NEW ORLEANS — Hoosier Philly is the 6-5 morning line favorite in the Rachel Alexandra. She is perfect from three starts, winning each of those races in dominant fashion.
Her most recent win came in the Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill Downs on November 26, and Saturday will mark her 3-year-old debut. She has fired three bullet workouts (fastest of the morning) in advance of her Hoosier Philly was purchased for $510,000 as a Keeneland September yearling.
She is the only filly offered in Kentucky Derby Future Wager 4, and she closed as the 11-1 second choice behind the undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Forte (8-1).
In order to make the Kentucky Derby starting gate, Hoosier Philly would need to earn points against the boys. Theoretically, if she were to win the Rachel Alexandra, she would have more than enough points to qualify for a spot in the Kentucky Oaks.
Trainer Tom Amoss could then run her in the Louisiana Derby against the boys and give her a chance to earn a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate, while not losing the opportunity to run in the Oaks.
Amoss won the 2019 Rachel Alexandra with eventual Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress. He also won the race in 2016 with 74-1 longshot Venus Valentine.
Winning Colors (1988), Genuine Risk (1980) and Regret (1915) are the only fillies to win the Kentucky Derby. Each raced against males in advance of running in the Kentucky Derby. Winning Colors and Genuine Risk are the only two fillies to compete in all three Triple Crown races.
Winning Colors finished third in the 1988 Preakness Stakes and sixth in the 1988 Belmont Stakes, while Genuine Risk finished second in both the 1980 Preakness and Belmont.
A total of 40 fillies have run in the Kentucky Derby and six were post-time favorites. Among them were Regret and Calumet Farm’s Nellie Flag, who finished fourth in 1935. The H.P. Whitney entry of the filly Prudery (third) and the colt Tryster (fourth) was favored in 1921.
The all-filly entry of Althea (19th) and Life’s Magic (eighth) was favored in 1984, and the entry of filly Serena’s Song (16th) and colt Timber Country (third) was the post-time favorite in 1995. The last filly to participate in the Kentucky Derby was Devil May Care in 2010 (finished 10th).
Since the Road to the Kentucky Derby points system was put into place in 2013, no filly has participated in the Run for the Roses.