Kentucky Oaks: Rachel's Coronation?

In the all too abbreviated careers of racing’s elite, few horses manage to breakthrough and command the affection of the general public. Rachel Alexandra was one of the few.

After dominating her fellow fillies in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks, she came back two weeks later and schooled the boys in the Preakness, becoming the first filly to win the second leg of the Triple Crown in 84 years. The 2009 Horse of the Year and eventual Hall of Famer won races in six states at eight different tracks against all comers, setting multiple records along the way.

Retired in 2010 to Stonestreet Farm, she was first bred to 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year Curlin. That produced a colt named Jess’s Dream, who won his debut last year and is currently working his way back from a minor injury.

The following season Rachel Alexandra was bred to fellow Preakness winner, Bernardini. However, complications during the birth left the mare in a fight for her life. The foal, a filly, was placed with a nurse mare as Rachel slowly recovered in the hospital. Rachel ultimately made a full recovery, though her career as a broodmare was abruptly over after just two foals.

Stonestreet Farm president Barbabra Banke has stated she has no plans to breed her champion mare again.

“She’s done enough for us and deserves a good life on the farm,” Banke said last year.

Despite the trauma, the precocious filly grew nicely into her perfect pedigree. She was given the name Rachel’s Valentina, due to the heart-shaped star adorning her face.

Will this filly win the #KentuckyOaks just like her mama? #GirlsinGold #142years #Bredandraised #TBT #TheRachels pic.twitter.com/p7kcaQRofo

— Stonestreet Farm (@StonestreetFarm) May 5, 2016

Although champion runners rarely produce themselves, expectations were understandably high for the filly when she made her debut for trainer Todd Pletcher last summer at Saratoga. And she delivered, impressively breaking her maiden at first ask. A month later she won the Grade I Spinaway Stakes, leaving many to wonder if the great Rachel Alexandra had indeed produced herself.

Hopes were tempered a bit last October when Rachel’s Valentina ran into the tour-de-force known as Songbird in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Still, she was clearly the second best filly in her crop and backed it up by running huge in the Grade I Ashland last month at Keeneland off a 5 month layoff.

“There were no mysteries about her,” Pletcher said, recalling her arrival into his barn. “She was very uncomplicated. She came as advertised. And right from the start, she did everything right. She learned quickly. She was a pleasure, the kind that makes my job easier.”

Friday, Rachel’s Valentina will try and follow the devastating path her mother blazed seven years ago in the Kentucky Oaks. That Rachel won by 20 1/2 lengths. This Rachel, while the mild favorite, most likely will not have the track to herself, even with Songbird sitting this one out.

She’s up against a stacked field, including the shocking Ashland winner Weep No More, Fair Ground Oaks champ Land Over Sea, the freakishly fast Cathryn Sophia and Chad Brown’s highly regarded Lewis Bay, plus several more live looking long shots.

Rachel’s Valentina working over the Churchill Downs track in preparation for Friday’s Oaks. (Churchill Downs photo)

Rachel’s Valentina might not be the once-in-a-generation freak show on the racetrack like her mother, but she is an exceptionally gifted runner with an extremely rare opportunity:

To be a champion, just like mom.