I know I've talked about the Kentucky Derby here, but that's only one of three races in the Triple Crown. The second race is the Preakness, and it's run in Baltimore.
Now the Derby was won by a long shot, a good horse that no one had ever heard of, named Mine that Bird. Bird ran in the Preakness, and finished respectably, but he didn't win. In fact, his jockey jumped ship before the race to try a horse called Rachel Alexandra.
Rachel Alexandra is probably the best horse you've never heard of. Before the Preakness, she'd only run against other fillies, but she was always winning- she was, simply, bigger, stronger, and faster than the competition. The new owners thought the three-year-old filly would do well against the boys, and ponied up $100,000 to enter her in the Preakness. The bookies gave her 9-5 odds.
She delivered.
She took a lead right out of the gate, and she never gave it up. Two other horses, including Mine that Bird, came within a length, but never really had a chance to overtake her. Sometimes, it can be boring to watch one athlete dominate a race, but this wasn't one of those times. Rachel Alexandra just showed that she's one tough girl.
And she did it in Balitmore, my hometown!
