Alogon can step out of shadows in Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The victory by Nobals in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint two weeks ago provided some angst and some affirmation for Ned Allard, trainer of Alogon. It was in the Da Hoss Stakes in September at Colonial Downs that Alogon was defeated a head by Nobals.

Allard said shortly after the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint was run, he heard from owner Charlie Hallas.

“Charlie was a little upset that I didn’t recommend going in the Breeders’ Cup,” Allard said. “He’d only won the one stakes at Monmouth, we wouldn’t have gotten in anyway. But that’s impressive that [Nobals] ran as well as he did and ended up winning that stakes in California. That makes you think Alogon might be even better than we even thought.”

Alogon will get a chance to prove how good he is against a full field of turf sprinters in Saturday’s $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship. The six-furlong race drew 14 for the turf, but will be limited to 12 starters. There were two main-track-only entrants as well.

Alogon’s one stakes victory came in the Wolf Hill at Monmouth Park in July. He then finished fifth in the Parx Dash on Aug. 22, a race Allard believes is better than it looks on paper.

“The turf course was in horrible condition, the clods were as big as football helmets, yet he was still getting in gear and making a run that he might have won it,” Allard said. “There were four horses at the sixteenth pole that got off the rail in the middle of the racetrack and that’s where we were. We got totally screwed that day.”

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Alogon, fourth in the off-the-turf Belmont Turf Sprint, has had success over Aqueduct’s turf before, winning a first-level allowance here last Nov. 20 at odds of 58-1.

Manny Franco rides Alogon from post 2.

Thin White Duke is 1 for 10 this year, the win coming in the Harvey Pack Stakes at Saratoga where he beat Big Invasion by a neck. Big Invasion ran second to Nobals in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

Our Shot, third in the Harvey Pack, came back to run second in the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes at Keeneland, rallying from well off what was a torrid early pace.

“They were flying, he had to wait a little bit and go around,” trainer John Terranova said. “One horse kind of messed it up for him early, he could have gotten in a little bit better position. If that didn’t happen, he would have been right there with the winner.”

Nothing Better won last year’s Aqueduct Turf Sprint at odds of 9-1. His lone win this year came in a high-caliber allowance over Aqueduct’s turf course.

Wit, Vacation Dance, Boat’s a Rockin, Fore Harp, Witty, Grateful Bred, Run Curtis Run, and Dancing Buck are in the body of the field. Bring Me a Check and Sousa Summer are the two also-eligibles for turf.

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