Rachel is ready to rumble! The 2009 Horse of the Year, gearing up for her first start since the Sept. 5 Woodward, exploded through a six-furlong breeze in 1:13 3/5 yesterday at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, charging her last quarter-mile in :22 3/5.

That drill puts Rachel Alexandra on edge for her 2010 debut in the March 13 New Orleans Ladies at the Fair Grounds, after which she will finally meet the great California racemare Zenyatta in the “Race for the Ages,” the $5 million Apple Blossom Invitational at Oaklawn Park on April 9.

Working in company with the 3-year-old colt Depaul, Rachel Alexandra went in easy fractions of :12, :25 3/5, :38 2/5, :51 and 1:02 1/5, then blasted past her workmate in the stretch, galloping out seven furlongs in 1:26 2/5 and a mile in 1:41 1/5 under regular exercise rider Dominic Terry.

“I was hoping she’d go a little quicker,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, who rarely works Rachel in company. “She settled off the other horse really nicely with her left lead, then switched to her right lead and accelerated. The main thing is, she’s healthy, and this is a step in the process of getting her back to her previous level.”