Derby Post #6: Alastor
It’s been a season of surprises and new tricks for one of the game’s most senior owner/trainer/contributors. Spain’s pride and joy, Fernando, has been an integral part of the sim for six years, with a number of outstanding horses and wins to his credit (not the least of which were Breeder’s Bowl stars Stormy Prospector and Santillana). But a major missing piece to Fernando’s resume has been a Bluegrass Derby entrant. That is now history as well, as Fernando saddles 12/1 shot Alastor from the 6th post on Saturday, from his Marinia stable.
Another bit of a surprise is the pedigree on Alastor. A son of sprinting star Squirtle Squirt from a Hennessy mare (another sprinter), and the great-grandson of the Godfather of sprinters, Mr. Prospector. With a Dosage Index of 4.33 and a Center of Distribution of 1.25, this brown colt has history and bloodlines leaning against him getting the distance. But on the other hand, a great grandfather of Alastor’s, Conquistador Cielo, won the 12 furlong Belmont in 1982 by 14 1/2 lengths. And Conquistador Cielo’s DI was a freakishly high 6.14, and a CD of 1.24. So never say never. But we get ahead of ourselves. Let’s go back to the beginning.
Like a number of outstanding sim horses, Alastor comes from a solidly bred mare that had a mediocre race record. Marinian Star, despite her optimistic name, ran 29 times, winning only 3 and finishing in the money 8 of those times. She, in turn, was a Hennessy daughter, out of a Mr. Prospector mare. Fernando brought her to Squirtle Squirt, a precocious and very successful sprinter with the express intent to turn that foal into a sprinting machine. And sure enough, that freshman’s first-ever race was a $27,500 MSW sprint at 5.5 furlongs, and on a track rated good, Alastor closed to finish a gaining 2nd, just a length off the winner. And off of a blistering pace too. Alastor finished his first race with an astounding 83 speed figure. That race took a bit out of the youngster though, and Fernando gave him a long rest before bringing him back 77 days later to a 6 furlong race and a slightly lower MSW race. The freshen-up did the trick, as Alastor kicked in the afterburners for the last half of the race, coming from 11th place and 5 lengths back at 3 furlongs, to rush by the competition in deep stretch and win by a length with an 86 speed figure.
Getting on a more routine schedule, Alastor was next pointed, 28 days later, to an ungraded stakes race, skipping his allowance conditions and going right for some bigger money, as well as stretching just a bit to 6.5 furlongs. Keeping his usual method of operation, Alastor hung back between 4 and 5 lengths back of the leader, but for the first time in his young career, when opened up and asked for more, nothing happened. He stayed those 5 back and finished last in the 4 horse field, with a speed of 83. But veteran trainer that he is, Fernando didn’t get discouraged, and 35 days later, put him right back in the same class of stakes race, this time with a 9 horse field and another slight pushout to 7 furlongs. With 4/1 odds against him, Alastor got back down to business. He got farther back this time than he’d been used to, hitting the top of the stretch at almost 8 lengths back. He opened up again and ate up ground, passing 4 horses in the stretch, but he couldn’t quite finish the job and finished 3rd, a bit more than 4 lengths back. Alastor’s freshman season ended on a high note, coming back to another ungraded stakes, this time at his longest try, 7.5 lengths, and lo and behold, he ran the best race of his young life, running by everyone down the stretch and winning going away while recording a 90 speed figure.
But it was Alastor’s first race as a sophomore that finally convinced the skeptical Fernando that he may really have a derby-quality entry on his hands. In the Deputy Bingo(GB) Stakes, Fernando sent his charge to the first route of Alastor’s career, an 8 1/2 furlong tussle against 9 other competitors, where, among others, he met fellow Derby entrant Ab Fab. This time he stalked again, but settling into 2nd this time as they neared the stretch before kicking in that overdrive and making up a 4 1/2 length deficit to win handily by 2 1/2. And at another career high speed fig of 93. The Fernando camp was ecstatic. The cardiac-kid closer was for real, and at a route too. Next up was a move-up to Grade III competition with a full field of 14. No problem, as the now super-confident Alastor rode his race without a care, turning a 4 length deficit at the stretch to a length and a half win. And another career high, this time a 96 SF. Onward and upward, this time to a Grade II affair, with another two Bluegrass Derby competitors in the field, Black Clown and Breeding Empire. Halfway through, Alastor was toiling in 12th place, almost 8 lengths back, before calmly flying through the 2nd turn and winning solidly by 2 1/2 lengths, with his fourth consecutive career high speed figure, this time a huge 107.
Even with his disappointing bounce two weeks later in the Grade I California Derby (a still very respectible 4th place and 95 speed figure), Fernando, Alastor, and their fans are very psyched for Derby Day. When I caught up with the venerable trainer from Spain (who the locals are now referring to as “El Senor”), he was all smiles in his first trip to Kentucky on the Day-of-Days. When I asked him what strategy jockey Pete McCarthy was going to be instructed to go with, El Senor just laughed and said “Alastor strategy! Charging in the last meters.”
You may question his ability to get the distance, you may question whether he’ll get a clear trip to close by in a field of 20, but if his young career has shown anything so far, it’s shown that Alestor loves to run, and 12/1 seems a good price on this much ability and this much heart.