Summer Bird went out for another run this past weekend and wasn’t really pushed at all with Kent Desormeaux piloting him to a 1:02.37 five furlongs. Bird had been clocked at 59.99 earlier over five furlongs and that was apparently a bit fast for for Ice, whom ESPN quoted as saying “WE just wanted to slow him down… Today was more getting him to relax and let him finish.”

Quality Road has been training in Elmont as well and looks set to take a spot in the race, which should feature a total of six horses. This will be Summer Bird’s first go at older colts and we’ll see if he can match up against Woodward runner-up Macho Again- who put in a hell of a late charge against Rachel Alexandra.

Macho Again is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and is a really quality runner.

Rachel Alexandra has been installed as the 1/2 favourite to pull off a historic victory against the older colts in the 2009 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga. This truly is a filly for the ages and she’s brought a mainstream media spotlight to the racing world that we haven’t seen in a long time. Confidence in Rachel is high, and some are already predicting a victory by a two digit margin. I think that might be a little ambitious, but I firmly agree that Rachel is a solid price at 1/2.

I expect her price at the off to be even shorter, especially if we get any scratches from the quality competition lining up alongside her. Another big factor is the wicked fractions that Rachel is putting in during training at Saratoga. They aren’t pushing her very hard this week, but her numbers in the two previous weeks have been very very impressive.

Steve Asmussen commented that Rachel is a bit of a red carpet horse and is thoroughly enjoying the limelight and attention she’s receiving from fans. Calvin Borel has been confirmed for the ride.

As it currently stands, there is a seven horse field for this race and Rachel will be looking for her fifth consecutive Grade 1 victory. One of the standouts is It’s a Bird (10/1), who many would mistake for another high-profile offspring of Birdstone, but he’s actually a son of Birdonawire.  He finished a disappointing 7th in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap at Belmont but has managed to pull off three victories from 6 so far this year when he struck in the OBS Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream as well as the Lone Star Park Handicap (Grade 3) and the Oaklawn Handicap (Grade 2).

Bulls Bay (6/1) is an interesting proposition and he’ll have Jeremy Rose on top for this run. He’s had some success at Saratoga so far this year and he struck in the $750,000 Whitney Handicap on August 8th. He also took the Alysheba Stakes (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs. He only has one victory to his name when he steps up to the highest Grade so I get the feeling this one may be a bit beyond him. He could make an appearance on the bottom end of your exotics.

Macho Again (8/1) is a gorgeous grey 4 year-old who finished second in the Whitney at Saratoga. He pulled off a very big upset when he bested Einstein and Asiatic Boy in the $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill back in mid-June. He’s last year’s Jim Dandy winner and, when he gets a good start and the conditions suit him, he’s a force to be reckoned with. I’m not sure if I see him playing spoiler but he will be a part of your superfectas. He was also runner up in last year’s Preakness.

Asiatic Boy (10/1) comes out of the Al Maktoum system and boasts American and Argentinian roots. This six year-old has a lifetime earnings of nearly $2,500,000 so he’s certainly nothing to sneeze at. My big issue is that he’s been without a win since he won on what is effectively his home turf- Nad Al Sheba in Dubai. He triumphed in the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge where he bested a field of 16. His runs on American soil haven’t been so hot and he’s got 2 second place finishes so far this season, runner up in both the Suburban and the Stephen Foster. He’s a classy veteran, who’s raced on three continents, but I don’t think he has the quality to stand up to the young and ambitious Rachel Alexandra.

Past the Point (15/1) will have Edgar Prado piloting but looks a long-shot in this field. This horse is still winless, but has run against some of the best including Curlin and Going Ballistic. I don’t see it happening for Past the Point, despite a talented rider.

The last mention goes to a coupling of Da’Tara (12/1) and Cool Coal Man (12/1), both out of Nick Zito’s system. Cool Coal Man is another quality horse who doens’t seem to win very often and his last victory came in February 2008 when he scored in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream with Kent Desmoreaux on top. He finished third in last year’s Haskell to Big Brown but has not had a 2009 to write home about with his best results being the runner-up slot in the Grade 3 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct and the Grade 3 Alysheba Stakes where he lost out to Bullsbay.

Da’Tara is the better entry, for my cash anyways, and his sole victory was last year’s Belmont Stakes when he had Alan Garcia aboard for an impressive ride. This will be his first run of the 2009 season and without the practice against quality opposition, I think it will take a lot for Da’Tara to get a result.

My early selection is Rachel Alexandra with exactas using It’s a Bird, Bulls Bay and Macho Again on the bottom end. I see these four making up the superfecta but you may want to sub in Asiatic Boy in that 4th slot in place of It’s a Bird.