Flower Alley - at Four

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 Handicap at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey, on June 24, 2006. It was a 3ΒΌ -length victory as the 1-2 favorite. Out of 11 starts, he had now won 5, placed three times, and showed once. With that win in the slop, his earnings totaled more than $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 Flower Alley in Saratoga's G1 Woodward Stakes as well as 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, again finishing seventh.

He finished 11th in the November 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, which was the last race of his career.

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