Alvarado decides to stick around in Florida

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The local riding colony will be bolstered with the announcement that Junior Alvarado plans to stay in South Florida at the end of the meet and ride here year round.

Alvarado, a regular on the New York circuit the past 10 years, has had a good deal of success in his first regular appearance during the Championship meet. He notched his 48th win of the meet aboard Kodama in Thursday’s fourth race to remain firmly entrenched in sixth place in the standings this winter.

Agent Mike Sellitto said Alvarado made the decision to remain at Gulfstream Park year round primarily for family reasons.

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“Junior is a family man, he’s got three kids who’ll all be in school soon, and it’s just been tough moving them around during the year,” Sellitto said. “He just wants to finally settle in one place and have an easier lifestyle for everybody. He’s already picked up a lot of business down here and hopefully will be able to also keep some of the good horses he’s been riding when they go out of town.”

Alvarado’s most notable wins here in 2022 have been aboard Speaker’s Corner for trainer Bill Mott in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper and Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile. He also won the Grade 3 Mineshaft aboard the Mott-trained Olympiad in February at Fair Grounds.

Sellitto will continue to represent both Alvarado and apprentice Ailsa Morrison throughout the upcoming spring-summer sessions. Morrison won four races during Aqueduct’s winter meet before switching her tack to Gulfstream Park, where she’s ridden one winner at the meet.

“Ailsa worked for Bill Mott for two years, and he feels she’s got a lot of ability and continues to support her here, which says something right there,” Sellitto said. “Staying down here for the summer will help her get stronger and gain more experience, and I have all the confidence in the world that she will prove to be very successful.”