May 7 - Flower Alley

I've already bored you over the years telling my role in getting Flower Alley to Three Chimneys Farm so I won't bore you with that other than to say, "Would there have been a Kentucky Derby winner named I'll Have Another without my paint brush being involved?"

I was told by Joan Pletcher, trainer Todd Pletcher's stepmom that Eugene Melnyk wasn't happy with a piece of art made by NYRA of Flower Alley in the Travers, but she smiled and said that Eugene said, "So, I hired the best to get it right." I looked at Joan almost pulling it out of her mouth. "Yes, he meant you."

But even that wasn't completely smooth sailing. When I originally painted this, Johnny V had his whip raised high as he was coming down the stretch. Eugene said that his daughter (Anna who the Anna House for New York backstretch workers is named after) would not like the whip so, a little quick trickeration and Johnny V whip disappeared, and his hand and arm transformed into a jubilant "we're number one!"

The history of this painting and its travels only begins here but Flower Alley will always be a special horse to me.

Flower Alley was a high quality colt who became famous both for his big wins on the track and for the legendary son he produced at stud. He was foaled in 2002 and trained by Todd Pletcher for owners Eugene and Laura Melnyk. His sire was Distorted Humor, the leading sire of Funny Cide, and his dam was Princess Olivia, a daughter of Lycius. He carried a pedigree built for distance and class, and he showed real depth as a runner.

Flower Alley had a strong three year old season in 2005. He missed the Triple Crown races but came on strong in the summer. The signature win came in the 2005 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, the so called Midsummer Derby and one of the most prestigious races in America. Flower Alley ran a brilliant race to win, beating Bellamy Road and other top three year olds and earning a Grade 1 mark on his record. The win stamped him as one of the best of his crop.

That fall he went to the 2005 Breeders Cup Classic at Belmont Park. He took on older horses and ran a huge race, finishing second to the eventual Horse of the Year Saint Liam by just over a length. He retired at the end of his three year old season with 5 wins from 11 starts and earnings of over 2.5 million dollars.

Flower Alley went to stud at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, where he produced a horse who would change his legacy forever. His son I'll Have Another won the 2012 Kentucky Derby and the 2012 Preakness Stakes before being scratched the morning of the Belmont Stakes, ending another Triple Crown bid. Flower Alley also sired Lilacs and Lace, who won the Ashland Stakes, and several other graded winners. He was later sold to Turkey, where he stood at the Turkish national stud farm. Flower Alley is remembered both as a top class runner and as the sire of one of the most popular horses of the 2010s.

Sources:

• Flower Alley - Wikipedia

• Three Chimneys Farm

• Bloodhorse - Flower Alley