He Finally Runs Out of Letters
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Alphabet Soup won’t defend his title in the $4-million Breeders’ Cup Classic later this year at Hollywood Park.
Beset by chronic problems with his left front ankle, the 6-year-old son of Cozzene has been retired and will stand at stud in Kentucky in 1998.
Trained by Dave Hofmans for owner-breeder Georgia Ridder and Frank Stronach, who bought a percentage of the horse late last year, Alphabet Soup finished his career with 10 victories from 24 starts and earned $2,990,270.
More than two-thirds of that money was earned in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last Oct. 26 at Woodbine. Despite running wide under jockey Chris McCarron, Alphabet Soup, who was nearly 20-1, prevailed in a close finish over Louis Quatorze, another longshot, and Cigar in the two-time horse of the year’s final race.
Alphabet Soup, second behind Gentlemen in the San Antonio Handicap on Feb. 2 in his only start of 1997, was scheduled to come back in the Santa Anita Handicap, but a wrenched ankle altered those plans. Then he was supposed to return late in the Del Mar meeting, which begins July 23.
Alphabet Soup’s retirement further dilutes this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic. Siphon, Gentlemen, Skip Away, Sandpit, Silver Charm and Free House aren’t eligible for the 1 1/4-mile race and none seems likely to be supplemented.
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No decision has been made regarding the next start for Touch Gold or Free House, the first and third finishers, respectively, in the Belmont Stakes on June 7.
Trainer Paco Gonzalez, who watched Free House work five furlongs in 1:00 at Hollywood Park on Sunday morning, said the son of Smokester could run in either the $500,000 Swaps Stakes on July 13 in Inglewood or the Aug. 3 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 3. Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Silver Charm, who has beaten Free House in four of their six meetings, has already committed to the Haskell. Both races are 1 1/8 miles.
Hofmans, who trains Touch Gold, also is weighing his options and will talk to majority owner Stronach before any decision is made. Running in the Swaps would give Touch Gold a race over the Hollywood Park main track before the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 8, but the Haskell purse is more lucrative and it is a Grade I race. The Swaps is only Grade II.
