Alpha may go in for Left Bank

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was represented in Saturday’s Grade 1 Woodward Stakes by Long River. He would have preferred to have been represented by Alpha, last year’s Woodward winner.

But things didn’t break well for Alpha this summer, and instead of performing Saturday afternoon, he was out Saturday morning for a four-furlong workout in 49.63 seconds over Saratoga’s main track. He could make his next start in Friday’s $100,000 Left Bank Stakes, the opening-day feature at Belmont Park.

“We’ll take a hard look at it,” McLaughlin said. “It’s a little quick back, but he’s had all year off.”

McLaughlin was hoping to run Alpha in an allowance race in the first week of the meet that didn’t fill. Instead, Alpha ran in the 1 1/8-mile Alydar Stakes and finished third, 8 1/4 lengths behind stablemate Farhaan.

“It definitely had to bring him forward,” McLaughlin said of Alpha’s race in the Alydar. “A flat mile [in the Left Bank] might be a little short for him, but maybe not.”

Entries for the Left Bank were to be taken Sunday.

Meanwhile, McLaughlin said Farhaan, who earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure for his victory in the Alydar, could make his next start either Sept. 27 in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont or Oct. 25 in the $200,000 Fayette Stakes at Keeneland.

McLaughlin, who enjoyed a solid Saratoga meet with nine wins entering Saturday’s card, said Cavorting, the Adirondack Stakes winner, is on track for the Grade 1 Frizette at Belmont on Oct. 4. On Friday, she worked a half-mile in 48.90 seconds, her first work since the Adirondack.

“She worked great,” McLaughlin said. “She really does things effortlessly and easily.”

McLaughlin said Divided Attention, who came back off a lengthy layoff to win her 3-year-old debut by 5 1/4 lengths Aug. 23, could make her next start Sept. 20 in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion at Parx.