Rachel Alexandra full sister, Samantha Nicole, wins at Belmont Park

It seems like just yesterday that Rachel Alexandra scorched the earth one early summer afternoon at Belmont Park. The occasion was the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes, and the specifics of the performance included a 19 ¼-length winning margin, and a final time of 1:46.33 for nine furlongs. All this while under wraps late, in what was her first appearance removed from becoming the first female to win the Preakness in nearly a century. Today may not have been the anniversary of her Mother Goose tour de force, but it was only 24 hours shy of six years to the day when Rachel made a lasting impression in what would be her only lifetime start at Big Sandy. So the timing of today’s game and gritty win by her full sister, Samantha Nicole, in her first start at Belmont, seemed quite appropriate.

Samantha Nicole (Medaglia d’Oro -- Lotta Kim, by Roar) is getting better with every start. Now a four-year-old, the $700,000 Keeneland yearling purchase won for the second time in her last three starts with a hard fought victory in the featured eighth race today at Belmont. The $77,000 allowance race was her second try against winners since impressively breaking her maiden at Keeneland in April. In between, she finished a rallying third in an allowance race at Pimlico on Preakness weekend.

Just like her famous big sister, Samantha Nicole is owned by Stonestreet Stables and was bred by Dolphus Morrison of Kentucky. Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, she went off as the 4-1 second choice in the field of seven today. Under Irad Ortiz, Jr., Samantha Nicole made an outside move on the far turn to loom a threatening presence as the allowance fillies hit the stretch. The bay filly took forged to the lead near the eighth pole, before doggedly turning back a strong challenge from the third choice, Equilateral.

On the wire, Samantha Nicole was a neck best (see video) in a final time of 1:44.54 for the 8 ½ furlongs. The victory raised the attractive filly to 6-2-1-1, with earnings of $99,270. We know she can never live up to the Hall of Fame credentials of her older sister, but today’s victory was further proof that Samantha Nicole is happily on the right track to becoming a very nice racehorse in her own right.

And just for fun, let’s take a look back at Rachel’s win in the Mother Goose over a tiny field, but one that included two graded stakes winners, beside the electrifying winner ...