Fillies in the Preakness Stakes...a History
by Charles Jay
Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Mine That Bird co-owner Mark Allen.
He thought it would be a good idea to enter his 0 for 9 maiden Indy Express for the sole reason of keeping out the filly, who was not originally nominated to the Triple Crown.
Now that Allen and co-conspirators Ahmed Zayat (owner of Derby runner up Pioneerof the Nile) and Marylou Whitney (owner of Mine That Bird’s sire Birdstone) have backtracked from their plans on running horses to exclude Rachel Alexandra, it appears the talented filly will get into the race.
The question many are asking, is she really good enough to beat the boys?
Four fillies have managed to win the Preakness Stakes, although most of us were not born the last time it occurred.
We have to go back to Nellie Morse, who won the Preakness Stakes in 1924.
Other fillies to win the second leg of the Triple Crown were Flocarline (1903), Whimsical (2006), and Rhine Maiden (2015).
Rachel Alexandra will become the first filly to race in the Preakness since 1999, when Excellent Meeting was pulled up. The filly was trying to give trainer Bob Baffert his third straight Preakness win.
The filly suffered from an apparent asthma attack. Dr. Larry Bramledge, a veterinarian, said, “She couldn't get her air. It's like asthma in people. The jockey didn't abuse her, and pulled her up. She walked back the barn on her own.”
The last two fillies to win the Kentucky Derby, Winning Colors (1988) and Genuine Risk (1980) both came back to run in the Preakness, finishing third and second respectively.
Winning Colors was able to get an uncontested lead in the Kentucky Derby, which helped her go gate to wire to become just the third filly in history to win the Run for the Roses.
She would not find things easy on the front on Preakness Day. Trainer Jockey Pat Day, aboard Forty Niner, got inside of the filly, and the rivals went in :23 1/5, :47 and 1:11 1/5. Forty Niner kept the filly wide around the first turn, and they bumped repeatedly down the backstretch as they battled for the lead.
Winning Colors jockey Gary Stevens was not happy after the race, saying, “''We were eight or nine lengths off the inside fence and we were bumping continuously. Pat wasn't concerned about anybody getting through or maybe even winning the race.''
Stevens put the blame squarely on the shoulders of trainer Woody Stephens.
''I don't blame Pat, I blame one man,'' he said. ''Jealousy's a powerful thing and it cost that man a lot more than it cost us.''
Winning Colors battled gamely to the wire, checking in third.
In 1980, the filly Genuine Risk had a shot of taking the second jewel of the Triple Crown, but also found trouble.
Angel Cordero, aboard Codex, practically mugged Genuine Risk and jockey Jacinto Vasquez on the far turn.
Codex and Cordero drifted in on the filly on the far turn, carrying the filly out wide onto the track. Many watching the race thought it was a deliberate move on Cordero's part.
Vasquez lodged an objection after the race, claiming Cordero not only interfered with his mount, but also struck his filly in the head with his whip.
In one of the more controversial Triple Crown races in history, the stewards left up Codex, and Genuine Risk had to settle for second place.
In a bit of irony, Codex was not nominated to the Kentucky Derby that year by trainer D. Wayne Lukas, and was nominated to the Preakness by his son Jeff.
For Rachel Alexandra to race on Saturday in the Preakness, her current owners will have to pony up a $100,000 late nomination fee.
It appears they will put up the money, and it now looks like she will get into the race, and likely will go off as the favorite.
Pimlico linesmaker Frank Carulli has stated he will make her the morning line favorite.
In 133 runnings of the race, 52 fillies have taken on the boys, with just the four succeeding. However, Rachel Alexandra certainly has the look of a filly that can handle the boys, making Saturday’s race one of the more intriguing Triple Crown races this decade.
