It’s wait and see for filly

Two-thirds of the way through, the emerging story line of horse racing’s Triple Crown has been reduced to this: The filly that no one expected against the gelding that no one knew.

Now the question is, will a sport that needs a shot in the arm get that new marquee matchup when the Triple Crown moves to Elmont, N.Y., for the Belmont Stakes in three weeks?

Chip Woolley Jr., who stunned the racing world with Mine That Bird’s 50-1 victory in the Kentucky Derby, endorsed it Sunday morning after Rachel Alexandra’s history-making run in the Preakness.

“She’s welcome to come to Belmont and tie into us again, so we’ll see what happens,” the cowboy trainer from New Mexico said, a few feet from Mine That Bird at the Preakness barn.

It will be a wait-and-see proposition. Trainer Steve Asmussen, who had Rachel Alexandra dropped into his lap about 10 days ago, was satisfied the filly had proved she could run with -- and beat -- the boys.

For now, he’ll gauge the health of the sport’s newest star to see whether she is up to the Belmont’s 1 1/2 miles on June 6.

“I personally think she’s proven what we set out to prove with her immediately,” Asmussen said before taking a morning flight to Louisville, Ky. “Which doesn’t eliminate anything, but it does take a tad of the urgency off. . . . [We’re in] a lot stronger position after the win.”

Asmussen reported that early indications were good Sunday. His filly ate well after the race and was alert in the morning. But he also acknowledged that the Preakness took its toll.

“I thought she ran very hard. I thought she was tired after the race,” he said. “I think she looks like a horse the day after they ran. The weight’s something we’ll monitor very closely and be extremely curious about.”

Asmussen said he would take the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro back to the track Wednesday but wouldn’t breeze her before Memorial Day, at the earliest.

Jess Jackson, co-owner of the filly with Harold McCormick, purchased the horse after she won the Kentucky Oaks by 20 lengths May 1. After a quick transition to Asmussen’s barn at Churchill Downs, she breezed well enough to convince Jackson she was ready to test the boys in Baltimore. He paid a supplemental fee of $100,000 -- and waited out some back-door intrigue -- to get into the race.

No filly had won the Preakness in 85 years. No filly had won the race as a favorite in 103 years. And no filly has won two jewels of the Triple Crown, which would be the next run at history if Rachel Alexandra is entered in the Belmont.

“If you’re a horse trainer, she’s the ultimate gift,” Asmussen said. “She’s obviously a beautiful, talented filly with a tremendous way of running.

“For her to change barns, change her whole environment and accept it, she’s truly special.”

Rachel Alexandra’s biggest challenge in the Preakness came not from Pioneerof the Nile, who was eased late and finished 11th, or the shooter from Florida, Big Drama, who finished fifth. It came from Mine That Bird, the small bay gelding and former Canadian champion.

Despite losing his rider, Calvin Borel, to the filly, Mine That Bird nearly made another miraculous last-to-first trip under Mike Smith. Last at the half-mile post, the hard-charging Mine That Bird was fourth into the stretch and lost by only a length. “My horse ran his guts out and just got beat,” Woolley said.

Smith did not get the near-perfect ride Borel got. There was some bumping at the far turn with Flying Private that caused Mine That Bird to check.

Flying Private was one of two D. Wayne Lukas horses in the race. At a post-race dinner with some jockeys and trainers, Lukas said Smith told him the two horses bumped hard three times.

“[Smith] said, ‘Flying Private knocked Mine That Bird plum sideways,’ ” Lukas recounted. “He said, ‘I don’t mean bumped, I mean we hit.’ He said, ‘I hollered at [Flying Private jockey Alan Garcia] and, boom, here he comes again.’ ”

Woolley understood the implications.

“It’s huge when you get beat three-quarters of a length,” he said. “It’s huge. If he gets a little cleaner run at her, maybe he’s got a chance to beat her.”

In the end, it was the filly who wasn’t nominated for the Triple Crown series barely holding off the gelding who no one knew before he romped in the Derby slop. This time, the filly won.

“It’s pretty amazing how a few days and two minutes can change everything,” Woolley said. “It’s been a fun ride. And I’m looking forward to more, so we’ll see what happens.”

The Belmont beckons.

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ken.murray@baltsun.com