Sporting
a brand-new New York Giants cap in honor of their appearance in tonight’s
Super Bowl XLVI, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin reported this morning that Alpha returned from his Withers CXXXII
victory in good order and would likely take the next step to the Kentucky Derby
in New York.
“We’ll look at the Gotham/Wood, talk to [Godolphin racing manager]
Simon Crisford and see if we want to run him two more times, or one more
time,” said McLaughlin, referring to Aqueduct Racetrack’s Grade 3,
$400,000 Gotham on March 3 and the Grade 1, $1 million Resorts World New York
City Casino Wood Memorial on April 7. “We like having him here in New York.”
If Alpha were to run in the Wood, McLaughlin said he might ship to Florida to train.
The decision to run Alpha in the January 7 Count Fleet and the Withers was made
initially to keep him and another Godolphin son of Bernardini on divergent
paths to the Triple Crown, said the trainer.
“We thought Consortium was equally good, and we wanted to split them
up,” said McLaughlin. “Then he ran terrible in the slop, [last of
six] in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream. We still think he’s a good colt, but
we’re not sure which way we are going to go with him.”