Staying healthy the goal for Alvarado

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Junior Alvarado’s primary goal for this winter is to stay sound.

Each of the last two winters, Alvarado has missed significant time due to injury. With a top-flight Kentucky Derby contender in Mohaymen to look forward to in 2016, Alvarado hopes that both he and his horse remain healthy.

“The main thing is to try to stay sound,” Alvarado said, referring as much to himself as Mohaymen. “Sometimes, it’s just a matter of being lucky. So far, so good. I feel my best right now.”

In December 2013, Alvarado broke his ankle in a gate mishap and missed four months. In November 2014, Alvarado fractured a vertebra in his back and missed six weeks.

Alvarado, 29, has remained healthy for virtually all of 2015. He ranks 10th nationally in purse money won ($10,434,603) and has won 138 races, including 21 stakes. He won the Grade 2 Remsen on Mohaymen here Saturday, and even though all but 22 of his mounts have come in New York this year, he also has won graded stakes at Keeneland, Gulfstream, and Delaware Park.

Though Mohaymen left for south Florida on Sunday, Alvarado plans to ride regularly at Aqueduct this winter. He will go to Florida when needed, which likely will happen Jan. 30 if Mohaymen runs in the Grade 2, $350,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park as planned.

Alvarado was fortunate to be tabbed by trainer Kiaran McLaughlin to ride Mohaymen in his debut Sept. 19. McLaughlin said Irad Ortiz Jr., who had worked the horse a time or two, was at Parx Racing that day. Since Alvarado won – and has continued to win – on the colt, Mohaymen is his mount.

“We’re not one to change jocks very often once they’re on the horse and he won,” McLaughlin said.

Alvarado then won on him again in the Grade 2 Nashua on Nov. 4. Alvarado says Mohaymen has progressed from race to race. Prior to the Remsen, Alvarado worked Mohaymen behind horses, which he said gave him the confidence to keep the colt behind horses early on in the Remsen.

“Coming to the first turn there was a little room to go through and probably get in the clear, but I probably would have had to rush him and he’d be pulling too much,” Alvarado said. “Let me take this chance. Hopefully, if he acts like he did in the morning he should be just fine. He handled it fine.”

Alvarado also believes Mohaymen will be able to handle the 1 1/4 miles of the Kentucky Derby.

“I don’t think he’s going to have any problem,” Alvarado said. “If that race had been longer [Saturday] he’d have kept opening up at the end.”