Wait a minute…hold the King cake…is that headline right?... The Rachel Alexandra Stakes at the Fair Grounds on February 18 is for three-year-old fillies. So, how could this race impact the Kentucky Derby?
The thoughts of a female winning the Kentucky Derby promotes visions of grandeur for all those with a fleet-footed female. In 148 previous runnings, only three fillies have tripped the light fantastic to the winner’s circle (Regret, Genuine Risk, Winning Colors). That means a victory in the world’s most famous horse race is even more life-changing if you can do it with a female. Sooooo, if you have a girl with the goods, Derby fever can spike quicker than Karch Kiraly.
How does this tie into the Rachel Alexandra Stakes? Well, one of the entries closed out the latest Kentucky Derby future wager pool as the third choice (11-1) among the individual betting interests. Hoosier Philly has been nothing short of spectacular in three career starts. Brilliantly handled by her conditioner Tom Amoss, she lines up against five other fillies in her three-year-old debut on Saturday. This mile and a sixteenth test against a solid field will tell us a little more about this daughter of Into Mischief and whether she belongs in the Derby conversation.
Winning the Kentucky Derby is the toughest achievement in the game of Thoroughbred racing. Being able to do it with a filly is an even taller task. Of course, if you have one of those “special” girls, the challenge is enticing. Being highly thought of by bettors in a future pool does not make you Kentucky Derby-ready. Brilliance on the track is where it all begins. Roll that in with some luck and good health and then you have a chance to run at immortality.
Is Hoosier Philly one of those unique runners with a real chance at Kentucky Derby glory?... The time to dream is now…
The Rachel Alexandra is carded as race 12 with an expected post time of 5:41 central.
