Alternation to make a return to Oaklawn Park in the Essex Handicap
The 4-year-old colt, Alternation, has raced 3 times at the Oaklawn Park racecourse over the venue’s dirt course, and right now he stands at 2 wins off 3 starts there, and the last time he was seen there making a desperate attempt to challenge the leaders, coming way off pace under jockey L Quinonez in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, but finished fifth to winner, Archarcharch, was on 16 April, 2011, at about 1 1/8 miles.
A race that he was expected to win after two consecutive wins at Oaklawn Park, first in an allowance optional race at about a mile on dirt, where he defeated Elite Alex in second, and Commander in third, while covering the distance in 1 minute and 42.16 seconds.
His next career start was also at Oaklawn Park, where he was pointed towards an allowance race at about 1 1/16 miles, a prep race for the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, which he easily won on 21 February, 2012.
Donnie K. Von Hemel trained colt will be making his return to the Oaklawn Park in Essex Handicap, which will also mark his first start of the new campaign.
The 1 1/16 mile test on dirt has reeled in a field of seven 4-year-old and above males, and the race will be run on 4 February, 2012.
“He’s a horse who likes to train and fortunately with the weather we’ve been able to keep going straight through the whole time,” Von Hemel said.
“He’s a big horse and I think he still has quite a bit of upside. Hopefully we can get it going right Saturday and see where it takes him.”
The Kentucky bred son of Distorted Humor, out of mare Alternate by Seattle Slew, Alternation lived up to his potential for his connections, when he bounced back after the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby defeat to win the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park.
Ridden by jockey Ramon Dominguez, Alternation won it convincingly over Adios Charlie and covered the 1 1/8 mile distance in 1 minute and 49.53 seconds.
Alternation is coming off a second place finish in the Oklahoma Derby on 16 October, 2011, and by the looks of it, the 4-year-old will be fresh and ready to go all out in the Essex Handicap.
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