Alpha Bettor sheds blinkers for Durham Cup
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Reigning Canadian champion older male Alpha Bettor will race without blinkers for the first time in Saturday’s $150,000 Durham Cup at Woodbine, but one shouldn’t make too big a deal about the equipment change, according to trainer Danny Vella.
“I’ve been working him without blinkers, and I believe he doesn’t need them anymore,” Vella said. “As a youngster, he wore three-quarter cups. When he was champion, he wore half-cups and cheaters. This year, he’s been all cheaters. We’re at the point now where it’s actually irritating him to have them on.”
Alpha Bettor, a 6-year-old, has done all of his stakes damage around two turns. His two allowance scores this year included one over seven furlongs in which he earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.
Vella said the experimentation with sprinting Alpha Bettor was due to a lack of local races for older male routers who are not Ontario-sired.
Alpha Bettor was bottled up in traffic when sixth two starts back in the Grade 3 Seagram Cup and then finished a wide fourth when he cut back to 6 1/2 furlongs most recently in the Grade 3 Bold Venture.
“What happened in his last few races is the jocks were gunning for us,” Vella said. “He never really had a chance to go anywhere [in the Seagram Cup]. Eventually, he died under a hold at about the eighth pole.”
The Grade 3, 1 1/8-mile Durham Cup lured five others, including shippers Boisterous and Developer.
KEY CONTENDERS
Alpha Bettor (Last 3 Beyers: 87-83-98)
◗ One of the best efforts of his 2013 season was a valiant second in the Durham Cup, during which he disposed of the favored Delegation through fast fractions before holding on for second.
◗ Vella said Alpha Bettor is versatile in terms of running style.
“If there’s a real sharp pace, he can come from off it, and if there’s no pace, he can go to the front,” he said.
Boisterous (Last 3 Beyers: 96-94-93)
◗ The millionaire turf specialist has an allowance win in six starts this year while competing predominantly in Grade 1 and 2 stakes for trainer Todd Pletcher.
◗ His lone synthetic-track excursion was a second to Successful Dan in the Grade 3 Ben Ali at Keeneland in 2013, when he was trained by Shug McGaughey.
His Race to Win (Last 3 Beyers: 83-93-85)
◗ He was an impressive come-from-behind winner of the slow-paced Seagram Cup, but he never fired over good turf in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.