Alydar the return spot for Alpha
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Alpha returns to his favorite track Sunday, when he runs in the $100,000 Alydar Stakes at Saratoga.
Alpha has recorded four of his six victories at Saratoga, including a dead-heat win in the Travers in 2012 and a front-running score in last year’s Grade 1 Woodward Stakes. He also won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy in 2012 and a maiden race here in 2011.
Alpha has not run since finishing fifth in the Mac Diarmida Stakes on turf at Gulfstream in February.
“He didn’t excel on the turf,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said. “We decided to wait, and once we decided to wait, we just freshened him up in-house and point for Saratoga.”
McLaughlin had hoped to run Alpha in an allowance race in late July to use as a prep for the Woodward on Aug. 31. That race didn’t fill, so the Alydar became Plan B. McLaughlin said that regardless of how Alpha performs Sunday, it was “very doubtful” he would run him back in two weeks in the Woodward.
McLaughlin said Alpha is “doing great.”
“He’s never looked better weight-wise, training-wise,” he said. “Hopefully, all goes well.”
McLaughlin also entered Farhaan, who finished fifth in the Ben Ali at Keeneland in April. Also entered in the Alydar are Csaba, Dawly, Easter Gift, and Stormin Monarcho.