Rachel Alexandra wins Preakness

BALTIMORE — Her previous owner refused to enter her in the Preakness Stakes, believing it was unseemly to race a filly against a field of muscular colts.

Then, last week, after her new owners ponied up the $100,000 fee required to get Rachel Alexandra an 11th-hour berth in the second leg of the Triple Crown, a cabal of rival owners tried blocking her entry — loathe to find out what horse racing’s super filly might achieve if admitted to their thoroughbred boy’s club.

But on Saturday, Rachel Alexandra showed them.

After a slight stumble at the start, the 3-year-old with the striking white blaze quickly composed herself, extended her long legs and dug her hooves into the crumbly dirt at Pimlico Race Course and thundered on to become just the fifth filly to win the Preakness and the first in 85 years.

Only Mine That Bird, the come-from-behind 50-to-1 upstart who won the Kentucky Derby, proved remotely her equal. For the second time in as many races, the diminutive gelding mounted a breathtaking charge down the final stretch to close within one length.

For more details, read Sunday's Vindicator or visit Vindy.com.