Unified Alliance scores minor upset in off-turf Coronation Cup

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — The thundershowers that rolled through the Saratoga area late Thursday afternoon and into Friday morning was literally a perfect storm as far as trainer Tom Morley and his 3-year-old filly Unified Alliance were concerned.

The heavy rains ultimately led to Friday’s $150,000 Coronation Cup being switched from the turf to the main track and the field being scratched down to just four starters, among the defections the heavily favored Love Reigns. Unified Alliance taking advantage of the change in conditions and softer competition to register a gate to wire, 1 1/2 length victory over Kentucky invader Anna’s Arabesque in the 5 1/2 furlong-dash for 3-year-old fillies.

Unified Alliance, who would have been making her turf debut had the Coronation Cup been run as scheduled, contested the early pace lapped on Anna’s Arabesque. She was able to edge clear after that rival steadied back briefly along the inside midway on the turn, extended her advantage when roused in early stretch and was never seriously menaced through the final furlong while kept under steady urging by jockey Javier Castellano to the end.

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L Street Lady, who rallied from last to defeat Unified Alliance by a length in the Jersey Girl, raced closer to the pace in the rematch, prompting the early running while outside the early leaders. She continued wide into the stretch but had little left at that point, finishing a tiring third another 6 3/4 lengths behind the runner-up. Wildhawk, who had set the pace before fading to be third in the Jersey Girl, stumbled at the start and trailed throughout.

Unified Alliance is trained by Tom Morley for Reagan Jack Racing. She completed the distance over a track upgraded from “good” to fast earlier in the day in 1:03.80 seconds and paid $7.50.

“Sat at the dinner table, claps of thunder, bolts of lightning, and I said I can really do with this going on for four more hours just toreally knock it on the head. It really didn’t rain for four more hours, but we got enough,” said Morley when asked his thoughts when the rains came to Saratoga the previous evening. “Actually she worked really, really well on the grass at Belmont and we were going to roll the dice and see if she could turf today. But obviously it turned out to be a much easier race when it came off.”

Morley said the flow of the race worked out to perfection as well for his filly.

“We talked about it in the paddock, she’s got a lot of speed this filly, and we got a lovely post today and agreed if she broke well we’d be aggressive from the gate,” said Morley. “Once Kendrick’s horse[Wildhawk] broke a little slowly it was a case of whether we could out-foot Florent [Geroux aboard Anna’s Arabesque] to the turn. He’s having an absolute making make hay year Javier [Castellano], and that was just another sensational ride.”

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