Alternations gears up to face Dominus, Stay Thirsty and Brilliant Speed in the prep race for $1million Grade 1 Travers Stakes, the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes.
The 3-year-old son of Distorted Humor, Alternation will bid to win fourth race of 2011 out of five races in the Grade 2 $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on 30 July.
Alternation, who is trained by Donnie Von Hemel for Pin Oak Stable, had a lot to prove for his owners when he finished fifth in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on 16 April, 2011, but redeemed himself in his next stakes race, the Grade 2 Peter
Pan Stakes, ran at a distance of 1 1/8 miles at Belmont Park on 14 May, 2011.
Now on a field of seven, a race which is also run at a familiar distance for the 3-year-old at 1 1/8 miles, Alternation will look to build on his previous success and prove his critics wrong.
His main threat will come from the 3-year-old colt Steve Asmussen trained Dominus, who recently placed in the Grade 2 Dwyer at Belmont Park on 2 May.
The son of Smart Strike, Dominus prior to the Dwyer finished on the card when he participated in the Grade 3 Derby Trial held at Churchill Downs dirt course on 30 April.
The other two Dwyer potential winners are Stay Thirsty and Brilliant Speed. The Kentucky bred 3-year-old colt, Stay Thirsty last ran in the last leg of the Triple Crown, Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.
The courageous colt finished 2nd behind the winner Ruler on Ice, on a sloppy, muddy Belmont track.
On the other hand Thomas Albertrani trained Brilliant Speed also had his last run in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, and the 3-year-old colt finished behind the winner and the runner-up at third place.
The Dynaformer colt will be looking to win the Jim Dandy, because he has had a frustrating season so far with three finishes on the card and a huge win in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland under jockey, Joel Rosario, on 16 May, 2011.
Jim Dandy Stakes is a preparation race for the all important Grade 1 Travers Stakes, with the huge purse of a million held on 27 August.
Alternation has had his share of bad luck season, after a brilliant start when he broke his maiden by seven lengths and look like a top contender for the Triple Crown.
Following his expensive maiden win, he bagged two allowance races both at Oaklawn Park.
Alternation bad luck started in the Grade 2 Rebel, when the colt was scratched early because he flipped badly at the gates, and afterwards in the Arkansas Derby.
He broke poorly but made ground in the end under jockey L Quinonez, but finished a non threatening fifth.
The goal for Alternation’s connections is the Grade 1 Travers Stakes, and if he could elude his bad luck, he can be a force to be reckoned with in both the Jim Dandy and the Travers.
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