Jess Jackson talks like a man in love, besotted by a woman he doesn’t quite understand. And to think, they’ve known each other for less than two months.
“I am amazed at her beauty and her speed,” he said, following Rachel Alexandra’s ridiculously dominant win in the Mother Goose yesterday. “We have a greater burden because she’s a champion…and a lady.”
Even as he praises, he fears. “She’s so eager to run that I worry about her. The faster ones are in greater danger, the centrifugal force on the turns…I worry about her being injured. I want to see her healthy coming out.”
He’d like to see his filly race against Zenyatta, noting that their different running styles would make for an interesting race. “I’d like to see more horses show up to run against her; I’d like to see her run against the boys. Mine That Bird is the best of them. The classics are too close together; fresh horses come in to defeat the [ones who have run in the Derby and Preakness]. Curlin got beat by a fresh filly,” he remembers, then praises Rags to Riches’ ability. And caution, again: “It takes a lot out of a filly to race against colts.”
“I don’t know how to define her yet. We can tell when she’s ready; her eyes are full of fire. I still worry about her health. She wants to win. She’s got an attitude.”
One thing I love about Rachel is how she stares into the eye of the camera. I have seen shots of her doing it again and again, it's almost as if the running is an afterthought and she is looking for someone or something else to occupy herself with.
It's nice to see you making such good use of your access at the track, nice pictures!
She does seem to do that…unlike many horses, who are difficult to take good pictures of, she makes it easy.
Take it from the world's worst equine photographer…
She is the best horse in America, it's that simple. If I were looking for an American horse to go up against the likes of Sea the Stars, Fame and Glory, and Mastercraftsman, it would be her. With all due respect to Zenyatta, who I admire as a great race mare the race I would love to see is Rachel Alexander versus Stacelita, the imposing winner of the Prix du Diane. It's a shame she will pass on the Breeders' Cup. She has won on the poly before and her up against the best of Europe would be a great show
The TV announcers mentioned that she finished 4/5 of a second off Secretariat's track record. Is that true? She was being eased at the end, so she clearly could have beaten it. Amazing.