Farrell frolics home in the Rachel Alexandra
Breaking on top with regular jockey Channing Hill in the irons, Farrell immediately nabbed the lead and the race was as good as over at that point. Traveling easily on the lead, Farrell lead the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra field on a merry chase around the Fair Grounds track.
At the break, rail drawn Untapped initially broke on even terms with Farrell, but Farrell ended up being quicker away from the gate. She spurted off to a comfortable 3-4 length lead with Untapped taking up the second running position. Delta Downs Princess winner Shane’s Girlfriend took up third followed by Valadorna, Majestic Quality, Wicked Lick, and the trailer was Gris Gris.
Loping along comfortably, Farrell set moderate and easily sustained fractions of :23.92, :47.32, and 1:12.22.
Approaching the far turn, Untapped and Valadorna both moved up to take on Farrell, but Farrell had plenty left in the tank after being allowed to set pedestrian fractions. At the top of the lane, Hill said “go,” and Farrell lost no time in putting some distance between herself and Valadorna yet again.
Making every pole a winning one, Farrell crossed the wire an easy 3 ½-length winner in a final time of 1:44.09 for the 1 1/16 miles. The maiden Majestic Quality closed late to edge out Valadorna for the runner-up spot. Wicked Lick completed the superfecta by passing tired foes and was followed by Shane’s Girlfriend, Untapped, and Gris Gris.
“She’s really versatile, so I just let her have her way,” winning jockey Channing Hill said. “She did everything so well and settled really well on the backside, doing it all on her own. Down the lane I got after her a little bit and she went on with it and did it professionally. This filly is the real deal.”
“The way she’s running she should be one of the top choices (in the Kentucky Oaks), but there are a few more races to go,” said winning trainer, Wayne Catalano. “She was moving pretty good and I was happy when (Hill) said that she settled for him on the backside. Speed is always dangerous and pace makes the races and today was our race.”
“We had a good trip,” jockey Julien Leparoux said of Valadorna, who was placed more forwardly than in her previous two runs. “She traveled good, nice and relaxed and made a move around the second turn pretty easily. When I got to the winner, that one re-broke. No excuses.”
Off 7-2 odds, Farrell paid $9.60, $4.80, and $3.20 for the win. Twenty-three to one shot Majestic Quality returned $15.60 and $5.40, and 3-2 favorite Valadorna returned $2.20 for the show. The $2 exacta paid $128.60, the $1 trifecta returned $162.80, and the $0.10 superfecta was worth $113.56.
By Malibu Moon, and out of the Unbridled’s Song’s mare Rebridled Dreams, Farrell is a homebred for Coffeepot Stables. Her victory today ran her win streak to three, all in stakes. It began back in November with a facile win in the Grade 2 Golden Rod. While this spot was always the target, Farrell was training so well that Catalano entered her in the Silverbulletday Stakes, the prep for the Rachel Alexandra. That audible resulted in another stakes win for the filly. She is now 6: 4-0-1 with total earnings of $361,357.
Farrell will likely go next in the Fair Grounds Oaks on April 1.