THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will not run in the Belmont Stakes, opening the way for jockey Calvin Borel to return to Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, Canada’s horse of the year in 2008, in his quest for a personal Triple Crown.
Jess Jackson, Rachel Alexandra’s co-owner, said Friday the spectacular filly "deserves a well-earned vacation."
Rachel Alexandra, the first filly to win the Preakness in 85 years, had been set to work out Monday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and no announcement was expected until after that.
However, Jackson explained she simply needed a rest after winning four graded stakes races since March 14, including a dominating victory in the Kentucky Oaks.
"We know the media and many fans would have liked to see her run in the Belmont Stakes — we feel the same," Jackson said in a statement. "But all of us sincerely interested in the horse must agree that we only want to see her run when it is best for her.
"While she is in great shape, having strong works, and recovering well from her amazing performances, we feel Rachel deserves a well-earned vacation."
Borel was the mount for both Mine That Bird in the Derby and Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness and Oaks.
He was set to ride her again in the Belmont, but Mine That Bird trainer Chip Woolley had said he was prepared to wait, even into next week, if there was a chance Borel could become available again.
"We hate she’s not going to be in there for horse racing, but at the same time it’s maybe better for me," Woolley said Friday in a phone interview. "It was a very strange year where you had two great horses and the same guy riding both of them."
Borel was already planning to be aboard Mine That Bird on Monday at Churchill for his final workout before shipping to New York for the Belmont.
"We’re gonna get the job done," Borel said during a news conference at Churchill Downs.
He said Mine That Bird "worked really good the other morning. I was very happy with his work. I worked him real easy and he was bouncin’. He was a happy camper. That’s all you want."
The jockey said he thinks Jackson made the right call with Rachel Alexandra.
"I think Mr. Jackson is all about the horse, not the races," he said. "It’s not the money. It’s his horse."
There was no immediate indication from Jackson on when or where Rachel Alexandra might race next, but he has said he would consider running her in the Mother Goose Stakes for fillies on June 27 at Belmont Park.
Borel, who had won the Derby two years earlier aboard Street Sense, repeated the feat with Mine That Bird, even though at 50-1 he was one of the biggest longshots ever to win the most famous American horse race.
The horse nearly pulled off another upset in the Preakness with new jockey Mike Smith aboard, finishing second to Borel and Rachel Alexandra.
Among the possible challengers to Mine That Bird in the third leg of the Triple Crown are his half-brother Summer Bird, as well as Chocolate Candy, Dunkirk, Flying Private, Brave Victory, Charitable Man, Luv Gov, Miner’s Escape, Mr. Hot Stuff and Nowhere To Hide.