Flower Alley
Flower Alley, born in Kentucky on May 7, 2002 is an American thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by George Brunacini at the Bona Terra Farms and is owned by Eugene & Laura Melnyk.
The colt is a son of Distorted Humor, a Mr. Prospector line sire whose other offspring include dual classic winner and champion Funny Cide. He has won the grade II Jim Dandy Stakes, the grade II Lane's End Stakes, 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 Horse of the Year Saint Liam in the Breeders' Cup Classic on October 30, 2005.
He 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 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 with a grade III win in the $150,000 Salvator Mile Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 24th, 2006. Out of 11 starts, he has now won 5, placed three times, and showed once. With this latest win in the slop, his earnings are well over $2,500,000.
After the Salvator Mile, Todd Pletcher said, "We'll go to the Whitney now, if everything goes smoothly."