Rachel Alexandra is truly a rare talent. If you are able to access videos of her past few races on www.thoroughbreddailynews.com or elsewhere, I certainly urge you to. She has natural speed, which enables her to simply glide to the lead of races, and her powerful stride simply allows her to effortlessly draw away from her competition. Her outrageous physique and ability to dominate her opposition certainly brings her in comparison to another great filly...dare I say it...Ruffian.
Where does this outstanding ability come from? Here is her pedigree, which I will discuss below--
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Northern Dancer (Y) |
Native Dancer (X) |
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Sadlers Wells |
Hail to Reason (Y)--Turn-to (Y) |
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Bold Reason |
Lalun...Bimelech (X) |
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El Prado |
Turn-to (Y)...Lavendula (X) |
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Sir Gaylord (Y) |
Somethingroyal--Imperatrice (X) |
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Sword Dancer |
Highland Miss |
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Damascus |
My Babu...Lavendula (X) |
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Royal Vale |
Cora Deans...Buchan (X) |
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Court Circuit |
Cyclotron...Buchan (X) |
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Cappucino Bay |
Princequillo |
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Silent Screen |
Better Self...Bimelech (Y) / War Admiral (X) |
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Prayer Bell |
Sunday Evening (X)--Eight Thirty (X) |
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Society Singer |
Ribot (X)...Buchan (X) Eight Thirty (X) |
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Social Position |
Royal Society--Sunday Evening (X) | |
| RACHEL ALEXANDRA |
Native Dancer (Y) |
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Raise a Native (Y) |
Raise You |
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Forty Niner |
Ribot (Y)...Buchan (X) |
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Tom Rolfe |
Pocahontas (Y)...Buchan (XX) |
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Continue |
Courtesy...Buchan (X) |
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Northern Dancer (X) |
Native Dancer (X) |
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Wild Applause |
Ribot (Y)...Buchan (X) |
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Glowing Tribute |
Hail to Reason (X)--Turn-to (Y) |
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Admiring |
Searching--War Admiral (X) |
| Lotta Kim |
Turn-to (Y)...Lavendula (X) |
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Hail to Reason (Y) |
Nothirdchance |
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Stop the Music |
Tom Fool (X) |
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Cure the Blues |
Rough n Tumble |
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Dr. Fager |
Aspidistra...Bimelech (Y) / War Admiral (X) |
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Quick Cure |
Bold Ruler (X) |
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Speedwell |
Imperatrice (X) |
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Sir Gaylord (Y) |
Somethingroyal--Imperatrice (X) |
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Lord Gaylord |
Ambiorix--Lavendula (Y) |
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Miss Glamour Gal |
Wild Music |
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Early Decision |
Bold Ruler (Y) |
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Chieftain |
Pocahontas (Y)...Buchan (XX) |
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Biscayne Missy |
Raise a Native (X) |
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Native Go Go |
Ro Dear...Bimelech (X)
War Relic / Speed Boat | |
This base of this pedigree starts with the full-siblings War Relic and Speed Boat combined in the lineage of Ellens Best, dam of Ro Dear. We move forward to the pedigree of Kims Blues (2nd dam of Rachel Alexandra), which shows balanced inbreeding to Bold Ruler and 2 crosses of Turn-to via Hail to Reason and Sir Gaylord.
Lotta Kim (dam of Rachel Alexandra) picks up balanced inbreeding to Raise a Native as well as 2 crosses of the important mare Pocahontas (dam of Tom Rolfe and Chieftain).
When Medaglia D oro and Lotta Kim are crossed, we see balanced inbreeding to Northern Dancer, balanced inbreeding to Native Dancer, 2 daughters of Tom Fool, 2 sons of Sir Gaylord, 3 crosses of Hail to Reason (xyy), 3 crosses of Ribot (xyy), and 4 crosses of the important stallion Bimelech (xxyy), a son of La Troienne. As Sir Gaylord and Hail to Reason are both sons of Turn-to, that gives Rachel Alexandra 5 total crosses of Turn-to, all through sons.
Furthermore, I wrote an entire chapter in THE AMERICAN THOROUGHBRED about how well the closely related stallions War Admiral (xxx) and Eight Thirty (xx) cross with Hail to Reason (xyy). This is certainly another successful pedigree that fits that pattern. Also, take note of 10 (!) crosses of Buchan that Rachel Alexandra carries in her pedigree, he being ideal to cross with Hail to Reason as part of the Maid of the Mist trio of stallions (Buchan, St. Germans, and Craig an Eran).
If that were not enough, Turn-to (5 crosses) is also from the immediate Lavendula family as My Babu (x) and Ambiorix (x), both of which are present here. Cure the Blues and Sir Gaylord (yy) are both from the same Imperatrice family as Secretariat.
--Ed Anthony (4/6/09)