Rachel Alexandra displays positive signs at Rood and Riddle

Rachel Alexandra is still displaying positive signs, such as a good appetite, as the 2009 Horse of the Year continues her recovery from abdominal surgery for foaling complications performed last month at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky.

Owner Stonestreet Farm issued a release Monday stating that an abscess that developed adjacent to the mare's reproductive tract and rectum, which was drained via a standing surgical procedure on March 7, continues to respond well to treatment.

According to the release, Rachel Alexandra is exhibiting an improved appetite, and Rood and Riddle doctors have noticed a more “feisty” behavior during her routine walks over the past several days.

Rachel Alexandra began showing signs of distress on the afternoon of Feb. 13 after delivering a Bernardini filly, her second foal, early on Feb. 12 at Stonestreet in Lexington. The 7-year-old Medaglia d'Oro mare was rushed to Rood and Riddle, where exploratory abdominal surgery revealed a damaged area in the mare's small colon, injured during foaling, which led to a bacterial infection.

Surgeons removed the damaged section of the small colon and successfully reattached the two remaining ends. In the ensuing month, the mare has made steady progress, although she remains under close observation.