Ups And Downs

Up- Rachel Alexandra returned to the racetrack for a foggy morning workout at Saratoga this morning. The 2009 Horse Of The Year covered six furlongs on the Oklahoma Training Track in 1:12.45. For the record, she galloped out seven furlongs in 1:25.80, which is moving by any definition of the word. The workout is continued fine-tuning for her return to the races after her most recent victory at Churchill Downs. She is expected to be present in the gate for the $400,000 Lady's Secret at Monmouth Park on July 24.

Other ups from the weekend included Gio Ponti, who showed the tenacity of a champion in winning the Grade 1 Man O' War on Saturday afternoon. He just got past the stubborn 53-1 shot, Mission Approved, in the shadow of the wire. Also, how about Awesome Gem scoring a win over Rail Trip in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup? It seems that every so often Awesome Gem is awesome. If you are lucky enough to pick the right day when he is, more power to you.

Down- Drosselmeyer, winner of the 2010 Belmont Stakes, is likely to be returned to WinStar Farm in Kentucky from his current base of Saratoga by trainer Bill Mott. Drosselmeyer has apparently been dealing with some ankle issues that have caused him to be taken entirely out of training. It is now entirely possible that Drosselmeyer might miss the remainder of his three-year-old campaign, which has featured ups and downs itself. WinStar tried to get Drosselmeyer eligible for the Derby, but he never could get enough graded earnings to qualify, which required the five-week wait for the Belmont. However, I think that turned out OK.

Tune in tomorrow for more from They Are Off. For right now, I am Gone... GOODBYE!