SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) -- One of racing's biggest names will
run at the country's premier meet after all.
Rachel Alexandra, the reigning Horse of the Year, will make her
next start in the Personal Ensign Stakes on Aug. 29 at Saratoga
Race Course, principal owner Jess Jackson announced in a
statement issued Friday.
After defeats in her first two starts of the year, the
4-year-old filly, who completed her championship season last
year with a dramatic victory over older males in the Woodward
Stakes at Saratoga, has won her last two races, including the
Lady's Secret at Monmouth Park last weekend.
She also beat the boys in the Preakness last year, part of a
championship run that included wins in all eight of her starts.
When Jackson put her in the Lady's Secret Stakes, there was some
doubt about whether Rachel Alexandra would run at the 40-day
Saratoga meeting, despite stabling there all summer.
"Rachel feels very much at home among the great Saratoga fans,"
said Jackson, who owns the filly with Harold McCormick. "It's an
historic race named after a great champion. The timing is right
for Rachel. She's been coming back into her stride and this will
help her prepare for the rest of her campaign and the Breeders'
Cup later this year."
The Personal Ensign is named for the filly who in 1988 was
undefeated in 13 starts, with a victory over males in the
Whitney Handicap. The Grade 1 Personal Ensign will be run the
day after the $1 million Travers Stakes, the traditional
centerpiece of the summer meeting.
"We're delighted that Mr. Jackson has decided to race Rachel
Alexandra in the Personal Ensign," New York Racing Association
president Charles Hayward said. "Her historic victory in the
Woodward last year was one of the highlights of the Saratoga
meet, and we expect her appearance at the Spa this year to be
just as compelling."
The Personal Ensign will be Rachel Alexandra's first start of
the year in a Grade 1 stakes and her first test of her career at
1 1/4 miles.