Flower Alley Running at Woodward Stakes After Breeder’s Death

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The $500,000 Woodward Stakes (gr. I) Saturday at Saratoga could turn out to be the most crucial start of the year for 2005 Travers (gr. I) champion Flower Alley, the race is just a week after the 4-year-old’s breeder was killed in the crash of a Comair jet in Kentucky.

Flower Alley’s owner, Eugene Melnyk, is dedicating the race to breeder George Brunacini, who was among the 49 people who died in Sunday’s crash at the airport in Lexington, Ky. Jockey John Velazquez will wear a black band on his pants when he rides Flower Alley.

“This is obviously a tragedy for the horse industry with Mr. Brunacini and other people that were important in the game on that flight,” Flower Alley’s trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Flower Alley, winner of last year’s Jim Dandy and Travers Stakes, began this season with a victory before finishing seventh in the Whitney Handicap, nine lengths behind Invasor. Pletcher is looking for a much better effort in the 1 1-8-mile Woodward, which drew a field of 11 Thursday, including 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide.

Trainer Barclay Tagg said, however, that Funny Cide will be scratched if the track is muddy.

The Woodward, formerly a fixture at Belmont Park, will be run for the first time at Saratoga and a week earlier than in the past.

Nick Zito has three horses in the Woodward — Andromeda’s Hero, Sun King and Wanderin Boy.

Funny Cide, the first New York-bred to win the Derby, would be making just his second start at his hometown track. He was second in the 2004 Saratoga Breeders’ Cup. In his last race, the 6-year-old gelding won the Dominion Day handicap at Woodbine.

The field for Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile Woodward Stakes, Post Position Jockeys & Odds:

1–Wild Desert, Edgar Prado 5-1
2–Papi Chullo, Eibar Coa 15-1
3–Suave, Calvin Borel 6-1
4–Naughty New Yorker Jose Santos 20-1
5–Sun King, Julien Leparoux 7-2
6–Flower Alley, John Velazquez 3-1
7–Second of June, Garrett Gomez 20-1
8–Premium Tap, Kent Desormeaux 15-1
9–Andromeda’s Hero, Fernando Jara 12-1
10–Funny Cide, Richard Migliore 10-1
11–Wanderin Boy, Javier Castellano 12-1

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