Belmont Contender: Alpha

For Alpha, a bay son of Bernardini, it has been a long, winding road to the Triple Crown.
Once touted as one of the most serious Derby contenders, Godolphin Racing's 3 year old colt has been all but lost in the rush of attention to Derby & Preakness champion I'll Have Another. Following a lackluster 12th in the Kentucky Derby, few are left on Alpha's "boat". Is he good enough to contend with the likes of this year's champions? Can he bounce back off such a dull performance? Can he get the Belmont distance? While the real answers to these questions remain up in the air, I'm going to take a moment to acknowledge the chances of this brilliant colt in the race known as the Test of the Champion.


Alpha flying home in the Withers Stakes

For Alpha, the 2 year old season began with a bang. Sent out at Saratoga in a 7 furlong maiden special weight, the son of Munnaya sat back along the rail until the five-sixteenths pole, where he kicked off and drew away to a flashy 6 length win. Among the defeated was future stakes winning Hierro, who was at one point considered for the Preakness. Also of note was Timely Tally, who later went on to place third in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.


Next time out, Alpha took a huge leap in class to the G1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park. Again ridden by Alan Garcia, he loped along near the back of the pack before altering course and blasting off to secure a respectable second. Union Rags, the winner, charged between horses to a 5 length victory before going on to become one of the top colts in the nation. Although outclassed by the victor, Alpha proved himself a powerful prospect in this race. It is also to be noted that the Champagne Stakes was his only race at Belmont Park, the home track of the Belmont Stakes. Alpha took well to the track's surface.

But the Churchill surface? Not so much.
In his final race of 2011, Alpha shipped to Churchill Downs for the prestigious Breeder's Cup Juvenile, the top race in the nation for 2 year old colts. After wrecking havoc at the starting gate, the bay colt flopped home an unimposing 11th out of 13 horses.

His 3 year old year would almost bring a change in fortunes. After resting over the winter, Alpha's 3 year old debut would come in the Count Fleet Stakes, in which he cruised home victorious by 2 1/2 lengths.. fairly impressive, but with grandmother times that reeled in few to Alpha's bandwagon. But he impressed again in the G3 Withers, also over Aqueduct's inner dirt. Bumping up from 1 mile 70 yards to 1 1/6 miles, he romped by 3 lengths.

Still, the times were doubtful, and Alpha had conquered little competition. He was pointed toward the G1 Wood Memorial; the race that marked his first start among top 3 year old competition. After a troubled trip in which he was forced to race wide, Alpha fought bravely against the then-undefeated Gemologist. He came up short by a neck. After the race it was found that Alpha had suffered several scrapes throughout the course of the race -- making his runner-up finish all the more inspiring.

Several more liked Alpha, now. He had raced with the best of them, and come out with good results. Although the odds were still long for the Godolphin colt, he was backed by many experts; Alpha appeared to be sitting on a very big race. He was transported to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby, ready to roll -- and what we got was a repeat of the Breeder's Cup Juvenile.

After being "awkward" at the start, Alpha failed to show potential in a flat, struggling race. Similarly to last year, he placed 12th on the Churchill dirt. My thoughts? Alpha should never run at Churchill Downs, which obviously seems to shackle his abilities. He'd do much better at Aqueduct, Saratoga and -- yes, of course -- Belmont Park.

Should Alpha contest in the Belmont Stakes (which is the plan), you've got no reason to believe that he won't romp on that same, lovely surface of his graded stakes debut. Why not? His pedigree screams distance. He's well-rested, having skipped the Preakness, and has the lowest dosage index (1.67) in the Belmont field. He may not have the flashy resume boasted by I'll Have Another, or near the fan base of Union Rags, but Alpha is still a classy horse who deserves a shot at history.