Door opens for filly as Rachel Alexandra will head to Pimlico

Highly regarded Rachel Alexandra moved a step closer to becoming the first filly in a decade to run in the Preakness Stakes when one of the prospective starters, Hull, withdrew from the race on Monday.The entry is expected to become official on Wednesday morning, the same day Rachel Alexandra ships into Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course, where the second leg of the Triple Crown will be run on Saturday for the 134th time. The field has 13 potential starters as of Monday evening, and is limited to 14.Rachel Alexandra would become the first winner of the Kentucky Oaks she romped in the May 1 race, winning by 20 lengths at Churchill Downs to compete in the Preakness. Four fillies have won the Preakness, the last time in 1924 with Nellie Morse. Genuine Risk finished second in 1980 and Winning Colors was third in 1988. The last filly to run in the Preakness was Excellent Meeting in 1999, but she pulled up.After breezing a half mile in 48.80 seconds Sunday at Churchill Downs, Rachel Alexandra had a quiet day Monday, walking the shed row at trainer Steve Asmussen's barn. "She came out of her work in good order," said Scott Blasi, Asmussen's top assistant. "Physically she looks beautiful."Jockey Calvin Borel, who rode 50-1 longshot Mine That Bird to victory in the Kentucky Derby, will be aboard Rachel Alexandra if she runs Saturday. Borel rode the filly in the Oaks, and is committed to ride her the rest of the year. He's called her the finest horse he's ever ridden.Borel is scheduled to be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight.While much fuss was being made over the filly's expected entry, Mine That Bird went for an impromptu half-mile workout Monday at Churchill Downs ironically with Borel aboard."The horse looked good," said trainer Bennie Woolley. "I hadn't planned to work him, but he was getting pretty high. He bounced back from the Derby a little quicker than I thought he would. He was getting a little rattled, he was feeling so good. We wanted to let him stretch his legs."If Borel rides the filly, riding Mine That Bird will fall to Mike Smith, a native of New Mexico, where Mine That Bird's connections are based."Mike watched the Derby. He saw how the horse ran and knows the kind of running style he has," Woolley said.Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, the Derby favorite who finished next to last, arrived at Pimlico by van from Delaware Park Monday afternoon. Larry Jones' colt, who suffered cuts on his left front leg during his Derby run, will work out at Pimlico this morning.Derby runnerup Pioneerof the Nile will ship into Pimlico Wednesday and will again be ridden by Garrett Gomez. "He looks strong. It looks like he's sitting on another great performance," said Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.