For jockey Junior Alvarado, everything is coming together

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Jockey Junior Alvarado is heating up at the right time.

Alvarado won four of the 10 stakes run at Aqueduct over the Thanksgiving weekend as he prepares to move his tack to Gulfstream Park for the winter for the first time in more than a decade. Alvarado will ride one more week at Aqueduct - including Mr. Buff in Saturday’s Grade 1 Cigar Mile - before taking his wife Kelly and the couple’s three kids on a road trip to South Florida.

“I’ve been riding a lot of horses for a lot of people that are going there,” Alvarado said. “This is a year where I think everything fell into place to go there.”

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Alvarado, who two years ago won 70 races at Aqueduct’s winter meet, certainly hopes to retain the mount on Forza Di Oro, whom he guided to a 3 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3 Discovery Stakes. Forza Di Oro, who earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the Discovery victory, is now 2 for 2 since returning from a layoff due to a hind ankle injury. Forza Di Oro, who could make his next start in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 23, still has room for improvement, Alvarado said.

“Mentally he hasn’t caught up with his body, he’s a big guy, with a nice, long stride,” Alvarado said. “I think mentally he still has to put it together.”

On Friday, Alvarado rode Feel Glorious to victory in the $100,000 Forever Together Stakes and City Man to a win in the $100,000 Gio Ponti Stakes, both for trainer Christophe Clement.

Alvarado capped his big weekend on Sunday when he guided Lovestruck to a one-length victory in the $100,000 Tepin Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Lovestruck is trained by Billy Mott.

“I’ve been riding second call for Clement when Joel [Rosario] is not around and I’m riding a lot of nice 2-year-olds and a lot of nice older horses for Billy Mott more than any other year before. Like I said, I think just everything fell into place this year and I want to prove I belong there.”