SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Old Spa’s reputation as the “graveyard of favorites” will be sorely tested today in a pair of Grade 1 stakes, the $250,000 Hopeful for 2-year-olds and the $750,000 Alabama for 3-year-old fillies, both headlined by runners who figure to be odds-on: Afleet Alex in the Hopeful and Ashado in the Alabama.
In fact, today’s $400,000 guaranteed Pick 4 – the Hopeful and Alabama are the final two legs on the 10-race card – could be a chalky affair, with Midway Road and Friendly Island strong choices in the first two legs.
The Alabama, which will be run for the 124th time, is nation’s second-oldest stakes for distaffers, with a roster of winners that includes many of the sport’s all-time greats. In two years of racing, Ashado already has proven she belongs among them.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, the daughter of Saint Ballado is 2-for-2 at Saratoga, winning the Schuylerville and Spinaway as a 2-year-old, when she also won the Demoiselle and ran second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
At 3, Ashado has solid championship credentials, winning the Fair Grounds Oaks, Kentucky Oaks and Coaching Club American Oaks, with seconds in the Ashland and Mother Goose sandwiched in between those victories.
“She runs a good race all the time,” said Pletcher, who’ll give a leg up on Ashado to his usual sidekick, Johnny Velazquez. “The mile-and-a-quarter is not a problem, and she has good tactical speed.”
Ashado was one of three Alabama fillies to turn in public workouts between races last Saturday, scorching five furlongs in :58.3. Also working that day were trainer Bob Baffert’s Yearly Report, a Cal-bred who’s 5-for-6, including the Delaware Oaks last out, and Jimmy Toner’s unbeaten New York-bred Fleet Indian.
Yearly Report and Fleet Indian both sizzled six furlongs in 1:11.3 and have a better-than-good chance of hitting the board today in a nine-horse field.
The Hopeful, at seven furlongs, drew a field of seven, with many other nominees no doubt being scared off by Afleet Alex.
Based in the Delaware Park barn of Tim Ritchey, Afleet Alex won his first two starts by 111/4 and 12 lengths, then shipped to Saratoga for his stakes debut in the July 29 Sanford. Sent off the 3-1 choice under Jeremy Rose, the Northern Afleet colt came from off the pace to score by 51/4 lengths in stakes-record time of 1:09.1 for six furlongs.
Since then, Afleet Alex has turned in two bullet breezes: five furlongs in :59.1 and four in :46.2. While he’s already beaten three of today’s opponents, he faces a new challenger in Devils Disciple, a Florida shipper coming off a pair of stakes victories at Calder by nine and 91/4 lengths.
