You call it: RA VS other great 3yo fillies

[The Indomitable DrugS]

When the year is over - how will RA's 3yo season stack up with the following greats?

We are not counting 2-year-old form ... which takes horses like Silverbulletday and Serena's Song out of consideration .. and weakens the case of horses like Ruffian and Go For Wand.

#1: Rachel Alexandra VS Dance Smartly ('91):

DS swept the Candian Triple Crown with ease. Beat open males in the Molson Million - a field that including Fly So Free. Capped it off by winning the BC Distaff.

Was 8-for-8 with all wins coming by 1.5 lengths or more. Wins that season ranging from 6 furlongs on dirt to 12 furlongs on yielding turf. Not an all-time strong type figure horse.


#2: RA VS Go For Wand ('90):

Go For Wand won 7 of 9 including 6 Grade 1's. One defeat an embarassing loss in the Kentucky Oaks and the other a heroic performance while holding on to a very narrow lead in the Distaff.

Ran monster figure in the Beldame that helped make her 3/5 favorite over Bayakoa. Though 2nd place finisher beaten less than 5 lengths that day - Colonial Waters - was just 1 for 7 that year and 0-for-8 the following year.

#3: RA VS Melair ('86):

The California Ruffian, Melair had the greatest 10 week season of all-time.

She broke her maiden on debut at Hollywood Park on April 25th. Won an allowance race by 9 lengths three weeks later with future Grade 1 winner Flying Julia finishing 2nd.

Made her Graded Stakes debut 2 weeks later and won the Railbird by 7.5 lengths. Two weeks after that she dominated Hidden Light - a multiple Grade 1 winner who swept that years Santa Anita Oaks, Hollywood Oaks, and Del Mar Oaks .. and is also the dam of Artie Schiller.

And two weeks after that - she took on males and oblitered them. Running fractions of 22 1/5, :44 3/5, 1:08 and 1:19 4/5 .. she stopped the clock in 1:32 4/5 and was just 3/5ths off of Dr. Fager's world record. She won by 6.5 lengths. The Lukas trained Southern Halo (sire of More Than Ready) was 2nd. That years champion 3yo male Snow Chief was 3rd beaten 11 lengths in the 12 horse field.

She never raced again in her life.

#4: RA VS Ruffian ('75):

Ruffian was 5-for-6 with 3 Grade 1 wins. Brilliant performances ranging from 6 furlongs to 12 furlongs.

Only knocks are that she was never challenged on the lead - and her early fractions don't appear to be extremely fast. Also - like Melair - she was regional. Four of the five wins coming at AQU and the other at Belmont.