Gurrl Power: Rachel Alexandra Wins Preakness, Draws Eerie Similarities to Brangelina Fiasco

The 134th running of the Preakness Stakes took place today amidst a hub-bub of drama and controversy. For those who don’t know, the Preakness marks the second leg of the coveted Triple Crown of horse racing (Kentucky Derby being the first, and Belmont Stakes the third). The likelihood of winning the Triple Crown (victories in all three races) is very minimal; 1978 being the last time it happened. The winner of the KD this year was a 50-1 longshot named ‘Mine That Bird’ who was ridden by former Derby champ Calvin Borel. Normally, the jockey and horse who win the KD would stick together for the Preakness so that they have a chance to win the Triple Crown. For the first time ever, this was not the case.

Prior to the KD, ‘Mine That Bird’s’ jockey had been the rider on a filly named ‘Rachel Alexandra,’ who was hella-fast and impossible to beat. Borel decided to forgo riding ‘Bird’ in the Preakness so that he could ride ‘Alexandra,’ who did not race in the KD. So why didn’t ‘Rachel Alexandra’ run in the Derby? Easy, cause she’s a girl. Horses who traditionally run for the Triple Crown are colts (male) around three years old. Only rarely do fillies run in major horse races against the colts. ‘Nellie Morse’ was a filly who won the KD back in 1924, the last time it was accomplished, and only 10 other fillies have tried since. The gender segregation is pretty ridiculous considering that most all European horse races mix genders. At the same time, I’m forced to recognize our very human customs of gender segregation in professional sports.

Calvin Borel

There are no rules prohibiting fillies from being entered in the Preakness, only tradition and short-sightedness. The owner of Rachel Alexandra chose not to enter her in the KD because of such tradition. He then sold her (reportedly for up to $10 million) to a new owner who took the opportunity to enter her in the Preakness. Seemingly, Borel was faced with the dilemma of selecting which horse to race. Apparently it was an easy decision ... Earlier today Calvin Borel rode ‘Rachel Alexandra’ to the Preakness Stakes championship, just edging out ‘Mine That Bird,’ the colt he rode to win the Derby.

The controversy surrounding Calvin Borel is not unlike when Brad Pitt dumped Jennifer Aniston for Angelina Jolie. Consider the following parallels:

Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt [former KD champ, Calvin Borel] hits the lottery and is paired up with an unlikely but talented girl-next-door actress, Jennifer Aniston [Mine That Bird] who is just coming off ‘Friends’ [a victory at the KD]. The stallion [Pitt, Borel] seems to have everything going for him until Angelina Jolie [Rachel Alexandra] suddenly becomes available. It soon turns out to be pretty obvious that Borel [Pitt] was riding that filly [Jolie] throughout the entire filming of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Pitt [Borel] dumps Aniston [Mine That Bird] in favor of Jolie [Rachel Alexandra] and now everyone is adopting babies from Africa.





Freakish similarities.

Finally, I’m happy that ‘Rachel Alexandra’ won the Preakness rather than Danica Patrick winning the Indy 500. Not because I don’t think Patrick can do it. I simply feel that Rachel Alexandra is probably a better role model.