As solid a race as Alpha ran winning Saturday’s $150,000 Count Fleet
Stakes at Aqueduct, if he is going to become a legitimate contender for
the Kentucky Derby, he is going to have to behave better in the starting
gate.
That’s why Alpha will undergo stringent gate-schooling sessions
between now and his likely expected next start in the Grade 3, $200,000
Withers Stakes here on Feb. 4.
Alpha reared up just before the starting gate opened for the Count
Fleet, and then bobbled once the doors did open. Still, thanks in part
to a slow early pace, Alpha recovered enough to be a tracking third
before taking over at the eighth pole and drawing clear late. Alpha,
under Ramon Dominguez, won the Count Fleet by 2 1/2 lengths, running a
mile and 70 yards in 1:42.83. He earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure.
Read More