Personal Ensign

Former Name(s):
1986 - 1996:   John A. Morris Handicap
 1948 - 1985:   Firenze Handicap
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What the Nation is saying about the Personal Ensign ...

Proving her score at 18-1 in the Ruffian Invitational Handicap on July 31 was no fluke, 6-year-old mare Ask the Moon notched her second Grade 1 victory of the Saratoga meet, leading from start to finish Saturday in the $300,000 Personal Ensign Invitational. Read More
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  • footlick · The 6 furlong split was faster than the Woodward, so either she went too fast or they were going slow early in the Woodward, depending on how you view the races. · 269 days ago ·
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  • annmatt · I would love for Marty Wolfson to get hold of Rapid Redux to see if he couldn't rise in class...RR certainly has a very nice pedigree that suggests he should have been able to rise above the claiming ranks. · 269 days ago ·
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Best Bet #-5 Super Espresso
What a difference a few days didn’t make.   When the Grade 1, $300,000 Personal Ensign Invitational was redrawn on Wednesday after being postponed this past Sunday, the same tough band of fillies and mares had been signed up to compete.   The Personal Ensign now joins the Grade 1, $250,000...Read More
Rachel Alexandra ran her last race,.......Read More
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced that there will be no live racing at Saratoga Race Course on Sunday, August 28. Live racing at Saratoga is expected to resume Monday, August 29.   The Grade 1 Personal Ensign, originally scheduled for Sunday, will be re-drawn on Wednesday, ...Read More
  • ohio adversary · According to NYRA officials, Sunday’s forecast called for more than five inches of rain and winds expected to be between 30 and 40 miles per-hour. · 276 days ago ·
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Ask the Moon, the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Grade 1, $300,000 Personal Ensign on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course, reminds trainer Martin Wolfson a lot of another top-shelf winner he had, Jessica Is Back.   Both mares were claims by trainer Gary Contessa for Farnsworth Stables and soon se...Read More
The options are open for America's top rated horse, which one will her connections choose?Read More
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  • RuffianIŁourdes · I really want to see her run with boys. She doesn't have that much competition with girls. · 283 days ago ·
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  • timgsmith10 · Enough with the Filly races . The best should face the best. Im happy with HDG in woodward..B.L in pacific. If she goes into a filly race I will be very dissapointed · 283 days ago ·
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Fox Hill Farms’ star 4-year-old filly Havre de Grace worked five furlongs in 59.60 on Wednesday morning at Delaware Park under jockey Gabe Saez in preparation for a run either in the Grade 1, $300,000 Personal Ensign on August 28 or the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward against males on September 3.  ...Read More
One of the most compelling rivalries in sports could see its next chapter unfold at Saratoga on August 28 in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign for fillies and mares. Read More
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  • bornstar · Put em in with the males so we can see just how good these males are. I think either BL or HDG will take em. · 295 days ago ·
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  • xMystix · I agree with TimSmith. They have already met each other six times. It is time to see them go against the boys. What's to lose? The older male division is very lackluster (again) this year. Might as well try. It will add even more excitement come Breederscup. · 294 days ago ·
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Horse racing needs rivalries. It attracts fans and media attention, which is always great for the sport. Two weeks ago on July 16, 2011, at Delaware Park, Blind Luck met up with Havre de Grace for the sixth time in their careers in what has become one of horse racing’s top rivalries. Here’s their st...Read More
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  • timgsmith10 · How can you say 1 has had a stronger career than the other yet? The season is half finished and maybe one or the other continues to race next year? As of right now HDG and B.L are VERY close in form and I wouldnt be surprised if HDG turns the tables at least 1 more time. And this realistically it will only make the rivalry stronger. · 303 days ago ·
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  • footlick · They do seem evenly matched to me. Even though Blind Luck has come out on top more, not much really separates them. Blind Luck may be a little more impressive because she is not as tactical and it is always more difficult for the less tactical horse to win, but still there is not much difference between them as far as I'm concerned. · 302 days ago ·
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So, it seems that even after a narrow loss to Blind Luck in the Delaware Handicap, owner Rick Porter may still be pointing his star filly...Read More
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  • KyOaksRunner · I'm all for the Personal Ensign. A re-match with Blind Luck is far more exciting to me than seeing her against the males in the Woodward when none of them have proven to be standouts this year. · 313 days ago ·
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  • DeadHeat · I think both would be equally as exciting. I mean, it was exciting when RA attemped to do it even though many were of the thought the older division was softer than normal and she had already faced males twice. If the Whitney results are formal the Woodward would not by any means be any easier than the PE. · 313 days ago ·
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A few days after last Saturday’s Delaware Handicap "grudge match" between Blind Luck and Harve de Grace, in which Blind Luck edged her rival by a nose at the wire, there are rumors NYRA may double the purse of the Aug. 28 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga. That would increase the stakes from the pr...Read More
Nearly one year ago at Saratoga Race Course, Rachel Alexandra thrilled 31,171 spectators when she held on by a head to win the Grade 1 Woodward and become the first filly or mare to win the race in 56 renewals.   On Sunday the reigning Horse of the Year will try to accomplish a personal first –...Read More
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  • zenyatta02 · Ha! And now RA is probable to run in the BC Ladies Classic, one because she isn't good enough for the Classic and two because her connections are afraid of Zen. Your proof right there! · 631 days ago ·
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  • gardenesque1 · '09 Horse of the Year had nothing to do with Rachel being better than Zenyatta. Rachel deserved the award because she had the best overall campaign. In reality, Zenyatta is superior to Rachel...especially in 2010. Jess Jackson realized that he had no shot against Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom after Rachel lost her 2010 opener to inferior competition, and the reigning HOY is still struggling to rediscover her '09 brilliance. Zen just keeps on winning. · 631 days ago ·
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From a trip-handicapper’s standpoint, Sunday’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes was a textbook play for an upset. You had all the right ingredients: Rachel Alexandra, a heavy favorite being asked to do something she’d never done before, carry her speed a mile and a quarter; a “now” horse ...Read More
Persistently waited patiently behind a speed duel and made an inexorable rally in the stretch to upset Rachel Alexandra by a length on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course in the 63rd running of the Grade 1, $300,000 Personal Ensign for fillies and mares.Read More
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  • arazi · Ally - you mean Hal Wiggins... was the previous trainer of Rachel. But yes, they are both awesome. · 639 days ago ·
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  • humphrey · It wasn't a matter of which horse beat her. she has never been the same losing late three separate times while Borel punishes her un-necessarily · 639 days ago ·
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It’s time boys and girls. It’s time to open your eyes and see what is in front of you. Rachel Alexandra is ready, are you? To those who said she could not get the distance. Today is the day. In today’s Personal Ensign...Read More
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  • arazi · Looking back, I think we should all be able to appreciate her for what she is. Rachel is a world-class miler. She has tons of speed and can rate for a bit. She's probably most effective at a one turn 1 1/16 mile race at Belmont. In 2009, she showed she could demolish weaker competition at 9 furlongs. When she was at her peak, she could beat modest stakes horses at 9 furlongs. She could even do it under adverse pace conditions, but always over speed-friendly tracks like Monmouth or Saratoga. Today she was seriously challenged in the first half mile of a 10 furlong race. She did great to hold on the way she did. · 640 days ago ·
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  • arazi · Another way to look at it. If you compare the fractions of the Travers and Personal Ensign... Rachel ran the same race First Dude did... she would have run third in the Travers as well. I don't think she's slipped that much. I think she would have run third in last year's Travers, too. · 640 days ago ·
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Can Super Saver pull a Derby-Travers double? Is Rachel a lock to win the Personal Ensign? Will Richard's Kid repeat in the Pacific Classic? Read More
Forgive the face of horse racing if it sports a look of concern at any point this weekend. Calvin Borel has a lot riding on Saturday's Travers Stakes and Sunday's Personal Ensign Handicap, both at historic Saratoga. It's not often you pilot a Kentucky Derby winner and a filly for the ages in a 24-ho...Read More
Making her final workout before Sunday’s Grade 1, $300,000 Personal Ensign, Rachel Alexandra breezed four furlongs on the Oklahoma Training Track this morning. With Shaun Bridgmohan aboard, the reigning Horse of the Year maintained a steady pace throughout the move, running the first quarter mile in...Read More
  • humphrey · walking on the fringes of her distance ability here. Good luck as she may need it here but cannot state that one way or the other without past perfromances. · 645 days ago ·
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  • Medlocke · Anyone who watched Rachel Alexandra's 2009 campaign. Then compares it to her 2010 campaign that she's raced thus far. Should be able to clearly tell that Rachel Alexandra is clearly not the same filly in 2010 that she was in 2009. The Personal Ensign is going to be quite a challenge for Rachel on two fronts. #1-It will be her first lifetime attempt at running 10 furlongs. #2-There's two very strong challengers in the Personal Ensign that have raced, and raced well, and even won against G1 and G2 company at 10 furlongs. Life at Ten has won 6 straight races. Her last win, a G2 win over 10 furlongs. She's 9-6-2-0 lifetime. Milwaukee Appeal is also a very tough filly to beat. Having raced 10 furlongs more than once against G1 and G2 company in her career. She's had 2nd and 3rd place finishes, more than once in her career. So if Rachel struggles with the distance at all? Both Life at Ten, especially off of 6 straight wins, and Milwaukee Appeal both have more than realistic chance of defeating Rachel Alexandra in the Personal Ensign. JMO. · 645 days ago ·
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On Saturday, August 28, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will offer a special Double linking the Travers to the following day’s Personal Ensign, in addition to a $1 Million All-Graded Stakes Late Pick 4 on Travers Day.   The 141st running of the Grade 1 Travers, scheduled as the 12...Read More

Race Results & Past Performances

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Date(Descending)
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View DetailsView Video09/03/11Sar81 1/4 mD03+ FPersonal Ensign -G1Ask the MoonPachattackTiz Miz Sue2:04.21
View DetailsView Video08/29/10Sar101 1/4 mD03+ FPersonal Ensign -G1PersistentlyRachel AlexandraLife At Ten2:04.49
View DetailsView Video08/30/09Sar101 1/4 mD03+ FPersonal Ensign -G1Icon ProjectSwift TemperMorena2:02.37
View DetailsView Video08/22/08Sar91 1/4 mD03+ MPersonal Ensign -G1Ginger PunchLemon Drop MomUnbridled Belle2:03.37
View Details08/25/06Sar91 1/4 mD03+ FPersonal Ensign -G1Fleet IndianBallettoSoul Search2:03.87
View DetailsView Video08/27/04Sar91 1/4 mD03+ FPersonal Ensign -G1Storm Flag FlyingAzeriNevermore2:03.63
View Details08/25/00Sar81 1/4 mD03+ FPersonal Ensign -G1Beautiful PleasureHeritage Of GoldPentatonic2:03.77
View Details08/27/99Sar81 1/4 mD03+ FPersonal Ensign -G1Beautiful PleasureBanshee BreezeKeeper Hill2:02.57
View Details08/22/97Sar81 1/4 mD03+ FPersonal Ensign -G1Clear MandateShoopPower Play2:03.71
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