Last month, Rachel Alexandra surprisingly lost in the Grade One Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga and rumors about her retirement went rampant. However, trainer Steve Asmussen and majority owner Jess Jackson are unwilling to talk about retiring the filly, at least not at the moment. Instead, the trainer and owner decided to wait until she went back into work.

Certainly Rachel Alexandra’s workout on Monday was a good sign. The filly clocked one minute 00.65 seconds for five furlongs on Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track, where she was ridden by Dominic Terry. Although her next race has not been officially announced, the Grade One Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park on 2nd October is a strong possibility.

Running in the Beldame would suit the race program previously established by Asmussen with five weeks between races for the filly. The program was aimed to prepare her for the run in the Breeders’ Cup meeting at Churchill Downs but due to her performance at the Personal Ensign it seems that the nine-furlong Ladies Classic is the next logical move.

If Rachel Alexandra actually runs in the Beldame, that would exclude a clash with Zenyatta, who will run in the Lady's Secret Stakes at Hollywood Park on the same day. Zenyatta is on course to defend her title in the Classic and so far she has shown great performances.