Alpha proves no beta in Woodward

Alpha added a third Saratoga stakes victory when holding off Flat Out in the Woodward (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos) When 3-2 favorite Paynter missed the break in Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward at Saratoga, jockey John Velazquez’s decision to hustle the newly-blinkered Alpha to the lead ultimately paid dividends in the historic nine-furlong fixture contested in sloppy conditions. Allowed to lope on an uncontested two-length lead through modest splits of :24 2/5, :48 1/5 and 1:11 2/5, continued to look full of run entering the stretch. Flat Out, who raced in tandem with Paynter for the opening half and inherited the runner-up spot approaching the far turn, was the only horse from behind who made a race of it. However, Flat Out hindered his own chances of catching Alpha when he unnecessarily wandered towards the stands in deep stretch before straightening out in the final yards. The finish line came just in time for Alpha, who cemented the victory by a head in a time of 1:49 1/5. “I told Johnny if he breaks well and he can throw mud on the rest of them, please do. He agreed with me,” winning trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “He’s a great rider and you hope things go like planned, and they did. So it’s just fabulous.”

The longest shot in the field at 7-1, Alpha returned $17.40. Flat Out
finished 6 3/4 lengths ahead of Successful Dan, who was up late to deny Ron the
Greek of third place by a half-length. It was another 5 1/4 lengths back to
Paynter.

“I think he didn’t feel comfortable on the surface. He never felt
comfortable,” said Rafael Bejarano, the rider of Paynter.

There were two key scratches from the Woodward. Fort Larned, last year’s
Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, was withdrawn from consideration on Thursday after
being a little off behind, according to trainer Ian Wilkes. Earlier Saturday,
Mucho Macho Man was withdrawn due to the sloppy track. Fort Larned will now
point to the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on September 28,
while Mucho Macho Man may ship west to Santa Anita for the $250,000 Awesome
Again on the same day.

This was the third career stakes win at Saratoga and fifth overall for Alpha,
who races for Godolphin. He replicated the feat of his sire, champion
Bernardini, by winning last year’s Jim Dandy and Travers, the latter in a dead
heat with Golden Ticket. He also counted victories last season in the Withers
and the Count Fleet, both at Aqueduct. The four-year-old also placed in the 2012
Wood Memorial and 2011 Champagne.

Alpha stayed relatively clean after a wire-to-wire win in the slop (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com) Alpha had not placed in six starts since his dead-heat win in the Travers, finishing up the track in the Pennsylvania Derby, Breeders’ Cup Classic, Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2, Godolphin Mile, Suburban Handicap and Whitney Handicap. His record now stands at 16-6-2-0, $1,772,500. “Maybe he wasn’t as fit as I thought he was the last two races,” McLaughlin said. “We had him dead-ready and fit today. “I wish Saratoga was open a little longer for him because he loves it here. He’s a nice horse, a really neat horse to be around. I’m just happy for the whole team.”

Bred in Kentucky by Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation, Alpha was produced by
the stakes-winning Nijinsky II mare Munnaya. She’s also the dam of stakes winner
Mystic Melody, multiple Grade 2-placed Lavender Sky, and the stakes-placed
Numaany and Yaya.

Alpha’s second dam was Group 3 winner Hiaam, and his third dam was Canadian
champion and Broodmare of the Year Kamar. She produced Canadian champion Key to
the Moon and Grade 1 winners Gorgeous and Seaside Attraction. Kamar’s other
descendants include U.S. champions Fantastic Light and Golden Attraction, French
highweight Desert Lord, and Grade 1 winners Swift Temper, Cape Town and
Flashing.

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