Bullards Alley Wins Tough Allowance, Considered For G3 Commonwealth Turf

Wayne Spalding and Faron McCubbins' Bullards Alley, a three-quarter length winner of a first-level allowance Thursday at Churchill Downs, will be considered for a start in the $100,000 Commonwealth Turf (GIII) on Friday, Nov. 27, according to trainer Tim Glyshaw.

Bullards Alley ran down Flash Trading to win the 1 ¼-mile race in 2:04.88 after the race was transferred from the turf to the main track after overnight rainfall. It was the son of Flower Alley's first victory since breaking his maiden at Indiana Grand in July.

“I thought on paper it might have been a tougher race with Tale of Verve in there and [Mike] Tomlinson's horse [Flash Trading] drawing in,” Glyshaw said. “Our horse had proven at Keeneland and Kentucky Downs to run pretty big numbers on the turf. He hadn't run those kind of numbers on the main track, excluding a 7 ½-furlong maiden special weight which is obviously much different from a mile-and-a-quarter. We know that he can run on each. I thought that he may have been a little bit better on turf and I still think that, but it's good that he can run on both.

“Yesterday was probably his most professional race and he handled the dirt in his face just fine. When he was asked to go outside, he did. He can run all day. The problem for us will, theoretically, be to find races long enough to run him in. As long as it's two turns, he's great.”

“We'll have him nominated to the Commonwealth knowing that it will probably be tough. Being that it's two-other-than (allowances) now, we might give that a shot depending on who else goes. Two things on paper going against us (with the Commonwealth Turf) would obviously be the quality of the race and the 1 1/16-mile distance. It looks like he has an affinity for longer distances. I think you can pretty much sit him wherever you want to sit him, and he always runs hard at the end. Every race he's always right there the end. So the Commonwealth is a possibility, but if not there we'll point him to the Fair Grounds.”

Should he go in the Commonwealth Turf, Glyshaw could be looking at his first graded stakes victory as a trainer. He feels fortunate to have a horse of such caliber in his stable.

“We've had them get better as they get older and it's nice to have a really good one again to run for these kind of purses,” Glyshaw said. “Ever since we lost Taptowne and Voodoo Storm, we didn't have any really nice quality horses since then. I think he would show well in the Commonwealth, whether that's hitting the board or not depends on the toughness of the field. I haven't looked at the book for a two-other than, but the big thing that's enticing about the stakes race is that it's for straight 3-year-olds and that would probably be the last time I would get to do that with him. I definitely think he would win his next allowance level if he keeps improving, but I believe that he could be a smaller stakes horse.”

Check out Tim Glyshaw's website at glyshawracingstable.com to keep up to date on Bullards Alley's progress.