In trying to figure out where to begin on reflecting on a race that I hope let no one down I would like to give a special kudos to what I believe was an eclipse award winning radio show broadcast by my longtime friend in the business Felix Taverna on Sunday morning the day after the Preakness.  I have been on this show with Felix for about 15 years full time now and he did the sport about as well as anyone could have done it over the air of XX-1090 A.M. on Race And Sports Radio Sunday morning. I consider myself only blessed to have contributed my piece as it was a blessing for me to be with this years winner Rachel Alexandra all the way as I was stationed at Churchill Downs for the summer of '08 where she started what I believe will be known as perhaps the greatest run of any thoroughbred in the history of our great sport. Honestly speaking, I tried to get my hands on her within a week after she broke her maiden but there is no way that anyone on the planet could have imagined what she would grow up to be and look like a year later. I simply thought at the time that she was a great investment, by no means could I have known that she would be one of the sports all time greatest. However, that is where the key to the story comes in as I personally believe it was the masterful handling and care of her veteran trainer Hal Wiggins that has allowed us all to get to this point with this special filly.  My grandfather always taught me from my first day in the sport; it is the class of the horse, trainer, owner and jockey that will allow greatness.  I can honestly say that 40 years later I now know what he meant and believe that I have now lived the pinnacle of his patented opinion.  Hal Wiggins was on the radio both Saturday and Sunday with us and he exemplifies class in a human being.

I am biased however as it was by pure fate that an usher at Churchill on Oaks day as the fillies were in the paddock being saddled for the 135th running told me -- "a stranger" mind you that this filly couldn’t happen to a nicer man that he and his family knew for all these years thru a local church. Beauty of it is, the usher was nervous for his friend and had no idea that she was a heavy favorite and going to demolish the field.  The monkey is off my back as well now as Hal said he would have no problem comparing Rachel to Ruffian although he was quick to point out that he didn’t have a first hand view of Ruffian on many levels. I think the Bloodhorse blog might have set a record on opinion as to how great Rachel is in comparison to the all time greats of the sport as it was posted on Thursday evening and nearly 95% of the fans thought that she wasn’t in that league yet as they named their all time favorite horses.  Great for the sport!!!!!!  Speaking of class, you won’t see a more textbook example of it then watching Rachel in the days leading up to the Preakness and more importantly on the day of the race itself.  She is definitely one of the classiest horses ever to race as Hal outlined it to the tee over the air on Sunday as my late grandfather Bud Baedeker would have loved to hear.  Her jockey and owner nurtured her class to perfection thus completing the cycle.  The only thing that brought bigger chills to me then the racecall of the Oaks was the racecall of the Preakness which is how the radio show started on Sunday morning.  Felix let all his audience in on this filly way ahead of the industry and I am so thrilled to have been the one to play that role back in November.  As far as the running of the race goes, Rachel had to be great to win as her 1st 1/4 was about 22.2 in real terms over a real deep track that caused the best in the game to sputter by the time they hit the top of the lane chasing her. Just think of that fact alone and take nothing away from the race that Derby winner Mine That Bird ran as he silenced myself and everybody else who thought his victory was a fluke.  I hope he goes on to the Belmont and runs big again.  Musket Man is a real talented and strong colt and he is not to be taken lightly either in the future.

Obviously, for me the biggest disappointment of the Preakness was Pioneerof The Nile but I will use him as another example of perhaps how trying that track really was for the day and why the key to who was best was indeed the 1st 1/4 of the race.  Bottom line, this is exactly what the sport needed and got as its ratings were sky high on T.V. and all who were tuned in got to witness history in a way that makes our sport the greatest on the planet.