Finite extended her win streak to five races while handing juvenile champion British Idiom her first career defeat with a dazzling victory in Saturday’s $294,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds.
Three wide much of the way, Finite rated in third early as longshot His Glory carved out fractions of :24.20 and :47.92. The daughter of Munnings bid for the lead approaching the quarter pole, quickly seized control in upper stretch, and opened up convincingly to register a 4 3/4-length win under Ricardo Santana Jr. in a time of 1:43.97 for 1 1/16 miles over a fast track. The second choice in a field of seven, Finite paid $7.40.
“She’s a tremendous filly, we’re really proud of her,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains the chestnut for breeder Ron Winchell, Thomas Reiman, William Dickson, and Deborah Easter.
British Idiom, making her first start since a narrow, championship-clinching victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Santa Anita in November, rallied for second, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Swiss Skydiver, who edged Tempers Rising for third by a head. The order of finish was rounded out by Impeccable Style, His Glory, and Ursula.
As part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks series, the Rachel Alexandra awarded qualifying points of 50-20-10-5 to the top four finishers. Finite is safely in with a cumulative 70 points, while British Idiom has now racked up 50 points. Swiss Skydiver has 10, while Tempers Rising has seven.
One of the few fillies currently nominated to the Triple Crown, Finite finished second in her first two starts at Saratoga, but has been unstoppable since. A maiden graduate on the turf at Kentucky Downs by more than four lengths, Finite easily transferred that form back to dirt when taking the Rags to Riches S. at Churchill Downs by six lengths. Her most recent tallies were seemingly harder, a three-quarters-of-a-length score in the Golden Rod (G2) and a neck decision last month in the Silverbulletday S.
“The other race put us in this position,” said Asmussen, referring to the hard-fought Silverbulletday win.
Next month’s Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) is next on Finite’s agenda as she looks to follow in the steps of previous Winchell/Asmussen fillies Summerly and Untapable, who took both that race and the Kentucky Oaks.
“We’re locked in with what we’re hoping to do with her,” Asmussen said.
Bred by Winchell in Kentucky, Finite is out of multiple stakes winner Remit, a Tapit full sister to multiple Grade 2 winner Tapiture, Grade 3 scorer Rotation, and stakes winner Retap. Remit has also reared Grade 2-placed stakes winner Reride.
