Alpha missed his trip to Louisville yesterday but will make it there on the 30th
Runner up in the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing 3-year-old colt, Alpha, was supposed to ship to Churchill Downs on 16 April, 2012, for a run in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby on 5 May, but his connections are still optimistic
over the Bernardini’s colt inclusion in the Run for the Roses come next month.
Kiaran McLaughlin trained, Alpha, ran a solid second to Gemologist in his last race, the Wood Memorial, but winner of the Grade 3 Withers Stakes suffered a few cuts on his left shin in the early stages of the race, which jockey Ramon Dominguez had to check
rounding off the final bend.
It was all good at that point as Alpha spurred up a powerful run down the stretch to be just off a neck to Gemologist for second place.
At first, McLaughlin said, it was taken lightly and that too was perceived the way the colt felt over the first four days as he was fine, but he picked up an infection on those cuts, and had to be treated before getting shipped to Churchill Downs.
“He got a cut on the shin and he grabbed a quarter a little bit all into the first turn,” McLaughlin added. “It didn’t seem like a big deal, it turned out to be a bigger deal than we first thought.”
After an ultrasound, there are no apparent structural problems with Alpha, and the colt is expected to train normally. But the training will get disturbed because of a change in plan.
Initially McLaughlin was going to van Alpha on 16 April to Louisville, and had planned two works there ahead of the Derby, but now Alpha will stay and do one work at Belmont Park before being flown to Churchill Downs on 30 April, 2012.
“I want to get home Wednesday and see him,” McLaughlin said. “Right now we plan on working him around the 28th one time, but we could still work him this weekend too. He’s fit, he doesn’t need too much.”
Last time he was at Churchill Downs, he had some gate issues in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but he has been coming out of them well in his past two starts.
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