Feb 17, 2016

  • Jay HovdeyDaily Racing Class

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    • Covers horse racing for the Dailly Racing Form

It's that time of year again. The piffling ones are dropping like snowflakes. Every solar day, the social-media sites are filled with photos of freshly minted foals, most of them from regal lineage and all of them so cute you want to reach out and tweak their little digital noses.

Retired jockey Danny Sorenson and his wife, Kimberly, welcomed the first foal born at their Texas ranch this week, a son of the rapid Euroears. On Burn down Baby, the winner of the Apple Blossom and La Troienne, is in Kentucky fussing with her new filly by Horse of the Yr Ghostzapper. Downwardly the road at Darley, Hollywood Oaks winner Panty Raid has a Tapit foal who is already up to mom's chin. And beyond the swimming, there's three-fourth dimension Breeders' Cup winner Goldikova alongside her picayune daughter by Intello. What's French for "awwww"?

This annual rite of late winter and bound is a balm to the hurly-burly of the racetrack. About of the mares existence celebrated in birth announcements paid their dues with racing careers full of toil and dangerous contest, and now their lives have softened into a bike of gestation, foaling, and weaning of their immature.

Then there is Rachel Alexandra.

"I just saw Rachel today out in the snow here in Kentucky," said Barbara Banke, who is carrying on the Stonestreet Farm banner that rose to prominence under her late husband, Jess Jackson.

"She's loving life and doing great," Banke added. "She'south got ii retired mares as her posse, forth with her overnice stall and all the peppermints she wants from lots of admirers. She's a beautiful, cute horse, and she'south gotten a lot nicer as she's anile. She was kind of a diva at the track."

She is too without a foal, either in utero or at her side, for the third directly year.

By all measures of greatness, Rachel Alexandra was a diva who delivered. She won 13 of nineteen lifetime starts, including all nine of her races during a dizzy 2009 season in which she took the Kentucky Oaks by twenty lengths, the Preakness Stakes over Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, the Haskell Invitational over Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, and the Woodward Stakes confronting older males. Her record was accounted good enough to outpoll Zenyatta, the unbeaten Breeders' Cup Classic winner, for Horse of the Twelvemonth.

The arm'due south-length rivalry between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta was never resolved on the track, resulting in a trumped-up competition between the two every bit broodmares mounted by stubborn fans. Zenyatta has had 3 foals and is expecting a fourth this jump, simply and then far, she has yet to boast of a winner. Rachel Alexandra's two foals are both winners, including 2015 Spinaway Stakes winner Rachel'due south Valentina.

The idea that great racemares should be peachy producers has been perpetuated by the likes of Twilight Tear, Straight Deal, Convenience, Glorious Song, and Personal Ensign. You could pretty much breed any one of them to a contend mail and come upwards with a serious racehorse.

Then again, the mysteries of procreation dictated that Hall of Fame racemares like Regret, Gallorette, Genuine Take a chance, Gamely, All Along, and Gallant Blossom left zero much behind as broodmares. It'due south pretty much a gyre of the dice.

In the case of Rachel Alexandra, there is piddling uncertainty that she was on her way to becoming a breeding pearl of great cost. Rachel's Valentina certified her Spinaway class with a solid second behind sectionalisation champion Songbird in the Breeders' Loving cup Juvenile Fillies and was herself a finalist for the Eclipse Award.

But the birth of Rachel'south Valentina was fraught with complications, and Rachel Alexandra required surgery to removed a piece of colon damaged in the foaling. Banke has non bred her since so.

"We check her all the fourth dimension," Banke said. "There's ever a chance she could be bred again -- y'all tin never say never -- but I don't think my fretfulness could have information technology. That was a very tough thing to go through with her. I'k happy to meet her happy and healthy merely the style she is."

So, life goes on. Rachel'southward Valentina, who turned three on February. 12, is back with Todd Pletcher at Palm Meadows preparing for her 2016 campaign. Samantha Nicole, Rachel Alexandra'due south younger full sister, has entered the Stonestreet broodmare band and volition exist bred for the commencement fourth dimension this yr to Bernardini, the sire of Rachel'due south Valentina. If that is not enough, on Saturday at Fair Grounds, they volition run the Rachel Alexandra Stakes for 3-year-old fillies who aspire to follow in some very large footsteps.

"I take a horse running in the Rachel Alexandra," Banke said. "Her name is Royal Obsession, and she'southward won both her races so far."

In the coming weeks, Rachel Alexandra's proper noun will appear on the annual ballot for the Thoroughbred racing Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. Banke was told she probably should brand plans to be in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for the induction anniversary.

"I hope so," she said with a express mirth. "I retrieve she deserves it."

She is non solitary.