Someone mentioned Serena's Song being better than Rachel Alexandra at this stage of her career

Serena's Song?!?! You have GOT to be kidding me about her being in the same league as Rachel Alexandra. I've got her PP's right here. You should really get yourself a copy of the book "Champions: The Lives, Times, and Past Performances of the 20th Century's Greatest Thoroughbreds" from the DRF Press - it's invaluable.

Let's just touch the highlights.

Her biggest accomplishment at 2 was finishing 2nd in the BC Juv. to an injured Flanders. Remember Flanders was the stable star and Serena's Song was the second stringer. In 5 career starts Flanders was undefeated, and that includes 4 Grade 1 races. It took Serena 3 tries to break her maiden.

At 3, she ran 13 times with 9 wins. Serena won the Beam against a week bunch, then finished 16th in the Derby. After that she beat a bunch of nobodies in the Black Eyed Susan. She beat the boys again in the Haskell, finishing 3/4 of a length in front of Pyramid Peak - a horse not even good enough to make this 422 page book. In the BC Distaff she was 5th - beaten 16-3/4 lengths by Inside Information, Heavenly Prize, Lakeway and one other horse who's name I don't have since these are running lines not charts. The comment line reads "tired badly." Other than Inside Information, do you even remember and of these? Serena's sucess was in part due to smart placement by Lukas. He knew who to avoid most of the year.

At 4, she ran 13 times and only won 3. In her 2 tries against the boys she finished 7th in the Big 'Cap and 3rd in the Iselin behind Smart Strike and Eltish. Her wins were in the Santa Maria over Twice The Vice (who later soundly beat her in the Apple Blossum - Serena finished 3rd there), the Pimlico Distaff over a bunch of nobodies, and the Hempstead, beating Shoop by 3-3/4 lengths.

In her entire 38 race career she had 18 wins - 2 against males.

Don't get me wrong, I was definitely a fan of hers. But you can do better than Serena's Song to compare with. Try Lady's Secret, Xtra Heat, or Personal Ensign. Or maybe Go For Wand, Bayakoa, Paseana, Silverbulletday... I could go on and on.

Yea Deo that was me and I still stand by the comparison. I wish I could find the link from the old board where I had SS's pp's as compared to her rivals from that Derby. You say, Lukas spotted her wisely, I remember him running her in many events where she didn't belong but bassed on her classiness acquitted herself well. I doubt Rachel would fare any better against those that she faced.
You mention her loss to Pyramid Peak as if it a sign of her weakness. Cigar lost to Dare & Go, I believe Secretariat lost to a couple of horses who didn't make that book of yours either but it doesn't detract from their greatness does it?
She took 3 tries to break her maiden, her 2nd lifetime start was a Stakes where she finished 4th, She went head to head from the 12 post against the champion 2yo filly in the BC Juvenile, Tejano Run & Mecke seem like stiffer competition than anything Rachels' faced to this point in her career.
I'm not saying Rachel's a bad horse, I don't agreee with the assessment she's a "super" filly. Hell, with a cleaner trip MTB wins the Preakness, there can be no arguing that. Other than MTB & Musket Man, another horse that's been under appreciated I think it'll shake out that this crop of 3yo's maybe just as weak as last years.


http://community.drf.com/files/derby-1995.pdf