Flower Alley
Encyclopedia
Flower Alley, foaled 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 2006 after a freak accident) in the Breeders' Cup Classic
on October 30, 2005.
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.
at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey
on June 24, 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 5, 2006, 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 7th.
He finished 11th in the November 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic
at Churchill Downs
, which was the last race of his career.
alongside Dynaformer
, Point Given
, Rahy, Albert the Great, Smarty Jones
, Big Brown
, and their other stallions. 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
.
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
. He was bred at Bona Terra Farms by George Brunacini who was killed in the August 27, 2006 crash of Comair Flight 5191
Comair Flight 5191
Comair Flight 191, marketed as Delta Connection Flight 5191, was a scheduled United States domestic passenger flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Atlanta, Georgia, operated on behalf of Delta Connection by Comair...
at Blue Grass Airport
Blue Grass Airport
Blue Grass Airport is a public airport located in Fayette County, Kentucky, United States, 4 miles west of the central business district of the city of Lexington. The main terminal building was opened in 1977. The airport covers an area of and has two runways. It is also home to the Aviation...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
The colt is a son of Distorted Humor
Distorted Humor
Distorted Humor is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire.-Bloodline:Distorted Humor's sire is Forty Niner, 1987's Eclipse Award winning Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse by the champion sire, Mr. Prospector. Distorted Humor's dam was Danzig's Beauty by Danzig. Distorted...
, a Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector was a thoroughbred racehorse foaled in Kentucky, whose descendants have been dominant in the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. He won half of his 14 career races.-Background:...
line sire whose other offspring include dual classic winner and champion Funny Cide
Funny Cide
Funny Cide is a Thoroughbred race horse who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 2003. He is the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the first gelding to win since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.-Bloodlines:...
. 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
Eugene Melnyk
Eugene Melnyk is a Ukrainian Canadian businessman who now resides in Barbados. He is the current owner, governor, and chairman of the Ottawa Senators professional ice hockey club of the National Hockey League . He also owns the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors junior-age ice hockey club...
for $165,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale
Keeneland Sales
The Keeneland Sales is an American Thoroughbred auction house in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing/auction entity on 147 acres of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack O. Keene...
because the colt's dam is named Olivia. The Melnyks have a daughter named Olivia.
Flower Alley has won the Grade II
Graded stakes race
A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...
Jim Dandy Stakes
Jim Dandy Stakes
The Jim Dandy Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race. The Grade II race has been held annually since 1964 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race is open to horses age three, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the dirt. It carries a purse of $500,000. Prior...
, the Grade II Lane's End Stakes
Lane's End Stakes
The Spiral Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held in late March at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky in the Cincinnati area. The race is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the main track, which is now a synethic surface at Turfway...
(in just his third career start), and, on August 27, the Grade I Travers Stakes
Travers Stakes
The Travers Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race held at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.First held in 1864, it was named for William R. Travers, the president of the old Saratoga Racing Association. His horse, Kentucky, won the first running of the Travers...
at Saratoga
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. It opened on August 3, 1863, and is the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind in the United States. It is typically open for racing from late July through early September.-History:John...
. He is trained by Saratoga's leading trainer, Todd Pletcher
Todd Pletcher
Todd Pletcher is a leading American thoroughbred horse trainer. He has won four consecutive Eclipse Awards as outstanding Trainer of the Year, while topping the leader board in purse earnings in 2004, 2005, and 2006. His horse Super Saver won the 2010 Kentucky Derby, the first of his 24 horses...
, 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
Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year
The American Award for Horse of the Year is the highest honor given in American thoroughbred horse racing. It has been awarded since 1887 to the horse, irrespective of age, whose performance during the racing year is deemed the most outstanding....
winner Saint Liam
Saint Liam
Saint Liam was an American thoroughbred racehorse who was voted 2005 Eclipse Award Horse of the Year honors....
(who was sadly euthanized in August 2006 after a freak accident) in the Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
on October 30, 2005.
Flower Alley spent his 2005 winter break in Ocala, Florida
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
at his owner's Winding Oaks Farm, then trained at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
for an early summer return to the track.
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 HandicapSalvator Mile Handicap
The Salvator Mile Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the first week of July at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. Open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt at a distance of one mile . A Grade III event, it offers a purse of...
at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey
Oceanport, New Jersey
Oceanport is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,832.Oceanport was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1920, from portions of Eatontown Township , based on the results of a...
on June 24, 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
Woodward Stakes
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. Named for prominent racehorse owner, George Nicholas Woodward, it is run at 1⅛ miles on the dirt for a purse of $750,000.The Woodward was run as a handicap in...
as well as a second try at the Breeder's Cup Classic, run this year at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
.
On August 5, 2006, Invasor
Invasor (horse)
Invasor is a Thoroughbred racehorse bred in Argentina by Haras Clausan. The winner of the 2005 Triple Crown in Uruguay, he was later purchased by Sheik Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum who paid approximately USD 1.4 million for the horse...
, 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 7th.
He finished 11th in the November 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic
Breeders' Cup Classic
The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade I Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 year olds and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships...
at Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
, which was the last race of his career.
When the Race is Over
Flower Alley stands at Three Chimneys FarmThree Chimneys Farm
Three Chimneys Farm is an American thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Midway, Kentucky established in 1972 by Mr. & Mrs. Robert N. Clay. Widely known as one of the world's preeminent horse farms, Three Chimneys has been home to a number of famous horses including U.S. Triple Crown champion...
alongside Dynaformer
Dynaformer
Dynaformer is a thoroughbred stallion, currently standing at stud at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky. Sired by Epsom Derby winner Roberto out of Andover Way , Dynaformer's pedigree includes some legendary names: Nashua, Ribot, Bull Lea, Blue Larkspur, Nearco, and Johnstown among others.Bred by...
, Point Given
Point Given
Point Given is an American Hall of Fame champion racehorse foaled on March 27, 1998 in Kentucky. As a three-year-old, he won the 2001 Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, along with the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year...
, Rahy, Albert the Great, Smarty Jones
Smarty Jones
Smarty Jones is a thoroughbred race horse, and winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He finished second in the Belmont Stakes that took place on June 5th, 2004....
, Big Brown
Big Brown
Big Brown is a retired champion American Thoroughbred racehorse and winner of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and 2008 Preakness Stakes. Bred by Dr. Gary B. Knapp's Monticule Farms in Lexington, Kentucky, he won his first five race starts. He was sired by Grade III winner Boundary, a son of North American...
, and their other stallions. The Midway, Kentucky
Midway, Kentucky
Midway is a city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 1,620 at the 2000 census. It is located midway between Frankfort and Lexington along the single-track railroad between them. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to a...
farm has also acquired a 50% ownership of Flower Alley, the second graded stakes winner by Distorted Humor
Distorted Humor
Distorted Humor is an American Thoroughbred racehorse and a successful sire.-Bloodline:Distorted Humor's sire is Forty Niner, 1987's Eclipse Award winning Outstanding Two-Year-Old Male Horse by the champion sire, Mr. Prospector. Distorted Humor's dam was Danzig's Beauty by Danzig. Distorted...
to stand at stud
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
.