The 2008 Golden Rod

[The Indomitable DrugS]

It was run at Churchill Downs on the same day, over the same distance, as the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club. Rachel Alexandra won it with a final time over 1 full second faster than the males ran. In other words .. she ran six lengths faster.

Yet, the top 3 finishers in the Ky Jockey Club (Beethoven, Giant Oak, and Capt Candyman Can) all were laid at morning line odds between 10-to-1 and 15-to-1 in round #1 of the Derby Futures. A lot of respect for male horses blown off the tv screen by proxy.

In the Golden Rod...

* Rachel Alexander won. She just came back to win the Martha Washington in blowout fashion and will certainly get a higher Beyer than the 96 that Eight Belles got when she won the same race last year by double digit lengths.

* Sara Louise was 2nd beaten almost 5 lengths. Despite getting drowned, she still managed to run faster than the 3 respected males. Sara Louise hasn't run back since ... but, in her prior start to the Golden Rod ... she won the Pocohontes Stakes in final time 3/5ths faster than Capt Candyman Can did in his 3 lengths Iroquois win at the same distance on the same card.

* War Echo was 3rd beaten 12 lengths. She has since run back once ... winning the Silverbulletday Stakes with the same 95 Beyer that Friesen Fire won the Risen Star Stakes at the same distance - on the same card.

* Dream Empress was 4th beaten 14 1/2 lengths. She hasn't run back yet ... but in her prior start ... she was 2nd beaten just 1.5 lengths to Stardom Bound in the Breeders Cup Juv Fillies. The same Stardom Bound that closed at a hysterical 22/1 in the Derby future wager.

* Super Poni was 5th beaten 20 lengths. She came back to win her next start by 6.75 lengths at 7/1 odds.

* Pearl of Valor rounded out the field while 6th beaten 30 lengths. She had run 23 points better in her previous start while beating a next out winner. Hasn't run back since.


In a later two-turn route race on the card .. Au Moon broke his maiden by 6 lengths and improved his Beyer 11 points next out when 3rd to FF and Patena in the Lecomte.


It's pretty amusing that Stardom Bound is 22/1 to win the Derby ... I wouldn't take that price on her now if I could get it for the Oaks. The Oaks is signed, sealed, and delivered for Rachel Alexandra.