Rachel Alexandra thrills Monmouth Park fans

Rachel Alexandra and Monmouth Park go well together. The 2009 Horse of the Year was back in Oceanport on Saturday and did not disappoint the nearly 13,000 fans who came to see her race. Rachel Alexandra dominated her rivals in winning the $400,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes in 1:49 3/5 on a fast track.

Rachel Alexandra with jockey Calvin Borel in the saddle ran away from the field in the homestretch to win the $400,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 24. About 13,000 fans came to the Oceanport racetrack to watch the reigning Horse of the Year race. BILL DENVER Queen Martha set the early pace, 23 4/5 for the first quarter and the half-mile in 47 4/5, for the stakes race. While she was out front, jockey Calvin Borel was playing the waiting game with Rachel Alexandra. At the 6-furlong mark (passed in 1:12 1/5), Borel took Rachel to the front. She was in command entering the homestretch and drew out to a three-length lead at the wire. She stopped the timer in 1:49 3/5 for the mile and an eighth over the fast main track, much to the delight of the fans who had come to see her.

“I’m very pleased with how she went today,” winning trainer Steve Asmussen said in a press release. “I was happy with how she looked. She was very relaxed. I love where her mind is at right now. She’s more mature and carrying a little more weight.”

Rachel Alexandra was sent off as the 1-10 favorite and returned $2.20, $2.10 and $2.10 across the board and topped an $8.20 exacta. Queen Martha, who held the place, paid $2.80 and $2.40. It was another 7 3/4 lengths back to Ask The Moon, who paid $3.80 to show.

The last time Rachel Alexandra ran at Monmouth Park, it was in last year’s Haskell Invitational. She beat the boys by sixth lengths, and that impressive win helped propel her to Horse of the Year honors.

“She won very easily again today,” Borel said in the press release. “I let her run a little bit in the stretch to make sure she got something out of the race, but I think we saved a little bit in the tank for next time.

“It was great to be back at Monmouth,” he added. “The fans really love Rachel here.”

They do indeed. Wagering on the card totaled $11,421,794, a new record for Monmouth Park, outside of a Breeders’ Cup or Haskell Day. The previous mark of $9,787,620 was set on July 3 this year.

This was the second win of the year for Rachel Alexandra, a 4-year-old filly by Medaglia d’Oro from the Roar mare Lotta Kim. She has won 13 of her 18 career starts and has been in the money 17 times. She has earned $3,446,730 for her connections.

Izod Haskell Invitational

Monmouth Park will be the focus of the thoroughbred racing world on Sunday, Aug. 1, when it holds the $1 million Izod Haskell Invitational, the track’s biggest race. Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky are expected to head the field and renew their Triple Crown rivalry. The race will be televised live by WABC between 5 and 6 p.m. The Haskell will be over a mileand an-eighth distance.

The Haskell will be the first race for both Super Saver and Lookin At Lucky since the Preakness in May, when Lookin At Lucky ended any Triple Crown aspirations by Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver. This will be the rubber match between the two champions.

This is the 43rd running of the Haskell Invitational, which honors the memory of Amory L. Haskell, president and chairman of the Monmouth Park Jockey Club from 1945 until his death in 1966. He was instrumental in bringing legalized pari-mutuel wagering to New Jersey and the building of the Monmouth Park racetrack, which opened in 1946.

The Haskell is the richest invitational event in North America.

The very first Haskell was run in 1968 and was won by Balustrade. The stakes record is 1:47.0 by Majestic Light in 1976 and equaled in 1987 by Bet Twice.