Flower Alley to stand for $25,000 at Three Chimneys

....just announced, which if they have already decided his stud fee it tells me that hes done - or at least 90% done. If I had to take a gamble, I'd say that they will tentatively train him up to the G1 Clark in late November at CD for an encore in hopes that none of the serious BC Classic horses come back for that race on three or four weeks rest and they'll catch a weak field.

Pletcher won is last year with a less-than-stellar Magna Graduate, and he knows it could be a cheap way to pad another Gr. 1 on Flower Alley's resume. Any G1 at CD is tough, so it won't be a walkover, but I bet they figure if they can get him sound enough in the next 45 days to be close to the best he can offer, they give he'll have a decent shot at least at hitting the board. However, if things don't work out perfectly, I bet they just pull the plug on him and retire him. There is no advantage at retiring a horse right now if his ailments are minor enough to get him one more quality start and I think that has to be their goal at this point.