Aqueduct: Gotham or Wood likely next for Alpha

Alpha, the 3 1/4-length winner of Saturdays Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct, will most likely make his next start in New York, but it remains to be seen whether that start will come in the Grade 3, $400,000 Gotham on March 3 or the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial on April 7.

Barbara D. LivingstonTrainer Kiaran McLaughlin is unsure whether he wants Alpha to run in the Gotham Stakes on March 3 or wait for the Wood Memorial on April 7. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said Sunday morning that Alpha came out of the Withers in "great shape but he has yet to talk to Simon Crisford, the racing manager for Godolphin Racing, about future plans for Alpha. A son of 2006 Withers winner Bernardini, Alpha earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure for his Withers victory, a five-point improvement from his win in the Count Fleet over the inner track on Jan. 7.

McLaughlin said he and Crisford need to decide whether its prudent to run Alpha, a colt who is on the smaller side physically, once or twice more before the May 5 Kentucky Derby. If the decision is to run just once, then McLaughlin and Crisford need to decide whether to run in the Gotham and wait nine weeks for the Derby or run in the Wood and come back in four weeks.

Well look at the Gotham for now, but Ill talk to Simon and see what their thoughts are, said McLaughlin, who said he also wanted to review various speed figures for the race.

McLaughlin did say that if the decision is made to wait for the Wood Memorial, it is possible Alpha would ship to Palm Meadows in south Florida to train.

Theres a chance of that, McLaughlin said. Those are all things we have to talk about.

McLaughlin understands that the competition Alpha will meet in his next race will most likely be markedly tougher than what the colt has faced to date.

I dont want to go looking for tougher competition. I think well find it going forward for $400,000 and a million dollars if we stay up here, McLaughlin said. Theyre going to ship in, as in Todd Pletcher, just to split up his, for example.

McLaughlin was referring to the bevy of 3-year-olds Pletcher has pointed to the Kentucky Derby.

McLaughlins stable has been on a roll both here and at Gulfstream. From Jan. 28 through Saturday, McLaughlin has gone 6 for 10 at Aqueduct and 3 for 5 at Gulfstream. Included in those victories were wins by sprinters Falaah and Crossbow at Aqueduct and Emcee at Gulfstream.