Alvarado's strategy pays off for Horologist in Beldame Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. - Jockey Junior Alvarado seemed to make all the right moves this weekend at Belmont Park, and his decision not to engage Letruska in a head-and-head speed duel paid dividends in Sunday’s Grade 2, $150,000 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park.

After hustling Horologist out of the gate in a brief attempt to make the lead, Alvarado let Kendrick Carmouche and Letruska go to the lead. After Letruska ran six furlongs in 1:09.05, she unsurprisingly got tired and Alvarado and Horologist were there to pick up the pieces and win the Beldame by three lengths.

Point of Honor rallied to get second by 2 1/4 lengths over Dunbar Road, the even-money favorite. Letruska finished last. Nonna Madeline scratched.

The win was the second of three on the day for Alvarado. He won 10 races over three days at Belmont, including four stakes.

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“I always say it’s about the good horses,” said Alvarado, who on Saturday won the Grade 1 Belmont Derby on Gufo and the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom on Frank’s Rockette.

“I think anyone here in New York can do the job as long as they get the opportunity to ride these nice horses. I was very blessed this weekend to get on those nice horses. There were a lot of guys out of town, I took the opportunity and I got the job done.”

In the Beldame, Alvarado said his plan was to force Carmouche’s hand on Letruska. If Carmouche was willing to concede the lead to him, Alvarado would have taken it. If not, then he would sit.

Letruska was intent on having it and ran early splits of 23.10 seconds and 45.52 whole opening up three lengths on Horologist.

“When I passed the chute I just forgot about [Letruska],” Alvarado said. “I just got my filly into a nice rhythm. All I was thinking was that I was on the lead. I rode my filly how I wanted to and made my move when I wanted to.”

Alvarado had Horologist eight lengths in front of Dunbar Road after a half-mile in 45.52 seconds. When Jose Ortiz began to get Dunbar Road closer to Horologist around the turn, Alvarado asked Horologist to run. She zipped past Letruska at the there-sixteenths pole and was never seriously threatened in the final furlong.

Horologist, a New Jersey-bred daughter of Gemologist, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.01 and returned $16.20 as the longest price in the short field.

“At the five-sixteenths, she gave me a nice kick and I went with her right there,” Alvarado said. “She held on all the way to the wire.”

Mott said he was a little concerned early that Alvarado was going to get in a speed duel.

“For a moment I thought ‘Don’t be head and head,’ ” Mott said. “But he did the right thing.”

Horologist is not Breeders’ Cup nominated and it would cost his connections - There’s a Chance Stable and Parkland Thoroughbreds - $100,000 to make her eligible for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

Cameron Beatty, the breeder and part owner of Horologist, was at Belmont on Sunday and said it would be “a longshot” that they would supplement her to the Breeders’ Cup.

Dunbar Road, making her first start since undergoing throat surgery to repair an entrapped epiglottis, flattened out in the stretch after making a menacing move around the far turn.

“She just didn’t fire today,” trainer Chad Brown said. “They were going really fast and they clearly stopped, judging by how slowly they came home and she didn’t pick them up. Jose said she got very tired. Maybe I just didn’t have her tight enough.”