SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Trainer Steve Asmussen will be keeping an eye on the sky -- and the TV -- over the next 24 hours.
Asmussen plans to work Preakness and Haskell-winning filly Rachel Alexandra around 6 Monday morning over the Oklahoma training track. Her stablemate, Jim Dandy winner Kensei, is scheduled to go out in the first set, at 5:30 a.m.
"The impending weather and looking at the track this morning, we just hope that the circumstances allow us to do what we want with both Kensei and Rachel in the morning," Asmussen said this morning outside his barn. "First, we're going to watch a little weather channel, and try to decide what we need to do from a training standpoint.
"I'm nervous about the weather, the track conditions and all that. We're one good rain away from being in trouble here. It's taken plenty of water the last couple of days, and you can tell everything's pretty saturated. They're doing a great job with the racetrack, but it isn't nearly as important to Mother Nature as it seems to be to me."
Entries will be taken on Wednesday and the field drawn for Saturday's $1 million Travers, one of four races being considered for Rachel's next start. Kensei is also a strong candidate for the race, though they will not run against each other.
"We've got a very good entrant for the Travers; it's just which one," Asmussen said. "We're in a great spot. We've got Rachel and we've got the Jim Dandy winner. It's a big week."
Though he has worked Rachel exclusively over the Oklahoma, Asmussen will consider breezing on the main track if it is in better condition.
"You consider all scenarios," he said. "If today was tomorrow, looking at what happened today, I would probably request to work her between races. What we're going to do is watch what happens today, listen for raindrops on the roof tonight and start this thing again tomorrow.
"Right now, we plan on being able to breeze tomorrow, if that's possible. We want that to happen, but first and foremost is their health. We don't want to be too optimistic, but it could go our way. It just as easily could be ideal and you just go about your business."
