Alpha to skip the Gotham Stakes and try to land the all important Wood Memorial Stakes
The 2012 campaign was expected to have a mouth watering contingent of newly turned 3-year-old colts, with the likes of Hansen, Union Rags, Algorithms and many more, and the excitement level will go through the roof when all of these exciting young colts
make it to the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby this May at Churchill Downs.
However, there were some dark colts lingering here and there with no spotlight to shine on, but were expected to turn their season around as sophomores, and especially with Kentucky Derby being at touching distance, something from somewhere had to give for
these horses.
And then entered, Alpha, who showed a little glimpses of brilliance in his juvenile season, but he wasn’t considered one of those horses, who would take the division by storm next year, but things are now looking up and drastic decision making will make
Alpha stand shoulder to shoulder with the cream of the crop.
He was prominent in his maiden special weight race out of all those who participated, which he broke at first asking, and then came very close to flipping things upside down by causing a huge upset by defeating Union Rags, in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes
over at a mile on 8 October, 2011, at Belmont Park, but failed to do so, as he finished second to the winner.
Now this season, Alpha is not ruing any missed opportunities, as he has gone perfect in two starts by winning the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct at about 1 mile and 70 yards, and then defeating the Grade 3 Withers Stakes field at Big A again at about 1 1/16
miles.
The Kentucky bred son of Bernardini, out of mare Munnaya by Nijinsky II, Alpha is aiming straight for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and the rest of the Triple Crown, by skipping the Gotham Stakes and going for the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial Stakes on
7 April, told trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.
There's more racing after May 5th," McLaughlin said. "If you keep running it's hard on horses. I hope we have enough graded earnings to get in the Derby. If we act up in the gate in the Wood and finish fifth we might not get in. So be it, that's the risk
we're taking."
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