Monday, December 28, 2015

End of the Year Favorite Moments: #9- Rachel's Valentina breaks her maiden

Note: Until the end of the year I will be counting down my top favorite moments from this year.

Zenyatta so far had been a bust as a broodmare, and with only two foals due to complications who knew what type of a broodmare Rachel Alexandra was going to be. Six years to the day after she beat Summer Bird and Munnings in the Haskell, we would find out. Rachel's Valentina, the younger of her two foals would actually be the first one to race. She would face a filly by the name of Awesome Dame, who was owned by West Point Thoroughbreds. The same West Point whose Macho Again almost ran down Rachel in the Woodward. As well as Nickname, whose trainer Steve Asmussen not only trained Rachel in the 2nd half of her 3yo season, but defeated the Medaglia d' Oro superfilly in her first start. Valentina didn't show the same early speed that her mom did and sat mid-pack for the first portion of the race. As they made the turn for home though she made her move to get up to the front. In the end she would run down Dame to win her career debut.


It would be the start of an awesome summer for her owners and a taste of what would come for her and her big brother... Jess's Dream.

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