In case anybody hasn’t noticed out there or you have been living underneath a rock the last year, the dominant thoroughbred that gets ALL the publicity in the media is no longer the male species. All that changed a little over a year ago when Rachel Alexandra went on her "tear" in the thoroughbred world by beating males not just once, but twice! Along with her antics, Zenyatta continued her undefeated streak and won the Breeder’s Cup Classic last Fall against the males. This brought the “distaff” equine runners to the forefront of our sport and laid the ground work for other filly and mares to also step into the spotlight. That “spotlight” will be shining brightly today at Saratoga Racecourse where the three year old fillies race in the historic Alabama Stakes. We get to see the two top fillies and there is a lot on the line today.
While this year’s Travers Stakes will be missing two-thirds of the Triple Crown race winning horses (Lookin’ for Lucky and Drosselmeyer) this year’s edition of the Alabama Stakes has the best two three year old fillies in training entered. The west coast invader; Blind Luck comes to the east coast for the first time and returns back on “real” dirt where she is a perfect 3 for 3. Not many chinks in her armor with eight victories in 12 lifetime starts, never finishing out-of-the-money. This late closing daughter of Pollard’s Vision is currently the top rated three year old filly in the country off these efforts. There was no doubt that her connections want to wrap up the divisional honors and knew coming to Saratoga and the Alabama Stakes would be the way to go. There is NO scare from this California based trainer to come east and quite possibly wrap up her title as best three year old filly of 2010. This I give a lot of credit to her connections. But, it won’t be an easy task because of her running style and the number #2 three year old filly standing in her way.
The connections of Devil May Care thought enough of this three year old filly to skip the Kentucky Oaks (the race Blind Luck won) and face the boys the following day in the Kentucky Derby . Although the result from the Derby wasn’t a good one for Devil May Care, she bounced back quite well out of the race and return to beat her own sex solidly in her last two starts. Now with a victory over the track in the Coaching Club America Oaks last time out, she faces the top three year old filly for “all the marbles” in the Alabama Stakes showdown. Where the three year old colts continue to disappoint and not show up together, we get the top two in the opposite sex to put on a show today for us.
A championship is on the line today for either one of these fillies. It’s highly likely that when these two fillies race again, it will be versus older filly and mares. Maybe against Rachel Alexandra or Zenyatta, but the talent that both Blind Luck and Devil May Care has shown gives them every right to be mention with those two older filly and mares. They may have not reached the peak of their older counterparts yet, but as three year old fillies……they are the best! So, a week before the Mid-Summer’s Derby, we are treated to see the BEST two three year old fillies in the country strut their stuff at the Spa with everything on the line. Maybe today’s Alabama could be the top “highlight” of the 2010 Saratoga race meet? The reason being; BOTH the best were willing to take a shot; together and “Girls Rule” once again in the sport of kings!
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