Bullards Alley (Flower Alley) exploded clear down the lane to pull a 42-1 shocker in the GI Pattison Canadian International S. at Woodbine Sunday. The dark bay gelding, making his first start in Grade I company, settled in fourth as Messi (Ger) (New Approach {Ire}) took the field through fractions of :26.58, :52.81 and 1:18.98 over the rain-softened course. Messi attempted to slip clear of the field entering the far turn, but Bullards Alley was making a bold three-wide move to take the lead into the homestretch and he burst clear in a matter of strides to come home a much-the-best winner.
“What a brilliant horse,” exclaimed rider Eurico Da Silva as he returned to the winner's circle Sunday. “I'm just in love with him.”
Bullards Alley last saw the winner's circle 15 starts ago when capturing the GIII Louisville H. in May of 2016, but Da Silva had plenty of confidence while riding the gelding for the first time.
“I watched all the replays and I thought, 'This horse can run a very good race,'” Da Silva said. “He always closes. And God help us, yesterday it rained a lot and this guy likes a wet track. There we go.”
Still, the dominant performance was a pleasant surprise for co-owner Wayne Spalding, who purchased the gelding for $11,000 from the Melnyk dispersal at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age sale.
“It just blew my mind,” Spalding, celebrating his biggest racing victory, said. “I never believed he would run that good, but he's got the heart to do it, he just hasn't got a break here lately and he finally got one. He likes the deep turf, so it all worked out good.”
A neck second in the course-and-distance GIII Singspiel S. July 2, Bullards Alley was a well-beaten fifth in the GIII American St. Leger S. at Arlington Aug. 12 and was sixth last time in the GIII Kentucky Turf Cup at this distance Sept. 9.
“Up here he barely got beat [in the Singspiel], that's one of the reasons we brought him back because he seems to like this course a lot,” explained winning trainer Tim Glyshaw. “At Arlington, he had a horse make a right hand turn right in front of him. He was going to be competitive in that race, and Kentucky Downs in the last race, the turf was just too hard for him.”
The trainer continued, “He ran the best race of his life in a graded stakes at Churchill last year on a yielding turf course, so we knew he liked it, but so did the Europeans and a lot of the others in the field,” Glyshaw continued. “I think today, he just got first jump on them and sometimes they stay off you when you're a longshot like that and it was just too late for them.”
Glyshaw saddled Bucchero (Kantharos) to win the GII Woodford S. at Keeneland last week and was earning his first Grade I tally Sunday.
Pedigree Notes:
Breeder Eugene Melnyk purchased Flower Forest for $260,000 at the 2001 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and she went on to win the 2004 Justakiss S. at Delaware Park. The mare, in foal to Flower Alley, sold to Sierra Farm for $62,000 at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton February Sale. Her Jimmy Creed colt–her most recent reported foal–sold to Bradley Thoroughbreds for $70,000 at last month's Keeneland September sale.
Bullards Alley's third dam Pattern Step produced Woodman's Dancer, dam of 2011 GI Arkansas Derby winner Archarcharch (Arch).
Sunday, Woodbine
PATTISON CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL S.-GI, C$800,800, WO, 10-15, 3yo/up, 1 1/2mT, 2:34.37, sf.
1–BULLARDS ALLEY, 126, g, 5, by Flower Alley
1st Dam: Flower Forest (SW, $107,891), by Kris S.
2nd Dam: Nortena, by Mr. Prospector
3rd Dam: Pattern Step, by Nureyev
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($11,000 2yo '14 FTKHRA).
O-Wayne Spalding & Faron McCubbins; B-Eugene Melnyk (KY); T-Tim
Glyshaw; J-Eurico Rosa Da Silva. C$480,000. Lifetime Record:
35-6-4-6, $841,989. *Full to Karibu Gardens, GSW, $298,779;
and Nessy, SP, $163,420.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A++.[bullet ad=”equix-optimatch”][bullet ad=”taylor-made-tm-for-you”]
2–Oscar Nominated, 126, r, 4, Kitten's Joy–Devine Actress, by
Theatrical (Ire). O-Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey; B-Jerry
Amerman (KY); T-Michael J. Maker. C$160,000.
3–Flamboyant (Fr), 126, g, 6, Peer Gynt (Jpn)–Relicia Bere (Fr),
by Until Sundown. (€28,000 Ylg '12 OS12). O-David Bienstock
& Charles N. Winner; B-SNC Regnier & San Gabriel Inv. Inc.
(FR); T-Patrick Gallagher. C$80,000.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]Margins: 10 3/4, HF, HF. Odds: 42.95, 8.25, 10.95.
Also Ran: Idaho (Ire), Erupt (Ire), Chemical Charge (Ire), Enterprising, Postulation, Messi (Ger), Johnny Bear. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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