Maker reroutes Zulu Alpha from canceled Old Forester to Saturday's Pan American

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – After Zulu Alpha won the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park to further entrench himself as a national leader among older turf horses, the 7-year-old gelding was supposed to make his next start in the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic on the Kentucky Derby card.

But with the coronavirus crisis forcing postponement of the Derby and all its supporting features, trainer Mike Maker found himself looking for a suitable alternative. He hopes to have found it with the Grade 2 Pan American, one of nine secondary stakes on a huge Florida Derby Day card Saturday.

“He’s continued right along in his training,” said Maker. “He’s holding form, doing great. We’re excited to see him run again Saturday.”

The 1 1/8-mile Old Forester would have represented a turnback in distance from the 1 3/8-mile Mac Diarmida for Zulu Alpha, who earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 25 and a 107 in the Feb. 29 Mac Diarmida. Now, the 1 1/2-mile Pan American becomes a slight stretchout.

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“He’s shown he’s pretty effective, regardless of the distance,” said Maker.

Besides the Pan American and its sister race, the Grade 3 Orchid, the Saturday undercard races also include the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, a 170-point qualifier for the Sept. 4 Kentucky Oaks. Tonalist’s Shape, Spice Is Nice, and Lucrezia are among a large field of 3-year-old fillies expected for the 1 1/16-mile race.

Three ungraded turf stakes also will be run – the Sand Springs, Cutler Bay, and Sanibel Island.

Also, three stakes originally scheduled for Friday instead are being assimilated into the Saturday card. Those races, all for older males, are the Hal’s Hope, Appleton, and Sir Shackleton.

◗ Gulfstream officials said Monday a decision was still pending in regard to a mandatory disbursement of the Rainbow 6 jackpot. The forceout is expected for Saturday or Sunday, the closing day of the four-month championship meet. The jackpot stood at more than $1.3 million when a five-day week began Wednesday.