Parx: Always Sunshine finds a suitable spot

It has not been easy this year for trainer Ned Allard to get his improving sprinter Always Sunshine into the races he has wanted. But Allard is no rookie and has calmly adjusted his schedule as needed.

On Sunday, Allard has Always Sunshine comfortably spotted in a third-level optional $40,000 claiming sprint at Parx Racing, where he and Always Sunshine are waiting out an equine herpesvirus quarantine.

Always Sunshine comes into Sunday’s race off a second-place finish to Salutos Amigos in the Grade 3 Tom Fool at Aqueduct. In his two prior starts, Always Sunshine won the $100,000 Dave’s Friend Stakes at Laurel Park and romped by 13 lengths in a first-level allowance at Parx.

Following the Dave’s Friend, Allard and owner-breeder Gil Campbell had hoped to run Always Sunshine in the $250,000 General George at Laurel. Those plans had to be scrapped after Always Sunshine missed six weeks of training when the Parx track was closed for training during the installation of a new safety rail.

Following the Tom Fool, Allard wanted to run Always Sunshine in the Grade 1 Carter at Aqueduct. Those plans had to be canceled due to the ongoing quarantine, which prohibits horses from leaving Parx.

“After the quarantine is over, we’ll start looking at what stakes are around for him,” Allard said.