Rachel Alexandra isn't quite in the field yet for the 134th running of the Preakness, but she does have a plane ticket to Baltimore, and her owners seem to have every expectation that she's going to run.
They announced Saturday that the final decision to put her on the plane will be made in the next few days and that it's not expected until after a workout Sunday or Monday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
It's looking more like there will be a spot for her to run. The Maryland Jockey Club said it expects a field of 13 horses for the 1 3/16 -mile race after Laurel Park-based trainer William Komlo announced that Tone It Down will run.
"We felt this was a once-in-a-lifetime deal," Komlo said. "We are Maryland people and he is a Maryland horse. We feel we have not seen the best of this horse just yet. We have been very patient and he is a nice horse. We don't know if we can compete, but we are willing to try."
Because she wasn't nominated for the Kentucky Derby, Rachel Alexandra, who won the Oaks on May 1 by 20 1/4 lengths, can get into the field at Pimlico Race Course only if fewer than 14 horses are entered and if her owners pay a $100,000 supplementary entry fee.
"We are excited at the prospect of seeing the first four finishers from the Kentucky Derby and the superstar filly in the Preakness," said Tom Chuckas, the Maryland Jockey Club's president and chief operating officer. "We could be looking at one for the ages."
Rachel Alexandra was purchased last week by Jess Jackson of Stonestreet Stables and Harold T. McCormick of L and M Partners LLC. The owners quickly reached a deal with jockey Calvin Borel to ride her for the rest of the season, meaning Borel would be the first jockey in the history of the Triple Crown to win the Kentucky Derby and then ride a different horse in the Preakness.
Ten horses are confirmed for the race so far. Friesan Fire and Pioneerof the Nile are still likely to run in the Preakness, but not 100 percent confirmed. Friesan Fire was injured early in the Derby when his feet got tangled, and he labored to a 18th-place finish. Pioneerof the Nile ran well and finished second.
Both are expected to be on the same plane as Rachel Alexandra.
