Rachel Alexandra becomes first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness
Racehorse Rachel Alexandra made history this weekend by becoming the first filly in 85 years to win America’s Preakness Stakes.
The Preakness Stakes is held at Pimlico racecourse in Baltimore and is the second leg of American horseracing’s Triple Crown. It is worth $1.1m (£720,000). This year was the 134th running of the famous race.
Rachel Alexandra held off a late run from Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird to win — becoming the first filly since Nellie Morse in 1924 to do so. She becomes only the fifth filly ever to win.
The only filly in the 13-horse race, Rachel Alexandra set off the 9-5 favourite.
She was ridden by Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Calvin Borel who had ridden Mine That Bird to victory two weeks earlier, but who had decided to swap horses shortly before the Preakness. Mike Smith rode Mine That Bird.
In third was Musket Man, who was also third in the Kentucky Derby.
Rachel Alexandra had only been at trainer Steve Asmussen’s yard for 10 days before the race after being bought for a rumoured $9million (£5.8m) by Jess Jackson.
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Asmussen and Jackson were celebrating their second Preakness win — they won with Curlin in 2007.
Preakness Stakes video
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.