Rachel Alexandra’s daughter makes debut

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Six years after Rachel Alexandra raised the rafters at Saratoga by beating the boys in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes, her second foal becomes the first one to make it to the races Sunday at Saratoga.

Rachel’s Valentina, by Bernardini, will debut in a six-furlong maiden race that goes as the second on Sunday’s card. Rachel’s Valentina is actually the second foal out of Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year. Jess’s Dream, a 3-year-old colt, is in training but has not run.

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Rachel’s Valentina, trained by Todd Pletcher for Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables, has trained well, although in two of her gate works she has not broken that sharply.

“She’s shown enough quality and class and precocity to win first time out,” Pletcher said. “At the same time, she’s not super quick away from the gate, and the ones that are, you can get a pretty good handle on them winning first time out at short distances. Some of these other ones you know want more ground. It might take a race or two to get there. We’re hoping for a good start and clean trip and something to move her forward on to bigger and better things down the road.”

This race has drawn at least two highly thought of fillies from other barns. Nickname, a daughter of Scat Daddy, has been mentioned by trainer Steve Asmussen as being one of his more precocious 2-year-old fillies. Coincidentally, Asmussen trained Rachel Alexandra for most of her career.

Tale for Ruby, a daughter of Tale of Ekati, has shown speed in morning drills for trainer Barclay Tagg, who already has won with a debuting 2-year-old at the meet.