Pletcher explains Flower Alley's last race

[pweizer]

From today's DRF:

Flower Alley, who finished seventh as the 3-2 favorite in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap on Aug. 5, continued preparations for next month's Grade 1 Woodward here by breezing five furlongs in 1:02.27 Tuesday morning over Saratoga's main track.

After examining the Ragozin sheet numbers, trainer Todd Pletcher said he believes the Whitney came up a strong race and that Flower Alley, having had just one race under his belt, wasn't ready for a peak effort. Invasor won the Whitney by a nose over Sun King. Flower Alley was beaten nine lengths.

"The [Whitney] might not have been as bad as it seemed," Pletcher said. "According to the Ragozins, he ran just as fast there as he did [winning] the Salvator Mile, so it probably was a strong race. It was only his second start of the year. Hopefully, having that race under his belt, and today was his first of three breezes between the Whitney and the Woodward, I would think he would move forward for having done that."