Seven
years after his dam, Society Selection, won the Grade 1 Alabama, Rightfully So will make his debut in
Saturday’s sixth race, part of the TVG Alabama undercard.
Rightfully So, a 2-year-old ridgling, is trained by Hall of Famer Allen
Jerkens for Irving I. Cowan, the connections behind Society Selection. The mare
won her debut at Saratoga as a 2-year-old before
returning the following year to win the 2004 Grade 1 Test at seven furlongs and
upset Stellar Jayne and Ashado in the 1 ¼-mile
Alabama .
“She
was way out of it [in the
Alabama ],” Jerkens recalled. “It was muddy
that day. I think it was [also] muddy for the Test. It rained like hell just
before the Test. She came wide turning for home and blew by everybody. She
wasn’t supposed to be a sprinter.”
Rightfully So, by 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy, has impressed Jerkens
in the morning, but the trainer realizes the juvenile may perform differently
under race conditions.
“All
the work in the morning doesn’t mean anything,” said Jerkens. “You gotta do it
in the afternoon. I hope he’ll be good. He’s bred to be good, works like he’s
good, but now he has to prove it.”