Derby Never an Option for 'Rachel'

In the opinion of her breeder and co-owner, Dolphus Morrison, Kentucky Oaks morning-line favorite Rachel Alexandra "could have been competitive" in the Run for the Roses, but he said he "didn't have a fleeting thought" of running her against the boys.

“I thought it was dumb to come right behind Eight Belles with something that possibly could cause that kind of problem,” Morrison said. “Poor old Larry Jones, bless his heart. Everybody was critical of what he did, but Larry did exactly what a smart horsemen would have done. He had an Oaks and a Derby horse in the hand, and he would have been stupid not to have done what he did. He still won the Oaks with Proud Spell, and Eight Belles had the physical (attributes) to compete in the Derby, which she did. One bad step got her.”