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Rachel Alexandra vs. Ruffian for racing’s best filly?
Here is an exerpt from an article on RA vs. Ruffian.
Ruffian provided the racing world a standard for all fillies to match with 10 consecutive victories until breaking down in the famed match race vs. Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure. She broke or equaled numerous track records, and is still widely considered the fastest filly ever.
Where does Rachel Alexandra fit on this list? It’s way too early to compare her to Ruffian, but the Preakness winner easily belongs with the other four and has a chance to be number two by year’s end.
I think a race between these two would be my dream race. Who do you think is better?
Considering that I watched Ruffian’s ill fated match race and the tragic events that followed it when I was just eleven years old, I still feel that she was by far the best of the two, and one of the best of her generation. I only wish that her OWNERS had displayed some COMMON SENSE, and had allowed her to retire and be a mom instead of running her in that stupid match race. Ruffian DIDN’T NEED TO RUN- she’d already won everything that she needed to. But her owners bowed to public pressure and allowed their desire for fame and glory ( not to mention money, as the purse for that match was well over a million dollars- a fortune in today’s terms) to override their better judgement and common sense- and it cost Ruffian HER LIFE. If they had chosen to retire her when they should have, we would ALL now be enjoying watching her grandchildren and great grandchildren run today, instead of remembering and dreaming about what might have been. I will always fault the Janeys for their poor judgement, even more than I do her trainer, Whiteley. Frank Whiteley was a BROKEN MAN after Ruffian died- he never knew peace again. I shudder when I think that it wouldn’t take much for Steve Asmussen to end up getting the same kind of treatment- and he WILL if anything happens to Rachel A, you can bet on THAT. People blamed Whiteley for Ruffian’s death, and both his career and professional reputation suffered- and so did the personal and professional reputations of everyone else who was connected to that filly in any way. Ruffian’s groom, Dan Williams, paid the ULTIMATE PRICE- he drank himself to DEATH over her, or so the reports I have read have indicated. Should anything happen to Rachel A, we will undoubtedly see history repeat itself- and another group of people will pay a terrible price for something which could and should be prevented in the first place.
Rachel A is a brilliant filly, no doubt- and she gives me the chills at times, because her story paralells Ruffian’s in a lot of ways. She’s now owned by Jess Jackson, who is one of the co-founders of the Kendall-Jackson winery, and he is a LOT like the Janeys, who owned Ruffian. Like the Janeys, money is no object for this man- although he greatly enjoys winning more of it, in whatever way he can. To him, Rachel A is a commodity and an investment- I doubt he even sees her as a living creature. Jackson chose to run Rachel A in the Preakness because he thought it would be good for the sport and for the public- never mind whether or not it would be good for his horse, or even fair to her. Luckly, she won- although not easily. Another two strides, and Mine That Bird would have caught her and passed her- she was struggling at the end of the race. That’s what makes me doubt that she can really win a longer race, such as one which is the length of the Belmont. Jackson is probably aware of this too, and wisely decided not to enter the filly in the Belmont. It was a good choice- and it’s worth remembering that the filly’s original owners NEVER INTENDED to race her against the colts- that’s why she was never even nominated for any of the Triple Crown events. No, I don’t think that Rachel A is even close to being the filly that Ruffian was- even though I get a sense of deja vu every time I see her race or hear about her. I only hope that she manages to LIVE LONG ENOUGH to become a broodmare. If she does, then we will get to enjoy her offspring. If not, then maybe whatever happens to her will finally be enough to get the powers that be to wake up and smell the coffee where the sport of racing is concerned, and we’ll finally start to see some REAL REFORMS being made.
That’s just my thinking on this…and before you start with the thumbs down or the abuse reports, remember that I have a right to my beliefs. Racing is a money racket, and it always has been- but in recent years, it’s gone from a relatively innocent pasttime to one of the most BLOODTHIRSTY sports in existence. I’m TIRED, and SICK TO DEATH, of watching good or great horses run themselves into the ground and DIE, so that people can be entertained for a few minutes every spring. I love racing- don’t get me wrong- but enough is enough. For all their talk about how they’ve certified the tracks and banned certain drugs, the powers that be who run this sport STILL WILL NOT FACE REALITY and admit the truth, which is that these animals are just TOO YOUNG to be doing what is demanded of them. Until they FINALLY get around to doing this ( if indeed they ever will, which is doubtful), we will keep seeing repeats of the Ruffian, Barbaro, Pine Island, Go For Wand, Union City, Prarie Bayou, Charismatic, Eight Belles, and the other NUMEROUS TRAGEDIES again and again. It wouldn’t take much to stop these horrendous tragedies- just the application of some common sense, and a recognition of the fact that the horses need a chance to GROW UP and mature before they are raced. Ruffian was a victim of this kind of thinking- and so were all the other horses which have died in preventable accidents over the last 30 plus years. I remember reading an article once some years ago, which asked whether or not Ruffian died in vain. I think she DID, because racing hasn’t changed much, if at all, since her death. Yes, there have been advances in medical technology, and we can sometimes save horses now, but it’s not enough. Greed is still the driving force behind racing- and as long as that’s true, horses are going to continue breaking down and dying at far too young an age.
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