Alogon returns for Listed $150K Elusive Quality

Charles T. Matses’ Kentucky homebred Alogon will look to double up on local stakes scores in Saturday’s Listed $150,000 Elusive Quality, a six-furlong outer turf sprint for older horses, at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Ned Allard, the 6-year-old California Chrome gelding was last seen dead-heating for victory with Works for Me in the Listed Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship on November 9. There, he and Works for Me tracked the speedy Jean Valjean through splits of 22.49 seconds, 45.18 and 56.64 over the firm footing, with the stalking duo finding their best stride late to hit the wire together in a final time of 1:08.42.

Allard said he thought Alogon was on his way to victory when the field turned for home.

“At the eighth pole, I thought we were a winner, and I think the rider did, too,” Allard said. “Any horse that accelerates like that through the lane doesn't normally get caught. But I saw the other horse really start to get into gear around the middle of the turn and when they turned for home, he was shot out of a cannon

“To me, he ran a winning race and got beat,” Allard added, with a laugh.

The ultra-consistent Alogon has banked $397,799 via a 19-6-2-4 ledger topped by stakes scores in the 2023 Wolf Hill at Monmouth Park and Listed Parx Dash in August. He entered his Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship score from a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint in October here when 1 3/4-lengths back of the victorious Senbei, and a half-length in arrears of runner-up Nothing Better. Both of those rivals will reoppose here.

Alogon has worked consistently over the Delaware Park dirt in preparation for his seasonal debut, including a half-mile breeze Saturday in 49.80 seconds that followed a bullet five-eighths in 1:00.40 on April 19.

“He went a little faster than we wanted to the week before,” Allard said. “I don't like to put quick works on them. I like to save it for the afternoons, but that's just how good he is this year. He's been training super.

“He's been a very nice horse for us. He tries hard every time,” Allard added. “He's making his first start of the year, but with that being said, he's training incredibly well. He looks fabulous. He's fresh. I'm excited about watching him run on Saturday.”

Allard said Alogon has benefitted from time off and getting started back on an Aqua-tred machine at Nor Mar Farm in Freeland, Maryland.

“That horse really seems to thrive on cold weather,” Allard said. “After that last race, I sent him to a farm near Fair Hill that he's been to the last three years. I kept him there for 60 days and then sent him to Nor Mar Farm and they have a water treadmill. Horses really get fit on that without the stress of going to the track.”

Alogon is out of the Scat Daddy mare Scamper, a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Favorable Outcome and graded stakes-placed Beguine. Assigned 122 pounds, Alogon will exit post 9 in rein to Jaime Rodriguez, who was aboard for the Parx Dash score.

Colts Neck Stables’ Nothing Better [post 1, Fernando Jara, 122 pounds] is also making his seasonal debut for trainer Jorge Duarte, Jr.

The 8-year-old Munnings gelding boasts a field-best $854,182 in purse earnings through a 31-11-8-3 record. His trio of frontrunning wins over the local strip includes back-to-back victories in the Listed Turf Sprint Championship in 2022-23.

Nothing Better has averaged six starts per campaign over his five years of racing and won off-the-bench to kickstart his 2022 and 2023 campaigns. 

“He likes the turf course there and has been very consistent off the layoff,” Duarte, Jr. said. “He's coming back at 8-years-old, and he looks great. He likes to run on firmer ground, so if it's clear and firm it will suit him.”

Nothing Better posted many of his early scores in gate-to-wire fashion but demonstrated an ability to rate last year when sitting third and pouncing to a three-quarter length victory in the Wolf Hill in July at Monmouth Park.

However, Duarte, Jr. said he would have preferred to be on a lone lead last out in the Belmont Turf Sprint after breaking sharp from the outermost post 8 and dueling with Determined Kingdom, who drifted out into him inside the final eighth. Nothing Better was able to fend off all but Senbei, who ranged up six-wide and scored by 1 1/4-lengths.

“The instructions were to go to the front, but things happened, and it didn't get executed,” Duarte, Jr. said. “He has speed and now that he has the dimension to sit off a horse, it's handy to have, but usually speed is king on that turf course.

“He's very athletic. He's press button - anybody could ride him,” Duarte, Jr. added “When he gets on the grass, he's all business. He's fast on a normal day and just a great horse to be around.”

Nothing Better was purchased for $230,000 at the 2019 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. He is out of the winning Duke of Marmalade mare One True Love – a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Folk Opera.

Gary Barber’s dual Grade 1-placed My Boy Prince [post 10, Jose Lezcano, 122 pounds] will cut back in distance after a trio of off-the-board efforts traveling one-mile or farther for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

The 4-year-old Cairo Prince gelding finished a prominent second to the victorious Carson’s Run in his turf debut in the one-mile Grade 1 Summer in September 2023 at Woodbine one month before posting a 4 1/4-length score in the restricted Cup and Saucer over 1 1/16-miles of good Woodbine turf. The Ontario-bred completed that campaign with a prominent third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita en route to Sovereign Award honors as Canada’s Champion 2-Year-Old Colt.

My Boy Prince won 3-of-8 starts last year, taking the King Corrie and restricted Queenston and Plate Trial over the Woodbine Tapeta ahead of a runner-up effort to Caitlinhergrtness in the historic King’s Plate.

The talented grey, out of the stakes-winning Silent Name mare Hopping Not Hoping, will return to sprinting from a more than five-month layoff after a close fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf on November 23 at Churchill Downs.

Christophe Clement will be represented by a pair of talented runners in graded stakes-winning New York-bred Senbei [post 6, Kendrick Carmouche, 124 pounds] and stakes-winner Apollo Ten [post 4, Dylan Davis, 122 pounds].

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Darlene Bilinski’s Senbei, bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski, made the grade over course and distance with a rallying 1 1/4-length score over Nothing Better in the aforementioned Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint in October.

The 6-year-old Candy Ride gelding was a talented dirt runner earlier in his career, including state-bred scores as a juvenile in the 2021 Funny Cide presented by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, New York Breeders’ Futurity and the Notebook. He added the Listed Gold Fever to his ledger in his 3-year-old debut in May 2022 at Belmont Park.

Senbei was moved to turf in July 2023 with a runner-up effort in an open company optional-claimer at Belmont Park and produced his first win over the green in July here when bounding to a 2 1/4-length score in an optional-claiming sprint.

He was off-the-board in two outings following his Belmont Turf Sprint score and will make his seasonal debut following a string of works at Payson Park Training Center in Florida and a half-mile effort in 49.95 seconds over the Belmont Park dirt training track on Friday.
Senbei is out of the winning Western Cat mare Sweet Aloha, making him a half-brother to multiple stakes-winners Filibustin and Indy’s Lady.

Cheyenne Stable’s Apollo Ten was last seen finishing a closing second to the speedy stakes-winner Joe Shiesty in a Keeneland turf allowance sprint in October.

The 4-year-old Violence colt graduated at second asking here at the Elusive Quality distance in September 2023. He won a pair of starts last year, taking his seasonal debut in April in a five-furlong turf sprint at Gulfstream Park and adding the 5 1/2-furlong My Frenchman to his ledger in July at Monmouth Park.

Apollo Ten, a half-brother to graded stakes-winning millionaire Bay Storm, is out of the graded stakes-placed Midshipman mare Stormy Regatta.

Trainer Joe Orseno will send out D. J. Stable’s Horsepower [post 2, Rajiv Maragh, 120 pounds] on the back of a three-quarter-length score over stakes-winner Xy Speed in a five-furlong turf handicap on April 5 at Gulfstream Park.

The 4-year-old Good Samaritan gelding boasts an 8-3-4-0 record in turf sprints, including a fourth-out maiden win in July at Monmouth Park and an optional-claiming score in September at Colonial Downs.

Rajiv Maragh, aboard for his last two outings, will ship in for the mount. Last out, Horsepower rallied from last-of-5 and 2 3/4-lengths off the pace to post the narrow win and earn a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

Horsepower, out of the stakes-placed Maria’s Mon mare Bear’s Lightning, has banked $211,975 through a 11-4-4-0 ledger that includes a synthetic score against winners on New Year’s Day at Gulfstream.

Roger Cimbora, Jr.’s New York homebred Twenty Six Black [post 5, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 118 pounds] will make his seasonal debut over a turf course on which he boasts three wins from four starts.

Trained by Horacio De Paz, the 5-year-old War Dancer gelding has been a model of consistency, hitting the board in 9-of-11 outings including a game second to Ramblin’ Wreck in the 2023 NYSSS Spectacular Bid sprinting seven furlongs over the Belmont Park green.

His local turf scores include a second-out maiden win in April 2023, a state-bred optional-claimer in May and an open-company score against winners in September that garnered a career-best 92 Beyer.

Twenty Six Black was last seen finishing a one-length fourth in the aforementioned Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship where he rallied from eighth position early.

He is out of the First Dude mare Brazo de Oro, who also produced turf stakes-placed Can’t Fool Me. Twenty Six Black has banked $342,560 through a lifetime record of 11-5-3-1.  

Rounding out a talented group are Bold Journey [post 7, Eric Cancel, 118 pounds], a graded stakes winner on dirt, who returns to turf for the first time since taking a June 2023 allowance at Belmont for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott; multiple stakes-placed Shards [post 3, Adam Beschizza, 118 pounds] for trainer Kelsey Danner; and maiden winner Marcus Gift [post 8, Lane Luzzi, 118 pounds], who makes his stakes debut for conditioner Adrianne DeVaux. Surveillance and Unlimitedpotential are entered for the main-track only.

The Elusive Quality is slated as Race 7 on Saturday’s 11-race card, which also features the Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Marcy in Race 10.

First post on Saturday at the Big A is 12:00 p.m. Eastern with the facility open to the public from 10 a.m. - 8:45 p.m. to accommodate an 11 a.m. first post at Churchill Downs for their 14-race card that features the Grade 1, $5 million Kentucky Derby in Race 12 at 6:57 p.m. The Big A will host a Kentucky Derby watch party Saturday featuring Taste NY liquor samplings, mint julep bar, pimento cheese tasting, live music and NYRA Bets giveaways. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.
 
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont at the Big A, and the best way to bet every race of the spring/summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.