Rachel Alexandra's two-turn campaign

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Here's how her Beyer's stack up against the fastest editions of the races she has run around two-turns.

I use Beyers because they are superior at comparisons like this. Sheet figures will have claimers from this era running way faster than Sunday Silence and Alysheba.

Obviously, a figure is only going to tell you how good a performance was without the aid of key circumstantial factors like pace, trip, etc etc.

* Golden Rod:

RA Beyer: 99

Best this decade besides RA: no Golden Rod winner has run better than Sara Louise's 91

Best since '92: Silverbulletday 104.

Result: RA beats any Golden Rod field this decade by the 4.75 lengths she beat Sara Louise by. Silverbulletday won the Golden Rod by 10 lengths - she beats RA by 3 lengths.


* Martha Washington:

RA Beyer: 100

Best this decade besides RA: Eight Belles 96

Best since '92 besides RA: Eight Belles 96

Result: RA beats Eight Belles by 2.5 lengths


* Fair Grounds Oaks:

RA Beyer: 103

Best this decade: Take Charge Lady 107

Best since '92: Take Charge Lady 107

Result: RA runs 2nd beaten 2.25 lengths to TCL.


* Fantasy:

RA Beyer: 101

Best this decade besides RA: Eight Belles 99

Best since '92: Blushing KD 110

Result: RA beats Eight Belles by a length. RA runs 2nd beaten 5.5 lengths to Blushing KD.

The year Blushing KD won the fantasy .. Ajina was 3rd beaten 14 lengths in a field of 5. Ajina later won that years BC Distaff and was voted champion 3yo filly. Blushing KD won the KY Oaks over a super field next out. She died after her Monmouth win.




* Kentucky Oaks:

RA Beyer: 108

Best this decade besides RA: Rags to Riches 104

Best since '92 besides RA: Silverbulletday 107

Result: RA beats Rags To Riches by 2 lengths. RA beats Silverbulletday by a half length


* Preakness Stakes:

RA Beyer: 108

Best this decade: Smarty Jones 118

Best since '92 besides RA: (Smarty Jones & Silver Charm 118)

Result: RA finishes 2nd beaten 6.75 lengths behind Smarty Jones - but comfortably ahead of Rock Hard Ten and Eddington.

RA finishes 5th by 6.75 lengths behind Silver Charm, Captain Bodgit, Free House, and Touch Gold .. while a few lengths ahead of Frisk Me Now and Concerto.


* Mother Goose:

RA Beyer: 111

Best this decade besides RA: Fleet Renee 105

Best since '92 besides RA: Lakeway 106

Result: RA beats Fleet Renee by 3.75 lengths and Lakeway by 3 lengths.


* Haskell:

RA Beyer: 116

Best this decade besides RA: Any Given Saturday 113

Best since '92 besides RA: Holy Bull 115

Result: RA beats AGS by 1.75 lengths. RA beats Holy Bull by a half.


* Woodward:

RA Beyer: 109

Best this decade: Lawyer Ron 119

Best since '92: (Formal Gold 125 & Bertrando 125)

Result: RA finishes 2nd by 6.5 lengths to Lawyer Ron.

RA finishes 2nd beaten 10 lengths to Bertrando .. while 3.5 lengths clear of Devil His Due in 3rd. RA finishes 4th beaten 10 lengths to Formal Gold, Skip Away, and Will's Way.


From a sheer figure standpoint ... her record is 9-6-3-0 against the fastest editions this decade.

Wins coming against Sara Louise, two against Eight Belles, Rags To Riches, Fleet Renee, and Any Given Saturday. Defeats coming to Take Charge Lady, Smarty Jones, and Lawyer Ron.

Since '92 her record is either 9-4-5-0 or 9-4-3-0 .. depending if you want to use the Smarty Jones and Bertrando races - or the Silver Charm and Formal Gold races.

Just food for thought. Obviously if you took the slowest editions of each race - you can have her killing just about every field but the Woodward. She'd have Prarie Bayou by almost 7 lengths in the Preakness.

[Sightseek]

Interesting

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Yeah, it's still raining here.

I needed something to occupy my mind .. you just can't sit around and dream of an 18-1 season all day.

[NTamm1215]

Very nice work and a true testament to the type of season she has had this year. It continues to blow my mind that some on here, whether serious or not, are trying to latch onto ridiculous reasoning for why she's not a great horse or at least a really, really good horse who had a great year.

NT

[VOL JACK]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Yeah, it's still raining here.

I needed something to occupy my mind .. you just can't sit around and dream of an 18-1 season all day.

So which Northeast NFL team are you a fan?

[The Indomitable DrugS]

I'm a fan of no city or corporation. Just Moss. The NFL is dead to me when he retires.

[randallscott35]

I saw Blushing KD at Monmouth. What an animal.

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Yeah, it's still raining here.

I needed something to occupy my mind .. you just can't sit around and dream of an 18-1 season all day.

I'm sure you'd like to not be bored, but I rather selfishly hope you're bored for awhile longer. These analysis are kinda fun to read. Great job.

[TropicalStorm]

I am fairly new to speed figures but based on what I have seen it does not appear that she is anything more than your typical top 3yr old.

It looks like much of her reputation as a great horse had to do with beating bad fillies and overrated colts.

Can anyone provide solid facts and figures that show her to be something unusually fast?

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by CrossfireHurricane

I am fairly new to speed figures but based on what I have seen it does not appear that she is anything more than your typical top 3yr old.

It looks like much of her reputation as a great horse had to do with beating bad fillies and overrated colts.

Can anyone provide solid facts and figures that show her to be something unusually fast?

let me get this straight. you know enough to call icon project great, but someone has to convince you that rachel is something special? i hope no one wastes their time, as you obviously have your mind made up, have an agenda, and wish only to be nonsensical and adversarial. have fun with that.

[TropicalStorm]

I never said Icon Project was great. I said I think she can be great. She has no distance limitations and I think she is capable of a 120 type beyer at 10f.

Now if you can't provide facts and figures showing how Rachel is any different than your Street Sense, Curlin, Big Brown types than how can you say she is great and they are not. Clearly they were very good horses but far from great.

[slotdirt]

Someone tell me the last time someone ran a 120 Beyer at 10f on this continent.

[slotdirt]

Hell, someone tell me the last time a filly of any age, shape, or form ran a 120 going any distance, let alone 10 panels.

Rachel Alexandra has five of the top 15 route Beyers run this year, for whatever that's worth, since we're talking Beyer Speed Figures and all.

[Gander]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Someone tell me the last time someone ran a 120 Beyer at 10f on this continent.

It could have only been: Ghostzipper, Candy Ride or Formal Gold.

[TropicalStorm]

Nobody has done it since Ghostzapper. He was great. That is the point. Too many people throw the word great around and there has not been a great horse since him.


Icon Project looks to me like an animal that may flirt with that figure.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by CrossfireHurricane

I never said Icon Project was great. I said I think she can be great. She has no distance limitations and I think she is capable of a 120 type beyer at 10f.

Now if you can't provide facts and figures showing how Rachel is any different than your Street Sense, Curlin, Big Brown types than how can you say she is great and they are not. Clearly they were very good horses but far from great.

for starters, how many of those three year olds you mentioned all went undefeated at three? at multiple tracks, on anything from fast to sloppy? how many of them set records for time (her martha washington) or for margin (her oaks, largest ever). how many of them came two ticks from a record while going wide in the slop? how many showed her consistency? how many of them were shoo-in for HOY by mid-september, if not before?

and i find it hilarious that you're able to give icon project so much praise, but somehow just can't for rachel. i can't understand how you can rave about the one, but not the other-that makes no sense.

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by CrossfireHurricane

I never said Icon Project was great. I said I think she can be great. She has no distance limitations and I think she is capable of a 120 type beyer at 10f.

I don't see Icon Project winning the BC filly sprint, or any good mile races anytime soon, but ok.