Ahira's Hangar

The Triple Crown kicked off today with the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the greatest longshots of all time won by about 6-7 lengths, pulling away from the field - a little known gelding based in New Mexico named Mine that Bird. He has a hell of a finishing kick, so it will be interesting to see how he does in the shorter Preakness... He was once puchased for $9500, and was driven to Churchill Downs from his training base in New Mexico by his trainer (who has a broken leg) in a horse trailor pulled by the trainer's pickup truck. Great to see the little guys kicking some serious butt under cloudy Kentucky skies this evening.

Last night the filly's Triple Tiara kicked off with the Kentucky Oaks, also run at Chruchill Downs, and was won by the huge favorite - a big and beautiful super filly named Rachel Alexandra who won by some twenty lengths. This was her seventh victory in ten starts, and people are seriously talking about her having a great chance to become only the ninth filly in history to win the filly Triple Crown. However, there are rumors she might take on the boys in the Belmont, though her owners are supposedly adamant in keeping her in filly/mare races...



I cannot wait to see her take on the great California racing mare Zenyatta at some point in the future.

Yea little horse from New Mexico! (Bloomfield to be exact)
They just annouced this morning that Bird will run in The Preakness Stakes!

Apparently the new owners of Rachel Alexandra (her original owner sold her after the Oaks) have decided to run her in the Preakness as well rather than the Black Eyed Susans for the fillies. So no Triple Tiara (even rarer than a Triple Crown) this year.

So often top fillies seem to get hurt and have to be put down running against males - whether it was Eight Belles in last year's Derby or the great Tiara winner Ruffian in a match race against the top three year old male in their year.

It is why owners of top fillies and mares often do not run them in big races against males - such as unbeaten California mare Zenyatta, who was probably the best horse of either sex in training last year, but whom most casual fans have never even heard of despite her being unbeaten and winning one grade one race after another - she does not face the geldings/stallions.

Obviously there are successes, as well - some fillies do win Triple Crown races against the boys, the most recent being Rags to Riches in the Belmont a couple of years back.

At this point I just hope that Rachel Alexandra is not seriously/fatally injured in the Preakness or the Belmont (should her owners run her in that rather than the Acorn).

May she and all of the other horses come out of the race healthy and safe.

Without Rachel Alexandra, a lightly raced filly named Payton d'Oro won the Black Eyed Susans by 1 3/4 lengths. This was only her third start and her first major stakes race; she is undefeated.

The two fillies are half sisters - both being sired by Medaglia d'Oro. He has sired six fillies who are three year old stakes winners this year (some colts, too, but his daughters are simply outstanding!!!).

Mine That Bird, the Derby winner, himself has a striking pedigree which suggests he is tailor bred to longer distances and muddy tracks, with a sire who won the Belmont in Birdstone, who was in turn sired by Grindstone who was himself a Derby winner and son of another Derby winner in Unbridled. Mine that Bird should be really hard to beat - especially if the track is muddy tomorrow. He really has the breeding to be potentially outstanding in the spring classics.

Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness today, with a late charging Mine That Bird fininshing second. I think that they both proved that they are the real deal today.

Rachel Alexandra will not run in the Belmont (it sounds like they are aiming her for the Mother Goose, a filly classic run in very late June, instead). I would think this opens the way for Mine That Bird to potentially shine in the Belmont. His father was a Belmont winner, and he is bred to go the long distance.

Today's Acorn Stake for the fillies was won by yet another daughter of Medaglia d'Oro who had three daughters win this year's Triple Tiara races - Gabby's Golden Gal, who lost the Kentucky Oaks by some thirty lengths to her half sister Rachel Alexandra but who shown today with Rachel not in the race.

A son of former Belmont winner Birdstone won today's Belmont - but it was not this year's Derby winner Mine That Bird, who came in a solid third. The new Belmont champion is Summer Bird.

Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will be getting her first start today since that race in the filly classic Mother Goose at Belmont. Only two other fillies will be facing her...

Mine That Bird's next start is scheduled to be the West Virginia Derby in August.

Over the weekend Rachel Alexandra became perhaps the best three year old filly to ever race in the USA (the other candidate being the immortal Ruffian, and that is a debate that will probably never be resolved) in leading wire to wire in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga against older males. The horses who tried to keep up with her and her "suicide pace" at the begining of the race finished last - and she faced and defeated three closers on their finishing kicks towards the end of the race. The filly has now defeated male horses three times in Grade I races as a three year old, and has beaten a Kentucky Derby winner and two Belmont winners in the process. She has won grade I stakes at at least four different tracks, on fast tracks and in seas of mud. To give you an idea of how important a win this was - Secretariat could not beat older horses in the Woodward in one of his few defeats!

Her owner says she will now get a vacation before embarking on her four year old career. She has earned it!

This has been a blessed year in horse racing.

We have been able to see one the greatest three year old fillies to ever step foot on a track in Rachel Alexandra.

We have been able to watch one of the greatest racing mares of all time in the undefeated California mare Zenyatta. She might be taking on males for the first time in the Breeder's Cup Classic.

It must be the year for superb females in North America - for Canada has another great three year old racing filly in Careless Jewel.

And one of the greatest three year old colts to ever race has emerged as one of Europe's all time greats - the Irish bred Sea the Stars. Here he is winning France's most important race -the Arc de Triomphe early this month. He is undefeated as a three year old, taking many of Europe's most important races. His owner is probably retiring him to stud this year, so we in North America will probably never get a chance to see him in action.