Alda gets perfect trip in Hilltop as Velazquez notches stakes hat trick

BALTIMORE – There's hot, and then there's fire. John Velazquez is on fire.

Since April 30, the Hall of Fame rider won the Kentucky Derby with Medina Spirit, the Kentucky Oaks with Malathaat, the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff with Gamine, and the Grade 1 Man o' War Stakes with Channel Cat.

At Pimlico on Friday, Velazquez won three more stakes. In the $100,000 Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf, Velazquez piloted Alda with precision.

Going into the first turn, he guided the daughter of Munnings to a midpack position racing fifth along the inside as 73-1 shot Proper Attire set rapid fractions of 23.34 seconds and 47.00.

Leaving the backstretch, Velazquez took Alda off the rail to follow Phantom Vision's live cover. They swept past that rival to assume command in midstretch and had enough left in the tank to fend off the determined late bids of both Seasons and Arm Candy.

Alda ($17.40) raced the eight furlongs in 1:35.06 and defeated Seasons by a neck with Arm Candy a nose back in third.

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Graham Motion trains Alda, a homebred owned by Wertheimer and Frere. A stakes winner last year sprinting at 2, Alda also finished second in the Grade 1 Natalma at a one-turn mile before a disappointing 12th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.\

"The Breeders' Cup might have been a tall ask," Motion said in the winner's circle. "I've been a little unsure about what distance she wanted to go. Clearly, this is what she wants to do."

Motion started Alda's 2021 campaign in the Limestone Turf Sprint racing 5 1/2 furlongs on April 9 at Keeneland. Alda finished sixth that afternoon.

"It was to achieve two things," he said about Alda's seasonal debut. "She's very precocious in the morning and I thought she'd handle it, but that was a pretty salty group. She ran okay that day, but clearly it helped set her up."

Motion continued, "She was my first 2-year-old winner last year, I think. She was always one of our most precocious 2-year-olds, and Johnny rode her back then. It's a big help to have somebody like him stick with her. He's ridden her in most of her races.

Mia Martini, also trained by Motion, finshed fourth, beaten two lengths by her stablemate.

"I thought she ran well," Motion said. "She's going to really benefit going a mile and a quarter, a mile and an eighth."

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Seasons was an unlucky runner-up.

"She fell to her knees in the first jump," said her rider, Jose Ortiz. "From there, I didn't rush her. I let her get into a nice rhythm, and she did."

Seasons was last on the rail turning into the stretch.

"I looked for a seam," Ortiz said. "At the quarter pole, I saved some ground and when I asked her for run, she punched home beautifully.”

Trained by Jimmy Toner, Seasons was making her first start since finishing third in the Natalma.

"First off the layoff, Jimmy had her ready to win,” Ortiz said. “It was a little unfortunate that she stumbled at the start, but I think she ran a monster race and she beat one of the top contenders in the division, for sure."

The filly Ortiz referenced was beaten favorite Bubbles On Ice. Sent away at 6-5 on the heels of a win in last month's Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct, Bubbles On Ice finished a flat fifth.

Tracy Flick, Phantom Vision, Speed Lane, Serenade a Ktten, Journeytothemoon, and Proper Attire completed the order of finish.