Stonestreet Stables and trainer Steve Asmussen will have the opportunity for a special repeat in the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes Presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2) Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Last year the connections teamed to win the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep race with Clairiere, and Saturday they will send out the year-younger half sister, La Crete.
Undefeated in two starts, La Crete already has a win over the New Orleans oval. On Jan. 22 she battled on the front end to a length victory in the Silverbulletday Stakes.
"She's a little more forward than Clairiere was early on," assistant trainer Scott Blasi has said of La Crete. "But as far as working and training for a race they are very similar."
Video: Silverbulletday S. (BT)
Asmussen has won the Rachel Alexandra six times, first with Summerly (2005), followed by Appealing Zophie (2007), War Echo (2009), Untapable (2014), Finite (2020), and last year with Clairiere. Both Summerly and Untapable went on to win the Kentucky Oaks. The race was run as the Silverbulletday Stakes from 2001-10.
The 1 1/16-mile Rachel Alexandra, named after the 2009 Horse of the Year who was trained by Asmussen for Stonestreet (in a partnership), will offer qualifying Oaks points on a 50-20-10-5 scale to the first four finishers.
"It's a special race named for a very special filly," Asmussen said. "La Crete is doing really well. We were extremely impressed with her effort in the Silverbulletday and look to build off that race in here."
La Crete will break from the rail with Joel Rosario back in the irons. From post 2 will be the other undefeated sophomore filly in the field, North County.
Brendan Walsh trains North County for Rebecca Hillen, Stonecrest Farm, and Bruno De Julio. The Not This Time daughter won her debut at 2 on turf before taking an off-the-turf allowance in the slop. She then ran over a fast main track Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds, coming from mid-pack to win the Untapable Stakes by a neck. Adam Beschizza retains the mount.
"This is the acid test for her," Walsh said. "She hasn't done anything wrong so far. She seems to like the track here—likes the long stretch. It's time for her to take a shot."
Hidden Connection and Dream Lith, both of whom captured graded stakes at Churchill Downs as a juvenile, are set to make their sophomore bows in the Rachel Alexandra.
Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds' Hidden Connection, trained by Bret Calhoun, ran away with the Pocahontas Stakes (G3) in September by 9 1/4 lengths. The Connect filly contested the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Del Mar, but ran fourth throughout after a bobbled start. She'll break from the far outside in post 11 with regular rider Reylu Gutierrez. She was named the 3-1 morning-line favorite.
"Anytime you transition from 2 to 3, you always have questions in the back of your mind until they do it," Calhoun said. "We've targeted this race for a long time and I think she is ready for it. I can't say that I got her dialed in 100% for this race, wouldn't really expect to. It's a long year but her best work was her last one (a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 Feb. 12 at Fair Grounds). She seems to be going into it the right way."
Cypress Creek Equine and Arnold Bennewith's Dream Lith will make her first start since rallying to win the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) in late November. Trainer Robertino Diodoro has assigned Ramon Vazquez the mount again after the jockey guided her to the Golden Rod victory. The Medaglia d'Oro filly will break from post 4.
"I think she is coming off the layoff really well," Diodoro said of the Fair Grounds-based filly. "I've been very happy with the way she has worked, especially her last couple (works) have been very impressive with good gallop outs. I think the big thing is she has filled out some, and I think the short little break has helped her in a few different ways."
Ike and Dawn Thrash's Turnerloose will race on the main track for the first time after a turf campaign at 2. Trained by Brad Cox, the Nyquist filly won the Aristocrat Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Kentucky Downs and was third in the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Stakes (G2T) as the favorite after setting the pace. Chris Walsh's California Angel, who upset the Jessamine at 17-1 odds, will meet her again in the Rachel Alexandra.
Turnerloose was 14th last out in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T). California Angel, by California Chrome , most recently was sixth in the Untapable for trainer George Leonard III. Florent Geroux stays on Turnerloose from post 7 and Deshawn Parker picks up the mount on California Angel from post 10.
The field is completed by Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) respective second- and third-place finishers Awake At Midnyte and Miss Mattie B, Gasparilla Stakes runner-up Goddess of Fire, last-out 12 3/4-length allowance-level winner Divine Huntress, and Silverbulletday fourth Candy Raid.
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, February 19, 2022, Race 12Entries: Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1La Crete (KY) Joel Rosario 122 Steven M. Asmussen 8/1 2 2North County (KY) Adam Beschizza 122 Brendan P. Walsh 8/1 3 3Miss Mattie B (KY) Mike E. Smith 122 Robert B. Hess, Jr. 15/1 4 4Dream Lith (KY) Ramon A. Vazquez 122 Robertino Diodoro 6/1 5 5Divine Huntress (MD) Jose L. Ortiz 122 H. Graham Motion 6/1 6 6Candy Raid (KY) Jose Riquelme 122 J. Keith Desormeaux 30/1 7 7Turnerloose (KY) Florent Geroux 122 Brad H. Cox 12/1 8 8Goddess of Fire (KY) Luis Saez 122 Todd A. Pletcher 8/1 9 9Awake At Midnyte (KY) Mario Gutierrez 122 Doug F. O'Neill 7/2 10 10California Angel (KY) Deshawn L. Parker 122 George Leonard, III 30/1 11 11Hidden Connection (KY) Reylu Gutierrez 122 W. Bret Calhoun 3/1
