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Oak Stable’s Alternation, the local leader of the handicap division by
virtue of his wins in the Essex and Razorback (G3) Handicaps this meet,
had an easy maintenance
work Thursday morning, breezing five furlongs in 1:02 2/5 under the
watchful eye of groom and shedrow foreman Rocky Chapman, who has been
deputized while trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel is in New York with Caleb’s
Posse, one of the favorites for Saturday’s Carter
Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct.
“It
was just a useful work,” said Von Hemel by phone. “He went about 1:02
and change and that's what I was looking for. This sets him up for one
more work in the middle
of next week and we'll be ready to go next Saturday (in the Oaklawn
Handicap). Everybody back there tells me it went smoothly."
The
next two weekends are going to be very busy for the Von Hemel barn. In
addition to Caleb’s Posse, the team will be represented by impressive
Oaklawn allowance winner
Z Rockstar in the $500,000 Illinois Derby (G3) at Hawthorne Saturday
and next week at Oaklawn, Von Hemel will start Alternation and multiple
stakes winner She’s All In in either the $100,000 Redbud Stakes April 12
or the $500,000 Apple Blossom (G1) April 13.