Flower Alley
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| Flower Alley | ||
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| Sire: | Distorted Humor | |
| Dam: | Princess Olivia | |
| Damsire: | Lycius | |
| Sex: | Stallion | |
| Foaled: | 2002 | |
| Country: | USA | |
| Colour: | Chestnut | |
| Breeder: | George Brunacini & Bona Terra Farms | |
| Owner: | Eugene & Laura Melnyk | |
| Trainer: | Todd Pletcher | |
| Record: | 13:5-3-1 | |
| Earnings: | $2,533,910 | |
| Major Racing Wins & Honours & Awards | ||
| Major Racing Wins | ||
| Travers Stakes (2005) Lane's End Stakes (2005) Jim Dandy Stakes (2005) Salvator Mile Handicap (2006) |
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Infobox last updated on: Sept 15, 2006. |
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Flower Alley, born in Georgetown, Kentucky on May 7, 2002, is an American thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred at Bona Terra Farms by George Brunacini who was killed in the August 27, 2006 crash of Comair Flight 5191 at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky.
The colt is a son of Distorted Humor, a Mr. Prospector line sire whose other offspring include dual classic winner and champion Funny Cide. Flower Alley is actually inbred 3x3 to Mr. Prospector. His dam is the winning Princess Olivia by Lycius. Flower Alley was bought by the Melnyk Racing Stables of Laura and Eugene Melnyk for $165,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling Sale because the colt's dam is named Olivia. The Melnyks have a daughter named Olivia.
Flower Alley has won the Grade II Jim Dandy Stakes, the Grade II Lane's End Stakes (in just his third career start), and, on August 27, the Grade I Travers Stakes at Saratoga. He is trained by Saratoga's leading trainer, Todd Pletcher, and was ridden in the Travers by top jockey John Velazquez. Flower Alley was a very strong second to Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year winner Saint Liam (who was sadly euthanized in August of 2006 after a freak accident) in the Breeders' Cup Classic on October 30, 2005.
Afleet Alex won the Eclipse Award for champion three-year-old in 2005, but Flower Alley ran a 110 or better Beyer Speed Figure in his three wins, while Alex only ran a Beyer that high in the Preakness.
Flower Alley spent his 2005 winter break in Ocala, Florida at his owner's Winding Oaks Farm, then trained at Churchill Downs for an early summer return to the track.
[edit] At four
Flower Alley, under his Travers Stakes jockey John Velazquez (who skipped his Saturday Belmont mounts to ride the four-year-old), came back to the races as the favorite to win the Grade III $150,000 Salvator Mile Handicap at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey on June 24th, 2006. It was a 3 1/4 -length victory as the 1-2 favorite over a difficult track. Out of 11 starts, he has now won 5, placed three times, and showed once. With that latest convincing win in the slop, his earnings were well over $2,500,000.
After the Salvator Mile, Todd Pletcher said, "We'll go to the Whitney Stakes on August 5th now, if everything goes smoothly." Pletcher also planned to run him in Saratoga's G1 Woodward Stakes as well as a second try at the Breeder's Cup Classic, run this year at Churchill Downs.
On August 5th 2005, Invasor, an Argentine bred son of Candy Stripes, won the Whitney by a nose to the surging Sun King. Flower Alley (joint favorite) made a brief run at the leading horses, then faded to come home seventh. Flower Alley also failed to hit the board in the Woodward Stakes also coming home in 7th.
He is expected to make his, perhaps final, appearance in the November 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.
[edit] When the Race is Over
Flower Alley is to stand at Three Chimneys Farm alongside Dynaformer, Point Given, Rahy, Albert the Great, Smarty Jones and their other stallions. In 2007, his stud fee will be $25,000. The Midway, Kentucky farm has also acquired a 50% ownership of Flower Alley, the second graded stakes winner by Distorted Humor to stand at stud.
