ShareThisSaturday's 134th Preakness Stakes has suddenly turned into more of a soap opera than a horse race.
The second leg of the Triple Crown in Baltimore should be renamed the "As The Horse Racing World Turns" Stakes.
That world has been turned upside down since 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird, with Calvin Borel aboard, came roaring up along the rail, moving from the back of the 19-horse pack to a widening, 6-3/4 lengths in front of the field to win the Kentucky Derby in a shocking upset May 2.
Almost as stunning as Borel's last-to-first victory in the Run for the Roses was his decision to abandon Mine That Bird in the Preakness in order to retain his ride on Rachel Alexandra, the superstar filly who romped by 20 lengths in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs the day before the Derby.
That was a truly awesome performance, because Borel, who had to get busy on Mine That Bird, sat chilly the entire race with Rachel Alexandra. The supremely talented filly did it all on her own, galloping away from the overmatched field with ease. Borel never even shook the reins.
Still, getting off the Derby winner to ride a filly that never has run against colts is surprising.
Unless, of course, you've seen Rachel Alexandra run.
"She can take the boys any time she wants," Borel said. "She's a freak. She's unbelievable. I don't know how good she is. It's really scary. I mean, I've never asked her to run."
Which brings us to the next bit of drama in the story.
Rachel Alexandra's owners, Dolphus Morrison and Mike Lauffer, had no intention of running her in any of the Triple Crown races. They made a point of saying they felt fillies shouldn't run against colts.
That all changed when, just a few days after Rachel Alexandra's dominating win in the Oaks, she was sold to Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stables. Jackson -- a vintner whose Kendall-Jackson wines are well known -- is an avid horseman who also owns Curlin, a two-time Horse of the Year. He said he intends to breed Rachel Alexandra to Curlin.
"Rachel Alexandra is one of the best horses in racing today," Jackson said in a news release. "She is fast, strong and durable -- the traits we should all be breeding into all future generations of race horses. Her beauty and athleticism will thrill thousands of fans."
What also thrills thousands of fans is that, before becoming a broodmare, Rachel Alexandra still has some racing to do.
Jackson wasted no time in announcing his intention of making her a supplemental entry in the Preakness, at a cost of $100,000.
That news was not met enthusiastically by the owners of Mine That Bird, who initially moved to try to keep Rachel Alexandra out of the Preakness field.
Mark Allen, co-owner of Mine That Bird, quickly called Ahmed Zayat, the owner of Derby runner-up Pioneerof the Nile, the top 3-year-old in California.
According to Zayat, Allen intended to enter a previously nominated colt in the Preakness, even though the horse had yet to win a race. Zayat said Allen asked him to enter several of the horses he had nominated in order to fill the field and prevent Rachel Alexandra, who hadn't been nominated to the race, from becoming a supplemental entry.
Allen reportedly was upset at losing his jockey, Borel, to the filly, and also was concerned because his colorful trainer, Bennie Woolley Jr., who shattered his leg in a motorcycle accident earlier this year and was on crutches at the Derby, had developed an infection.
At first, Zayat was inclined to accede to Allen's request. But he quickly changed his mind.
"I decided I don't want to be viewed as not being a sportsman," he said in an interview on HRTV. "For the good of the game, I am happy not to block her."
Even though Rachel Alexandra now has a new trainer, moving from Hal Wiggins' barn to that of Steve Asmussen, and will be running against the boys for the first time, she's likely to go off as the favorite Saturday at Pimlico.
After all, if Borel prefers her to Mine That Bird, why shouldn't the bettors?
"I have never heard of a jockey moving from a Kentucky Derby winner to ride another horse," Zayat said.
It's just one more twist, yet another unusual turn, in the ongoing Preakness soap-opera.
(Contact Jim Donaldson at jdonalds(at)projo.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
columnMust credit The Providence Journal
