Funny story here.. I went to the local barbershop for a haircut and this was on. My wife was pregnant with our daughter who we hadn't picked a name yet. I watched the pre race show and remember them talking about Rachel Alexandra being a favorite. I immediately fell in love with that name. Watched the race was excited by a horse race for the first time in my life. On September 17th, 2010 my wife gave birth to our daughter.. Rachel Alexandra =)
No sir not a fake story. Now that you mention it, you're just clearing up the story for me. I did watch the race at the barber shop the day it happened and I do remember the name. We were trying to conceive but hadn't been succeful. We had names picked out before she was even pregnant. Found out she was pregnant in January of 2010. I can provide a birth certificate if you like
Had my dates mixed up. But yes I first heard the name Rachel Alexandra while watching the Preakness so while trying to conceive we had settled and that name for a girl and mine for a boy. Didn't seem like that long before she actually got pregnant but apparently it was.
It was announced today that Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are going into the Hall of Fame together!I predicted that honor for Rachel after her Kentucky Oaks win, before she ever met or beat the boys. Congratulations to both of these great mares. And condolences to Lane's End Farm and the connections of Zenyatta on the recent loss of her newborn colt by War Front.
@@steveludwig4200 I agree with you (barring a rabbit or otherwise very hot pace). But by the same token, Zenyatta would have destroyed Rachel at 10 furlongs.
At that time i didn’t realize it either. Mind you I missed her Kentucky oaks win by like (what looked to be) 20 lengths.. I don’t recall any 3 year old filly winning the Kentucky Oaks by that margin.. She’s a Legend
I would've been happy if Mine That Bird had won the Preakness too, but I watched it hoping Rachel Alexandra would win, "AND THE FILLY DID IT!!" Awesome race, really terrific race call, too. Very special to watch:)
I don't care what anyone says, Mine That Bird had a bad ride, bad jockey, and it almost seems they they were blocking him in. If he had a better jockey who would have positioned him in a good spot, I would dare say that he would have caught and beaten Rachel Alexandra.
This was a redeeming race for Mine That Bird, too, whose Derby victory was dismissed as a fluke, and mostly credited to jockey Calvin Borel. But his incredible run here, second to a filly who proved to be a major champion, was nearly as impressive as his Derby run. And his third place in the Belmont -- after the whole grueling Triple Crown, cemented his reputation as a real runner.
Yes, Tom Durkin was awesome for sure. And if you want to hear his "twin" (joke) emotional race caller, listen to Vic Stauffer call Lava Man's (horse) three Hollywood Gold Cup wins (2005, 2006, 2007), especially 2007 finish. Several more Wows! They thrill me anew every time I hear them.
Did you see how Mine That Bird ran past the rest of the field like they were standing still, from last place....again? No credit taken away from the filley but Mine That Bird is FOR REAL. Just wish the jockey would have let him open up just a few seconds earlier. We could possibly be going for a Triple Crown race in Belmont. Either way, the Belmont is going to be a great two-horse face off.
This is honestly some of THE GREATEST ANNOUNCING OF ALL TIME, I still watch this over 10 years later because it gets me so JACKED UP, Tom Durkin we need you back!
I was 16 when this race happened. I remember flipping through the channels and seeing the race was about to start. I have never watched a horse race in my life, as all of the horses were walking past when heading to gate, I saw Rachel Alexandra come around and I looked at the TV and said “that horse is going to win”. I knew nothing about racing, but the physique of RA had me stunned... I didn’t know they were the favorite... calling the only horse I have ever watched, based a horse’s look is one of my fondest memories!
Funny enough, Pioneerof the Nile's sire was Empire Maker, the horse that spoiled Funny Cide's bid in 2003. I love that a horse that perpetuated the drought ended up producing the sire of the horse that finally broke it.
+Yogi Guzman first thank you for responding and second you may disagree Mtb is a gelding and has no money in the breeding Market while Ra did and the other owners were jealous he could win the triple crone and Maybe thought they could breed with her
Plucky little Mine That Bird had a horrible trip. RA is running free on the lead and he’s trapped way back behind horses, ducking in and out trying to find a path, burning up energy. Bit whe he was finally swung way outside and a had a chance to gather himself, he was running her down like she was backing up. He made up about 12-14 lengths on her in the stretch and needed another 20 yards to catch and pass her.
Rachel is the modern day best filly going. Beat my Bird that day but he was coming late. Showed his heart finishing all 3 Triple Crown races in the money.
No. Mine that bird run a 2:02 derby what is very average if you watch the time chart. Not came slow simply slow horses. That year derby was extremely underqualified if you watching a slow derby time also had all the field this behind mine that bird. His awesomeness is in the 50-1 chance not his speed.
Mind that bird vs Zenyatta . BEST MATCHUP because both of those horses is always last in the beginning to save energy and at the end they go very fast and win.
Give Mind That Bird another 50 yards and that would've been another race under his belt. He definitely had a LOT more. He didn't run outa juice, just ran outa real estate to cover. He was probably running 3 to 5 miles faster than the winner. 50 Yards, and he'd be on his way to a triple crown.. :)
Helen Leslie The speed difference on the final sprint is phenomenal. Mine That Bird is just WAY faster than those other horses coming in the home stretch. I actually blame the jockey on this one for not finding a better open lane and letting Mine That Bird sprint just a second or two earlier....
gallopracerfan Yeah I watched it. The problem with this race was the conditions for Mind That Bird weren't right. Unfortunately, the lead horse coming around with 7 furlongs left was too great so the jockey had to start over taking horses too early. The jockey had talked about that many times in the past. Saying that if Mind That Bird started too early he would not finish strong. This race tells me that the jockey knew this horse very well. Mind That Bird had no final steam coming in from middle position on the final turn. That's just not the way the horse likes to run... I was a track and cross country star as a kid. I made it to the nationals in AAU 3 years in a row as a youngster, and it's funny, I too had a racing pattern. If I were in front position, I'd get gased out and not be able to make a sprint for the final turns. But if I stayed in the second position and waited, I could smoke past the first place guy every time coming into the final two turns on the track. I ran the Mile and 2 Mile back in the day... :) So I kind of understand how that "imagery" or "mental position" is so very crucial for an athlete... :)
What a brave little horse, skimming the rail to win the derby and fighting so hard from the outside like that for 2nd. 50 to 1 is a great story of the underdog. I'll always remember this horse like sea biscuit. Can never forget the immortal Secretariat. big red..
That's not a stupid theory. I actually thought that, too. (By the way, it's a shame that they gelded him :D) In the final furlong, you can clearly see that Bird is absolutely supreme and if they had unleashed him just some moments sooner, Rachel Alexandra would have been beaten. But they didn't. Ugh. I still love Bird though, he will always be my favorite
+guessimalivinglegend I always here they consider game on dude one if not the best gelding and I laugh because if anyone it's mine that bird and or funny cide
I've watched every Kentucky Derby live since 1978 and of course many more on tape but the 2009 Kentucky Derby is the best and most dramatic I've ever seen in my life making it my top Kentucky Derby on my list. Calvin had to make a choice for the Preakness and it must have been very hard for him but it was a no brainer to get on Rachel A. What I'm disappointed about is the fact that the owners of Rachel A. didn't run her in the Kentucky Derby that year since all along we all knew she could beat the boys and then messing up what could have been an historic Belmont Stakes with Mine that Bird going for the Triple Crown and making it the most unlikely horse to win the Triple Crown and rewriting the ending of that great movie. I was there at Churchill Downs watching Mine that Bird beat me out of all my tickets. I backed up the other Bird - Summer Bird - in that race ( he was 50-1 as well) and at the time I was furious but years after, I cannot be any happier to lose to Mine that Bird because he gave me a story of a great underdog that could and the greatest Kentucky Derby that I've ever seen.
Giuseppe Martorna I loved Rachel. I predicted after her 20-length Kentucky Oaks win that she was headed for the Hall of Fame, and I was correct. But I do not think for a moment she would have won either the Derby or the Belmont. Her best distance was 1 1/16 or 1 1/8 miles; she had a tough time in the Preakness as it was, against a not especially strong crop of colts, and that was the longest race she ever won. If you knew "all along" she could beat the boys, good for you. Rachel Alexandra wasn't champion two-year-old filly like Ruffian or Songbird, who were being talked up for the Derby (not that either went) as 2-year-olds. I don't think she had won a G1 event until her Oaks, though she had had some dominating wins. I was unaware of her until she won the Oaks during Derby week -- the same week that her sale by her breeder/owner Dolphus Morrison and his co-owner Michael Lauffer to Stonestreet Stables was announced, with Jess Jackson holding new controlling interest in her. She was, to my understanding, bought primarily as a broodmare prospect for the stable's HOY Curlin. If she had remained owned by Morrison & Lauffer, she definitely would *not* have run in the Preakness, and likely would not have faced males at all that year. Asmussen raced her very ambitiously. Too aggressively, in my opinion and that of many others. She had a great season, it was exciting to watch, but it wrecked her as a four-year-old. She was not the same horse in 2010. There's a good chance she would have had a longer career if she had remained with her original trainer, Hal Wiggins. Her Woodward win, especially, ran her into the ground.
How is it bad sportsmanship? He had to pick between two of his mounts (who are both great horses) and he picked RA in hopes of getting a filly to with the Preakness. Nothing wrong with that.
When Borel was contracted to ride MTB in the Derby, it was made clear to Mine That Bird's connections that if the two horses ever raced each other, Borel would be riding the filly. Borel wasn't worried about winning the Preakness with a filly: he wanted to keep the ride on RA, whom he correctly recognized as the best horse he had ever ridden. She remains his only Hall of Fame regular mount.
Everyone should have known she would win. Calvin Borel rode Bird in the Derby and turned down the offer to ride again because he knew the better horse.
Rachel Alexandra (January 29, 2006 - ) * Sire: Medaglia D´Oro * Grandsire: El Prado * Dam: Lotta Kim * Abuelo materno: Roar * Sex: Mare * Breeder: Dolphus C. Morrison * Owners: Dolphus C. Morrison & Stonestreet Stables * Trainers: Hal Wiggins Steve Asmussen * 19 Starts * 13 Wins * 5 Seconds * 0 Third * $ 3,506,730 earned * Second filly to win Preakness Stakes since Nellie Morse in 1924 * 2009 American Champion 3-Year-Old Filly * 2009 American Horse of the Year * Inducted to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2016 Greetings from Venezuela. Rachel Alexandra (29 de Enero, 2006 - ) * Padre: Medaglia D´Oro * Abuelo paterno: El Prado * Madre: Lotta Kim * Abuelo materno: Roar * Sexo: Yegua * Criador: Dolphus C. Morrison * Propietarios: Dolphus C. Morrison & Stonestreet Stables * Entrenadores: Hal Wiggins Steve Asmussen * 19 Salidas * 13 Primeros * 5 Segundos * 0 Terceros * $ 3,506,730 producidos * Campeona Tresañera de Estados Unidos 2009 * Caballo del Año en Estados Unidos 2009 * Exaltada al Museo Nacional de las Carreras y Salón de la Fama en 2016 Saludos desde Venezuela.
@ealaman62 Well RA excels at this distance wire to wire more or less. MTB was a longer distance horse, but there were also some trip issues for him here. However RA was absolutely phenom in this race, she won it fair and clear!
I'm sure Mike Smith did everything he could to get MTB there first but everyone was on the rail so there was no other option but to go to the outside. To me it looks like he rode him like Zenyatta which is good! He just didn't have enough closing power,dont get me wrong I love Rachel But if there was some room on the rail MTB would have had it.
@horseygirlxoxo1000 sure, please have him to come to my farm and collect the award. If he "deserved to win", we dont need races. Just bookmaking can decide winners based on opinion polls.. LMAO!
The decade of the phillies. 2007 Rags to Riches beat Kentucky Derby Curlin at the Belmont and then 2009 Rachel Alexandra beats Kentucky Derby winner Mine that Bird at the Preakness. These two phillies are spectacular. Here in the 2020 decade waiting for more strong phillies to win . I hope I get to see in the next decades to come.
MTB should have won this race but he was ridden bad and he was blocked by the other horses and jockeys. Despite all that he overcame those obstacles and nearly beat Rachel Alexandra. I love that horse and his fighting heart. Calvin Borel did him dirty and switched for Rachel Alexandra. I bet horse racing politics made that switch for Calvin. How could you not ride MTB after a finish like that in the derby. I don't think the racing politicians wanted MTB to win especially against Rachel Alexandra. What a shame horse racing can be at times. Sometimes it is clear to see a jockey holding back a horse that really wants to run and another times you don't see what happens. To much money on the line for a horse like MTB to win. Think about the breeding rights for Rachel Alexandra. They wouldn't be able to get anything out of MTB cuz he is a gelding who shocked the world. He will always be a CHAMPION and they can't take that away.
Congrats to Rachel Alexandra, but Mine That Bird is one of the most incredible horses. That Horse has great come from behind speed. If he was not held up________the Winner. Mine That Bird.
it may seem like MTB would have beat her if the race was longer. But the race was not longer and RA deserves all the credit she ran a beautiful race - MTB did 2!
Both horses are phenomenal! A thrilling race finish nonetheless. I love both horses but was partial to RA in this race because Boo was riding her...... Just the same, Mine That Bird's run at the finish from dead last to second was spectacular! I know that this horse just loves to run this way. He deserves all the respect given! (Worked and trained thoroughbred races horses for over 20 years)
+Adam Gurule...Mine That Bird was a smaller horse than the other thoroughbreds, but he had a higher leg-turnover speed, as you can see by watching the home stretch of this race.
Fellow Canadian Northern Dancer was very small, and was a better horse than Mine That Bird. Lady's Secret weighed about 900 pounds, and was a better horse than Mine That Bird.
If the race had been longer, the early pace would have been slower and RA would have had more left in the tank to hold off MTB, she would have won by a larger margin. MTB really proved himself in this race, the Derby was not a fluke, he was and is a solid runner. He can sustain a long long move.
Another wonderful race call, Mr. Durkin ... and just a BTW to anyone reading, Mine That Bird ran a GRAND Preakness, defeating all others except the EXTRAORDINARY Rachel Alexandra. I'm so looking forward to the 2023 Belmont Stakes ... mostly just to hear Mr. D call the race.
Borel and Mine that Bird Win Derby by a MILE...Still He Opted to get off of Mine That Bird to Ride a "Filly" Rachel Alexandra in The Preakness...Some people Criticized that Move but Borel Knew Rachel and her Greatness and He Basically GUARANTEED She would Win...The Rest is History
Most certainly MTBhad a weak career but for whatever reason he ran strong in the three big ones..turned loose 100 feet sooner in Preakness he wins ,couple hundred feet later in Belmont he probaly wins .. what if s don't count though
Mine that Bird: small in STATURE but a giant in WILL. In KY Derby.......where did he come from? Coming around the final turn ....where is he, where is he? Then a brisk move to the rail then blur to the finish in the sloppy, muddy track. I don't blame Durkin missing a small horse in the huge field and the ground he made up. He weaved more than a skilled basket marker in the Derby.
Calvin Borail great rider,won 2of3 triple crown races that yr on 2 different horses,smart jock got off a Kentucky Derby winner to ride a filly who truly was a champion in his eyes,made sure he collected on that $1million purse
"After" they hit the wire? Of what relevance is that? The jockeys are pulling them up after the wire. Look at the dozen or so lengths MTB made up on her down the stretch despite having to weave through traffic to get there... that is a better barometer. The Belmont is over 1/4 mi. longer than the Preakness. MTB needed only 50 more feet to pass her. Her own camp doesn't even think she'd have a chance at the Belmont, obviously, or they would have entered her. That speaks volumes.
There's no need to run her in the Belmont, she beat the boys and has nothing to prove. She'd be better off running in the Acorn. Why risk getting her hurt in the Belmont. Besides they have to be looking at the bigger picture - a face off with Zenyatta in Ladies Classic. I doubt they'll send her to the Stakes.
Little bit of a shame we didn't get a Triple Crown contender that year, but watching her speed out of a gate no horse had won from to beat all the boys was just so awesome. What a gorgeous horse.
Anyone who thinks Zenyatta would beat Rachel Alexandra are just Zenyatta fans..Zenyatta would have ZERO shot to run down This monster filly..Rachel would just run away from Zenyatta..wouldnt even be a close race at all
Only 22 fillies have run the Belmont in 140 years and only 3 have won. Also, there has never been a filly who won 2 legs of the Triple Crown series so the odds would be greatly stacked against her. Overall, its just not worth it.
The distance is irrelevant - its a risk issue. There's no reason for her to run against colts again. She'll probably run the Acorn, one prep race after that and on to Santa Anita and Zenyatta. If we're lucky we'll see her run as a mare.
Whether the belmont was 1-1/8 or 1-1/2 is irrelevant. The point is you dont run against colts again. Thats all I'm saying. You made it sound like they would even consider the idea. You do it once to see what you got.
She took on all the boys and beat em.... And that was the most serious bunch of boys that was ever assembled in Preakness history, they were all major contenders.
thought was an amazing race. Mine that Bird did GREAT too. He came up soooo fast, but he got blocked in the middle a little. But SOO HAPPY Rachel Alexandra won. It shows girls are just as good as boys. XD
We must not forget that Zenyatta also defeated the KD winner, Mine That Bird! But she did it from forging from the back of the pack nd getting to the wire ahead of him! RA likes to race from the front of the pack!
Good run by the filly but a little bit longer race and Mind that Bird would have beat her. Not to take away anything from her, she was great. Just my opinion.
Tom Durkin made up for his bad call in the Derby when he missed Mine that Bird on the rail with a great call here. He was not gonna miss Bird again he was waiting for him to close but Rachel held on.
