Alogon's perfect trip pays off in Wolf Hill

OCEANPORT, NJ - They say familiarity breeds contempt.

In the case of Alogon, the perfect-trip winner of Saturday’s $100,000 Wolf Hill at Monmouth, trainer Ned Allard’s familiarity with the horse’s bloodlines helped him to a stakes score on the Haskell undercard.

Alogon sat a lovely trip in the Wolf Hill, a 5 1/2-furlong turf dash for 3-year-olds and up, as Nothing Better, That’s Right, Fore Harp and Just Jeremy engaged in a suicidal speed duel. They threw down a 21.53 fraction over the firm turf with Alogon sitting chilly just behind them on the outside.

That’s Right eventually won the early battle, stepping a half-mile in 44.27 seconds while racing on his left lead. He was ripe for the pickings after that early tussle, however, and Alogon took full advantage.

Alogon swept to the front in midstretch, then had enough to outfinish late-running Witty by a half-length in 55.85. Mid Day Image was another half-length behind in third.

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Completing the order of finish were Belgrano, favored Nothing Better, Eamonn, Just Jeremy, Corduroy Road, That’s Right and Fore Harp. Synthesis scratched after entering as main track only.

Alogon returned $23.20 as the seventh-choice in the wagering.

Allard trained Alogon’s dam, the Scat Daddy mare Scamper. He also conditioned Scamper’s dam, stakes-winner Shananie’s Song, as well as her sire, the classy speedster Shananie.

Allard’s knowledge of Alogon’s bloodlines helped him plot the gelding’s course to the Wolf Hill.

“It’s a real family affair for me,” Allard said. [Alogon] went out to Hot Springs, and they ran him twice on the dirt, and he didn’t run well. Charlie [owner Charles Matses] decided to send him to me because I’ve trained for him for over 40 years off-and-on. I told him that the California Chrome’s have been running much better on the turf. We really needed to give this horse a shot on the turf, and with Shananie on the bottom side, he was really a top-notch horse also.”

Alogon was bred by Matses in Kentucky. After moving to Allard’s barn last fall, the California Chrome gelding easily won his turf debut, a $25,000 maiden claimer at the Meadowlands. In his next start, he shocked first-level allowance runners at Aqueduct at odds of 58-1.

With turf season winding down, Alogon ran once more on dirt in New York, finished last of eight in an Aqueduct second-level allowance.

This year, Alogon has won two of four starts. In his final effort before the Wolf Hill, Alogon ran third in Monmouth’s Get Serious on June 18.

Allard cross-entered Alogon in a Saturday race at Colonial but chose the Monmouth spot due “to post position, the competition that we were going to have to meet, and the fact that he ran well here last time without a perfect trip.”

Allard credits the horse’s maturity as a major factor in the Wolf Hill win. Once a speed-crazy runner, Alogon has learned to sit behind rivals.

“It makes him a lot more versatile,” Allard said. “I felt real good the whole race.”

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