I remember handicapping a race earlier in the Saratoga meet in which Persistently was the morning line favorite. I was unimpressed with her form, but the Phipps filly was under the care of one of the best trainers in the nation, Shug McGaughey. Perhaps his tutelage is the reason she won that race and then returned to win the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes over champion filly Rachel Alexandra on Sunday.
Persistently is out of the Phipps mare Just Reward who won once from three starts and finished second twice while earning $43,000. Just Reward is a daughter of Grade 1 winner Deputy Minister. Her sire, Smoke Glacken, was a Grade 1 winner who won 10 of 14 starts and finished off the board just once.
She certainly lived up her to prestigious breeding by winning this race. The Alan Garcia piloted filly benefited greatly from Life At Ten dueling Rachel Alexandra through swift fractions. Trainer Shug McGaughey also campaigned the undefeated namesake of the race.
It appeared as if Rachel Alexandra hit a wall in the last furlong. It seems pretty clear she doesn’t want to go the classic distance. I’m a huge of the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, but I have to wonder if serious changes are coming. If I owned or trained her I’d be aiming for the Ladies Classic rather than the Breeders Cup Classic. As much as I didn’t want to believe it until today, she probably isn’t capable of taking down the boys like she did three times last year.
Regardless of what the future holds for her, the past has cemented Rachel Alexandra as a legend. Nothing can change that.
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