RA to work on Tuesday afternoon
 

Rachel Alexandra to have afternoon workout
By Marcus Hersh

http://www.drf.com/news/article/111152.html

Fair Grounds will open its racetrack on Tuesday afternoon to allow a workout by the 2009 Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra, according to the track's general manager, Eric Halstrom. Rachel Alexandra had been scheduled for a major six-furlong drill early Tuesday morning, but heavy rain hit Fair Grounds late Monday afternoon, and with wet weather possible through the evening, Fair Grounds will make special arrangements to ensure Rachel breezes over a suitable racing surface.

"We're going to open training regularly, but she's going to work about 3 o'clock," Halstrom said.

Fair Grounds chose to cancel its last two races Monday afternoon because of hard rain. That was the second time the track lost part of a card because of wet conditions, but Halstrom said the surface hadn't washed out the same way as it had on Dec. 12, Louisiana Champions Day.

"This was not like the Champions Day episode," said Halstrom. "We should be all right for tomorrow."

Rachel Alexandra is on a tight schedule for the first part of her 2010 racing campaign. She is scheduled to make her first start of the year on March 13 in the New Orleans Ladies, and then go on to race in the Apple Blossom Invitational on April 9 at Oaklawn Park in an expected showdown with two-time champion Zenyatta.

Better work huge as at this point she is remarkably short on conditioning, and no better to win in New Orleans than fifty fifty, if anyone shows up. Seems to have little chance to hold off the big mare in Hot Springs.

these are the horses nominated to the stake she is working towards. shes a little more than 50/50 i think.

APPLE MARTINI ch.m.5 Virginia H. Tarra Trust Neil L. Pessin
CLEAR SAILING b.f.4 Coteau Grove Farms, LLC (Keith & Ginger Myers) Glenn Delahoussaye
DOUBLE ESPRESSO dk b/.f.4 Gold Mark Farm, LLC (Theodore Paul Bulmahn) Thomas M. Amoss
FIGHTER WING b.m.5 Jim Tafel, LLC (Jim Tafel) Greg Geier
FOUR GIFTS gr/ro.f.4 Peter Redekop B. C., Ltd. (Peter Redekop) Michael Stidham
INDIAN BLOSSOM ch.m.5 Millennium Farms (Ro Parra) S. M. Asmussen
NEVER RETREAT dk b/.m.5 Team Block (David & Patricia Block) Richard R. Scherer
PEARL OF VALOR dk b/.f.4 S. M. Asmussen S. M. Asmussen
QUIET HOPE b.m.5 Shadowfax Stable (Joseph F. Fowler, Jr.) Ralph E. Nicks
RACHEL ALEXANDRA b.f.4 Stonestreet Stables and McCormick, Harold S. M. Asmussen
SEA GULL ch.f.4 W. S. Farish Neil J. Howard
SEVEN SEVENTYTHREE b.f.4 Heiligbrodt Racing Stable (Ludolph & Corrine Heiligbrodt) S. M. Asmussen
TIZAQUEENA dk b/.m.5 Darley Stable (Mohammed Al Maktoum) Michael Stidham
UNFORGOTTEN b.m.6 Robert A. Adams Dallas Stewart
ZARDANA (BRZ) b.m.6 Arnold Zetcher LLC John A. Shirreffs

Do you have any of that smoke left for sale?

I thought Zardana had been retired?

Are you AssMan or something? or a race horse trainer? tell me why she is remarkably short on conditioning?

For one she came out of the bridle in her last work about a hundred yards from the wire; a sure sign of a short horse.

Respectfully I think we should have a wait and see approach as Biasi knows how to get a horse ready. They arent goingto race a horse that is going to be short.

What time will Jackson hold his press conference? Can't wait

DrugS will be evaluating the work out on ESPN

Ya think he can squeeze in a recap of today's Beulah races?

what evidence do you have she came out of the bridle? not saying your lying, i just havent seen that anywhere. from the list of nominated horses, who can make the race interesting, even if rachel alexandra is a short horse?

HRTV showed the work. The race conditions do not give anyone else a chance of beating Rachel but the transition from sophomore to a 4yo off a six month break is plenty tricky, and the work pattern is not at all indicative of this barns norm.

Zardana may go and if so she will probably try to get Rachel rank. Trainers run short horses all the time and although not their fault, they never win. Getting a horse fit off a break is hard enough, sharp; half past impossible. We'll know more after todays bizarre afternoon effort, maybe.

Yeah, horses have never worked during the afternoon. It's unheard of!

The rest is pretty amusing as well. Thanks.

Horses working between races is nothing out of the norm
but on a dark day.........plenty unheard of. Perhaps you could site another example.

My eyesite isn't very good therefore I cannot remember seeing any.

Even if it has never happened before, which I highly doubt, it is hardly bizarre.

#RachelAlexandra works Tuesday am at FG - 6f 1:13 3/5 on a fast track

says here she's totally broken. bet your mortgage against her in the Ladies :rolleyes:

Her work had already been scheduled for Tuesday morning. It was moved back half a day because NOLA got a lot of rain starting Monday afternoon. All concerned wanted the safest possible track for her work. Nothing more sinister than that.

Rachel Alexandra has six-furlong work
 

DRF| Rachel Alexandra has six-furlong work

Rachel Alexandra put in her last major move before her scheduled return to racing Tuesday morning at Fair Grounds, working in company and going six furlongs in 1:13.60.

Trainer Steve Asmussen was pleased with the work, though it was a little slower than 1:12 he was aiming for.

"I was hoping she would go a little quicker," said Asmussen. "The main thing is that she is healthy, and this is a step to getting her back to her previous level."

ETA: Link to video of work.

Thanks for the link. Rachel is still playing catch up and despite her connections "spin" she will obviously not be at her best next Saturday.