Veteran Alsvid Wires Foes in Kelly's Landing for Second Stakes Triumph of Spring Meet

Jul 03, 2016 Darren Rogers

Black Hawk Stable’s 7-year-old millionaire Alsvid, who won the $100,000 Aristides (Grade III) for a second straight year on June 3, set the pace and comfortably won Saturday night’s seventh renewal of the $64,465 Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes – the final stakes race of Churchill Downs’ 38-day Spring Meet – by 1 ½ lengths over Schivarelli.

Ridden by Chris Landeros for trainer Chris Hartman, Alsvid returned mutuels of $3.80, $2.80 and $2.20 as the 4-5 favorite in the field of six older horses. Schivarelli, ridden by Corey Lanerie, returned $5.40 and $3.40 with Island Town, ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., finishing third another three-quarters of a length back and paying $3.40 to show.

Helooksthepart, Wabel and Bayerd completed the order of finish. Natchez was scratched.

Alsvid clocked seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:22.55 after setting the pace in splits of :23.24, :46.42 and 1:10.19.

The victory, the 15^th in 43 starts and his 11^th against stakes company, was worth $40,620 and increased Alsvid’s career earnings to $1,274,618 for owner James Rogers.

Alsvid is a son of Officer out of the Afternoon Deelites mare Reagle Mary and was bred in Kentucky by Yanagawa Stud LTD.

The race is named in honor of Summerplace Farm’s Kelly’s Landing, who earned $1,853,831 from a record of 10-3-2 in 27 starts for trainer Eddie Kenneally between 2004-09. The gelding won the six-furlong Aristides Handicap (GIII) at Churchill Downs in 2005 by stopping the teletimer in a track record 1:07.55 (since eclipsed). His biggest victory came in the 2007 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Nad Al Sheba in the United Arab Emirates. Kelly’s Landing also won the 2006 Phoenix (GIII) at Keeneland and 2007 Mr. Prospector Handicap (GIII) at Gulfstream Park.

KELLY’S LANDING QUOTES

CHRIS LANDEROS, jockey of ALSVID (winner): “He’s class, man. I didn’t have to do much today – just had him settle for me and he took that one big deep breath and I knew I was going to be very tough then. I was a little concerned that long way down the backstretch but he’s just a pro, man. I didn’t do much today but hang on and steer him and he was happy.”

CHRIS HARTMAN, trainer of ALSVID (winner): “He can go either way turf or dirt, so he’s opened a few doors for us there so we have more options. I’m going to just wait and let Ali tell me when he’s ready to run, that’s how he goes. We just let him pick his spots and let him tell us when he’s ready to go and point him towards the way he needs to go. When he hung up a :23 quarter, I knew that it was going to be trouble for them at that point because there wasn’t a lot of pace in the race.”