Alsvid Takes Aristides Over Work All Week

Black Hawk Stable's Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (gr. III) winner Alsvid carried on with his winning ways May 30 at Churchill Downs, upsetting the season debut of champion sprinter Work All Week in the $100,000 Aristides Stakes (gr. III) .

Second choice in a field of seven for the six-furlong test, the 6-year-old Officer gelding rated off the pace set by Googleado and then took over from 2014 Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) winner Work All Week, the 3-5 favorite, who had taken the lead turning for home. Drawing off in deep stretch, Alsvid won by two lengths in a final time of 1:09.34 on a fast track, giving both owner James Rogers of Black Hawk and trainer Chris Hartman their first Churchill stakes scores.

Alsvid broke well from post 1, but jockey Chris Landeros allowed the others to pursue the early lead, content to chase behind a solid :21.48 quarter and a :44.45 half. Work All Week, who bobbled a bit at the break, quickly recovered to gain good positioning third on the outside and made his move heading into the final turn. striking the front as five eighths went in :56.41.

The Midwest Thoroughbreds runner was tracked through that move by Alsvid, however, who ranged up with a good closing kick and drew clear under a steady drive. 

"He's proving himself, he really is," Landeros said. "Today was probably his best improvement. Coming out of the one hole, he had some things against him and I was proud of him today, I really was." 

Alsvid paid $7.20, $2.80, and $2.60, while Work All Week brought $2.40 and $2.10. Nates Mineshaft managed a distant third and was worth $4.40 to show. Viva Majorca, Gentlemen's Bet, Good Lord, and Googleado completed the order of finish.

Richard Papiese, co-owner of Work All Week, said the Illinois-bred gelding needed the race after taking time off since the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, but should be expected to improve next time out under jockey Florent Geroux.

"He ran well and was coming off a layoff," Papiese said. "He was off a good while. I think he was a little bit flat. Nobody made any mistakes here. It wasn't the rider or the trainer... You'll see a sharper horse next time." 

It was the second consecutive stakes score for Alsvid and his third straight win overall.

"This was my first graded stakes win at Churchill Downs and it feels pretty good," said Hartman, who is tied for fourth in the Churchill Downs trainer standings with a record of 40-8-5-6 and earnings of $276,019 through 22 days of the 38-day spring meet—his first year of campaigning at the historic Louisville track. "We did beat the champ so I guess we are right there with the best sprinters in the country."   

Bred in Kentucky by Yanagawa Stud out of the Afternoon Deelites mare Reagle Mary, Alsvid pushed his earnings to $994,225 while improving his record to 13-7-3 from 30 starts. He was a $55,000 purchase by Rogers from the Stephens Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2011 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s spring sale of 2-year-olds in training.

Not all was lost by Midwest Thoroughbreds on the day. Richard and Karen Papiese's vast outfit rebounded to win the $57,672 Opening Verse overnight stakes with The Pizza Man, who ran down pacesetter Frac Daddy to win the 1 1/16-mile grass race by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:43.29. Geroux was aboard for trainer Richard Brueggemann

The Pizza Man, a 6-year-old gelded son of English Channel  , banked $31,428 to improve his record to 21-13-1-2 with earnings of $841,365. He paid $6.20 to win as the 2-1 favorite in the field of eight.

"I was a little disappointed with the other one (Work All Week), but I really can't make an excuse for him," Brueggemann said. "I thought they both ran big today. We may run in the Stars and Stripes (gr. IIIT) and we might try the Arlington Million (gr. IT). I'd like to run in a 'Win and You're In' and maybe end up in the Breeders' Cup with him."