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Public gets chance to see Rachel Alexandra on Friday

Thu 22nd, July 2010

Oceanport, NJ (Sports Network) - Thoroughbred racing fans should be able to get an up-close look Friday afternoon at 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra at Monmouth Park. The four-year-old filly will be in the track's paddock in preparation for her Saturday start.

"She'll gallop at 5:45 tomorrow morning," assistant trainer Scott Blasi said Thursday. "We plan to school her in the paddock in the third race."

Rachel Alexandra arrived Tuesday morning at the New Jersey shore track from Saratoga for Saturday's $400,000 Lady's Secret Stakes. She had a final workout for the 1 1/8-mile race on Monday morning at Saratoga and was getting reacquainted with Monmouth Thursday morning.

"Rachel stood in the gate for a while and then had a nice, easy gallop," Blasi said. "She's really doing well. She was full of energy this morning."

Winner of Monmouth's Haskell Invitational in 2009, Rachel will school in the track's paddock during the Friday racing program. The field for the third race will be in the paddock at approximately 2:35 p.m. (et) and the race will go off around 3:05.

The Lady's Secret Stakes will have a field of seven fillies and mares.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Rachel Alexandra will again be ridden by Calvin Borel and is a prohibitive 1-9 morning-line favorite. The filly began 2010 with two straight second-place finishes, then clobbered her foes by 10 1/2- lengths on June 12 in the Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs.

Lightly raced Queen Martha is the 8-1 second choice for the Lady's Secret. The four-year-old filly has only six career starts, five of them in England. In her lone race in the U.S., she was second in an allowance race at Monmouth.

"I think we are running for second," said Queen Martha's trainer Patrick Biancone. "But second would be good."

Owned by Robert Trussell, the filly will break from post two with local jockey Joe Bravo riding.