Old Fashioned, Rachel Alexandra exercise at Oaklawn

Rachel Alexandra put in her final move for the Fair Grounds Oaks (Coady Photography)

OLD FASHIONED (Unbridled’s Song) and RACHEL ALEXANDRA (Medaglia d’Oro),
leading candidates for the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1),
respectively, took their turns around the Oaklawn Park oval Sunday morning for
their final moves prior to upcoming stakes engagements on Saturday. Under an
ominous sky, Rachel Alexandra was the first to hit the fast dirt surface for her
final breeze before her trip to New Orleans for the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2).

Rachel Alexandra had just stepped onto the track with regular rider Calvin
Borel when excitement began to stir. One of trainer Allen Milligan’s exercise
riders was thrown from his mount, which led to a 10-minute delay before the
track reopened. Rachel Alexandra waited things out in the paddock with trainer
Hal Wiggins’ son Lon. After the track reopened it was all business for the Grade
2-winning filly who kicked off her three-year-old campaign with a dominating
eight-length score in the February 15 Martha Washington S.

Setting out for her half-mile breeze, she clocked off the first quarter in :25
3/5, three-eighths in :37 2/5, and her final time was :49 1/5. She galloped out
an easy five-eighths in 1:01 2/5.

Wiggins was pleased with his barn star’s work
before her next start.

Old Fashioned battled through having dirt thrown in his face (Coady Photography)

An hour later, Old Fashioned made his appearance known on the track. After the
training break, the gray colt with jockey Terry Thompson aboard and trainer
Larry Jones on barn pony Rascal, made their way onto the track. After warming
up, Old Fashioned broke at the five-eighths pole and never looked back. During
the work Old Fashioned encountered some unexpected traffic, but bullet worked
nonetheless.

The first quarter was timed in an easy :23 1/5, the three-eighths in :35 3/5,
the half-mile in :47 1/5, and Old Fashioned finally stopping the clock in :59. Thompson galloped him out six furlongs in 1:12.

“He did well, we had some unexpected company along the way, but Terry did
good handling that, and Old Fashioned worked well,” Jones said. “It was easy for
him, he trains so easily, he is his own horse. He doesn’t have to train real
hard, and he just does everything easy.”

Undefeated in four starts, Old Fashioned concluded his juvenile campaign with
a 7 1/4-length victory in the Remsen S. (G2) at Aqueduct. He kicked off his
sophomore campaign with a 3 1/4-length decision in the Southwest S. (G3) on
February 16.

Old Fashioned figures to be an overwhelming favorite in the Rebel S. (G3) on
Saturday over 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn.