Alexandra second at Saratoga Rachel Alexandra had to settle for second behind Persistently as she returned to the highest level in the Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga. The four-year-old, who was crowned Horse of the Year in America last season, has struggled to find her form so far this term, suffering defeat on her first two outings before winning two contests at a lower level. She had taken charge from the off in the 10-furlong Personal Ensign, outbattling the well-fancied Life At Ten entering the straight to open up a decent lead. However, she began to toil inside the distance and a late flourish from Persistently sealed a length success for the Shug McGaughey-trained and Phipps-family owned filly. The winning connections were also responsible for Personal Ensign, the race's namesake, and McGaughey said: "We're just tickled to death to win the race, particularly with it being the Personal Ensign. "My hat's off to Rachel Alexandra. She runs her heart out every time. She made a beautiful presence in the paddock. We were just lucky enough to pick up the pieces." Trainer Steve Asmussen paid tribute to the winner but still retains plenty of faith in Rachel Alexandra. "The winner won the race and I don't want to take anything away from that," he said. "In a five-horse field, you can't complain about where you are. It is what it is. I thought (Rachel Alexandra) put a very good mare (Life At Ten) away. It obviously took more out of her on the front end than we would have hoped for. "I'm very disappointed that she lost, but I am always very happy with Rachel. It hurts to lose and you're disappointed for it, but if that's the case, just think about how happy she's made you and all the things she has done for us," he told the Thoroughbred Times website. "She's a tremendous mare. If she isn't exactly where she was last year, hopefully she can get back there."
