see him carry the Stonestreet silks as his Mom and Dad did before him.”

Previous to Rachel Alexandra, the last female to be named Horse of the Year was Azeri (photo left) in 2002. After retirement, Azeri was bred to leading sire Storm Cat in 2005, but did not produce a foal. The next three years, Azeri was bred to former Horse of the Year title holders A.P. Indy, Giant’s Causeway (European Horse of the Year), and Ghostzapper.

The A.P. Indy breeding resulted in a colt that sold for $1.9 million as a 2-year-old in training at Keeneland in 2009. The colt, later named Take Control, won only a maiden race and $27,000 at Santa Anita in one career start.

The Giant’s Causeway breeding with Azeri was more successful on the track, producing a filly named Arienza that would win $112,188 from five starts and two wins (although she was purchased for $800,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.) Arienza was also graded stakes placed, finishing second to Joyful Victory in the 2011 Fantasy Stakes (gr. 2) at Oaklawn Park.

Ghostzapper also produced a filly with Azeri who would bring $475,000 a year later in the same Keeneland September yearling sale but has never raced. Azeri currently resides in Japan after being sold at auction herself for $2.25 million to breeder Katsumi Yoshida in the 2009 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. She also had a 2010 foal by Distorted Humor.

Lady’s Secret, the female Horse of the Year in 1986, was also never able to produce a runner any where near her caliber. She produced 13 foals before dying in 2003, with only two earning six figures and two others that won on the track. Her most successful foal was a filly by Mr. Prospector that made $516,602 and another filly by Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. The Seattle Slew filly retired with $115,247 in career earnings. Both won all of their money while racing in Japan.

So while there are many who are excited about the arrival of the new Rachel Alexandra colt with Horse of the Year titles won by both mom and dad, history says the little fella will be fighting a trend of mediocre racing careers by those with similar credentials in their pedigrees.

Rebel Grads: The Champions and the Infamous

Although the Rebel Stakes (gr. 3) has produced two Kentucky Derby winners in Smarty Jones (photo) in 2004 and Sunny’s Halo in 1983, it has also produced other memorable winners of Triple Crown races and several champion 3-year-olds.

Last year trainer Bob Baffert brought champion 2-year-old Lookin at Lucky to Oaklawn Park for the 1-1/16 Rebel. Although he was not undefeated, having run a close second to Vale of York after a miserable trip in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. 1) in his only loss, he was at the time, the star of the 3-year-old class. Lookin at Lucky had also won the CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park since the Breeders’ Cup, so he came into Hot Springs, Ark., as the winter-book choice for the Kentucky Derby.

After being significantly cut-off nearing the far turn by Dublin and jockey Corey Nakatani as the even money favorite in the Rebel, Lookin at Lucky rallied to win by a head over Noble’s Promise in his 2010 debut.

Traffic problems continued to haunt Looking at Lucky through losses in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. 1) and Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (gr. 1), but he was finally able to get a clear trip and won the Preakness Stakes. He would also go on to win the grade 1 Haskell Invitational and the grade 2 Indiana Derby on his way to being named Champion Three-Year-Old Male of 2010.

Three years earlier, Steve Asmussen brought Curlin to Oaklawn for the Rebel after breaking his maiden in his first start at Gulfstream Park in February. Curling would win the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby (gr. 2) and was second choice in the Derby. But he could only manage a third behind winner Street Sense and runner-up Hard Spun.

Curlin returned to win the Preakness Stakes before finishing second after a stretch-long duel with the filly Rags To Riches in the Belmont. Curlin then finished third in the Haskell in an upset by the ironically-named Any Given Saturday, but bounced back big to take the Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. 1) over Lawyer Ron, (winner of the 2006 Rebel). Curlin then went to Monmouth Park to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. 1) and was named 2007 Horse of the Year as well as Champion Three-Year-Old Male.

Three years earlier trainer John Servis brought his undefeated 3-year-old colt Smarty Jones to Hot Springs to prepare for a run at the Kentucky Derby. Smarty Jones swept through Oaklawn taking the Southwest Stakes, Rebel and Arkansas Derby and went to gate at Churchill Downs as the post time favorite. He did not disappoint, becoming the first undefeated winner of the Kentucky Derby since Seattle Slew in 1977.

Smarty Jones then won the Preakness but his bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 failed when he was defeated by Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes. Like Majestic Prince before him in 1969, Smarty Jones went into the Belmont undefeated, finished second and never raced again. But unlike Majestic Prince, Smarty Jones was awared the Eclipse Award for Champion Three-Year-Old Male.

One has to go back to 1980 to find the other Rebel graduate that went on to garner the champion 3-year-old title in Temperence Hill. Brought to Oaklawn by trainer Joseph B. Canty, Temperence Hill won the Arkansas Derby after the Rebel. But the trainer and owner John Ed Anthony decided to bypass the Derby and run instead in the Withers Stakes (gr. 3) at Aqueduct in New York, concerned that the colt needed some time to mature and overcome his laziness. Temperence Hill finished second in the Withers, missed the Preakness, then took the Belmont at odds of 43-1 over Kentucky Derby-winning filly Genuine Risk and Preakness winner Codex.

Temperence Hill would then win the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Super Derby before he too would be named champion of his division that year.

Three years after Temperence Hill, Sunny's Halo (photo left) would win the Rebel, Arkansas Derby and Kentucky Derby of 1983. He finished sixth in the Preakness after reports of a sore ankle and skipped the Belmont. He would finish fourth in the Arlington Classic and missed the Queen's Plate (gr. 1) at Woodbine, again from the bothersome ankle. He ended his career winning the Super Derby by 12 lengths in track record time, before the nagging injuries ended his career.

Twelve years after Temperence Hill, owner John Ed Anthony returned to his native state of Arkansas with Pine Bluff in 1992. After Pine Bluff won the Rebel, he defeated Lil E.Tee in the Arkansas Derby but finished fifth behind him in the Derby. Pine Bluff avenged the loss in the Preakness, but could only manage a third in the Belmont behind A.P. Indy.

A more infamous Rebel graduate that also would go on to win the Belmont Stakes was Victory Gallop. After the Rebel, Victory Gallop defeated defending Horse of the Year Favorite Trick in the Arkansas Derby but could only muster two seconds to Real Quiet in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. But the 1-1/2 mile Belmont distance worked in Victory Gallop’s favor and he was able to deny Real Quiet his Triple Crown by catching him at the last moment to win the Belmont by a scant nose.

Saturday will be the 51st running of the Rebel Stakes and full gate of 13 has entered. Whether there is a future Derby, Preakness or Belmont winner in the bunch remains to be seen. But there is plenty of talent and plenty of stories in this group and somebody will eventually add to the lore that is Oaklawn Park's Rebel Stakes.

Click here for my Rebel Stakes Handicapping and Selections in ThoroFan.

Five Million Reasons To Watch Goodwood and Gold Cup

Two of the most lucrative races in producing Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. 1) winners are Saturday with one on each coast. While the Woodward Stakes (gr. 1) at Saratoga has produced the most Breeders’ Cup Classic winners with six, the Goodwood in Southern California has produced five winners and the Jockey Club Gold Cup in New York has produced four Breeders’ Cup Classic champions.

The statistics speak well for Quality Road, winner of the 2010 Woodward at Saratoga in early September, but will skip the Jockey Club Gold Cup and train up to the $5,000,000 Classic on Nov. 6 at Churchill Downs. But the numbers also point to good things for both the big races this weekend, the Goodwood and Jockey Club Gold Cup.

The Goodwood Stakes has traditionally been run at Santa Anita during the Oak Tree Meeting, but the non-profit Oak Tree Association moved the meeting to Hollywood Park because of disputes with Magna, which owns Santa Anita. Ironically, the most recent winner of the Goodwood and Breeders’ Cup Classic double was Pleasantly Perfect in 2003, before the installation of the track’s artificial surface. The other two Goodwood/Classic winners, Tiznow in 2001 and Alphabet Soup in 1996, produced Classic winners at tracks outside of Southern California. Tiznow won the 2001 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Belmont Park and Alphabet Soup won the 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Woodbine. The first Goodwood winner to hit the Classic winner was Ferdinand in 1987 who stayed at Santa Anita to win a thrilling Breeders’ Cup Classic over Alysheba that year.

The three most recent Goodwood/Classic winners all paid handsomely to their Breeders’ Cup supporters with even Tiznow now returning $15.80 in 2001 when taking his second consecutive Classic. Pleasantly Perfect and Alphabet Soup generated even healthier returns for their supports in the Breeders’ Cup returning $30.40 and $41.70 respectively. Ferdinand remains the second-lowest priced winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic returning $4.00, behind only Cigar (photo above) in 1995 who returned $3.60 for a $2 win ticket.

Curlin is among three to pull of the Jockey Club Gold Cup/Breeders’ Cup Classic double, having done so in 2007. As difficult as it may seem, it is another 14 years further back than Curlin to find Skip Away, who won both races in 1997. Two years earlier Cigar took both races in 1995. Interestingly, while the prestigious victories gave Curlin and Cigar the Horse of the Year honors, it was a year later before Cigar Skip Away was awarded his golden Eclipse Awards.

Like Cigar, Skip Away and Curlin are among the lowest priced winners of the Breeders’ Cup Classic returning $5.60 and $10.80 respectively.

Regardless of the investment opportunities however, it seems like that racing this weekend will have an influence over the distribution of the $5,000,000 Classic purse November 6.

Quality Road Hoping For History and Time Karma For Breeders' Cup Classic

Quality Road won the grade 1 Woodward Stakes Saturday in a gallop. A perfect preparation for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. 1) at Chuchill Downs Nov. 6 according to trainer Todd Pletcher.

“I think if he gets the 1 ¼ miles he can do it with the time in between,” Pletcher said in NYRA press notes. “For me statistically, we’ve always done well with that kind of time frame, so we’d like to come into the biggest and most important race with what we do best. Our horses tend to run their best races with that kind of spacing between them.”

But does that time frame do well statistically in the history of those that have won the Woodward and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the same year?

For the record, six horses have won both the Woodward Stakes at Breeders’ Cup Classic. However, two of those Woodward/Classic double winners were not able to pull it off in the same year. Skip Away won the 1998 Woodward after winning the 1997 Breeders’ Cup Classic and Cigar followed a similar path winning the 2007 Classic and 2008 Woodward.

Relative to Quality Road trying to jump from the Woodward winner’s circle to winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the same year, four are among that group: Alysheba (1988), Cigar (’95), Ghostzapper (2004) and St. Liam (’05).

However, both Alysheba and Cigar made starts between their Woodward wins and the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Alysheba won the grade 1 Meadowlands Cup at 1-1/4 miles in 1:58.80 to become the only horse in the modern era at that time to break the 2-minute barrier at 10 furlongs three times in the same year. Alysheba, jockey Chris McCarron and trainer Jack Van Berg then solidified the Horse of the Year golden trophy with a Breeders’ Cup Classic win over Seeking the Gold on a dark and rainy early evening at Churchill Downs.

In 1995, Cigar had just defeated Best Pal, Tinner’s Way, Concern and Urgent Request in the Hollywood Gold Cup (gr. 1) in southern California before trainer Bill Mott returned him to New York for the Woodward in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Cigar was looking for his eighth win in eight starts for the year and his 10th consecutive career win. He would win the Woodward, the Jockey Club Gold and the Breeders’ Cup Classic to extend his winning streak to 12.

The only two horses to have won the Breeders’ Cup Classic directly out of the Woodward were Ghostzapper in 2004 and St. Liam the next year.

Interestingly, St. Liam had an eerily similar year in 2005 to Quality Road’s 2010 campaign. Both won the Donn Handicap (gr. 1) at Gulfstream Park. Both then won grade 1 stakes before finishing second in the Whitney Handicap (gr. 1) at Saratoga. Quality Road was runner-up to Blame while St. Liam was second to Commentator in the Whitney. In 2005 St. Liam went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Belmont Park. The question remains for Quality Road.

Looking at Quality Road’s year, however, seems to add credence to the strategy of taking 63 days between the Woodward and the Classic. The son of Elusive Quality seems to enjoy time between races. It was 113 days between his win in the Donn and the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. It was then 67 days before his loss by a head to Blame while carrying five additional pounds in the Whitney. If anything, 63 days may even a bit short in terms of vacation time between races.

“I think there was a lot more in the tank based on the way he came back [after the Woodward]; he was hardly even blowing,” Pletcher said.

That is a tank that will have to be primed against the likes of possibly Blame, Zenyatta and Looking at Lucky in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.