Promising Hoosier Philly Returns in Rachel Alexandra

After a perfect freshman campaign punctuated by her trainer Tom Amoss stating this is the most promising horse he has ever trained, Hoosier Philly 's time to shine has come. She is set to make her much anticipated 3-year-old debut Feb. 18 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in $300,000 Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2).

Gold Standard Racing Stable's Hoosier Philly, the ownership group's first and only racehorse to date, was entered to face a field of five rivals, including Selective's Chop Chop , the runner-up in both the locally run Silverbulletday Stakes, and the Alcibiades Stakes (G1).

The Rachel Alexandra was carded as the 12th of 13 races on the Louisiana Derby Preview Day card with a post time of 5:41 p.m. CT. Saturday's program also features the $400,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2). Both races for 3-year-olds are the first U.S. preps to offer 50-20-15-10-5 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Kentucky Oaks (G1). 

After winning all three of her juvenile starts, including the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) and the Rags to Riches Stakes, both by open lengths, Amoss sent Hoosier Philly for a freshening at Woodford Thoroughbreds in Florida, circling the Rachel Alexandra for Hoosier Philly's sophomore debut. When she returned to the Amoss barn, the daughter of Into Mischief   out of the Tapit   mare Tapella  proceeded to fire three successive bullet workouts. Hoosier Philly has done everything a trainer could hope from a stand-out filly.

Video: Golden Rod S. (G2)

"We have a lot of expectations for her based on what she's done so far, so there's a lot of anticipation about how she's going to come back at 3," Amoss said. "Her morning preparation has been just as it was when she was 2, so that gives us some feeling of confidence going into the race. But still, it is just her first race at 3."

Hoosier Philly's sensational 2-year-old season earned her a spot in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 4 where she was bet to 11-1, the third-favorite behind "All Other 3-Year-Olds" and Forte . Trainer Tom Amoss has targeted the 1 1/16 mile Rachel Alexandra for his highly-lauded filly all along, but if she wins, then what? She'd need to earn points in a Kentucky Derby prep race like the Louisiana Derby (G1) to qualify for a spot in the starting gates on the first Saturday of May.

"That's just noise," Amoss said. "We're not looking at anything other than this race right now. We're going to look out for her and do what's in her best interest in each race. Right now, it's the Rachel Alexandra, how she runs, and how she comes out of it."

If Hoosier Philly continues her success and wins the Rachel Alexandra, it would be Amoss' fourth filly to win this race. First was Playcaller in 1994 when the race was the listed Davona Dale Stakes. His second win was over two decades later when 74-1 longshot Venus Valentine  won in 2016. Most recently it was eventual 2019 Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress .

The top rival to Hoosier Philly in the Rachel Alexandra is Chop Chop. A nose shy of winning the Alcibiades (G1), the City of Light   filly was sent off as the favorite in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), but after a difficult trip around Keeneland's main track under Joel Rosario, she disappointed her backers and connections, finishing last of 13.

"The Breeders' Cup (Juvenile Fillies) is a throwout race with the trip she got," Cox said. "Last time here (in the Silverbulletday), you could say maybe she needed the race a little bit, but from a fitness standpoint I thought she looked really good. The works were great, but she just really didn't go by (The Alys Look , winner of the Silverbulletday)."

Never leaving the barn and training forwardly ahead of her 3-year-old debut in January's Silverbulletday Stakes, Chop Chop ran well enough to put 13 1/2 lengths between her and five of her foes, but she was unable to bid past stablemate The Alys Look in the stretch, and ended up finishing second. Cox has decided to add blinkers for her run in the Rachel Alexandra.

"I'm hoping the blinkers can help her get over the top if she ends up eye-balling another horse late in the race," Cox said. "Even when she won it was by a narrow margin, so I'm hopeful this is something that can get her over the top and get her in the winner's circle."

With 12 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to her name, Chop Chop will break from post 4 with Florent Geroux aboard the lone Cox filly in the field. Silverbulletday winner The Alys Look awaits her next run, possibly in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) March 25.

Godolphin's 2022 Untapable Stakes winner Pretty Mischievous  will make her 3-year-old debut in the Rachel Alexandra as well for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Vahva , Knockyoursocksoff , and Miracle  complete the field.

Entries: Rachel Alexandra S. presented by Fasig-Tipton (G2)

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Saturday, February 18, 2023, Race 12

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:41 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Vahva (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Cherie DeVaux	8/1
2	2Hoosier Philly (KY)	Edgar Morales	122	Thomas M. Amoss	6/5
3	3Knockyoursocksoff (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Chris M. Block	12/1
4	4Chop Chop (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Brad H. Cox	8/5
5	5Pretty Mischievous (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Brendan P. Walsh	9/2
6	6Miracle (NY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	12/1