Aqueduct: Flipcup wins East View Stakes; Alvarado breaks ankle

Flipcup easily transferred her synthetic form to dirt, galloping past the pacesetting Champagne Ruby just outside the eighth pole en route to a 4 1/2-length victory in Sunday’s $100,000 East View Stakes for New York-bred juvenile fillies at Aqueduct.

It was the third win from four starts for Flipcup, who had made her three previous starts over the synthetic surface at Woodbine while competing in races restricted to progeny of Ontario-based stallions. Flipcup, owned and bred by Shirl Penney’s Team Penney Racing and trained by George Weaver, is a daughter of Milwaukee Brew.

The East View was marred by a prerace gate incident in which jockey Junior Alvarado broke his left ankle. Alvarado was aboard Miss Narcissist – at the time the 6-5 favorite – who acted up in the gate and kicked Underthemoonlight, who was in the stall next to her. Miss Narcissist and Underthemoonlight were ordered scratched by the veterinarian.

Meanwhile, on his Twitter account, Alvarado tweeted “pretty bad broken [ankle].”

One race before the East View, Alvarado won a first-level allowance race aboard the very promising 3-year-old Mean Season, who was making his first start for Bill Mott after the horse was purchased at the Keeneland November sale by Jake Ballis for $150,000.

Alvarado, 27, was enjoying the best year of his career, with 191 wins and purse earnings of $12,861,892, the latter placing him 10th nationally. On the New York Racing Association circuit, Alvarado ranked fifth in wins with 188. In New York, his earnings were $12,338,908.

The scratch of Miss Narcissist dramatically changed the complexion of the East View, as she was expected to be part of the early pace.

Instead, Champagne Ruby, under Cornelio Velasquez, set the pace, maintaining a one-length advantage through pedestrian fractions of 25.72 seconds for the quarter and 50.82 for the half-mile.

Rajiv Maragh had Flipcup in close attendance to the pace while three wide. Turning into in the stretch, Flipcup set sail after Champagne Ruby, collared her just outside the eighth pole, and, after switching leads, opened up her advantage.

Champagne Ruby finished second by 2 1/4 lengths over Mlle. Minuit. Skye Saratoga and G Note completed the order of finish.

“The race changed,” Maragh said, referring to the scratch of Miss Narcissist. “My filly comes from behind, and originally we planned to sit behind the speed, hoping that with Miss Narcissist, there would be plenty of speed. When she scratched, it changed the whole flow of the race.”

Flipcup covered the mile and 70 yards in 1:45.64 over a “good” inner tack and returned $4.10 as the favorite.

There is no racing at Aqueduct until Thursday.